Kenwood - The masters of desirable yet attainable Hi-Fi
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- čas přidán 8. 07. 2024
- A bit of history, some reminiscing and a demo - its all in this video about Kenwood.
Kenwood have been around since the 1960s and the 1940s (the video explains more) - but it’s their 1980s and 1990s black components full of buttons, clever features and flashing lights that I remember lusting after. While this period might not have been Kenwood at their best, it’s the Kenwood I know best and this video looks at two components from this era.
Potential future FAQ Answer
The CZcams Audio Library Track / audiolibrary I use at the end is called ‘Good Times’ it is by Patrick Patrikios and can be downloaded here: czcams.com/users/audiolibrary_...
…and yes, I think I may have recorded it just a bit hot...oh and I've been told the Dolby C demo sounds a bit odd (I couldn’t tell as I’ve got a head cold that’s affecting my hearing) however I tend not to use Dolby C or any noise reduction for recording - I’m fine with the hiss (what little I can hear of it now) and eschewing NR means a tape can be played back on any deck.
A couple of people on Patreon pointed out that a possible reason that 16 was chosen as a maximum limit for the tape repeat function was down to using a 4 bit counter.
Regarding the ‘top 20’ HiFi companies list
This isn’t a list of the best or worst or the top or bottom companies, or personal favourites - just the first five that popped into people’s heads. Imagine if someone came up to you in the street with a microphone and said ‘name any five HiFi companies in ten seconds to win a new car’ - these are the ones that most people would name.
There were approximately 150 different companies named. If you can think of a HiFi company then its more than likely one of the 460 people who responded will have named it.
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As usual there’s additional information in the *video description text box*
all great information as always
Trio lo7d is real high end! That’s Kenwood.
"But what about [insert company name here]?" - Somebody who didn't read the description
Should have in there your greatest vid yet imho really compelling... had to watch at 1x for once to take it in 😄
Wonder why they changed from Trio to Kenwood?
My parents bought a full Kenwood 7 component rack with this CD player in the early 90s. One night they were out, and I popped a CD in the plus 1 slot, and the disk tray closing pushed the CD between the magazine and the plus 1 tray. So I frantically took all the components off the CD player, and took apart the CD player to fish out that CD. I got it all back together and working before they got home. Now I do stuff like that for a living. They still have that system, and I have been pining over it ever since. It had a separate radio, pre-amp and amp unit, and 7! way floor standing speakers. This thing would shake the house!
What model is it?
@@CheebaTimeTv I will have to check the next time i visit.
Absolutely brilliant!!
ISTP?
1900’s - audio manufacturers did everything to help you record music.
2000’s - audio manufacturers do everything to stop you from recording music.
Mr. Sleep You’re forgetting SCMS.
I could copy CDs and tapes to cassette just fine with my LG hi-fi from 2003. Okay, it didn't have too many helpful functions like these decks above, but did the job just right for my teenage self.
There was some synchronization though when recorded from CD, so it paused the disc when the tape reached the end of a side, so you could continue from that point on the next side, but I hate to split songs like that, so it wasn't much help.
@SevelRomanov Sony too. And WB had QC issues with Disk Rot.
@SevelRomanov absolutely. There were a lot of shit brand blank CDs and DVDs that rotted. But i was talking about prerecorded :)
I spent all of my summer job money on a complete Kenwood system back in the early 90's. Watching you interact with the unit, how it functions, the sounds it makes, what the display shows, all brings back fond memories.
And now I can spend my summer job money on those systems that people sell on ebay.
For me it's sometimes astonishing how much hifi stuff cost back in the 90s and how "cheap" I can get it now on Ebay.
Yes it's 30 years old but you can't get this audio quality for a reasonable price nowadays.
Somehow the effort invested in these old mixtapes I used to do as a teenager made you appreciate the music a lot more. Great video.
So true
Imagine my surprise hearing about the Mikasa-Kenwood connection whilst eating off my 1970s Mikasa plate and drinking out of my matching 1970s Mikasa mug.
As a radio HAM before the internet came along... I remember Kenwood mostly for their excellent transceivers...
I was just about to make a similar comment. Kenwood radios are superb.
Kenwood is a communication s powerhouse today. Many of their radios (walkie talkies) are used by public safety agencies.
I can tell you're that old because of all the ellipses that you use lol
@@thecianinator I write like that too... And I just turned 20!
