Kenwood KW-60
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Kw-60
I also have that unit. It does not work.. was the first piece of stereo gear I owned. It was designed to use the first type of stereo which was one channel on AM and the other on FM and you dialed them both in at the same time and had stereo. That system only lasted a short while. Mine could also receive
FM multiplex stereo.. the present system. They are somewhat complicated underneath, to say the least!! Interesting, I'm in the San Jose area.Vince
I also have that unit. It does not work.. was the first piece of stereo gear I owned. It was designed to use the first type of stereo which was one channel on AM and the other on FM and you dialed them both in at the same time and had stereo. That system only lasted a short while. Mine could also receive
FM multiplex stereo.. the present system. They are somewhat complicated underneath, to say the least!! Interesting, I'm in the San Jose area.Vince
cicero2
Super Member
the guy from whom i purchased it said he bought it in san jose. that's interesting, too.
is the MIX on yours the multiplex option?
yeah, i tried the fm on one channel/ am on the other thing and wondered 'why would anybody want to do this?'
yes, it is very complicated.
how does it compare to other tube receivers?
is the MIX on yours the multiplex option?
yeah, i tried the fm on one channel/ am on the other thing and wondered 'why would anybody want to do this?'
yes, it is very complicated.
how does it compare to other tube receivers?
FM broadcasts started in 1939, with the current 88-108 band starting in 1946. Stereo multiplex started in 1961, and took a few years to become common. AM/FM simulcast stereo started in the late '50s.
There's a schematic for the KW-55 online - I don't know how similar it is. I THINK it has multiplex, though. My Lafayette LR-800 (made by Kenwood) does.
There's a schematic for the KW-55 online - I don't know how similar it is. I THINK it has multiplex, though. My Lafayette LR-800 (made by Kenwood) does.
Kw-60
Hi Tom,
I find this statement you made very interesting:
"My Lafayette LR-800 (made by Kenwood) does."
I have a KW-70 also and have not been able to find a schematic for it for over a year. One google return refers to the LR-800. But that is very close but not exact. I was hoping to contact nhary6647 as see if he has a Sams for it but he doesn't take email.
Hi Tom,
I find this statement you made very interesting:
"My Lafayette LR-800 (made by Kenwood) does."
I have a KW-70 also and have not been able to find a schematic for it for over a year. One google return refers to the LR-800. But that is very close but not exact. I was hoping to contact nhary6647 as see if he has a Sams for it but he doesn't take email.
I too have the Kenwood KW-60. I had a local shop replace some caps etc and it is connected to a pioneer sacd player and a pair of JBL L200 speakers and I am just amazed at the quality of the stereo dynamic rich full sound it is producing now. My hope is that as the caps are electrified that sound will even improve. I believe I may need to replace my four power tubes to a better matched quad though, right channel is weaker than the left. I'd like to hear from any others aware of this stereo for information and your thoughts. Considering selling this one but its so pleasing......I'm in Kansas City Missouri.
Dandy
Addicted Member
There is a schematic here, http://www.radiomuseum.org/r/trio_kenwo_kw_60.html
You have to join to get access to it, but it may be well worth it for you.
You'll see it's credited to Trio-Kenwood. Same company, different name in different parts of the world.
If you look at the picture of the unit from below here, you'll see all the yellow caps that have been replaced. This is as well as the can capacitors above and the black or brown electrolytic ones (polarised) below. http://classicreceivers.com/kenwood-kw-70
You have to join to get access to it, but it may be well worth it for you.
You'll see it's credited to Trio-Kenwood. Same company, different name in different parts of the world.
