Kenwood KD-2070 Questions?

Styx_II

The Grand Illusion
I recently picked up a 2070 which is in good condition. This model has an interesting anti-skate mechanism which I'm not familiar with. I need some direction on how it works and what it should be set at.

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It came with an Empire cart #5000 HPT and a 239 DEX stylus (.75 - 1.5 grams tracking pressure)

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Any help would be greatly be appreciated.

Also it came with an universal headshell which I'm wondering if I should change/upgrade to something else. Any advantages?

Thanks Gang,
 
I'm sure someone will chime in, but you can download the manual for the KD-2077 at vinylengine.com, which is the identical setup and read exactly how to do it.

The headshell is fine. The cartridge is very good--definitely worth using, but unless you're sure the stylus is okay, it's better to get a new one.

If you don't have the alignment gauge, I'm pretty sure that you keep the cartridge square in the headshell and set the measurement from the stylus tip to the end of the rubber washer to 50.5mm.
 
you adjust the anti-skating by moving the wire to a different slot along the rod at the top of the tone-arm mount. closer to the counterweight = less, further from the counterweight = more. i believe it is in one gram increments. i'd put the wire into the first notch from the counterweight and track at about 1 1/4 grams. it's hard to tell from the photos, but i'm not sure your weight is original. the wire appears to be.
 
you adjust the anti-skating by moving the wire to a different slot along the rod at the top of the tone-arm mount. closer to the counterweight = less, further from the counterweight = more. i believe it is in one gram increments. i'd put the wire into the first notch from the counterweight and track at about 1 1/4 grams. it's hard to tell from the photos, but i'm not sure your weight is original. the wire appears to be.


Thanks. I don't know if the weight is or isn't original. The previous owner said everything was original (-the cartridge). I didn't believe him after see the headshell but the manual I just downloaded shows the same one.
 
I just went crazy and won one of these Kenwood KD-2070 in an auction on eBay. It looks like a really nice turntable, and it reminded me of some of the turntables I saw when I was in college in the early to mid eighties.

Anyone have any thoughts on this turntable?
 
It's a great table! I just brought one back to life and I love using it. That "Hurst Shifter" control is awesome. I like it so much I may give it an exotic veneer treatment. Mine had one channel out and the speed was all over the place. Here's what I had to do to get it working properly:

1. The transformer isolation bushings on mine had rotted away, so I made new ones from fresh foam and 3/4 inch shrink tubing.
2. Adjusted and de-greased/re-greased cueing mechanism.
3. Cables replaced.
4. Deoxited the speed pot and speed selector switch.
5. Ordered new anti-skate weight.

Now it's dead quiet, speed is rock solid and I have a right channel. I slapped a Nagoaka MP-150 in it and it sounds very nice indeed, but the best part is slammin' into gear with that bad boy lever. Oh yeah!
 
I figured it was time for a (approximately) 12-year update.

The turntable was used lightly for the first 8 years of ownership. It was replaced by a Technics SL-1210GR sometime in 2018. The KD-2070 was subsequently mothballed.

I decided to set up a second system in 2020, and pulled the KD-2070 out only to discover it couldn't maintain a consistent speed. I took it to a local repair shop and had it serviced. I also found a seller on eBay that made replacement dustcovers, so I purchased one. The replacement dust cover, servicing, and some basic TLC and the deck looks like new.

It currently sports a Shure V15 Type III cartridge with a JICO SAS (ruby) stylus. A little bit of heresy, but I use it with a Parks Audio Puffin phonostage. From there, I drop it into a Khozmo Acoustic preamp that feeds a Parasound 2125v2. The speakers for this set up are Polk Audio Legend L100.

I consider myself lucky to have found this deck over 12 years ago. I haven't spent much money on keeping it up. I think all in I'm around $400 - $500 - deck, servicing, new dust cover. Not bad. Good turntable!
 
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