Please help me understand Kenwood TT's

[rhinofly]

I am looking for a nice vintage table to match my Kennwood 600/600t setup and I was thinking of getting a highend kenwood. Problem is, I cant find alot of info on the kenwood turntables. My understanding of the hierarchy of good kenwood DD's is something like

L-07d (1979?)
KP-1100 (1985?)
KP-9010
KD-990
KD-850
KD-770
KD-750/700
KD-650/600
KD-550/500

and something called a KD-7010 though I know nothing about it.

Then there are all KD-30xx and KD-50xx tables. I have no idea where these fit into the kenwood price point/quality scheme. Are these less expensive models than the KD-500/KD-600 for example or just later in time?

Does anyone have a clue as to the approximate dates of these tables? I have no idea which one is the top end table from 1978 (for example). Do I have them in correct order of quality? Anyone have experience with the higher end tables? Are they reliable? Are they impossible to fix? There is lots of info on the L-07d but almost nothing on the 750/770/850/990 series ( a few manuals at vinyl engine but thats it). And anything better than a 600/650 seems to be as rare as hens teeth.

I once had a digital copy of a late 70's German Kenwood catalog that had a bunch of tables in it, but I lost it in a disk crash

I would be grateful for any information you all might have.

 

[VQLT]

I have owned a KD-770d for several years. It was part of Kenwoods "Basic line" in the early 80's. I can highly recommend this table. Don't know much about the other models listed.

 

[bjarmson]

Don't know much about Kenwood turntables, except that the L-07d is supposed to be one of the best ever. Of course, it's also one of the rarest ever. In several years of watching eBay (US), I've yet to see one come up for auction, and if one did I'm sure the price would be in the $2-3K range. I've paired my Kenwood 600 up with Sony's (probably the best buy in high end vintage turntables), first with a PS-X600 and recently with a PS-X75 (both high end biotracer models from the early 80's). The X600's appear regularly, and can often be had for a pittance. Only thing to remember with these models is that they have microprocessor units in them, if they go so goes the turntable. Still the price is right (I have two PS-X600s and a PS-X75, which together cost less than $300, about the normal price for a comparable Denon). If you don't want a biotracer, the PS-X60 & X70 and PS-X6 & X7 are also highly regarded, and still quite afforable.

One thing to remember if you plan on getting one on eBay: most sellers are idiots regarding packing one for shipping. Make sure before you buy, if possible, that the seller will make an attempt to package it properly. Otherwise, you might end up with an broken piece of junk. Good luck finding something.

 

[bjarmson]

If you're still looking for a Kenwood, there is a Kenwood KD-650 Modified Turntable that was just listed on eBay. Might check it out to see if it's what you want.