• The move to the new server is done. There are some software and database maintenance updates in process. This has us passing the hat around to help out. We appreciate any donations. Seriously, even a dollar helps. The payment page may be found here - https://www.audiokarma.org/support.html

Picked up a Kenwood Kd-650 today!

SteveHammond

SteveHammond

Beautifully Restored by the grace of God!
So, a gentleman in one of my groups said he had three hifi items he wanted to give someone in the group who would appreciate them. A friend tagged me in the post and I said I’ll take whatever ya got, so he loaded me up with the kd-650 in very nice condition except the lift arm is broken off. I attempted to drill the small piece from the hole and refit the arm but no dice but that’s all that seems to be wrong with it. I also got a Kenwood Kd-4100R, and a Sansui se7 equalizer in pristine unmolested condition even the wood case looks new. My question is, is there anything I need to know about or get to work on that needs attention on the 650. I’m not too worried about the eq at the moment, I have also a kd-500 with an infinity black widow tone arm which I’ve completely redone. Here are some nudes, any input please feel free to put your 2 cents in! Well, their of my 500 I’ll get pics of the 650 up tomorrow. Anyone know what a good tonearm for the650 is?
 

Attachments

  • 39F0C616-88A6-4DC8-A8C9-E978E6F2951E.jpeg
    39F0C616-88A6-4DC8-A8C9-E978E6F2951E.jpeg
    70.3 KB · Views: 94
  • 83D4CDA7-D99B-42A9-A6B5-C5E04E38DEB6.jpeg
    83D4CDA7-D99B-42A9-A6B5-C5E04E38DEB6.jpeg
    83 KB · Views: 89
  • EDFB8C8E-9F8A-4EA6-83D4-6AE83BE62E9C.jpeg
    EDFB8C8E-9F8A-4EA6-83D4-6AE83BE62E9C.jpeg
    90.5 KB · Views: 85
  • 5EB77C2C-0B53-4F8A-9787-06301FFB7C8E.jpeg
    5EB77C2C-0B53-4F8A-9787-06301FFB7C8E.jpeg
    77 KB · Views: 83
  • 5089597F-E1F5-4BF9-A16D-BA5FE45B1CAA.jpeg
    5089597F-E1F5-4BF9-A16D-BA5FE45B1CAA.jpeg
    110.4 KB · Views: 84
  • 71172D81-186B-42BB-B07F-77B1566F498D.jpeg
    71172D81-186B-42BB-B07F-77B1566F498D.jpeg
    74.6 KB · Views: 85
  • 0C6965CF-8AEA-4830-B35A-6F76C58548D9.jpeg
    0C6965CF-8AEA-4830-B35A-6F76C58548D9.jpeg
    82 KB · Views: 85
Register to hide this ad
I use a Magnepan arm on my 600 and my TD-125. I had an FR-64s which was also nice.

Budget for an arm?

If the hinges aren't broken, reinforce them before they break.
 
the 650 comes with a pretty nice arm, other than that whatever floats your boat I guess.

nice table

I also have a KD500, though with a Grace G707 arm

20190428_112137.jpg

a number of members here have the TOTL big Kenny, less of the 600/650 variant.
 
Blue Shadow said:
I use a Magnepan arm on my 600 and my TD-125. I had an FR-64s which was also nice.

Budget for an arm?

If the hinges aren't broken, reinforce them before they break.
Click to expand...
Oh, and I’m holding it to @ 400-500 for another arm, they’re super expensive. I have the Grado Prestige green for the cart and it sounds pretty good.
 
Grenadeslio said:
the 650 comes with a pretty nice arm, other than that whatever floats your boat I guess.

nice table

I also have a KD500, though with a Grace G707 arm

View attachment 1965973

a number of members here have the TOTL big Kenny, less of the 600/650 variant.
Click to expand...
Wow! Super nice table! I’m not sure what size arm I can use on the 650. I read a few threads about it but forgot the arm size that’s acceptable and now can’t find those threads again lol.
 
I wish I knew of a way to get the end of the arm lift shaft out of its base. Again, I tried drilling a hole in the end to extract it but I don’t have a bit sharp enough to drill into it and my bits are machinist bits and are super strong and sharp.
 
Here’s some pics of the 650.
 

Attachments

  • 15A8CBE7-BD68-4C6B-8AF0-A9AE858B356D.jpeg
    15A8CBE7-BD68-4C6B-8AF0-A9AE858B356D.jpeg
    67.4 KB · Views: 49
  • 99C4D6AB-60CF-4C28-BA68-7E51A60D44C5.jpeg
    99C4D6AB-60CF-4C28-BA68-7E51A60D44C5.jpeg
    94.2 KB · Views: 46
  • 15BDE28B-72E3-4DC3-8E45-140ABFF4FACA.jpeg
    15BDE28B-72E3-4DC3-8E45-140ABFF4FACA.jpeg
    99.6 KB · Views: 48
  • C31CEC4D-82C4-4CF6-9194-185C57747472.jpeg
    C31CEC4D-82C4-4CF6-9194-185C57747472.jpeg
    65.9 KB · Views: 44
  • A304B0D5-DB21-44FB-8764-E073F276C07A.jpeg
    A304B0D5-DB21-44FB-8764-E073F276C07A.jpeg
    90.1 KB · Views: 47
SteveHammond said:
Thanks @Blue Shadow, the hinges are already broken and need replaced repaired.
Click to expand...
FIFY, I don't know if you will find good hinges for the 650. I have a spare set of already broken and I'm going to try to repair them. I know Bolly repaired a set but I didn't see the process. Hard to get that spring back once the plastic backing isn't containing it anymore. I didn't use my 600 for a decade waiting until I had reinforced the hinges. Had the other tables so no big deal. Maybe lifted the dust cover 20 times in those years. Now it is my primary table.