Kenwood TS-820S owner here. Bought it because it doesn’t have the proprietary parts of today’s units. Stayed for the rich audio.
This video is the reason there is a full Kenwood stack sitting in my living room. Thank you!
I first learned about Kenwood because of the stickers guys would put on their back windows of their cars in the 1990s. I remember my first home stereo was a Kenwood that I bought from A&B Sound in Canada. Now, in Japan, I own a Kenwood Navigation system, and a Kenwood Hi Fi home stereo system.
Well I learned something today. Initially I had the same thoughts on Kenwood as your brother did: "Why would a food appliance company make HiFis?".
Yamaha make motorbikes and pianos - so it’s entirely understandable to assume Kenwood weren't beyond making food mixers and HiFi
@@Techmoan Well. at least YAMAHA is known from their massive instruments market. And they made some really good cassette deck as well.
@@psynrg Philips too
I just picked up a Kenwood KX-1030 yesterday. I plan on fully restoring it, but would prefer a professional do it.
Kenwood also makes high end amateur radio transmitting equipment.
I was talkin' with a group the other day and had mentioned that I felt that these older systems from the 70s, 80s and early 90s sounded much better than stereos we have today. I really miss the big speakers with woofers, mid-range and tweeters. The new stuff today all crammed into little cubes are impressive indeed that they can push the depth that they can, but the range just doesn't seem the same. I also think older equipment looked much better too.
I agree, the bass nowadays are impresive, but I REALLY LOVE the sliders, leds, mesmerizing spectrum analyzer and the impresive displays in the late 80's early 90's and turning up volume with those giant knob, not the same clicking a button.
I was just chatting with a buddy about the same thing. I'd love to get an older 80s or 90s rack system with all of the components and huge speakers. I just need to find the room for it.
I own a Kenwood system with a CD player, equalizer, amplifier, cassette deck, and radio. I bought it 27 years ago, and it still works. Note: 7 years ago, I tried replacing it with an Onkyo. The sound simply was never at the same level. I ended up fixing the small details of my Kenwood, and to this day, it's still in the living room.
I had a Kenwood thru my childhood years into my teen years. It was doing double duty as the stereo in my room as well as the PA system when playing with my band. One day I blew a resistor running it too hot without my big mains and I wasn't in a position to have it fixed.
I wonder what Onkyo unit you have? As far as modern receivers go, I haven't found a better company... My original Onkyo HT5.1 unit is in my bedroom now with some 15" sansuis up front, a 12" passive sub and Sony bookshelf speakers on center/surround. Home theatre has a newer 7.1 unit (BT is nice) with dual 15" subs and my TV stand is made up of two massive massive classic speaker boxes that run the center channel, all of the satellites house a pair of both Onkyo paper cone units and polycarbonate cone Sony units.
I'll always remember the aggressive, colorful tone of my old Kenwood, but it was pure hifi and wouldn't support BT or any sort of digital surround. Onkyo fills that role a lot better :)
I've had my Kenwood system for 32 years it's used daily and has never missed a beat.
Fluorescent displays look so cool 👍 They were everywhere in the 80s...
Since the VFDs are sort of a vacuum tube, maybe we'll all get lucky & that company that's making vacuum tubes in chip-socket form with do a dot-matrix VFD as well.
My father still owns a Kenwood stereo from when he was a teenager in the 80's. I remember drooling over the beautiful amp/radio when I was a kid. Even if modern gear sounds better, that thing was built like nothing in its price range today. Every knob and button felt perfect and the entire unit could probably survive a nuclear blast.
Did have to repair the tuner, stereo decoder chip died, and the replacement is still working decades later.
I've always been a fan of Kenwood . My first real receiver back in the early 70's was a Kenwood KR-2400. I also had a full Kenwood rack system back in the 80's. My current vintage setup includes a Kenwood KR-5600 receiver, a Kenwood GE-1100 grapic equalizer and a Kenwood PD-M 6640 6+1 multi-disc cd player. Love the beautiful looks, warm sound, dependability and excellent build quality of Kenwood gear!
Always liked Kenwood - fell in love after visiting the local Kenwood dealership in my town as a kid - can still smell the electronics of all those warm amps. They only seemed to sell Kenwood and later a bit of Denon. Still got by original boxed UD70 Midi Separates system I bought new in 1992. Spent hours watching the animated 'DEMO' mode on the massive 'Spectrum Analyser' display on the Graphic Equaliser.
