My new Kenwood KR-8010

Vistance

Super Member
Hey Kenwood fans, seems like I always periodically find nice Kenwood gear more so than from other manufacturers (The last one I had was a Kenwood KR-7050), this time it was a Kenwood KR-8010 receiver. It was a little dirty when I bought it, but it cleaned up nicely don't you think?

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And here's a picture of the guts after I went through it
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I wish it had the classy wood cabinet on it - but it still looks good even without it. I've noticed on most of these upper end Kenwood receivers that they're wider than the standard receiver by an inch or so on each side. Always looks more impressive next to one of those smaller receivers! This beauty works perfectly, didn't even have any noise in any of the pots. The only thing I'm a little unsure of - what is the sound injection knob for? Is it just for the mic input to mix into the source or is it also applicable to the inputs on the back?

Other folks may not hold Kenwood in the same high esteem as perhaps some other brands, but I'll say this - I've never heard a bad Kenwood. Even the more basic models - they aren't pretty or fancy but they sure sound good, and that's what counts eh? This one sounds great, that's for sure!
 
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I bought an 8010 brand new back in the day because it was the best bang for the buck. I gave it to my son and t is still going strong. I picked up another one a couple months ago to run the bass speakers in my tri-amp set up, flawless. They are still the best bang for the buck in the vintage market.
 
Hey Kenwood fans, seems like I always periodically find nice Kenwood gear more so than from other manufacturers (The last one I had was a Kenwood KR-7050), this time it was a Kenwood KR-8010 receiver. It was a little dirty when I bought it, but it cleaned up nicely don't you think?

pict0450edit.jpg


pict0453edit.jpg


pict0458edit.jpg


And here's a picture of the guts after I went through it
dscn0205q.jpg


I wish it had the classy wood cabinet on it - but it still looks good even without it. I've noticed on most of these upper end Kenwood receivers that they're wider than the standard receiver by an inch or so on each side. Always looks more impressive next to one of those smaller receivers! This beauty works perfectly, didn't even have any noise in any of the pots. The only thing I'm a little unsure of - what is the sound injection knob for? Is it just for the mic input to mix into the source or is it also applicable to the inputs on the back?

Other folks may not hold Kenwood in the same high esteem as perhaps some other brands, but I'll say this - I've never heard a bad Kenwood. Even the more basic models - they aren't pretty or fancy but they sure sound good, and that's what counts eh? This one sounds great, that's for sure!

Lovely receiver that will win you over completely. It has a remarkable sound when paired with good speakers. The Kenwoods may be under the radar and that is fine.
 
...folks may not hold Kenwood in the same high esteem as perhaps some other brands, but I'll say this - I've never heard a bad Kenwood. Even the more basic models - they aren't pretty or fancy but they sure sound good, and that's what counts eh? This one sounds great, that's for sure!

Every Kenny I've been in has impressed me with the tuner sensitivity. Build quality is generally good right down to the little 20-ish watt units. The topography and design seems to be similar to Pioneers, and that makes it more easily understandable to me.

I have a feeling that the later versions suffered the same quality deterioration that almost all units did, but I try to avoid anything later than 1980 or so.
 
My 8010 holds its own against my SX 1250 both in power and quality of sound. It presently drives the Klipsch Quartets in my living room system.
 
Really nice looking unit. How's the tuner on it , any issues or has it been worked on?
Tuner seems excellent on it. I don't know anything about adjusting tuners, but I just stuck a little wire on it and it picks up stations quite well pulling in signal strengths around 4-5 with the tuning meter working correctly. Most receivers I've had never seem to like to tune anything above signal strength 2-3 despite coming in just fine with no crackle and getting stereo lock. This Kenwood seems to live up to the reputation of good Kenwood tuners.

The only tuner I have that works as good as/better than this Kenwood is my Technics Professional series tuner - ST-9030. I bought it for its low price and good build quality (I'm a fan of vintage grey/black gear) but low and behold I found some places claiming it as one of the finest tuners made. I don't know about that, but it picks up stations crazy good - better than my much newer Denon receiver even with giant rabbit ears.

