Kenwood KD-650

[Montycat]

What would you pay? It looks reasonably good though seems to have a bunch of tape residue. At least one hinge is broken and reportedly it has a ground type hum. Nothing I'm worried about so far. It has a headshell that might be original but doesn't look familiar, and a cartridge which is nothing special.

Thoughts?

 

[Blue Shadow]

probably worth over 3, especially if that is paid with loonies.

These are not speed adjustable like the KD-500 but they can have other arms installed just as easily, well 4 screws instead of 3. The ergonomics are not as good with the stop/start on the left and the arm on the right making it a two hand operation to stop the table and lift the arm vs. the 550, slide the on switch lift the arm, all on the right side. Hinge repair, haven't gotten to it, yet for Tom's table. Mine are still working but I will reinforce them as I figure out a method.

Good tables the KD-600/650.

The bay is a lot of help, a 650 sold for 799 with broken hinges and an armless 600 sold for 100 with one broken hinge. That is a wide range.

 

[Montycat]

Thanks. I've been asked to tune it up by a local shop and I'm tempted to just see if they want to sell it to me. I can certainly work barter into it, tuning up the other 3 I picked up for example.

 

[Grenadeslio]

Thanks. I've been asked to tune it up by a local shop and I'm tempted to just see if they want to sell it to me. I can certainly work barter into it, tuning up the other 3 I picked up for example.

It was the follow up to the 500/550 being quartz locked, it's a pick-em as to which is best in my opinion. Both great tables that are getting harder to find under 5 bills, and both are leagues ahead of the SL1200 in any of it's competing variations.

 

[Montycat]

Well, I have it on the bench and it's cleaning up ok (it's cleaner than in the pics now). The lid will take a lot more work.

It looks like it's a KD-625, kinda. The decal says KD-600 but the tonearm is the same model, as far as I can tell, as the 650.

I like this arm! It's very smooth and tight and I really like adjustable VTA on the fly. None of my other tables have made that so easy. The headshell is unique and does have the Trio emblem.

The wiring is messy though. If I end up keeping this, or even buying it as an investment, I'm going to clean that up. The arm grounding is definitely flakey. Hopefully I don't have to rewire it.

The rest seems good so far. Touch switches are good. Speed is rock solid. Plinth dirty but cleaning up nicely. Feet good.

Dust cover is so so, hinges are bad.

 

[Montycat]

Actually, in reference to ergonomics, I like the switches to the left. The switches being as sensitive as they are I could see myself changing speed or stopping the motor while handling the tonearm. I cue manually with the fingerlift much of the time and the base of my hand would be very close to those switches if they were in the same location but on the right.

 

[Blue Shadow]

I see what you mean about the touch switches and cuing. I don't have fingerlifts on my Magnepan tonearms and use the front corner of the headshell? to move the arm while resting my hand on the plinth. Touch switches would not work for this. The 500 had a slide switch, hit it one way to stop the platter and move the arm, slide the other way to start the record as the cuing descents.

Interesting 625. The arm from the 650 is one that I have had to work on. The race for the ball bearings used in the bearing got worn and the balls cut a slight groove in the race (top part of the arm tube) and I needed to pull that apart and sand down the race to fresh, smooth, ungrooved metal without the dents that caused the arm to skip 2/3rds of the way across the album. Don't know if this is a problem with more than one arm, could have been just over tightening on initial install.

That arm, I thought it had a 5-pin DIN connector but I don't recall for sure. Redoing whatever that is in the pic shouldn't be too hard and should provide positive benefits.

I can't see how much work the dust cover will be.

I'm refreshing a PS-2251 for a friend and to make it right is a lot of time. Hard to determine how far to go when time it money, but the results can be excellent with tables of this caliber. Looking forward to the results pics of this project.

 

[Montycat]

I expected a DIN connector but it is bare wires to a terminal strip behind a folded metal shroud. That pic above isn't very good.

If I keep this, I will likely use an RCA connector and perhaps a little box.

 

[Montycat]

Well, it's mine now. So far we are doing barter to the tune of $500 worth. I'm 1/4 paid now as I tuned 3 basic turntables for them and dropped them off today.

