Kenwood KA-8100, recap everything?

fucanay

Active Member

• Oct 24, 2014

• #1

Hi All,

I just got done doing a recap on the power board and control board on a Kenwood KA-8100. Cleaned all of the switches and pots, plugged it in and so far it sounds great.

But there is a third board that looks really hard to get out, the preamp board. A lot of wire wrapped posts and such. I've never dealt with those before and was able to work around them on the control board. It has 8 electrolytic caps on it. Should I bite the bullet and try to get the tools to unwrap and rewrap the posts? Are those caps worth the trouble?

 

EchoWars

Hiding in Honduras

Sponsor

• Oct 24, 2014

• #2

There is NO board in the 8100 that has to have the wirewrap destroyed to get to the solder side for recapping. I assume you're talking about the phono amp. Take the back panel off and all will be revealed.

 

CohibaJoe

AK Subscriber

Subscriber

• Oct 24, 2014

• #3

^^^^What he said^^^^

Good thing your not working on a KA-9100...:sigh:

Make sure you replace the Main Caps.

 

fucanay

Active Member

• Oct 24, 2014

• #4

I guess I mean the phono amp. In the service manual it says preamp board. It is the one on the rear and it has a din jack mounted on the out side that has short wires to the posts. Not much room to work in there.

The PS caps have all been changed.

 

fucanay

Active Member

• Oct 24, 2014

• #5

Ok, I got to them. The back panel wouldn't come off without taking a lot of stuff apart. But taking the screws out of the pre in and out panel gave me enough room, barely. Getting the backing nuts back on that panel was a chore, but way better than dealing with the wire wraps. A few little thing to put back together and a clean up of the wood case and it goes back into service.

 

fucanay

Active Member

• Nov 1, 2014

• #6

It's all back together and sounds great. The volume pot didn't cleaned up 100%, still a little crackle when going by one spot, but it's good enough for now. All of the other switches that were causing cut outs here and there are perfect now. Overall it sounds really good. I'm not sure the KLH Six's and Seventeen's are the best match for this amp, but they are ok for now. I still like my Micro Acoustics 2-AX speakers better but they are too ugly for the room. I wish I could find a better pair of cabinets with god grill for them, but the wife hates them so they get put away.

Thanks for the advice everyone. I hope this thread helps others in the future.

 

EchoWars

Hiding in Honduras

Sponsor

• Nov 1, 2014

• #7

Wood case 'n everything. Very nice.

 

S

seta1

Well-Known Member

• Nov 2, 2014

• #8

Nice looking amp. Yes those old electrolytic capacitors do cause sonic issues in the preamp section of these amps. Good that you replaced them. This usually brings the amp back to life. Too many people condemn these old solid state amps without ever giving them a chance. Most need little more then a recap like you did to once again sound wonderful and play for decades.

 

N

NathanaelBe

New Member

• Nov 4, 2014

• #9

fucanay said:

Hi All,

I just got done doing a recap on the power board and control board on a Kenwood KA-8100. Cleaned all of the switches and pots, plugged it in and so far it sounds great.

But there is a third board that looks really hard to get out, the preamp board. A lot of wire wrapped posts and such. I've never dealt with those before and was able to work around them on the control board. It has 8 electrolytic caps on it. Should I bite the bullet and try to get the tools to unwrap and rewrap the posts? Are those caps worth the trouble?

Click to expand...

Yes those caps are worth.. My friend is using them and they work absolutely fine..

 

fucanay

Active Member

• Nov 8, 2014

• #10

Here is the whole set up now. The wife just finished recovering the KLH Six grills. Still not sure of this combo of amp and speakers sound wise, but they sure look great together!

 

EchoWars

Hiding in Honduras

Sponsor

• Nov 8, 2014

• #11

Get the speakers off the floor. That'll help.

 

CohibaJoe

AK Subscriber

Subscriber

• Nov 8, 2014

• #12

Did you also replace the Main Caps?

 

fucanay

Active Member

• Nov 9, 2014

• #13

I replaced all of the electrolytics, including the mains. These speakers just don't have as much kick as another pair I have that don't meet the aesthetic minimum the wife has set for our front room. They sound great on older (60's and 70's) material, just not as good on more modern (90's and current) records. Fortunately, I have mostly older stuff.

Also, I thought the KLH speakers were supposed to sound better on the floor. Am I wrong?

 

KingBubba

"Too Much Stuff"

• Nov 9, 2014

• #14

The KLHs are acoustic suspension speaker which take more power to bring them out. Acoustic suspension speakers are less efficient than other designs, but with sufficient power can be real winners in the sound department. You have a nice clean, visually pleasing system. Pic up some speaker stands or just some bricks and this will assist in your sound balance. Enjoy. :yes: