Long Beach, Calif.
– Kenwood has begun shipping the first five-channel amp in its Excelon
Reference Fit series of compact car audio amplifiers intended for installation
in small spaces.
The series expands
to three models with the launch of the $600-suggested XR-5S, which is Kenwood’s
only five-channel amp and is promoted as the industry’s most powerful five-channel
amp for its size. The amp delivers 4×80 watts RMS into 4 ohms plus 1×350 watts
from its 2.2-inch by 9.25-inch by 7.56-inch chassis. It also features continuously
variable low-pass filter (50Hz to 200Hz) and continuously variable high-pass
filter (50Hz to 200Hz).
The other two amps
in the series, both at $600, include the XR-1S, which is Kenwood’s smallest
mono-block amplifier ever. It delivers 600 watts (RMS) at 4 ohms and 700 watts
(RMS) at 2 ohms, with a peak power rating of 1,600 watts. The other amp in the
series is the four-channel XR-4S, rated at 4×120 watts (RMS) at 4 ohms, 4×150
watts (RMS) at 2 ohms, and 2×300 watts (RMS) bridged at 4 ohms.
TXR-5S shipments
follow last month’s shipments of Kenwood’s first two mech-less head units, the
$500-suggested KIV-BT900 and $450-suggested KIV-700. They lack CD or DVD
transports but play back audio and video content stored on connected iPods,
iPhones, other-brand MP3 players, and USB sticks. Their 3-inch color TFT
displays show full song, artist and album text as well as large-format,
full-color album art. The displays also show video, which also appears on
optional connected rear-seat monitors.
The head units come
with 512MB of embedded flash memory to store content transferred through its USB input. Both are satellite radio- and HD
Radio-ready, and they come with remotes.
Both models
deliver the same performance and features, but the $500 models comes with
built-in Bluetooth for hands-free dialing, and the $450 model requires a $180
hideaway Bluetooth module for hands-free dialing. And both play MP3, WMA, AAC
and WAV audio. They play MPEG4, WMV and H.264 video, and they display JPEG and
BMP images.
