And to Tom, my stereo d00d at ARA Auto Accessories in Calgary.

After a lengthy two years, including FIVE visits to the Kenwood Service Centre, taking four weeks each time, and near the end of my two year factory warranty, Kenwood has finally replaced my KDC-X969 with a brand spankin' new KDC-X979 head unit WOOHOO! [img]graemlins/jammin.gif[/img]

http://www.kenwoodusa.com/content/pr...-2004-kusa.jpg

My 969 was a lemon, after the fourth visit to the shop, it was never the same. The first six months I owned it, it was awesome, I loved it. Then came the gremlins...

But that's all history, check out my sweet HU again! ;)

http://www.kenwoodusa.com/content/pr...-2004-kusa.jpg

5.1! Dolby Prologic II!!! Digital Time Alignment! SRS WOW! EQ, crossover, etc. etc. etc. Yum yum! I used to brag that my 969 "does everything except take care of my ol' lady"... I'm thinkin' this 979 just might, if I can just find the right setting... [img]graemlins/headbang.gif[/img]

Only now I need to hook up a centre channel... Need a speaker, and I guess a fifth amplifier couldn't hurt the van [img]graemlins/thumb.gif[/img] But I don't think I'll be able to squeeze another one into my signature below... ;)

Here's a link to it's full specs - http://www.kenwoodusa.com/product/pr...productId=2596

[ February 19, 2005, 01:52 AM: Message edited by: GrizZz ]

Good to hear, just a pain in the arse that it took so long.

Sweet hu Grizzz, too bad it took so long, but at least they did you right in the end. Enjoy.

Reminds me a lot of my Clarion DXZ925. Same features, similar double-face layout...nice deck...

I have the MP822 - one step down from the 969 for the fold out design, and non excelon.. over the past year i have had it once say TOC Error on every cd i inserted into it,, i simply hit the reset button and i was good to go..

Even my belleville's local dealer for kenwood says they usually don't have any problem after being repaired.. I mentioned your exact experience.. he said it had to be the service centre for your area seeing your closer to the west coast where ours would use a centre in eastern ontario.

I don't know where your unit was sent for service, but I can add 1 [img]graemlins/thumb.gif[/img] for the guys who run the Kenwood repair depot here in Mississauga. My KDC-X659 started making some pretty ugly noises a few weeks ago...sounded like a bad ground in the unit or something. Took it back to Radioactive in Burlington with 1 month left on the warranty, and Lee sent me up to the depot to drop it off. They were easy to deal with, the tech came out and had a listen to the noise....they gave me a loaner deck and told me to call back by the end of the week. Mine was fixed when they said it would be, and so far it works like a charm... [img]graemlins/bow.gif[/img] [img]graemlins/thumb.gif[/img]

The first time, the techs at ARA cleaned, lubed & gave it back, saying if it screws up again, they'll have to send it to Kenwood.

It was couriered to Kenwood Canada in Ontario, which is why it took so long each time, the second, third, and fourth times. The fifth time, Tom just stuck it on his "To-do" table and sent my letter to Kenwood, asking for replacement, don't even bother sending it to tech. KW dude picked up my 969 at the same time he dropped the 979 off.

TOC error is a disk error, unless by "every cd" you mean it was doing it on real (premade, not cd-r's) cd's too?