KD 550 Discussion

[Bob in STL]

Moral of this story is, “you gotta know when to hold’em and when to fold’em”.

I picked up a KD 550 (stock Kenwood arm) few weeks back and it needed some work. Mostly a thorough cleaning and a deoxit spray on the pots. So far I am very impressed with the build quality and the materials used on this deck. It is massive and heavy and there are nice features to be found in the build and construction.


I cleaned it up last night and got the motor performing as it should. I decided that tonight I would put a Denon DL 110 on it and set it up. I do not have any kind of overhang gauge for this deck, the manufacturer recommends 15 mm overhang. I made some arc protractors and Stevenson came out with a 14.9 mm overhang, the Baerwald was 16.7. I aligned it to Stevenson and it appears that I dialed it in pretty good. First time using one of these arc protractors and it was fun. I looked at the Baerwald and I could see it was going to drive the cartridge to the end of the mounting slots and probably not work for my arm. I moved on, finished the set up and connected it to my stereo.



When I turned on the stereo I heard a low hum. I very quickly found that I broke the green wire going to the cartridge.

I actually took out my soldering equipment that has not been used since the mid 80's. I tried to solder the green wire back on but age has caught up with me. My eyes just cannot see it and my hands just cannot do it. I am 53 but heck it has been too long and the skill is gone for something this small and critical. Right hand on the iron, left hand on the wire, brace the head shell against a box, hold solder in mouth (no) -- put solder on iron tip --- heat lead --- flow to wire --- almost did it about five times. I can take it to a shop and probably get it repaired while I wait.




Tomorrow is another day and maybe I will have this deck running by then. Can't wait to hear it.



Cheers, Bob

[Bob in STL]

I guess I should not be too critical of my soldering. I went to the audio repair shop and they sold me a set of four replacement leads for $5. The Tech even installed it for me. Why would anyone consider soldering that tiny wire onto that tiny pin?

I have the KD 550 up and running in my living room system and it is a big improvment over the Yamaha P751. Both are direct drive but the Kenwood motor is twice the size. The Kenwood has ~3X the weight and the arm is far superior. I am very pleased with the sound and the match with the DL 110.



I can play the stereo louder and it is cleaner with more detail. The Kenwood is much less susceptible to feedback from nearby speakers and it seems to be impervious to footfalls. What a tank.



People like to talk about synergy when matching components. I also think that the room you have to work with applies as well. For this application, in my living room with suspended wood floor, the Kenwood is a better choice than my TD 160/SME 3009 due to a less than optimal setup for the TD 160.

Since this deck does not seem to be very popular I attached the pictures FYI. I really like this beast.



thanks, Bob

[Zebbo]

Lovely! I've always had a soft spot for the Corian Trio/Kenwoods but never owned one.

[Coffee Phil]

Hi Bob,

I would not say that this machine was not popular, at least the KD 500 which is the same machine without the tonearm was popular. I seem to remember the Absolute Sound touting it as a poor man's SP-10. Now that may have been a bit excessive but it is a fine turntable.

Here is my somewhat tweaked KD 500 playing a 78:

[img][/img]

Phil

I guess I should not be too critical of my soldering. I went to the audio repair shop and they sold me a set of four replacement leads for $5. The Tech even installed it for me. Why would anyone consider soldering that tiny wire onto that tiny pin?

I have the KD 550 up and running in my living room system and it is a big improvment over the Yamaha P751. Both are direct drive but the Kenwood motor is twice the size. The Kenwood has ~3X the weight and the arm is far superior. I am very pleased with the sound and the match with the DL 110.



I can play the stereo louder and it is cleaner with more detail. The Kenwood is much less susceptible to feedback from nearby speakers and it seems to be impervious to footfalls. What a tank.



People like to talk about synergy when matching components. I also think that the room you have to work with applies as well. For this application, in my living room with suspended wood floor, the Kenwood is a better choice than my TD 160/SME 3009 due to a less than optimal setup for the TD 160.

Since this deck does not seem to be very popular I attached the pictures FYI. I really like this beast.



thanks, Bob

[VinylIsTheBest]

Hey Bob,

I hope you completely took off the signal wire from the cartridge before you started soldering.

[Bob in STL]

Hey Bob,

I hope you completely took off the signal wire from the cartridge before you started soldering.

No worries, I did not touch the cartridge with the iron.

I just could not get iron tip, the pin, the wire, and the solder all in the same location at the right time.

I built Hafler 110 and a Hafler 220 kits back when I was 23 years old and they still work great ... 30 years of evolution did not help me on this one.

[Bob in STL]

[quote="Coffee Phil"]Hi Bob,

I would not say that this machine was not popular, at least the KD 500 which is the same machine without the tonearm was popular. I seem to remember the Absolute Sound touting it as a poor man's SP-10. Now that may have been a bit excessive but it is a fine turntable.

Here is my somewhat tweaked KD 500 playing a 78:

[img][/img]

Phil

[quote]


Cool mods to get 78 rpm. I have a 3009 series II (improved) on my TD 160.

