Kenwood KA-80 specifications

Category : Integrated amplifier

Brand : Kenwood

General

Connections

Technical data

Special equipment

Under no circumstances more.

manufacturer: Kenwood
model: KA-80
type: amplifier
year of construction: 1980 - 1986
Made in Japan
color: silver, Black
remote control: no
power consumption: 350 watts
dimensions: 440 x 78 x 330 mm (WxHxD)
weight: 7.9 kg
factory price approx.: 598 DM

number of inputs: 4 + 1
- Phono MM (2.5 mV / 50 kOhm )
- Tuner, Aux, Tape Play (150 mV / 50 kOhm )
- in addition microphone
number of outputs:
- 1 x speaker
- 1 x earphone
- the Rec Out 150mV @ 47kohms

Phono MM (2.5 mV / 50 kOhm )
Tuner, Aux, Tape Play (150 mV / 50 kOhm )
in addition microphone

1 x speaker
1 x earphone
the Rec Out 150mV @ 47kohms

the duration of the performance (total harmonic distortion)
- 8 Ohm : 2x 48 Watt (0,02%)
- 4 Ohm : 2x 60 watts (0,7%)
- measured 2 x 65W @ 8Ohm // 2 x 88W at 4Ohm
dynamic power:
- 8 Ohm s:
- 4 Ohm :
brought in Tests, total harmonic distortion:
damping factor: > 120 @ 8Ohm
frequency response: DC to 450 kHz
signal-to-noise ratio: Phono 86 dB / high level 106 dB
stereo channel separation: > 68dB
control: Yes
- Bass: ± 10 dB / 100 Hz
- height: ± the sound; 10 dB / 10 kHz
Loudness: Yes
High Filter : no
Low Filter (Subsonic): Yes - activated sound control
Mute: no
Direct/Line-Straight: Yes (DC-coupled)

8 Ohm : 2x 48 Watt (0,02%)
4 Ohm : 2x 60 watts (0,7%)
brought in Tests that measured 2 x 65W @ 8Ohm // 2 x 88W at 4Ohm

8 Ohm s:
4 Ohm :

Bass: ± 10 dB / 100 Hz
height: ± 10 dB / 10 kHz

detachable front panel
microphone free mixing
feedback arms amplifier circuit
Very high 'slew rate' - 150V/µs.
Test winner in many gazettes
Reference device of its class
Was considered suspicious of high-end

Special accessories for this series:
Kenwood AT-50 Timer
Kenwood AT-80 D Timer
Kenwood AT-50 0 Timer
Kenwood GE-80 Equalizer
Kenwood PM-80 Level indicator
Kenwood RA-80 Reverberator
Kenwood RC-500 Remote control

Excerpt from brochure: Kenwood KA-80

By limiting to the essentials, so to speak 'spartan' equipped, in the current "slim-Line" design, this 'small' Kenwood KA-80 appears. It offers an excellent, discreetly constructed MM phono preamp with FET input, which follows the RIAA curve with high precision and is highly controllable without distortion. The only OP's can be found in the microphone preamp (for karaoke!? = superfluous) and in the tone control level, which can be switched out of the signal path, which leads to a complete DC signal path! Opera ting elements that are not used frequently are hidden behind a front panel flap and give the reinforcement a simple, elegant appearance. The all-metal construction of the amplifier results in a heavy, stable Hi-Fi device.

The power amplifier hybrid modules (STK60II) of the KA-80 are not completely complete hybrid amplifiers, but contain only pre-drivers / drivers and power amplifier transistors (plus for the purpose of optimal thematic coupling of other components - diodes and R's) and are wrongly (!) often discriminated against. If you are interested, you should take a look at the internal circuit of the STK60II and the ambient circuit chosen by Kenwood: if you understand anything about circuit technology, a 'light' will come on: everything is serious! At that time not exactly cheap (598, --DM), the KA-80 is offered today as a second-hand, reasonably priced. The fact that it is equipped with two mains transformers does not mean a double mono structure, but is due to the flat design. The charging capacity of the power supply electrolytic capacitors is a modest 2 x 7.5mF/50V (too low dielectric strength), and can easily be increased to e.g. 2 x 15mf/63V electrolytic capacitors (35x50mm). There are further possibilities for improvement: The standard setting of the power amplifier operating points is selected too high. This leads to a (too!) strong heating of the amplifier at rest. Therefore, the output stage quiescent current (by a professional!) can be reduced by 1/3. This definitely does not affect the sound, but significantly lowers the resting operating temperature. Two further electrolytic capacitors (C105/C106) are undersized in terms of dielectric strength (25V) and should be replaced by 35V types. The resistors R167/R168 (390Ohm ) should be in 470Ohm /R168 and 560ohm/R167, each at least 3Watt (!) are exchanged.

The 'small' Kenwood with 8 ohm speakers copes best with good efficiency, but also tolerates speakers with a nominal impedance of 4 ohm; especially if you increase the charging capacitors as described above. Speakers with nominal impedances below 4 ohms should be avoided - the KA-80 is not designed for this! Sonically, the amplifier, as well as the matching analog rotary capacitor tuner KT-80, offers absolutely serious, contemporary top HiFi. Because of its overall characteristics, the KA-80 can be called absolutely justifiably suspicious as a "high-end". High-quality (!) For loudspeakers that are able to resolve amplifier differences, this amplifier plays soundlessly in the 1st league.