Personally I'd say go with the Kenwood, it has almost all the features of the 149BT and a few that it doesn't (like adjustable tweeter crossover). Also it's cheaper.

 

kenwood ftw!

 

Easy - the Kenwood.

 

I also say the kenwood, but I would lean towards the KDC-X997 over the 955. It's only $10 more.

 

what about this one
Clarion cz702, 164 shipped
https://www.thecityelectronics.com/ProductDetail.aspx?prodid=600020541

 

awesome deck as well for the price

 

The only issue I can see with the clarion is it's looks. You either love'm or hate'm.

 

Between those mentioned, I'd take the Kenwood. Seems to have the most powerful DSP. T/A and a decent crossover section.

 

Thanks a lot for the fast responses. Sounds like the Kenwood 955 will do the trick for me then, based on the votes
The clarion and kenwood xcelon series I can not get through the big box store I can get a discount from.

I appreciate offers on used units. I think a new one with warranty from an authorized seller and the discount will make more sense even after having to pay taxes.

 

MMMMmmmmmm,
Unless I am wrong, it seems that the kdc 955, does not have the tweeter crossover as it was stated on the Crutchfield site.

I went to Kenwood's site Kenwood - KDC-BT955HD

And at the bottom after clicking on the down to down load the manual on section 5-5 Xover setting it says that the tweeter, xover is only available for the X-997 although they share the same manual.


Fine adjusting the following setting values corresponding to the X'Over values set in the section <5-4. Speak
er setting>.
1. Press [SRC] and select a source other than Standby ("STANDBY") using [Control] knob.
Refer to <Source selection>.
2. Press [Control] knob.
Enters the Function setting mode.
3. Select "Audio Control" > "Pro Setup" > "X'Over" using [Control] knob.
For how to use [Control] knob, refer to <3-3. How to select the item>.
4. Select a speaker type using [Control] knob.
Speaker type Setting item Setting value
"Front"
"FC"
Front high pass filter
KDC-X997
Through, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80, 90, 100, 120, 150, 180, 220, 250 Hz
KDC-BT955HD
Through, 40, 60, 70, 80, 100, 120, 150, 180, 220 Hz
"SLOPE"[1][2] Front high pass slope
-6, -12, -18, -24 dB/Oct
"GAIN"
Front gain
-8 ,-7, -6, -5, -4, -3, -2, -1, 0 dB
"Rear"
"FC"
Rear high pass filter
KDC-X997
Through, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80, 90, 100, 120, 150, 180, 220, 250 Hz
KDC-BT955HD
Through, 40, 60, 70, 80, 100, 120, 150, 180, 220 Hz
"SLOPE"[1][2] Rear high pass slope
-6, -12, -18, -24 dB/Oct
"GAIN"
Rear Gain
-8, -7, -6, -5, -4, -3, -2, -1, 0 dB
"SubWoofer"
"FC"
Subwoofer low pass filter
KDC-X997
30, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80, 90, 100, 120, 150, 180, 220, 250, Through Hz
KDC-BT955HD
40, 60, 70, 80, 100, 120, 150, 180, 220, Through Hz
"SLOPE"[1][2] Subwoofer slope
-6, -12, -18, -24 dB/Oct
"GAIN"
Subwoofer gain
-8 ,-7, -6, -5, -4, -3, -2, -1, 0 dB
"PHASE"
Subwoofer phase
"REV" (180°)/ "NML" (0°)
"Tweeter"[2]
"FC"
Shelving filter
1, 1.6, 2.5, 4, 5, 6.3, 8, 10, 12.5 kHz
"Volume"
Tweete volume
-8 ,-7, -6, -5, -4, -3, -2, -1, 0 dB
(Colored text: Factory setting)
[1] Displayed only when "FC" is set to a value other than "Through".
[2] Function of KDC-X997.
5. Select a setting item using [Control] knob.
6. Select a setting value using [Control

 

I'm not sure about the tweeter crossover setting, but I know that Kenwood packs a lot more into their eXcelon units. That manual covers a lot of Kenwood radios, and some of them don't even have separate front and rear HPF, so I wouldn't put too much stock in the shared manual. If it says that it's only available on the 997, then that is probably the case.

 

can't go wrong with pioneer!

 

I'll buck the trend and recommend the Alpine CDE-HD148/149BT models. For the price difference between the two you get the different front plate with the hidden CD slot and dedicated mute button as well as an upgraded (larger) screen. You also gain two more bands of parametric EQ over the Kenwood option with either model.

Also, on the Kenwood the "Tweeter" adjustment they have is called a shelving filter. You can generally set the size of the tweeter to "none, small, medium or large." You can specifically set a shelf frequency 1, 1.6, 2.5, 4, 5, 6.3, 8, 10, or 12.5 kHz with a dB reduction above the level set of 0 to -8 dB. Is there an advantage to this over the Alpine? With the added 2 bands of parametric EQ, I don't think so.

Just my 2 cents.

 

Great info, thanks. Based on the manual the ken x997 has the tweeter filter and also has setting for speaker sizes 4.5,5.25,6.5, 5x7,6x9. While the ken 955, no tweeter filter and only settings for small, medium or large speakers.

I can get the alpine 148 just under the price of the ken 955, the alpine 149, I can get $80.00 off the $300 price, same thing for the 80prs (80 off $350) the alp 149 seems like a popular choice among some experienced members here and other forums.
My choices are limited to the models mentioned on the first post, the clarion seems tempting for under $180, it seems that the trade is between an active xover and HD radio, and with the pio 80prs we get 16 eq bands, at the same time the more audio options, the more time it gets to adjust and more confused we can get or keep playing with it.