thedelihaus
Nocturnal transmissions
Well, this week I'll ship out my Kenwood KA-7100 to it's new owner.
Of all the vintage pieces I've owned, it was Kenwood gear I had the most of.
Now, maybe not my personal, top favorite, but surely in the top 3 or 4.
What makes this Kenwood so good?
For starters, the dual power supply, a unique to Kenwood version utilizing one transformer housing.
The layout is all-business, with machined knobs placed intuitively across the fascia of the unit.
Features? Items like speaker-reverse, although seemingly overkill, are excellent when trying to isolate elements of a recording or possible speaker driver mishap. Plenty of recording options. High and subsonic filter. And of course all the standards.
Then there's the recessed volume knob, with a healthy, soft click with each small turn, and a polished deep inset bezel, to me the most beautiful volume knob on any vintage gear.
What about the stamped lettering? Indeed, not just silkscreened on top of the aluminum, but actually embossed in the metal, with the paint comfortably nestled in the recesses. Pure class.
Build quality is very nice indeed- solid aluminum faceplate, felt-protected switches, quality caps and potentiometers, and rigid casing.
The speaker connectors are good- better than the Yamahas, Marantz and Sansui of the time, in my opinion- in fact, much better. I'd replace the others much quicker than even considering doing so with the Kenny, as they proved to me not to be perfect, but superior to the others and fairly easy to use.
The sound? Well, it absolutely shamed my later-model Kenwood integrated. although the later model is a toip of the line digital period piece, and twice the power, the Kenwood efortlessly showed it up. much cleaner and clearer, a bit rich with my personal matings of room and speakers, the 60-65wpc rated 7100 always sounded fabulous, and drew many a compliment.
Compatability? The 7100 played well with any pair of speakers. Polk Monitor 7s excelled with 'em, as did the boston Acoustics A70s and A150s, the DCM CX-27s, the JBL L-46s, and the Large Advents.
Downsides?
Only one, and I'm really nit-picking, really reaching here. No pre-out/main-ins. Not that I ever used them with any of my integrated amps. Ever. But if you that option, somewhere here at AK is AK member and tech Echowar's retrofit of such a pair of pre-out/main-ins. So it can be done.
Kenwood also supplied some models with lovely meters, such as the 5700 and 6100. and Kenwood's meters are lovely to watch. But the 7100 is much more stout than the (still excellent 5700), and more robust than the metered 6100 (though closer). and that inset volume knob, exclusively on the 7100, is far classier than the meters were.
I've always felt the 8100, though more powerful, isn't nearly as good looking, and the 9100, although the TOTL main integrated offered at that time (other than the supremes), not worth persuing due to the "unobtanium" (exclusively to the 9100 only) power supply parts that could render the unit a doorstop upon failure. sure, there's a work-around, I'm told, but at what cost to the sound of the unit, and at what cost to your wallet?
So, why am I selling this unit?
I had it at work as one of my office rotations, but was fearful, as the co-workers already blew up one unit, a Marantz 2225 on me.
so it came home, and sat idle among the at one time stacks of pieces I had around.
Spring cleaning came early, and 90% of my collection, which saw light rotation was sold off.
I kept this piece, as it was possibly the nicest of any of my kit, tied with a near pristine Marantz 1060.
No, not perfect, but exceptionally clean, well cared for, and fully serviced.
Alas, not quite enough power to run the notoriously hungry and demanding Thiels, Vandersteens, Dahlquists and AR9LSIs, and with the sale of the majority of my other speakers that played off this (my Polk monitor 7s, Large Advents, Boston Acoustics A150s, A200s, and many other classics), and without the remote-controlled ability I require of other pieces in my home (demanded, due to my paralysis), the Kenwood sat lonely.
It will be shipped off in a few days or so, as long as all goes well and as planned, freshly DeOxited, well packed, and singing strong, to an AK member, who I wish as much enjoyment with it as it has provided me.
Long live the ubiquitous Kenwood KA-7100. Maybe not a top of the line model, but definately up there, and a true classic in the silver faced period of hi-fi.
