Re: what is the best replacement radio - Saab 900 Bulletin Board - Saabnet.com
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Re: what is the best replacement radio
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Posted by Justin VanAbrahams [Email] (#32) [Profile/Gallery] (more from Justin VanAbrahams) on Tue, 27 Mar 2018 10:02:53 Share Post by Email
In Reply to: what is the best replacement radio, Bob_SAAB_101 [Profile/Gallery] , Tue, 27 Mar 2018 08:40:58
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I have been pretty happy with the last couple generations of Kenwood's KDC-X line. I have a previous version in my '85 SPG, and a current X502 in my '01 9-3. The finish is piano black where matte would look better, but matte really isn't a thing anymore. I have mine installed in the lower console, so the piano isn't really an issue as it's fairly dim down there.

The current X502 has Bluetooth, a pair of rear USB ports, a rear aux input, CD player, variable color illumination, and hi-volt pre-amp outputs. The X702 adds HD radio. The integrated amp in these is okay - better than factory and competitive with other products - but the small speakers in the c900 do better with a bigger amp. In my SPG, I'm using a Kenwood KAC-M1804, which is a tiny (paper back book sized) 4 channel 45w amp. It's inexpensive and works very well. I 3D printed a mount for the dual rear USB inputs.

Here is a picture of the X502 installed in the 9-3 to give you a sense of its finish:



The variable illumination is set to "orange" which is a decent match for the SID. In the SPG, the illumination is set to white - the green is either too bright or too olive, but the white looks good to my eye, especially since it's down by the shifter, out of the way. Most of the button & switch illumination in the car is white anyway, so it's a fair match.

Here is a bad image of the 3D printed USB bracket I made. This one is in my Viggen, but it's the same mount in the '01 9-3 and the SPG. On the SPG I screwed it into the "wall" of the large center console cubby.



IMHO the Kenwood is the best bang for the buck stereo there is right now. The Sony MEX-GS620BT is a strong second place contender, but it's a but more expensive than the X502 and has a weaker amp and a worse display while lacking the HD radio of the more expensive X702.

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