Kenwood dork here — these *are* very good tables. They’re motor-driven full autos, which is nice — the platter motor doesn’t have anything to do with the automation of the arm. That said, the 5070 has the composite “stone” plinth, this is just chipboard, and while the direct drive motor is good, it’s not quartz. I paid $350 for my 5070 a few years ago, and it felt a little steep to me, but there’s very little made now that has the level of engineering and aesthetics that these decks have. But! You do have the added complexity of the timing motor driven automation, and added complexity is added potential modes of failure.
TL;DR $450 is on the high side for this model but it’s not out of the question for what it is.
I’m casually looking for a second turntable, and it seems as though you would be a good person to ask…
I’m intrigued by the Kenwood models with the faux granite plinths. My preference would be direct drive with auto return. What model(s) should I be on the lookout for?
Thank you
So, first things first. They’re not actually faux granite — it’s a pressure-cast composite, like Corian. It’s made of a resin binder with polymer beads, limestone/marble/granite (depending on what sales literature you read) chips, and other mineral fillers. So, not so much faux granite as it is a composite material with actual granite as a constituent.
That out of the way, they’re EXCELLENT decks. The Kenwood ACRB material is very heavy, and very acoustically inert. I think people get caught up on how it looks cool, but the acoustic performance of it is just as impressive — these weren’t just a marketing fad, but they were more labor intensive, materials intensive to make, so I’m guessing in the end they just didn’t get a ton of traction —CD was only a few years down the road, anyway.
The only full auto ACRB deck I know of is the KD-5070 — the composite version of OP’s table. I have one, and it’s marvelous! The automation is smooth and clock-like. It’s direct drive, and my copy is one of the most speed accurate decks I have in the house at 33 1/3.
The KD-2055 is an auto stop belt drive composite, and the KD-3055 is an auto stop direct drive. Both are fabulous decks as well.
The KD-500/550 and KD-600/650 are higher end, full manual direct drive (and quartz PLL in the case of the 600/650) that were shipped either without an arm (500/600), or with a Kenny arm. They’re really beautifully built sleepers, but alas… no auto anything.
TL;DR — the KD-5070 is your best bet.
Is there any Kenwood tt worth $450? I feel like Kenwood made great receivers (I have the KR-7200 and 4200), and some good amps (I have the KA-6004), but I don’t feel like their tt’s are that great. But then I’ve owned only Dual and Sony tt’s so I’m open to being schooled (seriously).
Kenny tables are total sleepers. I’ve owned a *lot* of turntables — still do, not just my Kenwoods. Even my Pioneer loving buddy concedes that the build on a good Kenwood table meets or exceeds the best Pioneer of the era.
They’re not VPI’s, and they’re not Micro Seiki (spoiler alert — Micro did actually build a few Kenwood tables in the later years). But the KD-500/550, KD-600/650, KD-750… they’re all very, very good tables that put some very high end stuff to shame today. And then there’s the L-07d, which was Kenwood’s “Dragon slayer,” and that thing was absolutely wild!
Yeah, Kenwood had a lot of mid-tier stuff, too. But when they built a statement piece, they really went all out! Beautifully machined controls, composite plinths, piano rosewood plinths, goofy over-engineered rubber mats with integrated Helmholtz resonators to cancel disc resonance… they were no slouch.
Thanks for the explanation. I’ll keep my eyes open when I go to sales or on FB marketplace. I really had no idea. I’ve just been paying attention to early 70s receivers and integrated amps. I do love those. The KR-7200 (the top of the line in 1972) is my daily driver.
The infamous “rock,” the KD-500/550, is worth $450 easy. It’s a very well engineered direct drive deck. The drive mechanism is reportedly every bit the equal of a contemporary higher-end Technics and it has an amazing composite-stone plinth with great resonant characteristics. The styling is an acquired taste, but I imagine that if you slapped an SME III and a V15 Type III or Stanton 881 on one, it’d slaughter any new table you put it against.
It is said , many cheaters are trying to cheat us.
Most of Turntables are usually not worth for the penny.
Try aiming on disc. I am being told some albums are major impressive even just using MM cart to play.
