Kenwood KMM-204, the Ecomodder's radio

[oldtamiyaphile]

This caught my eye as the box specifically has a feature icon for 'low standby consumption' - haven't seen that before. Kenwood lists all their units as under 1ma, so I wonder how low this one specifically is.

It also weighs 600g, so about half of what a normal cd player would weigh, and potentially over 1kg lighter than some OEM units.

https://www.kenwood.eu/car/receivers/all/KMM-204/?view=

All for around $50.

[Ecky]

I'd never considered standby consumption as something to even look for in a radio. Nice!

I believe the Ecomodder's speaker would be the Infinity Kappa, with a 95db sensitivity. Compared with some speakers with lower sensitivity, they can produce as much as 10x the volume with the same energy, or the same volume with 1/10 the energy.

[hayden55]

Ill have to post a picture of me taking apart my radio. But there is literally nothing to them now. Weight reduction for sure compared to a factory double din. They are literally a shallow metal cage, a ribbon cable, and an iphone's circuit board. I was blown away with how small it was.

[redpoint5]

My truck had high parasitic loads while parked, enough so that a month of sitting would drain both huge batteries. It didn't make sense because my truck has power nothing. Found out the thermostat DOT installed was drawing something like 200 mA. Now it's down to 5.9 mA due to the radio. Without the radio it should be very close to nothing.

Anyhow, if that radio doesn't have HD, I don't consider it a good value. I bought a Dual brand HD radio with USB port and MP3 capability over 10 years ago for $40 new. Best aftermarket radio I've had, though I was real proud of the unit I installed in the VW bug I had in high school. It was the analog button type where you pull the button out and then press it in to "program" the station.

[oldtamiyaphile]

Originally Posted by Ecky

I'd never considered standby consumption as something to even look for in a radio. Nice!

I believe the Ecomodder's speaker would be the Infinity Kappa, with a 95db sensitivity. Compared with some speakers with lower sensitivity, they can produce as much as 10x the volume with the same energy, or the same volume with 1/10 the energy.

I've used Polk MM series a lot. Neo magnets means they're much lighter than any comparable speaker, they also have a composite cage and are marine rated. 93db sensitivity.

But of course it's not that simple, most 'high end' speakers are designed to be used with a subwoofer so they tend to produce less bass than the OE paper cones. If you need to add a small passive sub you'll eat up any weight or electrical efficiency gains.

OE paper cones always amaze me with how good they sound considering how crappy they are.

[Ecky]

They were decidedly very bad in my car, but typically yes.

The Kappas produce decent bass and are ~95db. I have a sub on an efficient amp and at moderate listening volume the whole system draws ~1.5 amps.