Clean sound and full features, but use the remote

This is my second Kenwood unit and I couldn't be happier with it. The unit produces excellent sound with both the CD player and the AM/FM receiver. Since I don't have an HD tuner or a Sirius receiver, I can't comment on the functionality of either one of these.

The KDC-MP5028 is relatively easy to use for the technically inclined, but for those who swear at the VCR because they can't set the clock, this unit I do not recommend. The setup and menu options are not as intuitive as other players, and the control knob is a four-way joystick controlled by a single finger/thumb - it takes a little getting used to. The best bet is to use the provided remote control.

The display is easy to read, but has limited information to display. It will display whatever you tell it to - either the station frequency or name (if you've named it), or the CD title, track title, track number, artist, or whatever - but it won't scroll different pieces of information (so far as I've found). Probably not a big deal if you know what CD you put in.

The display has an adaptable angle. At the press of a button, it will adjust the vertical display angle to suit the user. Also the display key buttons can display in either red or green. When inserting or removing CD's, the entire face folds down to show the CD slot, and the disc will be ejected if one is already inserted.

The built in equalizer has a good variety of built in sounds for listening to different formats such as Rock, Top 40, Jazz, etc.

One of the more interesting features on this Kenwood that I had not noted before was a Telephone Mute wire. According to the manual, this will send a signal from an integrated telephone to the unit to mute when a call is coming received in the vehicle. I don't have any direct data to work with, but I'm guessing that this will make it a unit suitable for use in a vehicle equipped with On-Star.

One of the more important features to me was that this unit will play MP3 and WMA files (as well as AAC, but with some restrictions). See http://www.kenwoood.mediamanager.jp/ for details. It will play MP3 files from 8 t0 320 kbps sampling rate and WMA's from 48 to 192 kbps sampling rate. This feature alone makes any long distance trip easier whether satelite radio service is available or not.

Other useful features include Scan/Random/Repeat play. Also there is a wire that connects to the factory harness to allow the vehicles headlights to cause the display to dim. This is not an adaptive dim such as for the interior lights, but rather a high/low, and does make a difference when driving at night. This feature is selectable on/off.

I do wish there was more information I could provide regarding the HD Tuner and the CD changer, but from what I can gather reading the manual, my guess is only one can be connected at a time. There is only one port on the rear for controlling a CD changer/HD tuner, although there is the Aux Input that can be used; this is strictly an input only - no controls.