Kenwood's "Galaxy Commander" Receiver

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vintagestereo

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Yep, that's REALLY what Kenwood called their 1982 tribute to Star Wars....aka the KR-1000.

I've been trying to get a NICE one of these for a long time, now, as many of you know.

My first KR-1000 was "dead", but came with the all important Service Manual.

The second one was shipped in crumpled newspaper such that the faceplate was ripped off and all the connections torn away. It was a gonner.

And, now this. Only a couple of lights were out in the graphic display panel and, otherwise, she's READY TO PLAY! In spite of her outrageous appearance, she's got Kenwood's Hi-Speed DC Amplifier w/ 120x2 and just about more features than I've ever seen on anything. She can even be programmed to turn on and off at different times EACH DAY OF THE WEEK! The 7-Band Electronic EQ has 4 Memory settings and can be inserted into the tape loop. She has Wide/Narrow bandwidth settings on FM and a 2 level Stereo Reception threshold. There's even a Dial Dimmer. And, best of all, the blue LEDs that show the Volume level turn to red when the Muting is activated!

Here's what the Bluebook says:

KENWOOD
RCV, KR-1000
Manufacture Years: 1982 - 1984

Additional Information:
Power: 120
Retail
MSRP: $1,250.00
USED: $210.00
Wholesale
Mint: $120.00
Average: $70.00

Certainly, this is now one of the prouder pieces in my collection and I can't wait to display her next to her father, the KR-9050.
 
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Glad ya got one to work out for ya Chris! :yes:

Looks really good! :thmbsp:

Scott
 
WOW!! I remeber seeing those in magazines growing up. Very nice piece. Now that's a reciever. Huge as hell, and it's got the balls of a prized bull!!
 
vintagestereo said:
Yep, that's REALLY was Kenwood called their 1981 tribute to Star Wars....aka the KR-1000.

Kinda reminds me of Tron........ :scratch2:

Either way it is a pretty neat looking receiver.! :thmbsp:
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Nice going. :banana: :banana: :banana: :banana: :banana: :banana:
A man with a mission...accomplished. I feel somewhat responsible for your situation cause I think I steered you towards the first two on eBay. Well at least you have plenty of parts for her. :yes:
 
The frequency display and power meters look exactly like the ones in my super eleven. even the power meters measured range is the same.
 
Glad to hear you found one that works :thmbsp:


I am curious to know what you think of it's sound quality compared to that nice looking Marantz in the background :D
 
TrexT said:
Nice going. :banana: :banana: :banana: :banana: :banana: :banana:
A man with a mission...accomplished. I feel somewhat responsible for your situation cause I think I steered you towards the first two on eBay. Well at least you have plenty of parts for her. :yes:
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I owe it ALL to you, TrexT! If it weren't for you'd I'd never have found out about this piece!
 
I remember reading that the Soviets used one of these in their missle silos, programmed to make coffee and random generate launch codes.
 
I love that! Super cool looking! Congrats on a great find. I bet in another 10 years, the "goofy factor" will be working in your favor. I think it's really cool.

Ed
 
colortrakker said:
OH my god I want one. SO '80s! And so minty nice!
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I know a lot people Slam the 80's gear....but there was some interesting stuff! I think the early microprocessor-equipped Receivers, like the Galaxy Commander, are particularly interesting. I agree that their build quality is not like their 70's counterparts...but, nonetheless, the new technology that they incorporated was fascinating at the time and remains so....at least to me. I also think that the second generation Solid State Receivers from the American Manufacturers (H.H. Scott, Marantz, Harman Kardon, Lafayette and Fisher) is also really collectible and virtually off the radar now. The pieces that I have from this era are EXTREMELY well made and show no evidence of the cost-cutting that went into effect when these manufacturers were forced to compete with the Japanese on price and ultimately had to outsource all their production to Japan.
 
mg196 said:
How long til you can give us a review?!
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As good as it looks on the outside, the inside is filled with dust. So, today I'm going to give it a thorough cleaning. So far I've only listened to it on a pair of Koss Pro-4AA Headphones using the FM....but tomorrow, I'll hook it up to an SACD Player and see what it can do on some DCM Time Frame 700 speakers and let you know.
 
MCS Guy said:
The frequency display and power meters look exactly like the ones in my super eleven. even the power meters measured range is the same.
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MCS -- Well....how about a pic so we can see for ourselves???

:worthless
 
vintagestereo said:
I know a lot people Slam the 80's gear....but there was some interesting stuff! I think the early microprocessor-equipped Receivers, like the Galaxy Commander, are particularly interesting.
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I feel the same way. I have a couple threads regarding my Kenwood KA-900 amp. Kenwood was definitely trying to do something new w/ their higher end 80's stuff. They were attempting to stand out from the pack while both cutting cost and maintaining uniqueness. I think it worked for a while.

KA-900: http://audiokarma.org/forums/showthread.php?t=32206&highlight=ka-900
 
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