Ohhhhhhhhhh pure joy to this teenager, KENWOOD & Denon!!! Went thru purchasing both brands, then a car and that sucked up all money: Capri 3.0 Executive (used) and it was a great fun money pit!!!
I guess whichever way I went both would be gone by now....... lol
Thanks for the "this is easy" demonstration of potentiometer adjustments. Will have to get right on that for my deck later as I noted the same difference in levels on my JVC deck. Sometimes you don't know what you don't know.
D Heatherly - i know, doesn't surprise me either. Techmoan always pops in with the cure for issues i've not thought to address.
I need to pull my Pioneer out and clean the record pot on the front as it likes to drop one channel completely during adjustment
This video also told me about the repeat function of my KX4520, i never knew about it's existence.
some other advices
for speed adjustments: you do use 3150khz tone, but after the level calibration
and for BIAS it's more complicated: You need at least one deck which is calibrated correct:
record on a good cassette , 10.000 Khz tone
the put the cassette in yours and check if the frequency is the same
if you don't have an oscilloscope: use your PC soundcard's input and a program that's called
"soundcard oscilloscope" . It works pretty decent.
JVC had DDRP, which was their version of the kenwood DDRS. Feature set, Tip-ring-sleeve interconnect cables, suspiciously similar. Wonder if the same company was behind the scenes (Sony?) in providing the feature? Looks like Kenwoods cd changer magazine was even used in JVC changers.
@@emprsnm9903 Suspect they had a base set of informal must support commands, and then each would layer on propietary extensions. As to the company i would hazard NEC, as they were the de facto supplier of the intelligence in the majority of cases, and even Sony used them for controllers, even if they came with a Sony branding and house code on the epoxy.
I'm surprised that such an extensive overview of the Kenwood company ignores their expertise in shortwave radio equipment. They produced some of the best high end shortwave receivers and transmitters money could buy. The Kenwood R2000 was a landmark in receiving equipment at a price hobbyists could afford.
In 1976 I bought a brand new Trio/Kenwood KD1033 turntable from a shop in Tottenham Court Road. This turntable is still my main turntable. It's only ever needed a belt change and cartridge/stylus changes and has never let me down. Trio turntables were highly thought of back in the '70's and were considered proper entry level hifi and gave the Pioneer PL-12D a run for its money.
Bought mine about the same time only in Whitechapel, Liverpool. Like yours mine is still in use as my main turntable with no servicing apart from belt changing. Fantastic gear.
Back in the days all Sony and Kenwood systems are designed and build in Japan.
This electronic is made to basically last forever,with a quality that china manufactured items could only dream about,everything is another level...
I have Sony system bough in early 90s,that is manufactured in Tokyo Japan,still works as new without any problems,never been opened or repaired.
And this days you buy a new electronic gadget which is almost certain made in china and in a year of owning it's more in repair shop then in use...so i miss the old days.
I was today years old when I learnt Kenwood audio and Kenwood appliances were two different companies. Both logos are black and each even have a triangular shape in red, albeit in different places, but still...
I saw a pile of "Kenwood" stand mixers in the isle at Christmas Tree Shop for about $70 a piece a couple of years back and still have no idea who was selling them. Given that the Kenwood UK appliance maker has almost no presence in the USA, it could have been some importer who assumed it could get away with slapping the name on some generic stuff from China. I doubt a real Kenwood mixer would be that inexpensive.
Watching this video in 2020 and I now know more about 1980's/1990's tape decks then I ever did back then. Never knew about those combined button pressing. 😊
I had the double tape deck version and the 6650 CD version. Bought in early 90s. Awesome machines. I had the kenwood MOSFET driver stereo amp as well. A beauty. Still in use today. CD player still works after 30 years. Tape deck sold. I also had the nice EQ that matched but sold that ages ago. Kenwood was excellent.
Thank you for covering this underappreciated brand. I have a Kenwood system that has been working perfectly for over 25 years.
All these years and I never realised that the food mixer company was a different company!
Not food mixers... But plates!
Still got my Kenwood component HiFi from the early 90s and it's in regular use. Love the sound quality.
“Kenwood” was great, unbelievable in my opinion when they had the “Audio Purist” series.