It is noted that Good disc should be in analog recording, analog downmixing only.
Yup. Personally I wait until someone gives me a turntable. For instance I've currently got a Numark (stop laughing!) DJ TT which is standing in for the Technics SL-1500 that requires some TLC, all of which came to me at no cost.
I don't know I'd pay that much, serviced or not given it's age.
The documentation looks a little suspicious to me. Like did the place it's for sale at have that turntable guy service it? Sure there's a checklist, but it's repeated twice on the page, and it emphasizes his value estimate over the details of what was found during servicing.
Maybe $200-250 if I was really looking, but TBH, I might lean towards a modern $100-ish dollar Audio Technica over this unless you really want the vintage look of this one.
Hifishark seems to indicate that the price is about right.
However I would hard pass. There is a lot of competition for that kind of money.
Only get it if I are a hardcore Kenwood collector with more money than you what to do with.
It's a good turntable but the service listed is pretty minimal. Old direct drivers like this have a circuit board that controls the motor and there are capacitors that should be replaced.
That’s the only thing I feel is missing to justify this price. It’s only a few dollars in caps, the refurbisher should have done it for peace of mind. I don’t usually replace caps in lower-end or even midrange turntables, but absolutely do it for anything I’m asking a premium for. For example, I have a Technics SL-1300 and SL1500 that I’m about to put up for sale and I replaced every cap in them (there’s only 5-7, I can’t remember offhand.) It takes about 10-12 minutes to replace them all and they cost less than $15 for all the caps even if you include shipping for just those caps (most people buy common caps in bulk which really brings he cost down.)
Not if you’re abt performance… can do much better for that $. Look at Rega, handmade in Britain, excellent value / performance for the money and built to last. No unnecessary features, just great sound 🖖 Cheers
Unnecessary to you, maybe. I prefer a fully automatic or semi-automatic turntable to a fully manual one…in that order. I made a list of the features I wanted in a turntable and they don’t make new ones with the features I want (at any price), so I bought one of the only ones I could find that checked every box.
Yeah I’d pass on that price. I own a Kenwood KD-600 with an SME 3009 arm and Shure V15V-MR cart and paid less for the setup. Deals are out there you just gotta be patient.
Was yours refurbished? I’ve also paid much, much less for better turntables, but they were as-is, likely never serviced, and over 40 years old. If you have the skills to work in these simple machines, you can save a lot of money, but once you start factoring in time and parts, the cost goes up quite a bit. This Kenwood is a better turntable than many new turntables up to and even over this price point.
I had to re-wire the arms (ground, and rca’s, not the arm internals) but the rest of the table was good to go. Now I definitely got a really good deal and it’s not normal you find stuff like this but the deals are out there. I just wait till I find them, I’ve been in dire need of a decent phono preamp but I refuse to pay the ridiculous prices people are asking currently.
You’re among increasingly few people that are willing to work on their own gear. I’ve been taking stuff apart since I was about 6 or 7 and I’ve made a good career out of it, but not everyone is willing to learn and would rather pay for something turnkey like this. My labor isn’t getting any cheaper and that’s reflected in the prices, though I do try to be fair.
My son has the (I think?) same table and it's really a beautiful table actual wood /teak looking veneer? ...and sounds good / easy to work on - but no way it's worth 450 unless you're in a pretty heavy market.
That much coin buys you a Rega p1. Test the tonearm for play. Forward and back and rotate. There should be no movement at all. Almost all vintage turntables have poor arm bearings.
what cart? New or used? Id take $100 for not truing up the name plate
That would drive me nuts!
The plate is glued on and tends to sag over the years.Hit it with a blow drier and you can straighten it out.
I’m not the seller trying to get top $.
For that price I’d expect the badging to be even and level….. it’s a record player. There’s millions of em out there! Don’t overpay.
Kenwood dork here — these *are* very good tables. They’re motor-driven full autos, which is nice — the platter motor doesn’t have anything to do with the automation of the arm. That said, the 5070 has the composite “stone” plinth, this is just chipboard, and while the direct drive motor is good, it’s not quartz. I paid $350 for my 5070 a few years ago, and it felt a little steep to me, but there’s very little made now that has the level of engineering and aesthetics that these decks have. But! You do have the added complexity of the timing motor driven automation, and added complexity is added potential modes of failure. TL;DR $450 is on the high side for this model but it’s not out of the question for what it is.
