In my 25 years with Crutchfield, Kenwood's Excelon car stereos have always included in-depth customization capabilities, the latest technology, and super-clean sound. The Kenwood Excelon KDC-X305 CD receiver upholds that tradition by providing a variable-color display, Internet radio controls, and a USB port for high-res music playback. You may notice a dedicated button on the front panel — Amazon Alexa gives you voice control over your music and much more. Kenwood also included Bluetooth® to wirelessly stream music and make hands-free calls quickly and easily. Deep tone controls, plenty of options for system expansion, a huge variety of music sources, and a 2-year warranty really put a stamp on what makes Excelon great.
ALEXA VOICE CONTROL
Load the Alexa app onto your phone and pair your phone to this Kenwood receiver, press the dedicated "Alexa" button on the faceplate, and you can access music, audiobooks, news, weather, traffic, and smart home controls using your voice.
With one click of a button and your voice, Alexa can assist in accessing your favorite playlists.
BLUETOOTH MEANS WIRELESS AND MORE
In addition to wireless access to music and calls, the KDC-X305 enables you to pair two Bluetooth-equipped phones and quickly switch between them for hands-free calling. And when you're streaming audio, the Music Mix feature lets you pair five phones so everybody in the car can take turns picking the tunes. You can wirelessly stream and control the playback functions of just about any Internet radio service, including Spotify, TIDAL, and Qobuz.
Speaking of control, you can also operate this stereo directly from your iPhone® or Android™ phone using Kenwood's free Remote app, which comes in handy if your stereo is hidden away or in a custom location — super handy for installation in a vintage vehicle.
LOTS OF MUSIC SOURCES
This Kenwood is ready for radio, with an option for SiriusXM (optional tuner and subscription required) to deliver satellite radio goodness from coast to coast. Don't worry, this receiver's sensitive AM/FM tuner will pick up your local stations like a champ, too. And if you're an Apple Music® fan, you can plug your iPhone into the front-panel USB port and enjoy direct control and display info for your favorite tunes. You can also play your own digital music stored on a USB drive including high-res FLAC files. And if that isn't enough music for you, you can also satisfy your music fix using the receiver's front aux input for a portable music player.
ADD POWER AND TWEAK AWAY
With its three sets of 5-volt preamp outputs, the KDC-X305 delivers a super-clean signal to add amplifiers in your setup. Combine those with the built-in 13-band equalizer and digital time alignment, and you've got a serious audio hub for an ever-growing sound system. And just to make sure you have the right look in your vehicle, you get to pick the color for the receiver's 1.5-line display and control buttons.
Bluetooth note : Use of this receiver's Bluetooth features will depend upon your phone's Bluetooth capabilities. Learn more in our article explaining Bluetooth profiles.
iPod/smartphone note : If you're going to use your iPod or smartphone with this receiver, be sure to check "Details" for compatibility information.