I was in the audio/video business for 30+ years and it's kind of funny what little details you forget. Of course, the memory is there and comes back very fast. I sold a sh1t-ton of Kenwood gear.
this channel is a visual and audio time-capsule that will never come back
Not a HiFi enthusiast at all, but in 2016 I was given a Kenwood receiver by a coworker to accompany the record player I was gifting my girlfriend and I LOVE this receiver. It's as old as I am (I turn 30 in June) and it still works and sounds wonderfully. The all black also fits our current little set up.
Here’s a story. When I was a kid my friends big brother bought a Kenwood separates system. I was over at his playing on his SNES and messing around with the Kenwood system, it was off and I turned the volume all the way up to the top and forgot I’d done it. A while later he says “let’s listen to the radio” turns on the stereo and BLAM we were hit by a wall of sound, I can only equate it to that scene in Planes Trains and Automobiles where they drive between the two trucks and John Candy turns into the devil, seriously it was so loud I think I had an out of body experience. We were both slightly deaf for a few hours after 😆
I love how you timed the CD change w a nixie clock...only techmoan.
I've still got all of my Kenwood components. They were demoted by my missus in to the garage over 20 years ago where they have been regularly subjected to grinding dust, spray mist and all of the other detritus which goes with a home mechanics garage. It's testement to the build quality as everything still works perfectlyeven though I have destroyed four or five sets of speakers over the same period. I now tend to use a Bluetooth adapter with it but when I fancy a bit of nostalgia and pop in an 80's mix tape it still sounds great.
Me too. Still works like a charm.
My parents had a system. And when they thought it was too big for the room, took it down the dump...they had a linear tracking record deck which I would love now.
I am STILL using my Kenwood components that I bought in 1994. Receiver, dual cassette deck and CD player. ZERO issues
My father gave me his old receiver, he had gotten rid of the CD player with six disc cartridges and tape player, but this video got me into picking up all the components I could find. Anyways, all of the components are explicitly from around that time and extremely nostalgic! You just can't beat the old stuff.
I grew up with a Kenwood setup my dad bought in 1990. This was a nice stroll through memory lane.
I couldn’t even dream of Kenwood. After 35 years, I’ve finally saved up enough coin for a top of the line Fisher Studio Standard rack system with CD, turntable, EQ, and dual cassette deck. I’m loving it!
That's one of my pains that my kid will never encounter: trying to figure out what tracks will fit on a cassette without cutting off a song. I'm still using my Kenwood DP-47 CD player that my parents got me for Christmas in 1987. It has outlasted all of my other Hi-Fi equipment.
Before the internet, I think I just fast forwarded all tracks on a CD, wrote down the duration of the individual tracks on a paper (if it wasn't on the CD inlay), and then did some math to find out what fits to a side. But I'd never change the order of songs of an album just to fit better onto a tape.
Of course this didn't work when you wanted to catch your favourite songs from the radio to your mixtape... that was pure guess.
love all the older sound and video equipment , takes me back . THANKS
Kenwood was always a well respected name in the 70's and 80's for home and car audio. I still to this day run a 1977-1979 vintage KA-7100 Integrated Amplifier that has had 2 service visits over 43 years and it will rock the house all day long and barely get above room temperature doing so. This was the golden age for consumers because companies like Pioneer, Kennwood, and Sansui were competing for best in class status, so we got some real gems from this era. Just look on Ebay and see the rage for these products. People buy them and refurbish them too. In my opinion they really do sound "that good" to this day.
In America in the 80's and 90's Kenwood and Alpine were considered the best car stereos by many. I definitely remember that CD changer cartridge. It was a great design.
When I think of Kenwood I think of my brother in the 70's and that reminds me of Neal Peart.
rip
Poor soul, I hope he's found peace.
Bless Neil Peart.
Kenwood also has a similar reputation in the amateur radio world...they don't produce budget radios and don't produce extremely expensive radios, but they are perhaps the most reputable brand in the mid-range space ($1.5-7k for a base station transceiver)
Pioneer.
Bought it in 1988. Finally had to sell it in 2010. Aside from replacing the woofer foam surrounds it always worked and sounded great. Aiwa was what my suitemate had and it was even better.
Aiwa...so underrated.
Kenwood.
The definition of a forgotten hero.