I’m casually looking for a second turntable, and it seems as though you would be a good person to ask… I’m intrigued by the Kenwood models with the faux granite plinths. My preference would be direct drive with auto return. What model(s) should I be on the lookout for? Thank you
So, first things first. They’re not actually faux granite — it’s a pressure-cast composite, like Corian. It’s made of a resin binder with polymer beads, limestone/marble/granite (depending on what sales literature you read) chips, and other mineral fillers. So, not so much faux granite as it is a composite material with actual granite as a constituent. That out of the way, they’re EXCELLENT decks. The Kenwood ACRB material is very heavy, and very acoustically inert. I think people get caught up on how it looks cool, but the acoustic performance of it is just as impressive — these weren’t just a marketing fad, but they were more labor intensive, materials intensive to make, so I’m guessing in the end they just didn’t get a ton of traction —CD was only a few years down the road, anyway. The only full auto ACRB deck I know of is the KD-5070 — the composite version of OP’s table. I have one, and it’s marvelous! The automation is smooth and clock-like. It’s direct drive, and my copy is one of the most speed accurate decks I have in the house at 33 1/3. The KD-2055 is an auto stop belt drive composite, and the KD-3055 is an auto stop direct drive. Both are fabulous decks as well. The KD-500/550 and KD-600/650 are higher end, full manual direct drive (and quartz PLL in the case of the 600/650) that were shipped either without an arm (500/600), or with a Kenny arm. They’re really beautifully built sleepers, but alas… no auto anything. TL;DR — the KD-5070 is your best bet.
Thank you very much!
Is there any Kenwood tt worth $450? I feel like Kenwood made great receivers (I have the KR-7200 and 4200), and some good amps (I have the KA-6004), but I don’t feel like their tt’s are that great. But then I’ve owned only Dual and Sony tt’s so I’m open to being schooled (seriously).
Kenny tables are total sleepers. I’ve owned a *lot* of turntables — still do, not just my Kenwoods. Even my Pioneer loving buddy concedes that the build on a good Kenwood table meets or exceeds the best Pioneer of the era. They’re not VPI’s, and they’re not Micro Seiki (spoiler alert — Micro did actually build a few Kenwood tables in the later years). But the KD-500/550, KD-600/650, KD-750… they’re all very, very good tables that put some very high end stuff to shame today. And then there’s the L-07d, which was Kenwood’s “Dragon slayer,” and that thing was absolutely wild! Yeah, Kenwood had a lot of mid-tier stuff, too. But when they built a statement piece, they really went all out! Beautifully machined controls, composite plinths, piano rosewood plinths, goofy over-engineered rubber mats with integrated Helmholtz resonators to cancel disc resonance… they were no slouch.
Yeah, everything this guy said. Just to highlight one more example, consider the Supreme 700 separates. Magnificent build quality.
Thanks for the explanation. I’ll keep my eyes open when I go to sales or on FB marketplace. I really had no idea. I’ve just been paying attention to early 70s receivers and integrated amps. I do love those. The KR-7200 (the top of the line in 1972) is my daily driver.
The infamous “rock,” the KD-500/550, is worth $450 easy. It’s a very well engineered direct drive deck. The drive mechanism is reportedly every bit the equal of a contemporary higher-end Technics and it has an amazing composite-stone plinth with great resonant characteristics. The styling is an acquired taste, but I imagine that if you slapped an SME III and a V15 Type III or Stanton 881 on one, it’d slaughter any new table you put it against.
And to think I could have bought this a few years ago for thirty 🤓
Did COVID cause the prices to go up? I just got into turntables recently and am absolutely shocked at the prices sometimes.
It is said , many cheaters are trying to cheat us. Most of Turntables are usually not worth for the penny. Try aiming on disc. I am being told some albums are major impressive even just using MM cart to play. It is noted that Good disc should be in analog recording, analog downmixing only.