Of all the vintage pieces I've owned, it was Kenwood gear I had the most of.
Now, maybe not my personal, top favorite, but surely in the top 3 or 4.
What makes this Kenwood so good?
For starters, the dual power supply, a unique to Kenwood version utilizing one transformer housing.
The layout is all-business, with machined knobs placed intuitively across the fascia of the unit.
Features? Items like speaker-reverse, although seemingly overkill, are excellent when trying to isolate elements of a recording or possible speaker driver mishap. Plenty of recording options. High and subsonic filter. And of course all the standards.
Then there's the recessed volume knob, with a healthy, soft click with each small turn, and a polished deep inset bezel, to me the most beautiful volume knob on any vintage gear.
What about the stamped lettering? Indeed, not just silkscreened on top of the aluminum, but actually embossed in the metal, with the paint comfortably nestled in the recesses. Pure class.
Build quality is very nice indeed- solid aluminum faceplate, felt-protected switches, quality caps and potentiometers, and rigid casing.
The speaker connectors are good- better than the Yamahas, Marantz and Sansui of the time, in my opinion- in fact, much better. I'd replace the others much quicker than even considering doing so with the Kenny, as they proved to me not to be perfect, but superior to the others and fairly easy to use.
The sound? Well, it absolutely shamed my later-model Kenwood integrated. although the later model is a toip of the line digital period piece, and twice the power, the Kenwood efortlessly showed it up. much cleaner and clearer, a bit rich with my personal matings of room and speakers, the 60-65wpc rated 7100 always sounded fabulous, and drew many a compliment.
Compatability? The 7100 played well with any pair of speakers. Polk Monitor 7s excelled with 'em, as did the boston Acoustics A70s and A150s, the DCM CX-27s, the JBL L-46s, and the Large Advents.
Downsides?
Only one, and I'm really nit-picking, really reaching here. No pre-out/main-ins. Not that I ever used them with any of my integrated amps. Ever. But if you that option, somewhere here at AK is AK member and tech Echowar's retrofit of such a pair of pre-out/main-ins. So it can be done.
Kenwood also supplied some models with lovely meters, such as the 5700 and 6100. and Kenwood's meters are lovely to watch. But the 7100 is much more stout than the (still excellent 5700), and more robust than the metered 6100 (though closer). and that inset volume knob, exclusively on the 7100, is far classier than the meters were.
I've always felt the 8100, though more powerful, isn't nearly as good looking, and the 9100, although the TOTL main integrated offered at that time (other than the supremes), not worth persuing due to the "unobtanium" (exclusively to the 9100 only) power supply parts that could render the unit a doorstop upon failure. sure, there's a work-around, I'm told, but at what cost to the sound of the unit, and at what cost to your wallet?
So, why am I selling this unit?
I had it at work as one of my office rotations, but was fearful, as the co-workers already blew up one unit, a Marantz 2225 on me.
so it came home, and sat idle among the at one time stacks of pieces I had around.
Spring cleaning came early, and 90% of my collection, which saw light rotation was sold off.
I kept this piece, as it was possibly the nicest of any of my kit, tied with a near pristine Marantz 1060.
No, not perfect, but exceptionally clean, well cared for, and fully serviced.
Alas, not quite enough power to run the notoriously hungry and demanding Thiels, Vandersteens, Dahlquists and AR9LSIs, and with the sale of the majority of my other speakers that played off this (my Polk monitor 7s, Large Advents, Boston Acoustics A150s, A200s, and many other classics), and without the remote-controlled ability I require of other pieces in my home (demanded, due to my paralysis), the Kenwood sat lonely.
It will be shipped off in a few days or so, as long as all goes well and as planned, freshly DeOxited, well packed, and singing strong, to an AK member, who I wish as much enjoyment with it as it has provided me.
Long live the ubiquitous Kenwood KA-7100. Maybe not a top of the line model, but definately up there, and a true classic in the silver faced period of hi-fi.