Just remembered something. I went into Audio T in Cardiff last week and guess what they were watching...... Techmoan. All hail Techmoan.
My Dad still has his Kenwood Separates they have not missed a beat for over 30+ years. I remember using the CCRS function to record CD's to Tape did an amazing job =)
Fantastic content as always keep up the the amazing work =)
I have fond memories growing up of my dads Trio stack stereo system. He bought it sometime in the 70s, it was beautiful. Wooden case with brushed metal front. Very heavy, high quality mechanical buttons, dials and switches. Had lovely analog VU meters that were lit. We don't know where it is nowadays... Probably long gone, but he does still have the Record Player. It's such a shame we still don't have it.
Hi, I still have my Kenwood mini system from 30years ago. It cost over £1000 at the time, but was worth every penny, as everything still works and it has never been opened or repaired. It still sounds fantastic (much better than most new systems), it’s very understated, therefore, still fits into a modern lounge. I use my Amazon echo dot through it, as well as cds, tapes and records (on the dinky record deck!!). Mine has the fully auto CCRS, although it hasn’t been used recently and remember that it worked flawlessly. I really love this thing and hope it will give me many years of pleasure to come. Always enjoy your videos, you are one of my favourite youtubers. I really appreciate how much effort you put into making high quality, engaging content. Thanks Paul.
I’m lucky to have kept hold of my kenwood Amp and CD player. They still work and sound great. I loved the look of them and remember lusting after them when I was young.
Oh Yes!!
I don't know which CZcams algorithm recommended this video, but maybe it was the algorithm that knew I had a Kenwood stereo system when I was a teen. It was fantastic. Audio tuner, CD, dual cassettes, amp with graphic equalizer, and speakers that would pound the bass to my heart's content. Fantastic. I'm not an audiophile, but it hit the marks for me blasting everything from NWA to the Sex Pistols. My parents had a better Kenwood system with multiple CDs and maybe a few extra bells and whistles, but their music wasn't as demanding of this tech as mine was.
Honestly, I love Kenwood of old, because the quality is good without the sticker shock of sometimes...barely better "Higher End" name brand "low end" stuff. A good friend of mine had a Kenwood home stereo component setup with a multi-disc CD changer and a pair of 12 inch subwoofers..... That was glorious to listen to. Had another friend with a full Kenwood compact cassette stereo with a separate multi-band EQ and trunk mounted 6 disc CD player in his 1990 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am...all of it Kenwood and that was an amazing setup as well.
I just love those old 3 way speaker designs. Much classier looking than most modern systems.
I think this is my favourite video of yours. Thank you for all the hard work!
This video made me scratch my nostalgia itch. I was like your brother in 1986 and I bought my first system after graduating college. I bought the Kenwood, unlike your brother. I was thrilled with it. I upgrade the system in the early 1990s to another Kenwood System. That system was replaced by home theater equipment in the early 2000s. After watching this video, I tried to find the same model as my original Kenwood receiver online. I located a KR-V95R on Craiglist locally for $120. It looked great and I was going to use it as a secondary unit. I set it up to test with my main system. I was surprised how well it sounded. It brought back many memories and I enjoyed the buttons and lights again. It's still set up two months later. I think it pushed my Toshiba to the secondary status.
Is it just me or there just something elegant about component Hi fi gear!
I haven't heard of Kenwood in YEARS.
They were never considered audiophile quality, but they were one of "the best of the rest".
Funny enough, amongst ham radio enthusiasts, Kenwood is still to this day considered one of the best radio transceiver manufacturers in the business for their excellent sound quality during receive and transmit.
Kenwood, Sherwood, LaFayette, Realistic. I wish I could remember the rest! I’m a bit young to know much about Lafayette, they were out of business, I think, before I had a job, but each of the others had systems that were desirable. I would collect them like you do, if I wasn’t now deaf. I still have a component system, thrift store bargains that sit in an oak audio cabinet but I’ve never bothered to hook them together. I just can no longer assess what they sound like, so I don’t bother. Boy do I love your descriptions! Vicariously, through your explanations I can enjoy my old hobby again. Thank you so much.
I love Kenwood. I still have my 1992 system. CCRS stills works, it's been a joy to use over the decades.
Aiwa made some pretty damn good stuff back in the day. A friend of mine had an Aiwa boombox that was only half the size of the average boombox of the day. We called it his "baby box". Yet it was the best sounding of all of ours.
