Kenwood - masters of the mid range
An odd mix of a video - company history with a touch of personal nostalgia that then segues into a product demo.
This is the video in which I’ve used the data collected from the ‘Five HiFi manufacturers’ survey earlier in the week. I’ll dig deeper into the results of that survey in the next Patreon update.
You’ll notice revised Patreon credits at the end. Despite these taking less time to display, their lack of scrolling combined with alphabetic sorting should makes it easier to spot your name now. The refresh has also made it simpler for me to manage and populate. This should result in less mistakes and omissions and I’ve now been able to re-open that tier up again.
If you should be included on the list but aren’t - please let me know.
Comments (67)
Very interesting and informative video, Matt - thank you! I hope the high number of clicks this one is drawing inspires you to do more brand/marque history stories in future.
Yeah I kept thinking he must have tested the electronics before he removed the rust. But we don't see it working until the end. I guess he achieved his purpose. Plus we have his car reg...
I got this in my Home list after watching your Kenwood video. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ndGn9QbY8A Restoration KENWOOD Cassette Deck X 76 Antique | Rescue sound equipment Rusty RestoreI'm not sure whether to believe he fixed
..it as shown or needed to replace caps, resistors, etc. Either way, that YT suggestion algorithm
Hi there I get that it is important for views etc to stay below a certain amount of minutes a video. Lately you’ve been speaking faster in your video voice overs. Not sure if this is to fit more info in a shorter video but it is very noticeable. Please slow down in your videos, we like you talking and showing us stuff so no need to rush. Look at technology connections he makes long videos and still gets the views. So would you.
Hi Mat, Apropos of nothing, have you seen the recent movie 'Once Upon a Time in Hollywood'? In it, an actor portrayed by Leonardo DiCaprio uses a Craig 212 tape recorder to help him rehearse his dialogue. As soon as I saw it , I remembered your Mission Impossible videos! The movie is set specifically in 1969, so that would seem to be about right for that machine. The movie features several tech items from the era, record players, food blenders and of course the tape deck - not to mention some fabulous cars of the day. Even if you don't like Tarantino, the movie is worth watching for the props alone.
I haven’t got around to watching it yet - although I definitely will do. I suspect the set designer is a fan of the channel ;-)
So these Kenwood geezers(one of them at any rate) made my Gin and wine glasses, sort of. Very nice they are too - not the best going but very decent, must have been a philosophy. :)
As someone has mentioned above, Kenwood remains a very important brand in the amateur radio world. There are three main Japanese manufacturers, the other two of whom aren't really known outside that world (being Icom and Yaesu) although both do also make some commercial radios. Kenwood gear is definitely on a par with the other two and they make some extremely advanced stuff (eg the TS-990S https://kenwoodcommunications.co.uk/amateur-radio/hf-all-mode/TS-990S/). These were also badged as 'Trio-Kenwood' back in the day. I've not owned any myself (I'm a Yaesu man really) but it is good to see the name living on and associated with high quality.
Given the amount of enjoyment the channel has provided I couldn't live with the shame of not contributing so I am now officially a Patron. The Kenwood video put me over the edge as it reminded me of a lot of time I spent recording CDs in the 80's and 90's. Thanks for the quality work, but I think you'll find you need to clean those pots. (Kidding! I'm referencing some jokes you have made in other videos).
Welcome glad you’ve made it here. I also got a few of the usual ‘replace the caps’ comments on this one. It does make me wonder if TV car shows get people writing in about the need to change the oil in a supercar they once used for a day.
Cheers for making me watch Kenwood in different and more positive way! For all of us average people that don't have several thousand quids to put on a stereo, it's great to know which brands fit us better, while still getting good equipment! An unrelated question, your playlist Retro Tech ( https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLN2yCnHTG_6qxmv_pdBxWxCPsbA1Cl2RI ), the videos seems to be a bit out of chronological order, and my OCD has urged me for some time now to as you about it. Is there a reason for the current order in it, or has it just become that way for some unspoken reason? :) Thank you in advance and for yet another great video!
I think the playlist was probably originally put in an order of the videos as they were added to the list, I most likely picked the best ones first - then as new videos were added they’ll have become chronological. I should make it all in date order instead now.
Like the title, eye catching
Looks like this video is headed for 300k+. Congrats!
It’s certainly an unusual video to get popular - just proves again that I can never tell which videos are going to be the ones that work.
I had a very similar Kenwood CD changer in the early ’90s.
