Car stereos go upscale and retro
The $1,000 car stereo faces numerous marketplace challenges, not the least of which is that people with a lot of money are more likely to buy an expensive vehicle featuring a comparable high-end stereo rather than a lower-end vehicle that needs an audio upgrade.
Kenwood’s new DNX890HD multimedia navigation receiver strives to remove the word “comparable” from the equation by offering new features never seen before in a car stereo. It has a 18-centimetre touchscreen, Bluetooth capability and North American map data (and full GPS capability) by Garmin. But aside from this and higher-end audiovisual capabilities one would expect from a car stereo costing north of $1,000, the DNX890HD can also operate interior climate controls, read vehicle distance and proximity sensors, report tire pressure sensors and display information such as engine temperature, r.p.m. and other performance indicators
These are all cool additions to the aftermarket stereo sphere, but patient consumers should be aware that Kenwood’s DNN990HD, an even more expensive super-stereo, which arrives in April, features all of this and Wi-Fi capability, too.
$1,200; visit kenwood.com. Classic with foresight: The people at Retrosound must really love classic cars. How else would you explain a company willing to forgo the vast untold riches that come from manufacturing car stereos for the masses, opting instead to build vintage-looking car stereos for classic cars?
Retrosound’s new Model Two car stereo features different esthetic versions for different classic cars, but all deliver the same capability, being the company’s first car stereo to feature Bluetooth and iPod charge-and-play support. The LCDilluminated screen features 32,000 backlight colour choices and the Bluetooth tech will handle handsfree calls and music.
$400; visit retrosoundusa.com.