Their receivers never die. Got one from the late 80's, great sound, and was used in a shop for about 30 years and never turned off during the time (at least, that is what the previous owner told me).
I felt exactly the same seeing the two stacked together. As a teenager this amongst other thing used to get me excited. Thank you for the memories!
I had a Kenwood CD deck that was awesome and lasted for about 20 years, I also had a Kenwood double cassette with auto reverse and record on both decks, also both had the best sound and distortion specs. The CD player I miss, the cassette deck I still have. Occasionally I'll play one of the many mix tapes I still have. Those were the days!!!
Mate can i jjust firstly say "happy new year", but also , your content always touches on something iu always have either been fascinated by myself, or find interesting. your content and the quality all round is, in my opinion, definitely some of the very best on you tube.. Thank you , yours Lee Forsyth-Griffiths
Kenwood makes really good communications equipment, too. I have a Kenwood TS-590SG shortwave transceiver sitting in front of me right now and absolutely love it.
I bought a Kenwood KX-W595 and it's served me very well! Plus, it was cheap for a high-quality deck with noise reduction and chrome tape support!
I remember when I was in kindergarten in 1980, I came home and my dad was taking his new stereo out of its boxes. It was from RadioShack. At the time, it meant nothing to me. I do know at the time it sounded amazing. As I got older, I eventually found out it was actually made by Pioneer. My dad eventually replaced this stereo when I was about 20 years old, and I basically inherited the old one. I had it till I was about 40 years old, speakers and all. It still sounded great. I eventually moved and it got seperated into a couple prices and speakers were left outside, the amp/receiver was left in a basement that flooded and the tape deck and record player was never seen again. I regret this. Yet, for something made in likely 1979ish, I still wish I had it compared to what is available today
Kenwood always made pretty good ham and two way equipment. It gave me less trouble than the more expensive Motorola stuff did. The CalFire (California Dept of Forestry) fleet has been using Kenwood equipment for many years now and so did the county fleet I used to take care of.
After watching your whole video, I glanced back at the Kenwood cassette player I bought second hand to replace an Onkyo that failed after playing maybe 10 tapes... and this Kenwood has CCRS. I didn't even know what that was. Thanks for telling me.
I am a fan of kenwood.
I am very glad to see a fan like you to talk about the products of kenwood.
KENWOOD MADE REALLY REALLY GOOD STUFF BACK IN THE DAY.
The automatic recording playlist generator function on the CD player is a really cool feature I had no idea existed on anything.
The data could also say that your Patreon members really know audio gear for having Bose near the bottom.
At least they didn't have 'Beats by Dre' on the list.
@@aj383 Or Sonos...
*There’s a bit more information about this in the video description text box.*
@Utkarsh Amitabh Srivastava That's because most people haven't heard of Nakamichi.
Agreed, this was a "what you remember off the top of your head" list not a researched who made the best listing. Nakamichi wasn't well known outside people with deep wallets. My best friend had Sony and I had Pioneer and we argued, friendly like, about who's sounded better. He had 15" to my 12's so better bass but I still think the Pioneer handled the mids and high end better. Was pleased to see both at the top.
In the late 80s, it was Kenwood or alpine everyone was installing in car's. I had found a Proton in a pawnshop, and that thing was amazing.
While Kenwood might not be in the minds of many HiFi enthusiasts, their lineage lives on in the Accuphase brand, which was started by a former Kenwood employee and also partly owned by Kenwood for a time. Accuphase continues to be one of the finest brands in HiFi today, but unfortunately the prices they command make them far from attainable for most.
"Pots to twiddle."
... only electronics geeks can appreciate it !!
When I read this I glanced over to my bench to check my " Pot Twiddler " was there !
And scratch your balding pate....adjusting your half round specs at the same time.
Get the tongue at the right angle
@@stonent always.
@@carolineleonard8214 I have a full head of hair and I don't like any of these meaty spreads.
Underrated brands: Kenwood, Aiwa, JVC.
Some pretty good stuff on eBay - not a magnet for Hi-Fi enthusiasts
I remember Aiwa & JVC. Very underrated indeed! Back then i had a Kenwood cassette deck in my 1998 GMC Sierra cab. Good times.
@@UrOpinionsSucc Still using an Aiwa boombox every day, it has been in use for 30 years with only minimal repairs, though the cassette deck is broken, but it is still a good radio receiver.
