Kenwood Turntable
Mike Kozak
Posts: 931
in Electronics
Years ago my dad have me his Kenwood KD-4100r turntable. It is in mint condition. What are the thoughts on this piece? I just ordered a headshell, cartridge/needle combo for it off ebay.
Comments
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Since you dad gave it to you, it's probably priceless!
"Sometimes you have to look to the past to understand where you are going in the future"Anger is just anger. It isn’t good. It isn’t bad. It just is. What you do with it is what matters.
You can use it to build or to destroy. You just have to make the choice. Jim Butcher
Harry / Marietta GA -
^^^ That's the best possible answer!
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So -- I am not very familiar with Kenwood tts (except the KD-500 and its kin), but it should be a perfectly decent direct drive tt. It is interesting to note that it's a fully automatic table, so it may have a fairly complex mechanical mechanism that could need cleaning and lubrication at this late date.
Also -- one other comment: I don't know about the Kenwoods, but I do know that the speed adjustment controls (potentiometers) in the Technics (Panasonic) direct and belt drive tts of that era get dirty over the decades and can cause speed fluctuation (i.e., BTDT, as they say). The pots are straightforward to clean, although (again, in the case of the Technics tts) there are usually a total of four of them... two accessible to the user, and two more that are internal (sort of fine and coarse adjustments).
FWIW, it looks like the service manual for this tt is available from Vinyl Engine via:
https://www.vinylengine.com/library/kenwood/kd-4100.shtml
Free registration required to d/l docs from vinylengine -- if you want a copy and don't wish to register, send me a PM and I can help you out, @Mike Kozak.
Oh, one more thought. While this august forum does have its share of vinylista and vintage audio buffs, there aren't a whole lot of folks here deeply involved with
both (it seems to me). Therefore, you might want to ask about this tt at some of the other forums that are either more rekkid playa-centric or vintage/analog audio-centric. You probably already know the usual suspects.
Good luck and have fun with it! Should be many years of good useful life left in that Kenwood!
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I don't have any experience with it, but it should be a good performer. -71dB rumble, which is quite respectable...actually better than the venerable KD-500. I also read that the base/plinth is "compression molded from limestone powders, glass powders and polyester resin", so a nice, solid, anti-resonant base - akin to 'The Rock'. Enjoy!"This may not matter to you, but it does to me for various reasons, many of them illogical or irrational, but the vinyl hobby is not really logical or rational..." - member on Vinyl Engine
"Sometimes I do what I want to do. The rest of the time, I do what I have to." - Cicero, in Gladiator
Regarding collectibles: "It's not who gets it. It's who gets stuck with it." - Jimmy Fallon -
I have a KD3050, a model inferior to yours but similar in many ways. The speed control is rock solid and has been absolutely trouble free. My only criticism is that the tone arm automatic return is a bit too quickly for my liking and makes an abrupt stop at the rest. It’s a bit jarring to see your cartridge treated that way but I can’t say that it’s done any harm.The world is full of answers, some are right and some are wrong. - Neil Young
