Trio KD-500

[southall-1998]

I might buy a Trio KD-500 turntable with Audio Technica AT-1120 tonearm from a friend.

Anyone here have any exp/opinions with the Trio KD-500 turntable?

Regards.

[hifi_dave]

It's OK if you don't pay much for it.

[DSJR]

Spares unobtainable, heavy plinth still needs careful isolation if a muddy bass is to be avoided and the arm from memory is only suitable for very high compliance cartridges such as ADC XLM II, Stanton 681EEEmk3 or Shure v15's. You *may* get away with a Denon 304 which tracks at 1.25g approx and the mid priced AT cartridges (AT120E and 440MLa) may be alright as well..

Shane, you're turning into another Jerry with all your box-swapping :lolsign:

[southall-1998]

I am turning into Jerry!!! Help me!!!!

hifi dave- my friend wants £275 for the combo. Is that OK?

[Rare Bird]

I Don't wanna start of a fresh DD candidate :lol:

Sansooi SR-717

[Marco]

I am turning into Jerry!!! Help me!!!!

hifi dave- my friend wants £275 for the combo. Is that OK?

Shane, you'd be far better off spending that money on a second-hand SL1200/1210, which can be modded very successfully, and doing the job properly.

The Trio will never sound as good, so TBH, you'd be pissing your money down the drain.

Marco.

[hifi_dave]

As Dave said, the arm is good for medium to higher compliance cartridges and OK with less energetic MC's. The TT isn't up to much though, not as good as it looks.

[The Grand Wazoo]

Shane, please don't take what I'm about to say as anything other than trying to help through a constructive suggestion, but.......

I think one or two of us have suggested before that all this changing of components that you do kind of points to there being something not quite right.
I'd really suggest stopping and thinking very carefully about what sort of sound you're after. I'd try have a listen to a good range of well balanced systems to give you an idea of what is actually possible and choose the approach that you like best, then aim to replicate that.

You need a strategy mate. Accidentally tripping into a good system by changing things the way you do is very unlikely, I reckon.

[DSJR]

With a Mayware Formula 4 ultra-low-mass arm and a Sonus Blue, this deck sounded good, but this is a very dated combo and the Sonus Blue went off the rails in consistency so lost out.

For once, I'm coming down TOTALLY on Marco's side. A techie for a couple of hundred notes, a Sumiko shell, sorbothane boots to start with and any reasonable cartridge you wish (say, a sweet toned AT120E for starters) and you'll have a direct drive which will better many old-uns straight off. The further upgrades have been documented enough to fill many wage packets :)

[Beobloke]

Hmm, seems I'm the lone voice in the wilderness who will say that, actually, the deck isn't that bad. The motor is a respectable FG servo type and the resin base is an impressive lump that isolates the deck quite well. Also, the AT arm is well made and a decent performer within the limitations of its low mass design and thus compatible cartridges.

Maybe £275 is a little optimistic but if the price was, say, closer to £200, I'd grab it.

[snapper]

Hmm, seems I'm the lone voice in the wilderness

I'll add my voice to yours Adam,so that you don't feel so lonely.



http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y198/davhar/SANY4234.jpg



This is the deck I used in the 70's and I don't remember any 'muddy bass' that DSJR alludes to.My brother bought it about 35 years ago and still uses it today,sounds great to me.But what do I know,I use a pishy rubber band fruitbox.

[DSJR]

You used it with a dry and lean toned SME... The heavy plinth was a joy amongst chipboard framed hollow-box alternatives, but even these need careful siting. Do this and I know they're fine, but how many people do or even would?

[audio39]

I'm a fan of the Kennie decks...although I much prefer the KD-600.

Years ago I tried many arms on the 600, my favourite was the Victor 7045 whilst running an Ortofon MC, other arms included a Grace G-940, Grace G-704, and of course a trusty SME 3009 II Improved.

The 500 is appreciated in many vinyl circles, but speed control can be an issue which is overcome in the later 600.

Fun deck, in this case it would be limited by the arm available.

Oh, regarding the earlier "muddy" bass comment, I don't think that would apply to any of the Kennie TT's...if anything the low fequencies produced have on occasion been referred to as "too prominent", but I'd describe the bass as tight and refined.

Go for it...you have nothing to lose!

[Marco]

The Trio certainly looks to be a nice enough turntable :)

The point I was trying to make, though, was that it depends on what Shane's plans are. Sadly, he didn't give us much in the way of info....

If he was to pay £265 to own a decent vintage T/T, and simply enjoy it for what it was, then that would be fine. I can think of much worse ways of spending £265 on a turntable.

However, if he was buying the Kenwood/Trio with the intention of it forming the basis of an extensive modification project then, in my opinion, his £265 would be better spent on a T/T which lends itself more successfully to being modified, hence why I recommended him the Techy.

What I hate seeing is people pissing their money down the drain on projects which are unlikely to show them the sonic return they'd hoped for, and so end up going round in circles, chasing their tail and trying to achieve the impossible, and ending up in a whole world of disappointment and considerably worse off financially than when they started.

By all means buy 'off the wall' vintage T/Ts, if you like to be different, but buy them on the premise of simply enjoying them for what they are, and not wasting money on trying to turn them into something they'll never be....