I bought a full Kenwood stack from an actual brick and mortar HiFi shop in 1989. My dad who had served in WWII(European theater) gave me no end of grief for financing said purchase and to this day I would tend to agree(unless it's 0%), but 18 yo me simply didn't have the cash and wouldn't settle for a mini HiFi. Not only did I start building a credit history, but the integrated amplifier and tuner, at least, are still functioning to this day. The speakers were functioning when I gave them to a friend a few years ago and I'd imagine I could sort out the issue with the CD player if I cared to, but have since ripped all to storage in FLAC. I think I mistakenly binned the dual tape deck and my entire library of tapes after moving them to several different homes but never using them.
Kenwood USA has a purported history on their channel that glosses over everything besides car audio like it never existed(probably easier than explaining their exit from a whole segment of the industry, even if it is more consumers fault than their own)
i love how these brands lost in time are given their proper due in this channel. not hi-fi by today's standards but the stuff of dreams for kids (now adults) saving up for a home system.
The updated outro is so pleasing. Well done!
I found this particularly interesting as I still use my Kenwood KA-7300 Integrated Amp that I bought back in the mid 70's. Built like a brick house.
I still have the Kenwood receiver my mom bought my dad for his birthday back in the early '70s, and which my dad handed down to me some 20 or so years later. Other than having to spray the pots and switches with DeoxIt every now and again, it still works great.
The CD player being able to pick the song order for the tape length is actually really awesome.
I loved the format of this video. Both a look at some products and the historical context of their company and market position.
In the US, the Kenwood name is more associated with Car Audio systems, vs home HiFi. Kenwood when I think of it, immediately goes to cassette car stereo decks (Of which I still have one with autoreverse and other features that still works in my Pickup truck). Before this video, I didn't realize they made HiFi Product lines for home use outside of an automobile.
They're well-known for amateur radio equipment as well.
Prior to seeing that mentioned in the comments, they weren't on my list of providers for that, either. I've literally never heard their name mentioned outside of anything beyond budget car stereos, before now :).
Two Kenwood transceivers are currently flying on the space station: www.ariss.org/contact-the-iss.html ... "The Kenwood TM-D700 radio. located in the ISS FGB Service Module (Zarya), supports 2 meter (144-146 MHz) and 70 cm (435-438 MHz) operation. This radio provides a higher output power capability (restricted to a maximum of 25 Watts in ISS operation) supporting FM and packet operations." ... "A Kenwood D710 radio located in the Service Module was deployed by the Russian Space Agency, Energia to provide extended support of imaging experiments using various SSTV formats. It employs SpaceCam and MMSSTV software to transmit stored images."
Part of the reason you may not have heard of Kenwood's stereo line, I think, is the Kenwood merger with JVC that took them out of the home hi-fi business. There hasn't been a stereo component made under the Kenwood name for I think 13 years, if memory serves. Today the name is used for car stereos and amateur radio equipment. But you know, the jizz had really gone out of stereo equipment by that point by the time the Kenwood name stopped being used for it. The cool kids didn't need a monster stereo anymore. Kenwood also was making some cool home theater stuff about the time the name disappeared, but home theater is a rapidly advancing technology, and old home theater equipment of any brand is so outdated that it really isn't appealing. It wasn't like in the days when stereo was everything, and it really mattered that you listened to something that impressed your friends with the brand-name alone. in the '70s, Kenwood was one of those brands that produced great stereo equipment, and everybody knew it. In the U.S., Kenwood gear had the same status as Pioneer, Sony, Hitachi, Technics and other better known brands. It was way ahead of the budget brands, Realistic, Sears, and so on. Marantz and Phase Linear were probably one notch up on the status scale, and McIntosh was at the top. Anyway, Kenwood was right up there.
Just seeing the thumbnail made me think about CCRS. And then you said it. I didn't think I would ever hear about it again. It worked very well.
Back in the day in my neighborhood you were the man if you had a car with a Kenwood stereo
Great video as always, I really liked the format of dipping in and out of history and storytelling and showing us the components.
One of your best pieces yet. I've really enjoyed watching you over the years and seeing how you've developed as a creator. Just top quality work. Thanks for what you do.