That TV/HiFi setup 👌 https://1001hifi.blogspot.com/2018/01/the-story-of-roxy-kenwood-midi-in-japan.html?m=1
Kenwood, masters of the mid-range, at least until the Techmoan Effect came along :)
Us patrons know our stereo types.
I am absolutely gobsmacked how thoughtful and clever these Kenwood devices are! A lot of bells and whistles, but the bells are incredibly useful and the whistles are straight-up good ideas! What a pity that the utility is no longer relevant save for the hipster retro crowd, but boy would I have spent a lot of time back in the day making my mixed tapes with this pair!
Really enjoyed your video. Brightened up my day was really sick yesterday watching your video cheered me up. I have Kenwood amp, I wondered what the system control was for
As usual, well researched, very interesting and nicely done. The BBC with their billion budget couldn't have done any of that any better.
Nice! My first stereo was a hand me down from my father, a Kenwood stereo with record player on top and 8 track player in front. It was from probably the 70's and had decent power but not a ton of features save the weighted dials. Then got a Magnavox cd changer, and eventually bought my first reciever, a Kenwod with Pro Logic. I always had a love of Kenwood, it was generally a safe buy, and lots of bang for your buck. :)
My father had some Kenwood stuff, I think he still has the tape player, a bit simpler model than you showed, but also with a lot of those "hidden" features, my father told me as kid that the cassette deck was unable to count to more than 16, I guess he also thought is was a 4-bit counter. My sister was a big fan and always wanted to have everything only from Kenwood, so I ended up with her old cassette deck, a very simple one. I replaced it with a real 80's Yamaha with lots of buttons (yes, that 80's magic!). The link between Trio and Kenwood I found out when I was looking for an old-fashioned analog oscilloscope, I found a Trio and immediately recognised the logo on it!
Surprised to see no one mentioned it - one of the two founders was apparently a radio amateur as JVCKenwood still produces amateur radio gear (including the amateur equipment on the International Space Station). And back in the day, their gear was branded "Kenwood-TRIO". Thanks for the history lesson - pretty interesting. Sorry about not being able to choose your family. :D
Not sure it is really fair to classify Kenwood as "masters of the mid-range", perhaps that was true in 1987, when all of the Japanese electronics firms pretty much cut costs and went mid-range, but in the glory days of the late 70's, when the really great stereo equipment was made, Kenwood/Trio was near the top, along with Sansui, Yamaha, Pioneer, Marantz, Technics and a few others! - I never knew the Mikasa connection, even though I am a student of these Japanese firms, well, this is why I am a Patron! - It's a great value in education, cheaper than university!
It’s never easy coming up with a short, snappy, informative and intriguing title - something usually has to be left out to make sure it fits in the available space - there’s just three or four words visible on some devices. I’ve come up with a new more verbose and descriptive title and added additional supportive information in the video description box (that no one will read). I doubt anyone is going to want to watch this one anyway - but hopefully it’s more accurate now.
Argh. Kenwood. Just a bad memory for me. Once had a CD player and Amp from them in 1992. The Amplifier was ok but the CD player had non stop issues. Would always skip and lock up. I also seem to remember having a similar feature of CCRS with a Denon separate system. Not sure if it was called that though. Memory is fuzzy. Nice trip down memory lane with the video though.
Maybe the limit of 16 repeats on the auto-reverse function is derived from the size of the digital counter. If it can only store 4 bits, it can count from 0 to 15.
Absolutely great video, Mat - thanks. With content like this, I can see you becoming the go-to guy for classic-hi-fi-brand-historical stuff*. It's a major strength. *Not a very catchy name. Stick with Techmoan, I reckon.
I really enjoyed the layered format of this video. I felt it a well-rounded documentary and demo of related items. As long as you can tie it together with a central focus like this, it doesn't feel meandering. I laughed out loud when you concluded your anecdote with the "you can't choose your family" platitude. Then I watched that section a couple more times and laughed again at your poker face. I suppose I expected a more justifying conclusion rather than futile dismissal. :D
Well thanks - I’m glad it worked.
