Hi people,
I'd like to start a discussion about two of the most well-known midrange amplifiers from the Kenwood manufacturer. In this case the KA-5500 from 1977 and the KA-5700 (or 5750) from 1979. I've seen the specs and it appears than the the KA-5500 has more power, more damping factor and more harmonic distortion (THD). As we know, not everything is about technical specs in audiophile, so, since the power is not an issue here, which one would you choose?
PS: This thread was started on the main Solid State forum because I didn't notice the Kenwood forum. So I'm moving it here, the place where it has to be.
probably resurrecting a very old one here but hope my listening impressions help to you or a futher reader of the thread.
ive both listened and restored several 5700 and 5500s they are both the same dimension making for nice compact units with plenty of power and vu meters
my very amateur rookie tech impressions from working on them
first the 5700 is a pleasure to work on very easy to work not too many parts and they are all generally accessible from just removing the bottom cover. if one has blown output transistors like many of the ones ive worked on have it gets a little trickier as the original output batwing transistors are not available anymore and the available replacements require some custom mounting many examples here on audiokarma for custom mounting by many of our talented members.
the 5500 being an older unit is a little tougher to work on the main amp/ protection circuit board is mounted vertically and its hard to manipulate to get to it for any service i typically desolder and removed the boards to get access to it once its out the power supply board which is also mounted vertically directly in front becomes easier to manipulate and service once the main amp board is out.
some of the push switches on the 5500 just like the 8100 require complete dissassembly to clean properly deoxit just doesnt seem to work to well on those i desolder them completely dissamssemble them and thorougly clean and treat them deoxit gold to ensure protection before i install them again.
main filter caps are also a little more difficult to replace than the 5700 as they are not mounted on a board but are being held by a brace so you to make sure replacements have solder lugs to make your life easier when soldering the cables to them.
the 5500 reminds me of working on a marantz 1060 or 1030 as those have vertical boards and capacitors mounted on chassis as well.
now to answer your main question ive had the honor of restoring many of the kenwood units pretty much the whole line including the supremes my listening impressions from the 5500 vs the 5700 are the following
they both sound great when properly restored really cant go wrong with either one but id have to say the 5500 sounds very special and its in my opinion a better sounding amp than the 5700 and 6100 (which is like a 5700 with more power). i call the 5500 the Junior 7100 as its sound reminds me of the wonderful sounding 7100 just in a smaller package.
i think the filter cap power reserve size and the design of the 5500 circuitry is much more complex than the 5700 which all attribute to better sound
those are my two cents hope it helps someone