How do you like it now?

 

[yurka77]

Beautiful, how did you get that dust cover so clean ?

 

[Grenadeslio]

Awesome, I love my "Rock".

 

[Montycat]

Beautiful, how did you get that dust cover so clean ?

About 2 hours of elbow grease mostly. It had masking tape residue all over it and alternating between my biodegradable spray cleaner, lighter fluid and just my thumbnail eventually got it. Novus #2 did the rest. Thankfully it wasn't scratched or cracked but I do still have to deal with the broken hinges.

 

[tyeeslayer]

About 2 hours of elbow grease mostly. It had masking tape residue all over it and alternating between my biodegradable spray cleaner, lighter fluid and just my thumbnail eventually got it. Novus #2 did the rest. Thankfully it wasn't scratched or cracked but I do still have to deal with the broken hinges.

Are they the same hinges as a KD2055? If so shoot me a pm.

 

[Montycat]

Are they the same hinges as a KD2055? If so shoot me a pm.

Not exactly. I will post pics later as I have a 2055 and HAD another until it fell and shattered on the garage floor...don't ask!

I think I can make some alternate hinges work. The ones on this plinth slot into a piece mounted with 4 screws. Those screws go through the composite material into a threaded metal plate inside. I have some all metal hinges that maybe could work with 2 different mods. One involves grinding material off the hinges so they slot into the installed mounts and the other requires drilling 3 new holes in the plinth for each hinge.

 

[Montycat]

I see what you mean about the touch switches and cuing. I don't have fingerlifts on my Magnepan tonearms and use the front corner of the headshell? to move the arm while resting my hand on the plinth. Touch switches would not work for this. The 500 had a slide switch, hit it one way to stop the platter and move the arm, slide the other way to start the record as the cuing descents.

Interesting 625. The arm from the 650 is one that I have had to work on. The race for the ball bearings used in the bearing got worn and the balls cut a slight groove in the race (top part of the arm tube) and I needed to pull that apart and sand down the race to fresh, smooth, ungrooved metal without the dents that caused the arm to skip 2/3rds of the way across the album. Don't know if this is a problem with more than one arm, could have been just over tightening on initial install.

That arm, I thought it had a 5-pin DIN connector but I don't recall for sure. Redoing whatever that is in the pic shouldn't be too hard and should provide positive benefits.

I can't see how much work the dust cover will be.

I'm refreshing a PS-2251 for a friend and to make it right is a lot of time. Hard to determine how far to go when time it money, but the results can be excellent with tables of this caliber. Looking forward to the results pics of this project.

Funny you should mention a 2251. I just moved my PS-2400 out of top spot, conceding it to to the Kenwood. I've always wanted one of the DD Rocks but only have been able to find the KD-2055 until now. I've gone through a few of those.

I'm keeping my Sony however, but just put my Denon DP-3000 on the market.

 

[Blue Shadow]

I told Chip the PS was too complicated for him. Maybe he'll swap for one of my other tables. But it does match his pre/power/tuner also sporting walnut cabinets. So he'll probably keep it

 

[Blue Shadow]

The good thing about having a KD-625 is that you don't have that silver sticker in front of the tonearm talking about the VTA adjustment. When you throw a different tonearm on it you don't have to explain anything, the 600 came with whatever tonearm someone wanted to install. Mine came with a Fidelity Research FR-64s. Now sporting a Magnepan Unitrac I with a higher compliance cartridge than the FR could use.

With the currency conversion, you did well buying that table for some labor at that price point.

What is going on with the DIN connector on the bottom of the tonearm. I know you have wiring pouring out of that area so I'm guessing the connector is not there and the excess wiring from inside the arm is used to reach the terminal strip where the RCA cables are attached. Lots of options to improve that and I'm sure it will be a nice improvement when you are finished.

 

[Van_Isle]

Well done! That cleaned up very nicely.

 

[totem]

Sure tuned up well, a nice change to the 2055's that are known to jump off shelving. :]

 

[Montycat]

Sure tuned up well, a nice change to the 2055's that are known to jump off shelving. :]

I still have the pieces, one of which is going to come in handy soon.