My experience with Kenwood stuff is that it's fantastic quality and built to last. About a year ago I found a whole Kenwood hi-fi system (separate amp, radio tuner and cassette deck) with His Master's Voice speakers in an antique shop. The QC stickers inside date it December 1979 and it's in pretty much perfect nick, just needed a new belt in the cassette deck. I wasn't alive back then and was surprised to learn that they were middle of the range at the time they came out, considering how great it sounds and how well it has aged.
Thanks for bringing out this piece on Kenwood one of my favourite brands. I am kind of binge watching your shows since last two days and I can't thank you enough for bringing back such nostalgic experiences. We have bypassed most of these products in India, but to watch and learn about these products is an amazing experience. The Panasonic one, a transistor, which doubles up as a record player is my favourite one. I hope I can get this one for my collection. Thanks once again for bringing the life back to all these wonderful products.
Wonderful! The song you chose for the recording test sounded really good. These are the type of stereo systems I grew up with as a kid. I too have a fondness for this era of audio systems.
Techmoan, as a longtime fan of both Kenwood and your channel, I really enjoyed this video. And I think there's a reason Kenwood doesn't command the reputation of some of the other brands, even though its best was as good as any of the others. You've talked about your love for Pioneer components, and I think you've shown a few examples from its glory days in the late seventies. Pioneer commands high interest, partly because of its quality and partly because it made one of just about everything. Not just the standard stuff, but the stuff everyone wants to have, graphic equalizers, reel-to-reel decks, sound filters and more. All with flashy lights. And it made them all at the same time, in the late '70s, in consistently designed silverface cases, the only ones most collectors will touch. Well, Kenwood made most of the same stuff, and even a few esoteric components Pioneer never did, but it didn't do it at the same time. So you can get everything in Kenwood, superb quality, but the cabinets don't quite match. I oughtta know. I assembled an all-Kenwood monster stereo a couple years back, and I tracked down "one of everything" (in silverface), starting with the top-end 1978 components. Took plenty of research. I had to go back as far as 1971 for the reel-to-reel, 1972 (I think) for the oscilloscope (KC-6060) and as late as 1982 for the graphic equalizer. There's an early-'80s reverb (same one you tested in an earlier video), with a matching speaker output meter and digital clock/timer, a late-eighties silverface spectrum analyzer sold only in Japan, an early-'70s reel to reel "noise filter" and a silver 6-disk changer from the home theater era. There's supposedly a silver hi-fi/HQ VHS player I'm missing -- that's the only thing I haven't found. The top-end amp, tuner and cassette for 1978 are marvels -- the tuner is the best I've ever heard, the amp is really two separate amps tied together. The turntable has a uniquely massive concrete base. Totally top-notch. But you have to look pretty hard for this stuff, and when you do get it, the cabinets aren't consistent. Not like Pioneer. Looks terrific, though, when you turn off your lights and gaze at your monstrous glow-in-the-dark stereo.
My dad had a Kenwood stereo that he was super proud of. I never actually saw him listen to anything on it except Kenny G on his anniversary with my stepmom one year. The rest of the time, he just had his tv audio hooked up through it.
A wonderful trip down memory lane. Many thanks for sharing.
First video I've seen since subscribing. Good way to start my work day!
Welcome aboard
That... was quite a bunch of actually useful features on that tapedeck... :/
In the mid 90’s I went to Tottenham Court Road in London and listened to numerous amplifiers including the famous Pioneer A400 but it was the Kenwood KA3020SE that really captured my attention, especially in source direct mode. Jump forward a few years I had made considerable upgrades to my system and the 3020SE was no longer being used. A friend of mine ran a very high end independent audio store in Milton Keynes (Audio Insight) and I sent the Kenwood in for a service, they could not believe that a piece of mid-fi equipment sounded so good in source direct mode and how well it compared to amps costing many times more. Had a few of these 3020SE’s over the years in office systems as I like them so much.
(This comes from someone who was also running very expensive class A audio equipment)
Look for the classic high current L-07M Mark II monoblocs too, very hard to find in top condition.
I had a Pioneer A400 for several years until it failed to function. It was was too bright, and the sound cant be adjusted as there were no tone control. An overrated amp in my opinion.
The picture at 3:25 makes my mouth water. I'd do terrible, terrible things to have that setup in my house. Massive kenwood 3-way speakers with a deathstar hi-fi rack and a sony tube tv? heaven....