I own an "upper mid-range" Panasonic RX-DS30 boombox from 1990 that includes ATLS (Auto Tape Level System), which seems to be the equivalent of "One Touch CCRS". It also includes 2-side CD-to-tape editing, though the track selection is manual. It was very nice back in the day because I could press Program, key in all the tracks that would fit on side 1 while watching the total time calculation, press Edit Pause, then key in the tracks for side 2, then press Rec Pause and then ATLS, then walk away. It would scan the CD for the peak level and set it automatically for the cassette, record all my tracks for side 1, wait for end of tape, reverse to side 2, wait 10 seconds for the leader, then record my tracks for side 2. ATLS made a big difference as there was no manual record level control; it would record everything at a fixed level of around 2/3 peak otherwise. The inbuilt cassette deck is logic controlled with auto-reverse and nice quality, but no Dolby B/C/HX Pro and no dual capstan or 3-head fanciness. The boombox has some other tricks like a digital clock so you could set it to wake you up in the morning with a programmed set of tracks or record your favorite radio program while away at work. The UK version also had a FULL FUNCTION infrared remote (including logic-controlled cassette transport, digital tuner, motorized volume control). The US got a choice of either the RX-DS30 with the fancy features and no remote, or the RX-DS40 with the remote but no ATLS, digital clock, or bass boost. This got a little rambly, but 90s me loved this machine and I thought someone might find it interesting that similar features were available in portables back then if you looked carefully!
BTW, I think the ATLS scan may have worked a little differently, as it just sounded like listening to a CD play with the fwd search button held down, i.e. the audio sounds normal but skips large chunks. Your CCRS scan sounds more like analog audio played at high speed, i.e. the pitch is increased and perhaps less of the audio is skipped in the scan. I'm curious how this actually worked, given tech of the time.
I forgot to reply to your request for HiFi maker names. I put it off as I was at work and hence forgot about it. Not that it would have made any difference as I'd've put the top 4 in the list plus Sanyo (the names on nearly all my components).
Wonderful video! Love the history - I thought both Kenwood's were the same company that made many different things, like Mitsubishi. And that is a cool tape deck. Takes me right back to when I was putting together my own component system in the late 80's.
I REALLY enjoyed this video! I used to really spend a lot of time making my tapes timed correctly. In the mid 70s all my friends had 8-tracks, so even though I probably knew better, I bought a Pioneer HR-99 8-track recording deck. I would spend way too much time adding and subtracting minutes and seconds to avoid the ka-chunk track change in the middle of a song, so I can really appreciate CCRS. In the later 70s I sold stereo equipment in a mall electronics store. We didn't carry Kenwood, so I admit that's a brand I never thought of too much. I had a friend who worked for a competing store, and he sold Onkyo, another mid-line brand. My first CD player was an Onkyo, and I still think it's a top-notch player. I've seen occasional connectors on hi-fi and video that only interconnect with other equipment of the same brand, and had you not done this vid, I would never have guessed at the features. Well done!
Well I’m glad you liked it. This is a video that seemed like a good idea when I started - and then I spent what seemed like way too long on it. The end result feels like less than the sum of its parts. However I’ve always been the worst judge of my own work. Image working on this for ten days - the sheen wears off a bit.
Interesting, at least in the UK I thought that the Trio brand existed because Kenwood were unable to use that name due to conflicts with Kenwood food mixers. My father bought a whole load of Trio audio separates in the late 70's which all had Kenwood model numbers. In fact, I am looking upon my Trio KD-1033 turntable as I write this.... Bought in Brighouse in 1977...
I certainly would've associated Kenwood with car stereos rather than HiFi, I also didn't realise that my Kenwood fridge was from a completely different company. Very interesting. I would be perfectly happy with those devices now.
That’s really why I wanted to get a feel for how people saw Kenwood in the Patreon survey - depending on who, where and when we were - our experiences and interactions with brands can differ wildly.
Yes it's a hit or miss when the masses want to watch someone scarfing down ramen noodles😆 You have my support views or not 😃
Great video Mat. My first cassette deck was a Kenwood KX-550HX back in 1987 or around then and nice to now know the history of the brand. Bought my first CD player a few years later, a Technics SL-P777 which interestingly had a function that would scan a CD for the loudest few seconds and then play in repeat so recording levels could be set. That CD player is still serving me well today around 30 years later.
There’s something very pleasing about CD players with way too many buttons.
Great video to kick off the weekend. I had a bargain Kenwood a/v receiver from good old Richer Sounds, a 5.1 pro-logic - did a fine service as my introduction into surround sound.
Thanks well done video, was what I imagined back when they ran out of space for buttons on function Rich systems, not fully automated but an accurate representation on the way it used to be, get those CDs on a cassette to listen to in the car or on the boombox, fascinating technology.