My 8010 holds its own against my SX 1250 both in power and quality of sound. It presently drives the Klipsch Quartets in my living room system.
An impressive claim indeed. This might be a bit of a biased area to ask this question, but would you say this Kenwood would be a fair comparison against my Marantz seperates (3250 preamp + 170 DC amp)? I'm using them to drive some PSB Alpha SE's in a bedroom so there's no real taxing going on there (Probably like asking "Should I continue to drive my ZR1 Corvette 2 miles down the street to the grocery each week or switch to a Porsche 911 GT3?"). To me I'd imagine the Kenwood to be overkill at 125 wpc in such a small room on such small speakers - the Marantz is 85 wpc and I have the gains set half way on the amp and it's still blasting at the 9 o'clock position.

I ask this instead of just trying it myself because the Marantz gear would be a hassle to unhook and bring where I can test it against the Kenwood. I'm definitely a firm believer in lower wattage gear - I actually really want to find some massive vintage gear that's low wattage, around say 50-60 wpc or less. Because honestly, isn't high wattage typically only needed for large inefficient speakers or for high volumes? I do neither, so I don't tax my gear at all - nor do I own any really inefficient speakers like Maggies or the like (Most of my speakers are monitor/bookshelf sized so they're not the most power demanding speakers). Just curious, I can only keep so many pieces shamefully so I need to decide what stays and what goes - maybe not right away ;) but eventually. I say this to myself as I have boxes of gear that I still haven't decided on yet...:D
 
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Good God , I passed on one at a thrift store for $ 35.00 :jawdrop:
I really did not know the details of this Receiver . Really nice looking ! I agree kenwood 's look nice with wood cabinets :thmbsp:
 
When I say, "you can never have enough power", people think I am full of S&%$. As long as you are careful, reasonable and sober, you could put a 300 watt amp on the most diminutive speakers and still be within reason. Most speaker deaths are due to amps that are too small for the job. With a large amp, however, it is so easy for a person to get carried away and crank it too far; so you need to be disciplined.

BTW, just because a speaker is small does not necessarily mean it does not need a buttload of power. This is why so much talk about speaker efficiency. The more efficient a speaker is, the less power is needed to make it loud.

Your 8010 would be good for most application, other than trying to use it in a professional situation. From your description, it would be great for your bedroom system and having the extra headroom, power wise, is never a bad thing. Enjoy your new toy.
 
I bought a near mint 8010 with a wood case as a substitute to a KR-9600 (module issue) that I really wanted. It is a beautiful receiver to look at!

The tuner is superb! I also own a KT-8300 and the specs between the 8300 and the 8010 are minimal (I have both color brochures for these units and compared the FM specs of each unit). The 8010 lacks the wide/narrow selectivity but pulls in all the stations the 8300 can (using an outdoor FM only Wineguard antenna).

As much as I want to love this receiver, to my ears (and speakers) the 8010 sounds too clinical. Even with the triple tone controls the bass is not full. I do not use the loudness control, but almost need to (using the loudness causes way too much bass - using the bass knob not enough). I have tried this receiver with three pairs of Paradigm speakers (3SE,9SE & 11SE), a pair of Polk audio, and a pair of Celestion Ditton speakers. The only speakers that sound acceptable are the Paradigm 11SE's. The 11SE's simmer down the clinical sound of the 8010 and add some warmth to the sound.

These same speakers have been used on other receivers (Sony STR-7065, Pioneer SX1010 & SX828 & Kenwood KR-6600) and each of these receivers has a fuller warmer sound than the 8010.

The 8010 looks like it has had very little use but that does not mean that their isn't a issue with a component (capacitors). It is doing duty in the garage with the 11SE's. My current favorite system is the Pioneer SX-1010 with the 9SE's - great synergy! In fact the 1010 sounds better with the 9SE's than the 11SE's, not what I expected.:scratch2:
 
Good God , I passed on one at a thrift store for $ 35.00 :jawdrop:
I really did not know the details of this Receiver . Really nice looking ! I agree kenwood 's look nice with wood cabinets :thmbsp:
$35 for this receiver would be a steal, a few simplistic things to look for even if you don't know specifics of a receiver are if it has speaker A/B/C and pre-out/main-in loops. Any vintage receiver I find with those features at that price that looks respectable I'd pick up! Of course weight can also help determine this as well. None of these are measures of certainty though, one must always use his mind to come to a decision. I've got an audio addiction so it doesn't take much to convince me to buy a piece of equipment I don't need...
 
