Kenwood Scirocco

Talk Audio Magazine welcomes Neil Hunt as our newest occasional contributor. This article was first seen in Mobile Electronics News and has been edited only lightly to make it more TA-reader rather than trade oriented.

The Wind Of Change
The brief was different to previous demo cars: build a car to showcase the new range but it must work in ‘open day’ mode and yet sound impressive inside for customer demos. A tough challenge to rise to, Huet’s took it on and set new standards not only for install, fit and finish but the versatility of the audio equipment.

The biggest quandary facing a manufacturer like Kenwood is how to make a demo car work hard to justify the budget. But all too often in many cases people lose sight of what a demo car should do and get hooked on showcasing the brand, not the actual audio product. A demo car with the boot open and an impressive install will certainly draw the crowds, there’s no doubt of that. But that will only sell the brand and have show-goers reaching for their camera phones. So when it came to designing Kenwood’s latest demo car, the challenge was to create a car that not only appealed to the widest possible audience, but one that could be versatile too.
After a few years of service, the last Kenwood demo Subaru Impreza was put into retirement, making way for this new VW Scirocco. It’s a car that has mass appeal to a huge customer demographic, young, old; male and female, everyone loves the shape yet despite being sexy, it doesn’t feel a million miles from a humble family hatchback so remains a ‘real world’ rather than fantasy vehicle like a HumVee.
The Key To Versatility
Under the central armrest in the front of the car is the nerve centre of the Scirocco. A bank of rocker switches can select what elements of the install are being used as well as controlling the Celsus LED lighting used in the car. So for open days, you could select just the boot audio and visual entertainment, but by the same technique, once a customer is inside the car with the boot closed, you can select the speakers you want him to hear. This is how Kenwood and Huet’s have cleverly created an all-in-one demo car.
The Front End
Heading up the install is Kenwood’s flagship new double DIN head unit for this year: the DNX-9240BT. Last year, the double DIN range was topped with an 8-series unit but for 2009, that unit is split into two: a 7-series and this 9-series. Using a new high-definition 6.98in wide VGA screen resolution gives industry-leading quality across navigation, movies and menu systems that are pin sharp. (And just won it the head to head contest on the Channel Five Gadget Show with Katie Melua as judge – Ed)
The term high-definition is now accepted in common parlance and customers understand just why it’s better. The screen can display picture-in-picture (again, technology home TV users have become used to), to allow a visual source to play alongside navigation. The features list is impressive including voice control for AV, navi and Bluetooth hands-free, RCA outputs are Dolby 5.1 (Digital/dts/etc and Pro Logic II to convert two-channel to 5.1 surround.) with a high 5V signal level.
Sound processing is taken care of with SRS technologies to get the best from compromised sources or speaker positioning. Add to that a 13-band equaliser, digital crossover and digital time alignment for user control or switching to Sound Management System where users simply set the system for their particular car type.
The navigation uses the very latest Garmin software and brings familiarity for PND users but with much clearer mapping displayed on the large screen. Supporting digital audio and video sources is easy with USB (1.0 and 2.0), iPod direct (with iP301V) and a deck ready to play all common formats. The Scirocco is using Kenwood’s KTC-D500E FreeView DVBT tuner as well as a CCD2000 rear view camera. A Connects2 interface allows steering wheel control of the head unit.
One of the biggest advances for this year’s model range is the improved user interface. New menus and button layouts mean simple one-key access to popular features. Check out the direct ‘nav’, ‘SRC’ and ‘Tel’ buttons on the front face. When using touch screen, functions are pulled out in a ‘drawer’ when needed then disappear to leave maximum screen area for the source in use.
In The Doors
With the emphasis on creating impressive sounds inside the car, the front-end was particularly important. The aim was to create door builds close to the originals but house two pairs of 17cm components. The KFC-X1720P set is driven from one of the latest compact X-series digital amplifiers: the four-channel KAC-X4D. In what Kenwood calls ‘Bass’ mode, for demo days, the front end only typically plays one pair of the full-range components. In SQ mode, with the boot maybe not even playing any bass, the fronts run both pairs, joined by the 8in mid bass subs in the rear quarter panels. Being a relatively small interior and the 17cm drivers close in size to the 8in woofers, there’s a seamless crossover and the end result is a very well balanced system for music lovers. Of course if more bass is needed, it’s only a switch click away.

In The Rear Quarters
The rear quarters are our favourite part of the Scirocco build. Subtly modified by Huet’s, the armrest has been moved down to make room for an 8in mid-bass driver slotted in behind the rear quarter to deliver some impressive bass to complement the front-end. Driven by a single KAC-X1D amplifier, the KFC-XW800F drivers have their levels controlled by a remote gain rotary in the armrest and can receive up to 700W from the amplifier. The drivers run optimally in tiny 0.5 cu ft enclosures behind the trim panels. 
The Boot Enclosure
Built for open days and shows, the boot install is a work of art, and entertainment. The centre of the enclosure is a 19in LCD screen that will be used by each dealer that borrows the Scirocco (for up to two weeks at a time), to play Kenwood promo material. The Kenwood marketing team will even produce a store specific video that outlines any special offers relevant to the car being there. Flanking the screen are four slim 12in subs:  KFC-WPS1200F. Each pair is running in 2 Ohm impedance, powered by a mono digital KAC-X1D (delivering 700W RMS), with remote level adjustment in the centre armrest. The subs are mounted in small sealed enclosures, measuring up only around 0.8 cu ft. The slim line sub design means you still get big bass from even smaller enclosures like this.
The centre of the boot build houses the amps for the install and cleverly, the whole middle section with the two amps on lifts out to reveal the third digital X-series amp underneath it. Along with the amp note the neat wiring of the install and labelled fusing for each item. Huet’s fully understand that a demo car gets used hard and in the event of a fuse needing to be changed, the whole car doesn’t have to be torn apart.
My favourite aspect of the boot build is the incredible fit and finish of the system. With three-dimensional curves and each boot half made in one section, the very small panel gaps and the way they slot together perfectly is outstanding, showing why Huet’s have the reputation they do.
All photography by Neil Hunt
Contact: Kenwood UK – 01923 816444 or http://www.kenwood-electronics.co.uk/.
Talk Audio would like to thank the definitive trade magazine, Mobile Electronics News for use of their inestimable Hunt-San and his pictures. “Ta!” from TA.