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Kenwood KA-601 Integrated Amplifier

A very nice amplifier by Kenwood,  It struts a bBrushed aluminum face with big knobs and switches, what more do you want?  It not only looks nice but sounds great too.

It has the Kenwood sound signature.  Crisps, detailed and almost analytical.  Similar to the Hitachi HA-1100 but not has robust or as raw.  But, raw enough when compared to other "warmer" sound signatures out there.  If I had to describe it in one word, it's "clean" or even "neutral" but not boring.  It will match well with a variety of speakers, that's for sure.

It also has some pretty cool features.  5-way speaker binding posts.  It's also DC coupled, or as Kenwood would say on their amps "High Speed DC Integrated Amplifier."  You can also turn on and off the DC coupled if you like.  Also has a mute attenuator and the loudness has 2 steps for it, which is nice and you don't see that very often.

It's also dual powered, according to the faceplate.  While it's not a true dual transformer, it's doubled tapped from a single transformer.  It's similar to the Harman Kardon stuff of the 80s.

It has some good weight, a big transformer, well built and cosmetically it's in excellent shape.






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