What other tweaks/mods did you do that I could perhaps consider for mine?

thanks, Bob

[Blue Shadow]

Those of us that are still soldering after all these years have help.

We have devices to hold stuff, magnifying visors and other 'assistants' to make it happen.

Glad you got the deck running right. I had a KD-500 back in the day and now have a KD-600 which I hunted down on CL. A friend bought my KD-650 that I had and with our discussion of the gear I've owned and liked, he has added a KD-500 to his system. He still needs a tonearm but that is another discussion. These top Kenwood tables really are damn fine machines.

[Coffee Phil]

Hi Bob,

One mod comes to mind. I just got a Q UP for mine and I'm loving it.

Phil

Hi Bob,

I would not say that this machine was not popular, at least the KD 500 which is the same machine without the tonearm was popular. I seem to remember the Absolute Sound touting it as a poor man's SP-10. Now that may have been a bit excessive but it is a fine turntable.

Here is my somewhat tweaked KD 500 playing a 78:

[img][/img]

Phil

Cool mods to get 78 rpm. I have a 3009 series II (improved) on my TD 160.

What other tweaks/mods did you do that I could perhaps consider for mine?

thanks, Bob

[Bob in STL]

Hi Bob,

One mod comes to mind. I just got a Q UP for mine and I'm loving it.

Phil

Phil,

I am with you there. I have no problem with manual start and manual shut-off but I would like the tonearm lifted as soon as the record ends. I guess I will get one for my KD 550 and for my TD 160.

Was it easy to install? Can you post a picture of it on your KD 550 by any chance?

thanks, Bob

[Coffee Phil]

Hi Bob,

It was easier than I thought it would be. I thought I would have to dispense with the bottom part to reduce the height as the space between the plinth and the arm is not sufficient. Mounting it in the arm board well let me keep the bottom part. That is a good thing for me as Lps and 78s take a slightly different setting as the lead out groove goes closer to the center in a 78.

Right now it is a little crooked as one of the mounting screws for the SME is lifting a corner of the Q UP. I will make a ~0.1" plate with a hole for the screw to go under the Q UP. After I finish that I'll take a close up of the mounting.

Below is a more global shot of it ready to trip:

[img][/img]

Phil

Hi Bob,

One mod comes to mind. I just got a Q UP for mine and I'm loving it.

Phil

Phil,

I am with you there. I have no problem with manual start and manual shut-off but I would like the tonearm lifted as soon as the record ends. I guess I will get one for my KD 550 and for my TD 160.

Was it easy to install? Can you post a picture of it on your KD 550 by any chance?

thanks, Bob

[Bob in STL]

[quote="Coffee Phil"]Hi Bob,

It was easier than I thought it would be. I thought I would have to dispense with the bottom part to reduce the height as the space between the plinth and the arm is not sufficient. Mounting it in the arm board well let me keep the bottom part. That is a good thing for me as Lps and 78s take a slightly different setting as the lead out groove goes closer to the center in a 78.

Right now it is a little crooked as one of the mounting screws for the SME is lifting a corner of the Q UP. I will make a ~0.1" plate with a hole for the screw to go under the Q UP. After I finish that I'll take a close up of the mounting.

Below is a more global shot of it ready to trip:

[img][/img]

Phil
[quote]


Thanks for the update Phil.

I don't see any other way to mount the Q-Up other than inside the arm well. If this is true, then I just may have a problem. My Kenwood tonearm has an anti-skate mechanism that could be in the way? It looks more instrusive in size than the SME anti-skate.

I am going to get a Q-Up for my TD 160/SME 3009 deck. If I think I can fit it to the Kenwood then I will buy a second one.

Cheers, Bob

[Coffee Phil]

Hi Bob,

I think that is a good plan. I have the factory viscous damping tray for my SME. The Q UP is were the tray needs to go if I want to use it. I don't think I can live with out an lifter now. I think what I will do is work out something to work the Qing mechanism on the SME and move the Q UP th my Rek-O-Kut when the time for the damping comes. The damping tray came with a new Qing lever and shaft as the old one interfered with the tray. I will remove the lever from the old one and extend the shaft and try to connect it to a rotary solenoid for an auto lift.

Phil

Hi Bob,

It was easier than I thought it would be. I thought I would have to dispense with the bottom part to reduce the height as the space between the plinth and the arm is not sufficient. Mounting it in the arm board well let me keep the bottom part. That is a good thing for me as Lps and 78s take a slightly different setting as the lead out groove goes closer to the center in a 78.

Right now it is a little crooked as one of the mounting screws for the SME is lifting a corner of the Q UP. I will make a ~0.1" plate with a hole for the screw to go under the Q UP. After I finish that I'll take a close up of the mounting.

Below is a more global shot of it ready to trip:

[img][/img]

Phil

Thanks for the update Phil.

I don't see any other way to mount the Q-Up other than inside the arm well. If this is true, then I just may have a problem. My Kenwood tonearm has an anti-skate mechanism that could be in the way? It looks more instrusive in size than the SME anti-skate.

I am going to get a Q-Up for my TD 160/SME 3009 deck. If I think I can fit it to the Kenwood then I will buy a second one.

Cheers, Bob