I too own a KR-8010 (and also the Model Eleven GX), both with the wooden cabinet. I love them both! I do need a different speaker switch for the 8010 though. I can only play one set of speakers at a time due to a broken switch. Does anyone know where I might be able to buy a different speaker switch for the KR-8010? Any help would be MOST appreciated.

And by the way . . . if you like the 8010 you would LOVE the Eleven GX. I love just looking at it when the room is dark and all the lights are on. Just make sure you have a strong back if you have to move it much!
 
I recently picked up a mint KR-8010 for $50. It works great but a few seconds after I shut it off I get a loud pop from both speakers ( no worries I use a test pair of old Sony junkers ). One of my audio buddies says this is normal due to the KR-8010 not having a speaker output relay. Do you guys that have/had an 8010 experience the same? Just doesn't seem right to me.
 
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I recently picked up a mint KR-8010 for $50. It works great but a few seconds after I shut it off I get a loud pop from both speakers ( no worries I use a test pair of old Sony junkers ). One of my audio buddies says this is normal due to the KR-8010 not having a speaker output relay. Do you guys that have/had an 8010 experience the same? Just don't seem right to me.
I sold the KR-8010 some time ago, but I don't remember it making any kind of popping. Sounds like something might be up with the relay. Couldn't really advise you what to do since I don't do much repair work, but that doesn't sound normal. Now an amp like the Adcom GFA-5300 I used to have always popped on power up and did not have a relay for the outputs, but most amps do have a relay to prevent that popping sound.
 
Well, it's not normal, and I can see the relay from here. It's snuggled up to the backside of the amp's circuit board, between those big green resistors if I'm not mistaken.

I'm not the Kenwood expert around here, and I do not own your model of receiver...however, this is an issued that has been discussed quite a bit before, usually pertaining to the KA-7100 Integrated Amp. Mine had that problem, and the info given to that particular model fixed the thump.

I ended up replacing the relay, a diode that is placed across the coil leads and a problematic tranny that holds the relay closed.

Hope this helps, and good luck with your Kenny!
 
I just pickied up a nice KR-8010 and had my tech give it a go over. I totally agree that the KR-8010 sounds bright, perhaps clinical compared to my Fisher RS-1058, and even my Pioneer VSX-9700s. Not that the KR-8010 sounds bad or doesn't provide tons of power, I just miss the warmth of other receivers I have or have had in the past. I still miss my KR-6030.


I bought a near mint 8010 with a wood case as a substitute to a KR-9600 (module issue) that I really wanted. It is a beautiful receiver to look at!

The tuner is superb! I also own a KT-8300 and the specs between the 8300 and the 8010 are minimal (I have both color brochures for these units and compared the FM specs of each unit). The 8010 lacks the wide/narrow selectivity but pulls in all the stations the 8300 can (using an outdoor FM only Wineguard antenna).

As much as I want to love this receiver, to my ears (and speakers) the 8010 sounds too clinical. Even with the triple tone controls the bass is not full. I do not use the loudness control, but almost need to (using the loudness causes way too much bass - using the bass knob not enough). I have tried this receiver with three pairs of Paradigm speakers (3SE,9SE & 11SE), a pair of Polk audio, and a pair of Celestion Ditton speakers. The only speakers that sound acceptable are the Paradigm 11SE's. The 11SE's simmer down the clinical sound of the 8010 and add some warmth to the sound.

These same speakers have been used on other receivers (Sony STR-7065, Pioneer SX1010 & SX828 & Kenwood KR-6600) and each of these receivers has a fuller warmer sound than the 8010.

The 8010 looks like it has had very little use but that does not mean that their isn't a issue with a component (capacitors). It is doing duty in the garage with the 11SE's. My current favorite system is the Pioneer SX-1010 with the 9SE's - great synergy! In fact the 1010 sounds better with the 9SE's than the 11SE's, not what I expected.:scratch2:
 
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