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(Direct) Drive-n to distraction...

S

spet0114

REMPI Member
As there seems to be somewhat of a growth of interest in DD 'tables, I've decided to follow the flock (or herd, depending on your point of view) and buy one.

Not being able to afford a L-07D or DP-100, I plumped for a Trio/Kenwood KD650. From what I can gather, they're reasonably well-regarded by the DD cognescenti (sp). I already own the belt-driven cousin (KD 2055) so I reckoned I was on reasonably firm ground. The deck in question is here :

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=9741863532&rd=1&sspagename=STRK:MEWN:IT&rd=1

Once you've all finished gasping at how much I (over)paid for it, here're my questions;

1. Has anyone had any experience of these decks? What are their strenghts and weaknesses?

2. Is that the original arm? I'm lead to believe that these decks could be supplied either with or without arms. I seem to recall seeing a similar arm years ago, but can't place it.

Any thoughts/advice appreciated.

Cheers

Adrian
 
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welcome to the wonderful world of DD turntables.

I don't know how good the one you've chosen actually is. There's some info about Kenwoods here.

http://de.geocities.com/bc1a69/kenwood_eng.html

Try it as it is but I bet it would sound better with something like a Funk Achromat fitted.


You've done well with the arm though. That looks suspiciously like the fashionable once again HH Morch UP4 unipivot.

www.walsys.demon.co.uk/ morch/morch.htm

I look forward to hearing how it all sounds,

rgds,
Murray
 
That does indeed look remarkably like a Morch, if so well done, you have just landed a very good 600-700 quid arm!

Tony.
 
Thats a fantastic buy well done...the arm is definitely the Morch!

That particular Kenwood is reasonably well sought after and weighs a fair bit...stick a nice cartridge on there like a Denon and you've got a fantastic sounding unit for chump change.

You could have paid £500 and still had a good deal.
 
Looks like a Morch UP4 to me, which is worth around $700 USD on its own in good condition.
 
That's got to be the best 2nd hand bargain we've seen on PF this year - or any year!

Well done :)

Is the plinth made from that stone/resin compound?
 
Cheers guys, to tell the truth I'm a little shocked to learn it's a Morch, I'm now giving serious thought to transfering the arm to either my LP12 (where it'd replace an ittok) or to my 401 (which currently has no arm). However, first of all, I'm going to give the Trio a good 'ole listen to before making any substitutions. The deck arrives on Friday, so I'll report back then.

Rob : Yes, the plinth is indeed made from the stone/resin material. IIRC it's called ASDM or similar and is used to make part of the L-07D plinth. As I mentioned above, I have a KD 2055, which is a (cheaper) belt-drive deck that is based on the same plinth.

CHeers

Adrian
 
Just an update on the Kenwood/Morch business.

The deck arrived last week and since then has been in more or less constant use. The sound is very detailed, lots of air and space. Compared to the LP12, I'd say the bass is a little less prominent (is this the famed LP12 bass-bloom?) but otherwise the sound is fantastic. For 124 quid it's a bloody bargain.

However, the cartridge (a highphonic) seems to be reasonably long in the tooth, and may need replacing or re-tipping soon. With this is mind, what carts have people used with the Morch arms to good effect?

Cheers

Adrian
 
I used an Accuphase AC-2 cartridge to great effect but they are very rare!

Try a nice Denon DL-103R in there mate...will blow the doors off.
 
It's worth getting the Highphonic retipped by Expert or someone. It would be better than anything you can buy new for the same price.
 
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