Upgrade for circa 80's Audio Equipment

[razrwire]

Hello Everyone.

I just recently unearthed my old high school sound system from my parent's attic. Its mainly composed of Kenwood equipment which was part of the Spectrum Series System composed of the following:

Turntable: Kenwood KD 48-F
Power Amp: Kenwood KM 208
Control Amp (Pre): Kenwood KC 208
Tuner: Kenwood KT88
Dual Casette Deck: Kenwood KX-78CW
CD Changer: Kenwood DP-M98
Speakers: Kenwood JL-1080AV

I connected everything and powered them up and works as they did back in high school.
Considering that they are already around 20++ yrs old, I was hoping to find suggestions on which component should I upgrade first. I'm just starting to revive my vinyl collection.

I also have an ONKYO TX DS575 Receiver I use for for movies and an old pair of Bang & Olufsen Redline 60.2 speakers and a Sony ATR AV920 integrated amp I also found in my parents' place. I haven't tested the Sony amp yet though.

Thanks in advance : )

[JoeyGS]

Check if you can upgrade the cartridge of your turn table. If it were me, that the first thing I will upgrade to better enjoy the Vinyl experience.

[razrwire]

Check if you can upgrade the cartridge of your turn table. If it were me, that the first thing I will upgrade to better enjoy the Vinyl experience.

Thank you for your suggestion. Looking at the TT, I think the cartridge can be upgraded.

[Gau_Ban]

The speakers are usually the first upgrade. You might want to have a tech go over your gear because some parts might need replacing like capacitors.

[zenaudio]

I connected everything and powered them up and works as they did back in high school.

Cool!

Some people like the vintage sound and your system may have that unique character.

Is there something you're looking for that you don't find in your system? If it's a totally different sound, eg, more revealing is what you're looking for, then the amps and speakers would be worth looking at IMO coz it would allow you to evaluate sources better. Otherwise why not enjoy it for now?

[rtsyrtsy]

If you like the sound, why upgrade anything at all?

Perhaps, as previously suggested, just some dusting up and cap replacements but if I have no complaints, I will first do no harm!

[razrwire]

I connected everything and powered them up and works as they did back in high school.

Cool!

Some people like the vintage sound and your system may have that unique character.

Is there something you're looking for that you don't find in your system? If it's a totally different sound, eg, more revealing is what you're looking for, then the amps and speakers would be worth looking at IMO coz it would allow you to evaluate sources better. Otherwise why not enjoy it for now?

Thank you for your insights. You hit it spot on.

I just feel that the system sounds too "boxy" and drowns out the other subtleties of the source (e.g. vocals, instruments).

[razrwire]

If you like the sound, why upgrade anything at all?

Perhaps, as previously suggested, just some dusting up and cap replacements but if I have no complaints, I will first do no harm!

I'm totally enjoying the system as it brings back memories of years long gone. However, I find it lacking in detail when it comes to vocals and instruments, something overlooked when you're in high school when the only thing that mattered was bass.

[rtsyrtsy]

If you don't have the itch to spend just yet, I'd spend time optmizing the current system--speaker positioning, cleaning out the connections at the back, run it through the usual practices like warming them up, maybe running them in again, demagnetizing, etc.

All these said, technology has advanced. At the same time, old technology is being re-discovered and sometimes boosted by modern capacitors, etc.! So take your time and go around listening to newer gear. Home audition if you can.

Often times, in my limited experience, the speakers drive a large chunk of the character of a system's sound. So perhaps you might want to check different speakers. I won't be surprised if one of the largest advances from your high school system is in the field of digital sources. Check out streaming solutions and see if those are to your liking. They can go from multi-box (hard drive, computer, software like Amarra, Audirvana, etc., USB-to-S/PDIF converters, DACs, etc.) to more elegant single box solutions (Sonos, Naim, etc.).

Lucky for you, the November Hi Fi Show is just around the corner. So there will be a concentration of all things audio in a few weeks!

[razrwire]

Lucky for you, the November Hi Fi Show is just around the corner. So there will be a concentration of all things audio in a few weeks!

Again, thank you for your very insightful comments.

May I know when and where is the Hi Fi show?

[luismorizono]

congratz razwire! great find, it's like uncovering a treasure of gears and memories...

[mac_daddy]

Lucky for you, the November Hi Fi Show is just around the corner. So there will be a concentration of all things audio in a few weeks!

Again, thank you for your very insightful comments.

May I know when and where is the Hi Fi show?

Nov 8-9 at Dusit Thani Hotel

[JackD201]

I connected everything and powered them up and works as they did back in high school.

Cool!

Some people like the vintage sound and your system may have that unique character.

Is there something you're looking for that you don't find in your system? If it's a totally different sound, eg, more revealing is what you're looking for, then the amps and speakers would be worth looking at IMO coz it would allow you to evaluate sources better. Otherwise why not enjoy it for now?

Thank you for your insights. You hit it spot on.

I just feel that the system sounds too "boxy" and drowns out the other subtleties of the source (e.g. vocals, instruments).

Hi Raz,

That boxiness was typical for the loudspeakers of the time. Many had large woofers in cabinets that flexed. Mind you, not all flexicabs sound bad but the ones that do sound good are painstakingly tuned. B&W held the patent for cross bracing and one could say the loudspeaker landscape changed pretty quickly when the patent period ended.

That said, I believe you can squeeze a lot more performance by simply moving your loudspeakers farther apart. Do try at least 6 ft apart if space allows and experiment with distance from the front wall as well as trying to focus the sound using toe in. For the turntable, there are some guys here that can help you in bringing them back to fighting form. I would have them look at cleaning the tonearm. If they can get at the bearings go for it.

Welcome back to the hobby!

Best,

Jack

[razrwire]

Hi Raz,

That boxiness was typical for the loudspeakers of the time. Many had large woofers in cabinets that flexed. Mind you, not all flexicabs sound bad but the ones that do sound good are painstakingly tuned. B&W held the patent for cross bracing and one could say the loudspeaker landscape changed pretty quickly when the patent period ended.

That said, I believe you can squeeze a lot more performance by simply moving your loudspeakers farther apart. Do try at least 6 ft apart if space allows and experiment with distance from the front wall as well as trying to focus the sound using toe in. For the turntable, there are some guys here that can help you in bringing them back to fighting form. I would have them look at cleaning the tonearm. If they can get at the bearings go for it.

Welcome back to the hobby!

Best,

Jack

Thanks Jack. I'll try experimenting with the speaker placements to get a better sound stage. As for the TT, I replaced the belt and the cartridge and it sounds a lot better.