Thoughts on L-07C II?

futureman

If not now, whenever.
I have a (possible) opportunity to get one of these, but I'll not have a chance to audition it or compare it to my Basic C2, which I like very much. I see that the L-07c II does not have a headphone input or the cartridge loading options of the C2. That's OK since I hardly ever use phones, and I use mostly MM carts. But it is nice to have those options, and I would hate to lose them.

OTOH, if the L-07C II kills the Basic C2 in sound--especially the phono section (a tough feat since the C2 has a great phono stage)--I may pull the trigger.

Advice? Thought?
 
That is a real High End Preamp. One of the best Pre's Kenwood ever made. Comparible with Sony's TA-E88B.
There is no single IC in it, so there never won't be any problem with spareparts. Better sounding than the C2. I compared it, when it has been new and came out and also later on (last time four years ago against Accuphase and Yamaha). Speakers have been KEF 105.2 and Focal Onyx.
I liked the Kenwood most. But I never have had one. When it came out in 1980 it has been to expensive for me. And today I'm only collecting receivers. But I would take immediately one if I would see an offer. I have an old BEL1001II he could play with.
For the headphone you could easily add a separate headphone amp - which is always the best solution for using headphones. And the 07-II has two phono sections. One for MM and the second for MC. Phono 1 should be for MM if I remember right.
 
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Thanks, aileenamegan. That helps. I have been wondering if the phono stage design is essentially the same in both units. But if the phoneo section of the L-07C2 *sounds* better--even if due to the surrounding components--I guess that is all that matters!
 
Were you able to acquire an L-07C II? I thought I had one in the bag, but didn't meet the reserve price. :sigh:

So for now, I'm going to recap and re-op-amp my C2 Basic. I put it back into my system while the Luxman is in the shop and had forgotten how fantastic it is, even with old passive components and noisy & outdated op-amps.

-D
 
I was fortunate and grabbed one on ePray just as it appeared with an option to 'by it now.' For under $200, I couldn't pass it up even it needs work (and presumably it works just fine and looks fairly clean).
 
I was fortunate and grabbed one on ePray just as it appeared with an option to 'by it now.' For under $200, I couldn't pass it up even it needs work (and presumably it works just fine and looks fairly clean).

Lucky duck!

I'm still keeping my eyes open. I may end up selling the Luxman L100 as it is really more than I need (and I'm not really using the amp section as such).

-D
 
Good luck tracking one down, derekva. I've been curious about the L-07C II for a long time. Do you know much about--or have you had a chance to hear--its phono stage? I love the C2's phono stage, so I'm wondering how much of a step up the L would be in this regard.
 
Good luck tracking one down, derekva. I've been curious about the L-07C II for a long time. Do you know much about--or have you had a chance to hear--its phono stage? I love the C2's phono stage, so I'm wondering how much of a step up the L would be in this regard.

I have not heard an L-07C II in the wild, so I'm only going by hearsay. That being said, I've plunked down for the parts to recap and re-op-amp my C2 and we'll see how that sounds.

-D
 
Please let us know how that goes. I have *some* soldering ability. But I've made a mess of things before and would hate to screw up something as fine as my C2. Are you upgrading the parts or doing a straightforward replacement?
 
Please let us know how that goes. I have *some* soldering ability. But I've made a mess of things before and would hate to screw up something as fine as my C2. Are you upgrading the parts or doing a straightforward replacement?

Same values, better parts. Elna Silmic II and Nichicon Muse bipolar caps for the caps, and LME49860 for the ICs (not touching the SIL IC in the headphone amp). I'll be using DIP-8 sockets for the ICs so I don't have to worry about overheating the ICs upon soldering. The LME49860 are a higher-voltage part (+/- 22VDC) so I won't be running the ICs as close to the ragged edge as Kenwood did (they used 18VDC parts and run the power at 18.6VDC).

-D
 
Well, I managed to get a second C2 basic via horse trading, so I'm recapping both. I did the op-amps first and let them play a bit before I did the caps, so I think I can accurately describe the changes. The upgrade to LME49860 ICs is a definite must-have modification. Smoother and quieter across the board with perhaps a bit more bass, although that could be wishful thinking as well. I didn't notice as much of a change with the capacitor replacement as the caps that Kenwood used were TOTL (at the time) ELNAs. The Silmics seem to be slightly smoother than the original caps (could be the fact that they are low-ESR or that could just be a function of replacing 30-year-old caps with brand-new caps). Just make sure when you do this work that you have (a) a good soldering iron with a small tip, (b) lots of soldering braid and (c) a high-quality solder sucker.

While the kit that is sold online uses higher-voltage caps for pretty much the entire recap, that isn't necessary. Get the BOM from the service manual and get the same voltage values, otherwise you'll have issues with space. The second C2 I have has a couple of additional problems that I'm trying to rectify - the busted balance pot (unobtanium) and a channel out in the headphone amplifier. After checking all the connections, I've pretty much narrowed it down to the SIL IC that drives the headphone amp. I'll be installing a DIP8 to SIL8 adapter board with a single LME49860 to replace that as well, but I'm still waiting for the parts to arrive.

While the IC upgrade and recap doesn't magically transmogrify the Basic C2 into an L07-C II, it does take what is already an overachieving preamp and make it even better...for a hell of a lot less than an L07-C II.

-D
 
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Futureman- the Kenwood L-07C and 07CII are a completely different animal than the later Basic series models. The only newer Kenwood preamp that even approaches these in terms of parts and build quality would be the L-1000C from the early 90s.

I lucked out and got one of these 15 years ago or so. Great all around performer. How' yours working?
 
Futureman- the Kenwood L-07C and 07CII are a completely different animal than the later Basic series models. The only newer Kenwood preamp that even approaches these in terms of parts and build quality would be the L-1000C from the early 90s.

I lucked out and got one of these 15 years ago or so. Great all around performer. How' yours working?

The L07-C II is better than a Basic (I never said that it wasn't), but a Basic, especially one that has been recapped and had the ICs replaced with modern low-noise audio ICs that are properly rated voltage-wise, is nothing to sneer at. There's a reason that so many people love them. :thmbsp:

-D
 
Futureman- the Kenwood L-07C and 07CII are a completely different animal than the later Basic series models. The only newer Kenwood preamp that even approaches these in terms of parts and build quality would be the L-1000C from the early 90s.

I lucked out and got one of these 15 years ago or so. Great all around performer. How' yours working?

It's great. It could certainly use a complete recapping. But it has a slightly wider soundstage, I think. And it is deeper with a tighter bass as well. I love it, but I do not think I will be getting rid of my basic c2.
 
I can understand that...the L-07CII's lack of a headphone amplifier and a mono switch has kept it out of daily driver status in a couple of my systems- that's the problem with quality minimalist gear, eventually they leave out a feature or two that you miss!
 
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