Vintage Goodness! Kenwood KA-3500 Integrated Amplifier from 1977! Sorry about the poor sound.
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- Опубліковано 17 тра 2024
- This unit sounds absolutely wonderful. The bad news is they don't build them like this anymore but, the good news is they don't build them like this anymore. Modern gear is so much better in almost everyway.
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Cambridge AXR-100 Receiver amzn.to/49Nq4Ft
Cambridge MXN10 amzn.to/44sBhdL
Cambridge EVO150 amzn.to/3UTJowI
Schiit Bi-Frost Multi-Bit DAC
Schiit Lokius EQ amzn.to/3Qhuu0x
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Loxjie D-30 DAC just for DSD decoding.
Elac Debut 2.0 F-62 Speakers amzn.to/3Jy6eUc
Fluance RT-84 turntable. amzn.to/4aMuZrt
Upgraded with the Audio Technica AT540ML. amzn.to/4diAyzy
All line level cables are from Worlds Best Cable. I primarily use Mogami 2964 Wire and Amphenol ACPL connectors. amzn.to/3JWCDE9
iFi AC iPurifier amzn.to/3UWb4ko
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Email: oldguyhifi@gmail.com
Tidal Playlists:
The Fahrenheit Project (ambient electronic music): tidal.com/browse/playlist/69c...
Electronica for Audiophile: tidal.com/browse/playlist/e29...
My Classical playlist: tidal.com/browse/playlist/8e5...
Baroque Weekend: tidal.com/browse/playlist/cfe...
DJ Ed, a collection of music that is all over the place. tidal.com/browse/playlist/f89...
Spotify:
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Qobuz playlist:
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"Vivaldi:" open.qobuz.com/playlist/15233981
Sorry about the variable volume. I am still learning. Please like and subscribe. Thank you so much.
Great video, Ed. 👍🏼
Regardless of the variable sound volume, the music demo should be about 3 dB louder than it came across-your narration was significantly louder than the music.
@@Ratboy1 I totally agree. I am re-editing it to see if I can increase the volume. Thanks.
I would have to delete the current video and reupload the new video which would break all the links. I will make sure it doesn't happen again. Sorry.
You did great. I enjoyed the clip very much.
This unit reminds me of the Lafayette LA-40 Integrated Amp and LT-40 Tuner that I owned around 1978 or so. That was good stuff back then.
Mr. B, Thanks for returning. That was an under appreciated brand. There are times that I wish I had been able to keep all my old gear. The problem is that I would have a ton of vintage audio but, huge repair and upkeep bills and no wife!
Thanks Ed.
I bought one of these amps brand new in 1977. One of the best integrated amps I ever owned and wish I never sold it, got caught up with multi-channel amps a few years later and sold it to a mate.
I loved the warmth and clarity of this amp and its bigger brother the KA-7100. The bigger amp was out of my price range so I settled for the KA-3500, paired it with the Kenwood KD-550 direct drive turntable, something else I should never have sold. A fully refurbished KD-550 nowadays can sell up to $3000 NZD depending upon tonearm and cart here in New Zealand.
Mr. Mckenzie, I also have a few pieces that "got away." The 7100 was a beast for sure but there is something special in the way the 3500 sounds. I don't have any experience with that model turntable. but I am sure it was a beauty. Thank you so much for watching and commenting.
I am using my son's KA-305 right now in a home office, It is very similar to the KA-3500 and it is a great amp. When my ship was in Japan in 1978, I bought a Kenwood KA-7100 60 WPC amp and it had incredible specs and incredible sound. Unfortunately my other son was walking around the house when he was 7 months old and he was breaking things. My amp was a tragic loss.
Mike, That's a shame. My oldest boys favorite trick was to stand in front of the gear and point at while saying "No, no , no," because that's what I said every time he got near it. Thank you for your service, your view, and your comment.
Beautiful unit. Amps and receivers from that era sound darn good. And they are fun to repair and restore btw (I do that as a hobby).