If people want to embark on a risk-free T/T modification project, and not get their fingers burnt, then in my opinion they should stick to tried and tested solutions, and the best one without doubt (certainly as far as user support, servicing, and the quality and variety of ancillaries/'tweaks' available), is the Techy - it's as simple as that.

Anyway, Shane, I hope you end up with what you're looking for, matey! :cool:

Marco.

[audio39]

Hey Marco...I hear'ya, but the Kennie does lend itself to some mods, and in many circles this table is held in very high esteem.

Here's a link to the KD-500...

http://www.dd-turntables.com/gallery1_19.html

I've toyed with DD's since the mid 70's, my favourites will always be the Micro's and the Lux DD's, but the Technics and Kennies have always held my attention as well.

I have had arm bases fabricated from varied hardwoods, stainless steel, different plastics, and very dense rubber for the KD-600...they all provided a subtly different sound, but it was always more hobby R&D then it was about anything else.

Years ago I replaced the bottom cardboard cover on a 600 with a machined slab of .75" stainless steel, I also had 3 cones fabbed from SS and fixed them to the new base...now that's adding some mass. The bass was unbelievable - that table is still floating around in Northern Ontario somewhere.

Here's a link to the KD-600 - a fine table.

http://www.dd-turntables.com/gallery1_8.html

Here's a 600 I sold a little more then a year ago...in the pic the original arm board is shown, but this gent received a stainless steel armboard from me for his SME.

http://www.canuckaudiomart.com/details/157491-kenwood_kd600_turntable_in_excellent_condition/

My strong opinion is that the Kennie's are great decks with no change, with very little investment and a good arm they become much more...and you would need to spend some serious cash to own a TT that will outperform one.

There's my babble for today!

[Marco]

Hi Rick,

Most interesting, and thanks for that - it's always nice to learn from other people's experiences, and you certainly know more than I do in this area :)

I certainly wouldn't dispute what you say, and the KD-500 does appear to have some nice qualities. However, what's the situation on availability of spare parts, should something critical go pop?

This is something which always concerns me with vintage D/D turntables, as personally I'd hate to become accustomed to the way a certain T/T presents music, and love it, only for it to become 'fatally broken', and thus be deprived of its unique way of music-making....

It's the widely available serviceability and user support network that, for me, is one of the main attractions of the SL-1200. I'm not technically minded in the slightest, so I *need* to have the peace of mind of knowing that if something goes wrong with my T/T, I can send it to an expert and all will be well.

I simply don't want to entertain the worry that one day my 'pride & joy', which gives me so much musical pleasure every day, could one day soon become an ornament.

It's also good being able to share ideas and tweaks with many others who own the same T/T, and thus be able to ask for their advice if I need it, hence the 'user support network' I referred to before. I'd hate to be out on a limb on my own, using a little known T/T, with no-one to turn to for help if something went wrong. That might not be important to some, but it is to me!

So what's the score with the Kenwood, in that respect? :cool:

The other thing that would also bother me, is how do you know for sure if a 30+ year old D/D turntable, with numerous electronic parts inside, is performing at 100% of its original sonic capability (capacitors, etc, would likely be long past their sell-by date) - because me being me, nothing less than 100% would do!! ;)

Marco.

[audio39]

Regarding the electronics on these Kennies...years ago you just didn't worry about that kind of stuff, but with age things have changed. Each time I purchase a vintage TT, including my Lux, I take them in and immediately have a Tech check them over. The last 3 tables, the Kenny in the link included, have had all caps and resistors changed (upgraded) just to be sure. The nice thing is that the electronics on these tables are not too elaborate, I think I paid $110 CDN to have the Kenny done.

To be honest, I have never heard of one of these tables failing, so they're obviously pretty robust. The bearing is of excellent quality, so things are good on that front.

When it comes to spare parts, on any given day, between sites like ebay and Audiogon, there are always a few of these tables floating about looking for new homes.

Again, for the price, they're just hard to beat, and they make great music. In fact, the table in the link posted earlier was preferred by a few folks who spent a little time listening to tunes in my home to a VERY expensive Avid deck...and the Avid deck had one of those fancy blue carts with Japanese letters all over it. The Kenny had the SME arm shown in the ad and an Ortofon 2M Blue mounted.

At the end of the day, if Shane is concerned with spare parts, perhaps another deck is in order...but if he's looking to get some fine tunes at little cost, then the Kenny is one of those TT's that will fit the bill.

[Marco]

Nice one, Rick - just the sort of info I (and I suspect, Shane) wanted to know :cool:

Trouble is, I guess you've just rocketed the second-hand price now of KD-500s! ;)

Marco.

[southall-1998]

Thanks Rick.

And Marco, thanks for your advice too.

Regards.

[Marco]

You're welcome, bud. Let us know how you get on, and don't be afraid to ask any more questions if you need to :)

Marco.

[southall-1998]

Thanks Marco.

I forgot to say. The KD-500 looks a little like the Pioneer PL-71. Do they share the same platter?

[DSJR]

Possibly. I understand that there weren't all that many actual manufacturers in Japan, but many products *may* have shared production lines ("citation needed here":))

[Marco]

I'd go along with what Dave's just said, Shane. If the KD-500 is as good as a PL-71, then you'll have a won a watch! ;)

Marco.

[Malky1422]

Sorry the Amp was SA 9700, Was a big powerful beast anyway.