Yamaha CR-1020 vs. Kenwood KR9600

[DavidinNC]

hey all,

Wondered on opinions around this. I realize the Kenwood has a ton more power, about twice, but wondered how they compare, outside of power considerations? Thanks!

 

[gdeihl]

I love the sound of the 1020. At 70 watts per channel it's more than adequate for most situations. Watch out for scorch marks on the top vent grill, indicates she was played with hard. The mid range on these things is very smooth and convincing, where most of the important sound lives. And remember, twice the power doesn't equal twice the volume.

 

[turnitup]

Both are amazing. I’d say the 1020 is more refined, where the 9600 is more testosterone based. A 65 Jaguar versus a 69 GTO. I’ve got one of each, and they are two of my favorites. Win-win, just different. Just don’t blow a power pack in the 9600, not repairable, and really hard to find donor parts ($$$ if you do).

 

[YoPacific]

Yamaha has a very distinctive uncolored sound.....I'll take the rarity and punch of the 9600 here.

 

[DavidinNC]

Well, I’ve recently purchased a KA-9100,so I will get to compare that to my 1020. Looking forward to that!

 

[johnda]

I had the Kenwood KR-7600, which replaced my AR FM Receiver because my wife wanted to hear her AM news stations. It was an excellent unit and had a clean powerful sound. The on/off switch became locked in the on position after a few years, but that was a minor problem. The only big problem was the larger size making it difficult to fit in standard width cabinets.