This one is in beautiful original condition. All the caps are fine and with in tolerance. I was very surprised.
@OldGuyHifi Electrolytic caps are usual suspects but I find more issues with small signal transistors and some resistors in old equipment; many good quality ecaps and tantalumns stay within, or close to, specs after all the years. Yet it's better to replace them as they could fail anytime at their age.
@@nabman_ Good points. If it was my unit I would go through it thoroughly.
15 more to 1,000! Getting ready to celebrate with you!
Another great video. Really enjoyed watching you go over the Kenwood. Wish I still had my dad’s HH Scott 222C tube amp I had for years.
Scott gear of that vintage was really nice stuff. Thank you for the encouragement.
Just truly amazing equipment. The year I left high school. I couldn't afford it then and probably can't now, either. 😂 Thank you so much for this trip down memory lane and the wonderful sound example. Don't really see this kind of beauty today. Thanks so much for sharing this with us all. Stay well, Sir.
Thank you my friend. It is an amazing original piece. I wish you could hear it in person. Wow!
Oh, what a beauty!!! I love Kenwood equipment... This is no exception... One of my dreams... Congratulations!
Thank you very much!
Now we’re talkin’! I still love that old stuff. I’m still loaded down with it. I have my 60s-80s McIntosh and a number of other units on my self. Great job, Ed!
Thank you my friend. Please give my best wished to your lovely wife.
@@OldGuyHifi Thanks Ed.
Excellent amp and one I am lucky enough to own myself. Very sweet sounding with loads of power for 40w. Loved the review and sound clips. Thanks so much!
I wish it was mine. I am going to have to fight my neighbor for it at some point. Thanks for watching and making me jealous!
Beautiful unit and warmish sound , It looks all parts are original inside. Thanks for this insight !
It is a time capsule. It is all original. I wish it was mine. Thanks.
If ive said this once, ive said it a hundred times. If manufacturers would make newer equipment look like the equipment from the 70's, things would fly out the door, especially stereo receivers. Retro looking speakers sell like hotcakes. So would retro looking receivers, with modern insides. That NAD integrated amp that is retro sells really well.. awesome looking Kenwood by the way.
Thank you Jim. I agree somewhat. The current line up of NAD, to me, sounds nothing like their old gear. I had a 3020i and a 7240 for years. You are right though. Look at Yamaha, their sales are blowing up. Meters baby!! Thanks for watching and as always I appreciate you r input. Have a great weekend.
Nice piece, very retro-looking. The style is much like a Marantz 7 preamp I have that was from the 60's. At about the same time (1976), my brother opted for a modern-looking JVC receiver with higher power (110w), a large backlit display w/ VU meters, and sliding faders for volume, balance and graphic EQ. Despite of all my efforts to destroy it, I think it is still working too. I love the look, but most vintage gears are not going to work in my digital-oriented system with low impedance and low sensitivity speakers.😂
Simon, You make a valid point. There is a lot to be said for modern gear. I do like the nostalgia factor. My era. Thanks for sharing your thoughts.
Congratulations! You crossed 1K subscribers!
Rafael, Thank you so much 😀
That's a real beauty. I always liked components having AC outlets on the back for daisy chaining, but I guess from an "audiophile" standpoint that would be a no no.
Not in my opinion. The extra outlets were great and I can't see how that would effect sound. I think they went away in part because of UL.
Nice vid Ed 👍
Thank you sir.
There’s a lot of room in there. Great if you have to replace components. What is the piece of tape covering in the rear? Super clean Amp.
I have no idea. The unit belongs to a friend of mine. I just cleaned the chassis and the pots. Sounds great for its age.
We enjoy your videos, yes. My opinion is that you shouldn't use UA-cam for listening quality just saying.
John, I don't disagree with you. I get a lot more views when I include them and as I am trying to grow the channel it seems to makes sense for now. Thanks so much for commenting and your view.