If you look at the picture of the unit from below here, you'll see all the yellow caps that have been replaced. This is as well as the can capacitors above and the black or brown electrolytic ones (polarised) below. http://classicreceivers.com/kenwood-kw-70
i now have most of the caps replaced.. anyone have an idea on how to set the dc offset and bias on this kw60? or maybe a similar trio unit? I am not sure were to start.
also, on the back there are two unusual adjustment knobs. one for 'hum balance' and one for 'dimension'. not sure what they are and not sure i need to mess with them. Unit plays pretty good, but some noise with volume all the way down. I suspect dc offset might fix that. The unit does lack bass at normal setting, but can sound great if i crank the bass 80% full.
also, on the back there are two unusual adjustment knobs. one for 'hum balance' and one for 'dimension'. not sure what they are and not sure i need to mess with them. Unit plays pretty good, but some noise with volume all the way down. I suspect dc offset might fix that. The unit does lack bass at normal setting, but can sound great if i crank the bass 80% full.
jaymanaa
RIP 1961-2018
I have pretty much the same one, except it's a Trio. It didn't sound too bad when I got it out of Canada, but after a full recap using Hovlands IIRC (or maybe Kimbers), it really came to life and got moved into the "never sell" pile. I'd compare the bass to a S/C 433 in that it could be a little tighter, but it sounds real I think. If you think about it, when you go to a live show, the bass doesn't blow your pants legs around, it's a foundation type thing IMO anyway. I think it has a Mac sound to it, I really do. IMHO, I honestly believe you have to really bump up the power supplies in these, and use the very best coupling caps you can. Bypassing would probably help, but I didn't know about it when I rebuilt the Trio. I may have to revisit it and try that out. The amazing thing about these old jap units to me is the build quality. Stuff like machined aluminum knobs with set screws. Compare that to say a Fisher with brown plastic knobs with brights glued on the ends. Not bashing Fisher at all, it was an American thing I guess, and we all know how fabulous Fisher gear is, I'm more saying that Trio, Rotel, Kenny and others, don't get the credit they deserve for build quality. I think Fisher put the money into resistors and caps, but that can be corrected on the jap stuff easy enough, just strip them to bare bones and put in all 1 or 2% Rs and good caps. I love the separate dials.
jaymanaa
when you rebuilt your similar Trio did you adjust the dc offset? or the bias? attached is a pix of the top of this unit and just trying to figure out how to do such a thing. I found an owners manual with schematics, but no process of adjusting dc or bias. In the pic, there is also yet another way to adjust hum balance (there is one on the back of the unit as well) so I don't have hum right now,, just weird slight echo and crackling at low volume. The blue arrow in the pic points at the hum balance knob,,
the red arrow points at a whole different question... is this a selenium rectifier and should it be replaced? and if so, with what? PS, I am a rookie and usually only dive into units that have lots of online support. This KW60 is apparently a rare bird.
when you rebuilt your similar Trio did you adjust the dc offset? or the bias? attached is a pix of the top of this unit and just trying to figure out how to do such a thing. I found an owners manual with schematics, but no process of adjusting dc or bias. In the pic, there is also yet another way to adjust hum balance (there is one on the back of the unit as well) so I don't have hum right now,, just weird slight echo and crackling at low volume. The blue arrow in the pic points at the hum balance knob,,
the red arrow points at a whole different question... is this a selenium rectifier and should it be replaced? and if so, with what? PS, I am a rookie and usually only dive into units that have lots of online support. This KW60 is apparently a rare bird.
Dandy
Addicted Member
I don't have this schematic, but I think this is a cathode biased amp. No offset to adjust, just a hum balance pot which is located on the rear on my Trio W-38, but may be the item you point to with the blue arrow. If there is a tube rectifier, there is unlikely to be a selenium one. These units use diodes for other rectification, I think.
primosounds
Powered with pure tube sounds.
primosounds
Powered with pure tube sounds.
What are the power tubes used in this amp? Also what are the 2 tubes in a line close to the power trans? Not too many amps llike this one if EL84 powered, used fixed bias (7189 amps excepted) so usually only need to adjust the hum balance control. To do that, turn the selector to phono and turn the volume control to the point where the hum is very audible then adjust the hum pot to get the minimal hum. Don't expect a big difference as tubed phono stages from that era were somewhat noisy when wide open. If you have not tried a new set of power tubes, doing so might make a world of difference. cheers
