Kenwood KR-1000 Repair Question - New Tech, Need Opinion

[TallyTech]

Hello Everyone,

I hope I have posted this in the best place, but please let me know if there is a more appropriate location.

I recently purchased a Kenwood KR-1000 aka the "Galaxy Commander". I owned one before and loved it, but it met a tragic end when I set an alarm and did not realize that the alarm had an independent volume control which the last owner had turned all the way up, RIP. Anyways, I bought the new one knowing that it had issues with one of the channels, turned out that the left was out on A, B, and C and right was out on B.

To be frank, as much as I enjoy my vintage audio equipment and music, I have almost no knowledge of what goes into running or repairing them. Much like selecting a good/honest car mechanic for someone that does not understand cars, I need an honest technician as my previous one retired.

The new tech I handed it off to charges $50 for diagnosis which can be put towards the issue (no issues there). He has indicated that the unit is solid, but has a problem on the digital board. The part has been discontinued, but he can make a replacement himself that will perform exactly the same as the manufacturers. I pressed for details like a part number, but the best I could get out of him was that he would need to solder wire to new reeds at a cost of $150-$200.

I can appreciate the skill and time that it takes to work on equipment like this, but that does not sound like much of a part to me and unless it is a lot of soldering I do not think it would require a lot of labor (unless it is a difficult part to remove). I have attached a photo of what the tech sent me in hopes that someone else with more knowledge than me can help me understand if I am getting a fair shake or if I need to push back.

For anyone inclined to look at the details, here is a link to the service manual along with a 2 versions of the same photo that the tech sent me (broke it up into two screenshots as the original was too large to upload).
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/0j4q4o0hi4qzyws/AAAaisy_w-xk0c7WQsmS3Woca?dl=0&preview=kenwoodkr1000.pdf

Much appreciated in advance!

 

[elnaldo]

Well, as a technician, this is a difficult question to answer. But, same way you trust your mechanic, your doctor, or your audio repair tech, if you don't trust him, you should find another tech. That simple. Some people charges thousands of $ for an hour of their time, some people charges just a few $$ for the same time.

Only once, a guy who contacted me for a repair, answered me "I don't believe you", to something that I said. Of course, I refused to fix his amp, I told him that If he didn't trust what I said, I couldn't do any work for him.

Perhaps he has to wire a replacement IC in place of an obsolete or hard to find IC, or some fix of that kind. But as said, only you can trust or not in your tech.

Generally speaking, I give to the customer all the details, including part numbers, IC numbers, internet prices and so, so he can check prices or even find the replacement part by himself if needed.

 

[TallyTech]

Well, as a technician, this is a difficult question to answer. But, same way you trust your mechanic, your doctor, or your audio repair tech, if you don't trust him, you should find another tech. That simple. Some people charges thousands of $ for an hour of their time, some people charges just a few $$ for the same time.

Only once, a guy who contacted me for a repair, answered me "I don't believe you", to something that I said. Of course, I refused to fix his amp, I told him that If he didn't trust what I said, I couldn't do any work for him.

Perhaps he has to wire a replacement IC in place of an obsolete or hard to find IC, or some fix of that kind. But as said, only you can trust or not in your tech.

Generally speaking, I give to the customer all the details, including part numbers, IC numbers, internet prices and so, so he can check prices or even find the replacement part by himself if needed.

Hey Elnaldo,
Thank you for your feedback. Not being able to get the correct P/N to reference is part of my concern, a lot of times I like to be able to source parts where I can. The tech made it sound like, from the picture he included and his explanation, the resolution should be apparent. Personally, I cannot look at circuit boards and decipher if there is anything wrong unless something is obviously missing or burned.
Perhaps instead of asking for if the quote is correct (you're right, different techs charge differently per hour) I could better phrase my question like this: 'How much labor time would be involved in a repair like this and how much would good quality parts be?'
I'm probably chasing an unreasonable ask without me being able to provide more detailed photos, but thought I'd give it a shot. I have a number of pieces that I need work done on (including a wishlist of full recaps) and I want to work with someone I trust and I just don't have the skill set to verify their work.

 

[dbxdx5]

A few things to consider:

1. He may have no part number to give you because he's creating a workaround to address the NLA defective part. Unless you mean he isn't giving you the name/part number of that defective part? If it's the latter, I'd be suspicious, since to my mind the $50 diagnostic fee should include that info.

2. But let's say he's legit and has come up with his own fix for an issue that would otherwise turn your Kenwood into a doorstop. You're not just paying for the actual labor of implementing the fix, but also his knowledge/expertise in coming up with it. Whether that's worth $200 only you can decide.

