Inspiribomb
Enjoy the journey
I've been a member of AK for several years now. I have learned a great deal about amps, speakers, soundstage, some repair, and stereo equipment in general. I discovered Kenwood gear and fell in love. It started with a KA-3500 and KA-7100 that were given to me, along with a pair of L-100's. That was essentially my first vintage stereo, a milestone for me.
From there, I went on to find a KA-9100 and KT-8300 tuner at Goodwill for 15 bucks each. If memory serves me correctly, that was my first post here at Audiokarma, about my Kenwood scores. Ah, here it is:
Inspiribomb's First Post
That was a pretty serious upgrade for me. I didn't know what a KT-8300 was, but knew that I wanted an analog tuner. I sure knew the KA-9100 though! Those beautiful power meters, aluminum faceplate, big knobs and exposed heat sinks, mmmmm. I acquired several other amps and preamps (even a Pioneer SPEC 1).
I found the Kenwood Supremes, and voed that I would own them one day. I believe it was a post by PunkerX that made me lust after the L-09M's. At any rate, I was able to land a 700M pretty cheap, $280. It wasn't perfect - it was scratched, dinged, had cracked glass, missing feet, etc. I didn't care, I could afford it and didn't mind working on it. After taking it apart, cleaning it, scavenging feet from my other Kenwood tuners, she was up and running and sounded great. Come to think of it, that piece of equipment lasted longer with me than any other thing component, as I only recently sold it.
Skipping ahead in time, I eventually landed a 700C in beautiful condition, and a pair of L-09's, also in beautiful condition. Huzzah! I had the system of my dreams. Speakers came and went, until I eventually discovered NHT, and its been a hot n heavy love affair with them.
At some point, I acquired a Kenwood KA-907, my single favorite piece of equipment. It was so powerful, so simple, so beautiful, so heavy. I swore that I'd sell my 700's if, after restoration by Echowars, the 700C did not outdo the KA-907. Well, I got the 700C back and was blown away. The 907 just couldn't compare anymore.
I've had the itch before. You know, that desire to sell your vintage stuff and buy some nice new equipment. Or, maybe you don't know. It happened to me several times. Well, I decided that I was no longer interested in investing the money in my several other vintage pieces for restoring them. I did my research for a long time, and picked out several components that, if I sold my Kennies, I could afford and would, hopefully, be upgrades. Not only that, but I did not use the 700C preamp nearly to its full potential. Its a full-featured preamp, and I only used the volume knob, nothing else. What a shame.
The Kennies sold, fast. Faster than I could have possibly imagined. Within 2 weeks, everything was sold. It all went to good homes, and I am happy because of it. I was nearly componentless, but thanks to my restored (by our own Rich P.) Toshiba setup, I was still able to listen to beautiful music (even though these half-widths look ridiculous in my enormous rack).
So there you have it, a brief explaination from start to finish of my Kenwood love affair. I've owned:
700C (X2)
700M
Model 650
Model 500
L-09M (X2)
I've had my share of Kennies, and I do still appreciate their tremendous built quality and stunning good looks. I will be keeping my eyes open for them in the future, so you other Kenwood fans, don't think I'm out of the game
So now what am I on to? Well, last night I just received my first of several new components - a Bel Canto Pre3 preamp. I listened to music last night from 5:30 to 10:30. Its a minimalist design, with only a volume knob, but its amazing. I also have purchased a pair of Channel Islands Audio D-200 monoblocks; these will be my new main amps. Previously, the 700M was powering my NHT W1 subwoofers, but I bought a pair of NHT A1 amps to power them. They turn on when they sense a signal, and go into standbye automatically.
At any rate, I do miss the Kenwood gear, but am pleased to know that it has gone on to someone who will truly enjoy and care for them like they deserve. Enjoy the music
From there, I went on to find a KA-9100 and KT-8300 tuner at Goodwill for 15 bucks each. If memory serves me correctly, that was my first post here at Audiokarma, about my Kenwood scores. Ah, here it is:
Inspiribomb's First Post
That was a pretty serious upgrade for me. I didn't know what a KT-8300 was, but knew that I wanted an analog tuner. I sure knew the KA-9100 though! Those beautiful power meters, aluminum faceplate, big knobs and exposed heat sinks, mmmmm. I acquired several other amps and preamps (even a Pioneer SPEC 1).
I found the Kenwood Supremes, and voed that I would own them one day. I believe it was a post by PunkerX that made me lust after the L-09M's. At any rate, I was able to land a 700M pretty cheap, $280. It wasn't perfect - it was scratched, dinged, had cracked glass, missing feet, etc. I didn't care, I could afford it and didn't mind working on it. After taking it apart, cleaning it, scavenging feet from my other Kenwood tuners, she was up and running and sounded great. Come to think of it, that piece of equipment lasted longer with me than any other thing component, as I only recently sold it.
Skipping ahead in time, I eventually landed a 700C in beautiful condition, and a pair of L-09's, also in beautiful condition. Huzzah! I had the system of my dreams. Speakers came and went, until I eventually discovered NHT, and its been a hot n heavy love affair with them.
At some point, I acquired a Kenwood KA-907, my single favorite piece of equipment. It was so powerful, so simple, so beautiful, so heavy. I swore that I'd sell my 700's if, after restoration by Echowars, the 700C did not outdo the KA-907. Well, I got the 700C back and was blown away. The 907 just couldn't compare anymore.
I've had the itch before. You know, that desire to sell your vintage stuff and buy some nice new equipment. Or, maybe you don't know. It happened to me several times. Well, I decided that I was no longer interested in investing the money in my several other vintage pieces for restoring them. I did my research for a long time, and picked out several components that, if I sold my Kennies, I could afford and would, hopefully, be upgrades. Not only that, but I did not use the 700C preamp nearly to its full potential. Its a full-featured preamp, and I only used the volume knob, nothing else. What a shame.
The Kennies sold, fast. Faster than I could have possibly imagined. Within 2 weeks, everything was sold. It all went to good homes, and I am happy because of it. I was nearly componentless, but thanks to my restored (by our own Rich P.) Toshiba setup, I was still able to listen to beautiful music (even though these half-widths look ridiculous in my enormous rack).
So there you have it, a brief explaination from start to finish of my Kenwood love affair. I've owned:
700C (X2)
700M
Model 650
Model 500
L-09M (X2)
I've had my share of Kennies, and I do still appreciate their tremendous built quality and stunning good looks. I will be keeping my eyes open for them in the future, so you other Kenwood fans, don't think I'm out of the game
So now what am I on to? Well, last night I just received my first of several new components - a Bel Canto Pre3 preamp. I listened to music last night from 5:30 to 10:30. Its a minimalist design, with only a volume knob, but its amazing. I also have purchased a pair of Channel Islands Audio D-200 monoblocks; these will be my new main amps. Previously, the 700M was powering my NHT W1 subwoofers, but I bought a pair of NHT A1 amps to power them. They turn on when they sense a signal, and go into standbye automatically.
At any rate, I do miss the Kenwood gear, but am pleased to know that it has gone on to someone who will truly enjoy and care for them like they deserve. Enjoy the music
