Kenwood DPC-MP922 Portable MP3 CD Player Review

Editor's Note: Kenwood has recently discontinued this product. Although this is the case, you might find this unit around on the web.. Crutchfield still has it up for $179.99.

We all know MP3's are here to stay even with the fall of the once popular Napster. But do MP3 CD players have what it takes to stick around with the new devices out there today? I'm thinking about the iPod and Nomad in particular. These 2 devices have changed the landscape of MP3 playing, in the portable sense. So, what remains to be answered is whether the "older" MP3 CD players still have the goods to keep people buying.

Is this the MP727?

Kenwood recently released the new DPC-MP922 MP3 player, but it looks remarkably the same as the MP727. What I wondered at first was whether there is a real difference, so I borrowed my friend's MP727 and compared the difference. As you might expect from the manual alone, they should operate in the exact same way since they share the same manual. So what was the purpose of a new model? Well, taking a look at the product specifications, it seems as though the new model has 2 differences: car cassette adapter and car power adapter, and the price reflects this as well since you are paying an extra $20 for it. So, if you want all the accessories, then you can pitch in for the new model otherwise the MP727 will be adequate. Actually, what I would have liked instead of the car adapters is a remote control and a nice pair of AA Ni-MH batteries. You would think that for the price of the unit, you would get some nice batteries.

First Impressions

The first thing I noticed about the Kenwood MP922 upon glancing at it, was the physical design of the player. In my opinion, I feel that the design team could have made it more attractive. It is too conservative and boring for the MP3 listening crowd out there. The buttons are small and too close together to distinguish them easily, so most of the time you have to look at the buttons in order to do what you want. Furthermore, the expansion battery adapter makes the unit even worse. You get more playing time, but what you get is an even bigger and uglier system. I think Kenwood just decided to go for a safe design and I think the unit suffers in that sense because of it. Another aspect that I don't particularly like is the thickness of the unit. I feel they could have tried to make a smaller unit if possible. I think that always gives CD players out there bonus marks. Overall, I would give the design average marks.

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