Thank you for the suggestion. Now we’ll have to see if the views are enough to pay for the hardware. I’m doubtful - it may be a bit niche...but you never can tell...fingers crossed.
Never had any of Kenwoods home hi-fi equipment, was always a pioneer guy there, but I did have several kenwood car setups back in the early 90s I really enjoyed. Cool to see what else was out there
Those are some high tech features! the CCRS is interesting - since for it to play the CD at high speed it has to read it equally fast, and I didn't think they had CD players much faster than x2 back in 1990
I had Kenwood KX-550HX. It had HXPro and was the best cassette deck I ever owned.
Brilliant as always, Mat! I was happy to see Aiwa in a prominent position, next to Kenwood, on your survey list. The first real money I earned at a summer job in 1983 was put toward an Aiwa portable mini system (couldn't afford Sony) that pumped tunes into my dorm room at university. I suspect the maximum of 16 replays is related to the 8-bit architecture of the components as that would be one bit of storage in an 8-bit byte.
That makes sense, thanks.
In the late 90s me and my friends were really into mobile audio but none of us had a ton of money. I had a few head units but I remember getting a detachable face kenwood casette player (at this time mobile CD players were still very expensive) and I was so proud of it. Later I had a guy in my building who had a ton of Hifi gear. He gave me a kenwood receiver which I still use daily, ive had it for 10 years at least and it wasn’t new then either. That fellow later died, but his old receiver lives on. Kenwood is near and dear to my heart
Your brother may not have taken your advice, but in a way, I did back in 1987 when I bought my first stereo--a Kenwood component system, complete with fake wood cabinet and glass door for just under $1000.00 from Best Buy in the US. Regarding today's video, I quite like how you managed to fit all of the classic elements of a Techmoan video into a single episode.
It's either a mash-up or a mix-up depending on how you look at it.
Totally forgot Kenwood in the "mention five HiFi brand" thread
Great video! And I've finally started getting adverts for Alan Moore and his indestructible drone!
Flippin eck!! I still cannot get those adverts... Even I try to set my VPN to UK... cock!
Oh, I would have killed for Hi Fi like that back in the early 90's! I did eventually get a Panasonic CD deck with a 6 disc changer. The caddy (which had horizontally pivoting inidivual disc holders) also fitted the CD player in my car, which wasn't as convenient as you might imagine - your CDs were always in the wrong place! The player could memorise playlists across several cartridges; it identified the cartridge by reading the top CD in the pack. Slightly annoyingly, the CDs had to be placed in the caddy face down which wasn't ideal. I linked mine to an early Philips CD recorder to make my own custom CDs, but it was very hard to do well. If you just recorded a play list from the CD changer, it all got copied as a single file unless you paused the player and interacted with the recorder to increment to the next recording between every track. Very time consuming and frustrating! Super video Mat which triggered some interesting (for me!) recollections. Have a good weekend! btw, you closed your Hi-Fi brands list before I could comment, but I would not have thought of Kenwood at all.
The pivoting holders you mention make me think that I might have had the same unit in the boot of my 1989 Toyota MR2.
Classic Techmoan vid thank you very much Mat. You absolutely nailed how I viewed/ desired Kenwood equipment. It might have been YT to my Airpods Pro but the bass in the sound test sounded rather flabby - was it?
With my head cold I can’t accurately comment on sound quality. Pretty much everything sounds weird at the moment. I’ll have to leave that part up to the viewer. I wouldn’t be surprised if something was off though.
Interesting video. All these functions reminded me of Sony components from the same era. For example pressing rewind and play to automatically play the tape after rewind works on all Sony decks I encountered. The CD players also had the function to search for the loudest part of the CD and the calculation of which tracks fit best on side one and two of the tape was also possible. So maybe one of the Sony chips inside is for these functions? I'm pretty sure comparable Sony device of the time cost a lot more so it's pretty impressive what Kenwood could include for the price. I thought the recording without Dolby was pretty good, too. The Dolby C recording wasn't that good but maybe it's not adjusted correctly internally.
My first hifi receiver was a Kenwood. The receiver kicked the bucket after a couple years but I still have the subwoofer for a yamaha rec I trashpicked at work. That recording system was also a lot smarter than I thought it would be
Kenwood was one of the masters of the mid range for sure! Great work, You are a champion in making videos, without a doubt.
That was really interesting. There was a lot in there I'd never heard of and the system for calculating which tracks will go onto one side of a cassette is genuinely impressive.