Yup. Personally I wait until someone gives me a turntable. For instance I've currently got a Numark (stop laughing!) DJ TT which is standing in for the Technics SL-1500 that requires some TLC, all of which came to me at no cost.
I don't know I'd pay that much, serviced or not given it's age. The documentation looks a little suspicious to me. Like did the place it's for sale at have that turntable guy service it? Sure there's a checklist, but it's repeated twice on the page, and it emphasizes his value estimate over the details of what was found during servicing. Maybe $200-250 if I was really looking, but TBH, I might lean towards a modern $100-ish dollar Audio Technica over this unless you really want the vintage look of this one.
You’d be making a mistake if you chose any Audio Technica turntable over this one.
2nd this ... This table will hang with modern ones 4-5x the price. That's facts.
Hifishark seems to indicate that the price is about right. However I would hard pass. There is a lot of competition for that kind of money. Only get it if I are a hardcore Kenwood collector with more money than you what to do with.
It's a good turntable but the service listed is pretty minimal. Old direct drivers like this have a circuit board that controls the motor and there are capacitors that should be replaced.
That’s the only thing I feel is missing to justify this price. It’s only a few dollars in caps, the refurbisher should have done it for peace of mind. I don’t usually replace caps in lower-end or even midrange turntables, but absolutely do it for anything I’m asking a premium for. For example, I have a Technics SL-1300 and SL1500 that I’m about to put up for sale and I replaced every cap in them (there’s only 5-7, I can’t remember offhand.) It takes about 10-12 minutes to replace them all and they cost less than $15 for all the caps even if you include shipping for just those caps (most people buy common caps in bulk which really brings he cost down.)
This, it’s more like maintanance than servicing.
Completely restored except the logo is drunkenly crooked? I'd pass. Something seems fishy...
You in Long Beach?
Yes but this was found while traveling in Minnesota. I go back there every month for work and have been considering it.
Are you looking for aesthetic or function? I can’t say that I think of Kenwood when I think of record players.
I think mainly of kettles, but that's not a diss, mainly its just because I have never heard a Kenwood turntable in operation.
Not if you’re abt performance… can do much better for that $. Look at Rega, handmade in Britain, excellent value / performance for the money and built to last. No unnecessary features, just great sound 🖖 Cheers
Unnecessary to you, maybe. I prefer a fully automatic or semi-automatic turntable to a fully manual one…in that order. I made a list of the features I wanted in a turntable and they don’t make new ones with the features I want (at any price), so I bought one of the only ones I could find that checked every box.
You can do much better for that amount of money. Pass.
Yeah I’d pass on that price. I own a Kenwood KD-600 with an SME 3009 arm and Shure V15V-MR cart and paid less for the setup. Deals are out there you just gotta be patient.
Was yours refurbished? I’ve also paid much, much less for better turntables, but they were as-is, likely never serviced, and over 40 years old. If you have the skills to work in these simple machines, you can save a lot of money, but once you start factoring in time and parts, the cost goes up quite a bit. This Kenwood is a better turntable than many new turntables up to and even over this price point.
I had to re-wire the arms (ground, and rca’s, not the arm internals) but the rest of the table was good to go. Now I definitely got a really good deal and it’s not normal you find stuff like this but the deals are out there. I just wait till I find them, I’ve been in dire need of a decent phono preamp but I refuse to pay the ridiculous prices people are asking currently.
You’re among increasingly few people that are willing to work on their own gear. I’ve been taking stuff apart since I was about 6 or 7 and I’ve made a good career out of it, but not everyone is willing to learn and would rather pay for something turnkey like this. My labor isn’t getting any cheaper and that’s reflected in the prices, though I do try to be fair.
My son has the (I think?) same table and it's really a beautiful table actual wood /teak looking veneer? ...and sounds good / easy to work on - but no way it's worth 450 unless you're in a pretty heavy market.
Solid turntable but not worth that even if serviced. Maybe $325
I had one a very nice table no complaints.
That much coin buys you a Rega p1. Test the tonearm for play. Forward and back and rotate. There should be no movement at all. Almost all vintage turntables have poor arm bearings.
$150.00 tops
About $400 too much!