[slightly Dated] A Summary Of The Kenwood DMC-S55.

[Christopher]

Well, after waiting about a week, the Kenwood DMC-S55 I ordered for my girlfriend has arrived from Osaka, Japan [woot audiocubes].

THIS IS A PLAYER, NOT A RECORDER.

Contents:

- box

- kenwood dmc-s55 player

- unit pouch

- kenwood earbuds

- ac adapter

- charging stand/speakers

- remote

- remote clip

- instruction manual

- "bianca" white aa battery screw-on pack

Simply amazing. I'm going to tell you about this little engine that could.

The unit itself is quite light, and in comparison to my Sharp DS8 you can feel the sixteen gram difference very easily. I'm not sure if all Kenwood players are like this, but the loading mechanism is has a bigger "mouth" than most, and the actual metal that supports the disc going inside is almost nonexistant [unlike the tray that is featured in most recorders/players today]. I'm generally careful with my Minidisc players, but with this I feel much more inclined to take it slow with general operation to avoid any calamity. The unit is extremely quiet and quick in it's seek times, and without the remote or charging stand I doubt you could tell it was on or off.

I'm not really sure why my girlfriend chose the Kenwood DMC-S55's blue color, as I think it's not that great, and at first glance/operation I wasn't too keen of it. After a while of toying with the remote and sound, I found myself warming up quickly to Kenwood's next generation digital amp player. I'll let the pictures give you a better idea of what the unit really looks like. I will note that the unusual chip-like interface on the back of the unit that "clicks" into the charger [most likely for sound transmission] could've been made a different way, as I can see that area getting dusty and hard to clean.

What's the best part of this unit, besides the sound? The remote.

[sorry it's blurry, I didn't have time to spend on remote animations because my girl came home + it's a Christmas gift. ]

I remember when this unit was first discovered that Mystyler had mentioned something about the remote seeming surreal. Well, it's beyond that in every way. I've never seen such a functional player-only unit in my life. Eight-step bass + treble [+ 4 to - 4], nice load graphics [a "hello" that is consumed by an equalizer, then disc info] and a plethora of options. The jog dial on the remote is best used with your fingernail, and I like it better than any Sony or Sharp offerings that I've experienced. What really jumped out at me was the option to choose what is displayed in each line of the two-line display:

- track number + time display

- disc name display

- track name display

- group name display

-"kenwood display" [this is a scrolling "kenwood" in a funky character set that has a music note on each end of the word - kinda gimmicky, but definitely adds to the japanese feel]

- recording mode display

I like track name display on the top and track number + time display on the bottom. The S55 also features an alarm [which would work well with the charging stand/speakers, I imagine], contrast selection [!!!], beep on/off, sleep mode, and the best ff/rew I've ever seen on a unit to date - for best results it's better to put it in "search". I haven't really played around with the play modes, but from what I've read/seen there isn't anything I cannot do, even with group play. I wish my DS8 had these kind of features!

[plastic still on the screen, :devil:]

The charging stand is pretty neat, but the sound that it emits is quite transparent. Furthermore, you don't have any control of the EQ that pushes the speakers, so it may not even be operating at it's best. I can't really even hear any bass out of it. Nonetheless, I could see it being used in a hotel/away from home type situation. The speakers on the charging stand will not function without an AC adapter connection. I wish it had a line out in the back, and I accidentally bumped the S55 whilst it was on the charging stand and the speakers emitted a very strange static sound - which has only happened once.

Battery life is awesome, and coupled with an actual good looking AA adapter, it's nearly invincible. I wouldn't expect anything less than 125 - 150 hours with a SP/LP2 disc rotation and the AA adapter pack. Not a bad tradeoff for seven hours of charge. The "bianca" white AA adapter matches the pearl circle on the unit very nicely, and features regular screw-on operation like others. I wonder if the other AA adapters for the other colored units is this white as well.

How can this player be only 4.3mW?

This is what I have been looking for in a unit - loudness and clarity. There's a catch though; without the equalizer this device sounds worse than a Sony. Enable the equalizer or set your own custom EQ, and you have a unit that makes an Auvi run for it's money. I really didn't think anything Minidisc could come on par with an Auvi digital amp, but Kenwood has done it gracefully and at times I think the Kenwood excels [espically with bass, but that's probably because of the EQ - mids and highs sound near perfect, although a little bright, but very real nonetheless.]. Believe me, the Sharp DS8 is an incredible unit, and what makes it so is the ability to sound amazing without the assistance of an EQ, something I wish the Kenwood could have. With the EQ, it's like this thing has Sony loudness + Sharp clarity all in one. This makes me wonder about how good the DS70 really is. Also, I would like to mention that my friend listened to the DS8 and S55 and said the S55 was crisper and clearer, but like I said before this is most likely due to the EQ, and I pseudo-disagree because of Auvi integrity.

EQ options:

- Normal ["muddy"]

- SoundEQ1

- SoundEQ2

- SoundEQ3

- SoundEQ4

- SoundEQ5

- UserPreset

The SoundEQ#'s are factory preset EQ customizations. Each one is very different, but 4 seems to be the most genuine [with Radiohead, at least]. The EQ settings depend on the genre, of course. I've set the UserPreset, as I like to define my own bass and treble settings, and what I have defined should sound good to my girlfriend. I want her to open this package up, don the headphones and be enveloped with sound, and that's exactly what will happen. Unfortunately, I'm giving her D22 eggo's with this - and in all respect they preform okay, but sonically the D66's really make the S55 shine. Brilliant soundstage!

I'm jealous of this player 100%, and I would definitely recommend a newer Kenwood digital amp'd unit to anyone who seeks surprising clarity [on par with Auvi, and even better at times] from a seemingly unpopular brand. I wish I didn't have to give this to my girl!

Settle this for me, is this thing blue or green? The box says blue but I'm leaning on turqouise. The white print on the unit can also seem a brownish tint at some angles. Confusing! Also, it is a bit troublesome to turn off the player at times, but nothing that wouldn't be adept with time.

misc. pictures:

[exactly three discs tall]

[included buds. meh, but pleasing asthetics. the sharpheiser mx400's that came with the ds8 are much better.]

[d66 + Kenwood dmc-s55]

[bwhaha, Sony mz-e505, Sharp DS8, Kenwood dmc-s55]

[note the very small remote port beside the headphone out. odd.]

[on-unit buttons; volume +, volume -, ff/next track, rew/prev. track, stop/play]

I give it a 9.50/10, because of somewhat fragile body construction + wimpy speakers in the charging stand. Everything else about this unit is dynamite and highly recommended.

Was this a good choice for my girlfriend? Very much so. She'll love it when I'm not leeching it off her.

If you have any requests for further sonic explanation or additional pictures, just inquire.

Cheers!

[mercury_in_flames]

that colour really is the shit dude, love it. I would say its minty green or turquoise blue Any chance of a peek at the AA battery adapter? If only sony could have made a custom battery pack for each of its players/recorders. More expensive, but if only.

[AMPlitude]

wow... i must say the charging stand speakers are probably just a gimmick to toy around with anyway