That arm lift will disassemble and maybe you can get that shaft to the machinist shop for some serious work...and a replacement arm.

I'm thinking but don't know for sure that your platter mat is upside down. I have a Marcof GlassMat on my table probably bought to be similar to the ceramic platter mat that Kenwood offered back in the day. The flyer from VE doesn't show the large holes of the platter mat so I'm thinking the small holes go up.

The KD-600 can use most standard 9" arms. The ones with an effective length of 225-240mm or so. Nice list of them in the January 1980 Audio Magazine article "Tonearm Geometry and Set up" available from www.worldradiohistory.com. This article shows a lot of numbers on set up that just indicate what the manufacturer was thinking when designing the arm.

Here is a pic of the Magnepan arm on a KD-500, KD-600 and then a better pic of the arm on a TD-160 Super, just so you can see the arm better. I have a few walnut and one maple armboards cut but not drilled for the KD-600 so I can change arms as I have an SME that might get so time on the table. The 600/Unitrac is mounted on a walnut board.
 

Attachments

  • KD-500_5.jpg
    KD-500_5.jpg
    67.6 KB · Views: 30
  • KD-600 Magnepan 23R.jpg
    KD-600 Magnepan 23R.jpg
    97.1 KB · Views: 33
  • Omega 2.jpg
    Omega 2.jpg
    52.2 KB · Views: 29
Blue Shadow said:
FIFY, I don't know if you will find good hinges for the 650. I have a spare set of already broken and I'm going to try to repair them. I know Bolly repaired a set but I didn't see the process. Hard to get that spring back once the plastic backing isn't containing it anymore. I didn't use my 600 for a decade waiting until I had reinforced the hinges. Had the other tables so no big deal. Maybe lifted the dust cover 20 times in those years. Now it is my primary table.

That arm lift will disassemble and maybe you can get that shaft to the machinist shop for some serious work...and a replacement arm.

I'm thinking but don't know for sure that your platter mat is upside down. I have a Marcof GlassMat on my table probably bought to be similar to the ceramic platter mat that Kenwood offered back in the day. The flyer from VE doesn't show the large holes of the platter mat so I'm thinking the small holes go up.

The KD-600 can use most standard 9" arms. The ones with an effective length of 225-240mm or so. Nice list of them in the January 1980 Audio Magazine article "Tonearm Geometry and Set up" available from www.worldradiohistory.com. This article shows a lot of numbers on set up that just indicate what the manufacturer was thinking when designing the arm.

Here is a pic of the Magnepan arm on a KD-500, KD-600 and then a better pic of the arm on a TD-160 Super, just so you can see the arm better. I have a few walnut and one maple armboards cut but not drilled for the KD-600 so I can change arms as I have an SME that might get so time on the table. The 600/Unitrac is mounted on a walnut board.
Click to expand...
Wow! That’s a really nice looking arm! I had in mind an older sme if I can find one or like the infinity I already have but I’m defiantly open ears to whatever I can do to increase the tables performance and FWIW, I have a fix for the hinges that anyone can do and it will last forever and can not be seen unless you look from the broken area and it’s steel so much stronger than plastic.

basically what you do is cut a shin the size of the inside of the hinge that will go all the way across the inside of the hinge plate and epoxy it in. It’ll never break and works like new!
 
Last edited:
Well ****! Somehow my infinity black widow arm fell apart in the middle and broke at the back while trying to repair it. Now I need either another black widow arm only or else I’m looking at having to buy two arms and that’s way out of my budget...
 
Has a mounting distance that should work. Measure pivot to mounting distance and see if a hole the proper size will land on the armboard and allow for installation of the mounting nut. It is the proper size for the 500, just need an armboard to drill the correct hole, or if the SME cutout will work, big washers to span that opening for the nut to clamp down on the board.

https://www.vinylengine.com/library/audioquest/pt9.shtml
 
Glory days gentlemen, I stumbled across a solution for my broken tone arm. Just so happens I’m an R.C. enthusiast along with a million other hobbies.i stumbled across this tail boom for a blade BCX helicopter. Guess what! It’s semi dimensionally the same only differences being A, it has to be cot to proper length and B, the Id is a smidge bigger than the original which I know will add to arm mass BUT it’s also carbon fiber not plastic so SCORE!!!!!!!!!
 
SteveHammond said:
Glory days gentlemen, I stumbled across a solution for my broken tone arm. Just so happens I’m an R.C. enthusiast along with a million other hobbies.i stumbled across this tail boom for a blade BCX helicopter. Guess what! It’s semi dimensionally the same only differences being A, it has to be cot to proper length and B, the Id is a smidge bigger than the original which I know will add to arm mass BUT it’s also carbon fiber not plastic so SCORE!!!!!!!!!
Click to expand...

I believe the BW was also carbon fiber so.....

yep, here it is
Description
The Infinity Black widow features a low mass carbon fibre arm tube.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom