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Kenwood Basic C1 Preamplifier Restoration/Upgrade

Needed to add second pre-out, it was an easy task with some junk parts taken from trashed stereos. 3rd unit to do. No needfor the extra wires anymore._MG_2604.jpg_MG_2605.jpg_MG_2618_.jpg
 
Xenon-Codex said:
Needed to add second pre-out, it was an easy task with some junk parts taken from trashed stereos. 3rd unit to do. No needfor the extra wires anymore.View attachment 3639921View attachment 3639922View attachment 3639923
Click to expand...
Just a thought. Perhaps one of your spare units have some plastic stand offs that you could use on your relay board there instead of the tape. Up to you if course. It's great that you were able to get yourself four outputs by using the old stuff. Finding Y cables that are of good quality can be hit and miss.
 
vsat88 said:
Just a thought. Perhaps one of your spare units have some plastic stand offs that you could use on your relay board there instead of the tape. Up to you if course. It's great that you were able to get yourself four outputs by using the old stuff. Finding Y cables that are of good quality can be hit and miss.
Click to expand...
There is a plastic under the board.
 
Hello everyone,

I was looking for a reasonably priced preamplifier, and my online research led me here.
Interested by everything I've read here, I bought a Kenwood C1 yesterday and I'm eagerly awaiting its arrival.

The previous articles on upgrading are perfectly clear and I will follow the recommendations precisely but I do have one question:
Have any of you installed a motorized volume potentiometer? I plan to do so myself, but I'm wondering about the power supply... What advice can you give me on this? Potentiometer model? Value? Mistakes to avoid?!?

Best regards.

Thierry
 
Thierry, welcome to the thread. I personally keep my audio rack directly to the right of my sitting position so I manipulate the controls in that manner. I just use long speaker cables. So, that being said I do not run conventionally, I run more like a PA snake, audio engineer position when listening. I want my preamp and TT and such there so I don't have to get up and go over to turn the volume up or swap a cassette or record or FLAC file as all that sits with me. I have never installed a pot with a volume control in any of my gear. It's an interesting idea. Personally, I believe I would look into powering something like that with a battery. Perhaps and 18650 or two. There would at that point be no direct interaction with the factory circuitry of the preamp. Just my 2 cents worth. That is if you can find a penny anymore. Jim.
 
Hello everyone, Hello Jim

Thank you for your reply.
One possibility for powering the remote-controlled potentiometer without interfering with the preamp's power supply is to install a toroidal transformer with two secondary windings.

I will look into this solution.
While searching online for more information, I found this modification (see photo).

What is its purpose? What do you think?

Best.

Thierry
 

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TG71 said:
Hello everyone,

I was looking for a reasonably priced preamplifier, and my online research led me here.
Interested by everything I've read here, I bought a Kenwood C1 yesterday and I'm eagerly awaiting its arrival.

The previous articles on upgrading are perfectly clear and I will follow the recommendations precisely but I do have one question:
Have any of you installed a motorized volume potentiometer? I plan to do so myself, but I'm wondering about the power supply... What advice can you give me on this? Potentiometer model? Value? Mistakes to avoid?!?

Best regards.

Thierry
Click to expand...
In one of my C1's (I have two), the volume pot was damaged and I tried to find a suitable replacement. An Alps (infamous Blue one) barely fit and did not have the Loudness function. The tracking on the Alps was not great either although it was supposed to be an original (not a Chinese copy) one. I ended up taking it out and continued to look for an OE pot. I ended up buying another C1 for parts which is why I have two.
 
There might be room in the c1 for a small transformer to make a separate power supply.

I'd probably do this. No idea what you need.
 
I am sure there's enough room inside a C1 to put a separate power transformer/ power supply to power a volume pot without any difficulty.
 
First looks like they installed small snubber capacitors across a rectifier to "improve the power supply". You know, how it looks on a scope. Second is just a different value capacity for the chassis that some have and some don't far as I can remember. For static control probably. I am referring to the pictures above btw.
 
One problem I'd have with this is drilling a IR receiver hole in the faceplate. The power supply is easy. And like Bluetooth said, a wall wart would work.

But that is me.
 
Hello everyone,

Indeed, there's room to install a small additional transformer, no problem...
However, there's very little space to install the motorized potentiometer...

Best
 
Hello,
the transformer of my c1 is out of order...
I will replace it with a toroidal transformer.
Do you know what are the necessary nominal voltages?
Thanks !
 
Kenwood C1 and C2 both worthy of mods like these!

Glad to see someone getting serious about them.

Love Kenwood stuff...

iu
 
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