 

[TallyTech]

A few things to consider:

1. He may have no part number to give you because he's creating a workaround to address the NLA defective part. Unless you mean he isn't giving you the name/part number of that defective part? If it's the latter, I'd be suspicious, since to my mind the $50 diagnostic fee should include that info.

2. But let's say he's legit and has come up with his own fix for an issue that would otherwise turn your Kenwood into a doorstop. You're not just paying for the actual labor of implementing the fix, but also his knowledge/expertise in coming up with it. Whether that's worth $200 only you can decide.

Appreciate the input!

1 - Yeah, he is not providing the name/part number of the defective part. Usually I like to try and do my own research, for what it is worth so I can better understand the repair even though my understanding is limited.

2 - That is a good point, the solution is more than just parts and labor

 

[elnaldo]

Sometimes a diagnose consists in identifying a problem in a board or a section of the amp, without narrowing the search to the exact part that failed (what would be more time consuming, equivalent to fix it, not only diagnose). As a tech, I know that many times it takes the same work to diagnose a problem than fixing it.

But as stated, only you can decide if you trust your tech. If you are asking here, I guess you don't trust what he said. But nobody can confirm this from the Internet without having the unit in front of us.

 

[SoCal Sam]

From an economic standpoint, a working example is within shouting distance of $200. Your "tech" sounds a little too cagey for my liking. He could be the kind of ticket writer you find at a car dealership service center, adding all sorts of "extras" to the tab. Or he could be on the ball. It's the uncertainty that would make me think replacement instead of repair.

 

[TallyTech]

From an economic standpoint, a working example is within shouting distance of $200. Your "tech" sounds a little too cagey for my liking. He could be the kind of ticket writer you find at a car dealership service center, adding all sorts of "extras" to the tab. Or he could be on the ball. It's the uncertainty that would make me think replacement instead of repair.

Appreciate the perspective! I've seen them trading for over $350+ (once you factor in shipping to get it to your door) along with one outlier that sold on eBay for $800 (lord knows why, it was not even restored) a few months ago. One piece of new information, I asked him to quote me for a full recap and he said it was not needed since everything besides my initial issue looked to be in good shape. Glad he didn't try to jump on the expensive project just to get some more work.

I'm planning on moving forward with the repair at this point. Looking forward to having this piece back in the rotation!

Thanks for all the input everyone

 

[Tom B]

Hi,
Looking at the schematic, this receiver has 4 speaker protect relays in it. From your symptoms these relays can be causing your issue. Their purpose is to act as speaker protects in the event of an amplifier problem, as well as controlling the output so that only 2 sets of speakeres are used at once. (A&B, or A&C, or B&C). Make sure that the tech isn't going to "Bypass" these speaker relays. If you get the receiver back make sure that the sound is delayed 4 seconds or more upon power on. If the sound comes right on, the relays may have been bypassed. If that is the case, the unit will work, but if it develops an issue with the amp, your speakers could be in jeopardy.

 

[SoCal Sam]

Appreciate the perspective! I've seen them trading for over $350+ (once you factor in shipping to get it to your door) along with one outlier that sold on eBay for $800 (lord knows why, it was not even restored) a few months ago. One piece of new information, I asked him to quote me for a full recap and he said it was not needed since everything besides my initial issue looked to be in good shape. Glad he didn't try to jump on the expensive project just to get some more work.

I'm planning on moving forward with the repair at this point. Looking forward to having this piece back in the rotation!

Thanks for all the input everyone

Yeah, I am spoiled. Over the years, my collection has enjoyed the services of an excellent and honest tech.

 

[TallyTech]

Hi,
Looking at the schematic, this receiver has 4 speaker protect relays in it. From your symptoms these relays can be causing your issue. Their purpose is to act as speaker protects in the event of an amplifier problem, as well as controlling the output so that only 2 sets of speakeres are used at once. (A&B, or A&C, or B&C). Make sure that the tech isn't going to "Bypass" these speaker relays. If you get the receiver back make sure that the sound is delayed 4 seconds or more upon power on. If the sound comes right on, the relays may have been bypassed. If that is the case, the unit will work, but if it develops an issue with the amp, your speakers could be in jeopardy.

I definitely appreciate the insight, I got it back last week and it has been playing beautifully although it has already taken a back seat to an Onkyo M-504 that I picked up last night, been looking for one of those for years.. I will check to make sure that the KR-1000 still performs properly when I get home from work tonight!