Kenwood KA-5090R Amplifier

In some high class amplifiers, brought to the degree of extreme minimization of control functions in chase of quality of sound, there are only volume level control and selector of inputs. This emphasizes that everything, which could somehow introduce additional distortions, was removed. Such approach apparently imposes upon the creators of Kenwood KA-5090R. They tried to combine the presence of a fairly large arsenal of controls with "minimalist" look. Pun ("to combine the existence with its absence") is justified bythe tiltable lid, which hides all additional control elements. Opening the lid you get access to the regulations of tones, balance and control buttons. In order to determine powered functions there are small rectangular LEDs under it, the glow of whichgives all necessary information. The mute button isn't hidden under the lid that is logically, because it is often necessary to quickly reduce the volume and additional gestures can only irritate. But it is not clear why the switch of MM/MC correctors, which is used much rarer than any other, wasn't removed under the lid.

The remote control of Kenwood KA-5090R allows you to control a whole squad of subordinates: two tape recorders, tuner, CD-player, recording device on the magnet discs and, of course, the amplifier itself. The highlight of internal filling of Kenwood KA-5090R is the use of comparatively new transistors TRAITR with temperature compensation in the output transistor of the power amp that allowed minimizing the distortions, caused by the heating of transistors. In the output cascades of commutation high-qualitative relay are used, which had increased stability of contact connection. At turning on Kenwood KA-5090R one small, but slightly annoying feature was found out: the engagement of Direct or Loudness modes is accompanied by short-termed loss of the sound. Surely, you won't click these buttons for all the time, but if, for example, you want to compare the sound with loudness and without it, this feature can get under the skin. As a soloist Kenwood KA-5090R has pleasant, a bit soft voice. Due to this, the piano in "Two ships" (Miller Anderson) seems to be slightly spreading, long-melodious, but at the same time doesn't look like swollen jelly and it takes quite specific place in space. The lowest basses as if grew thin in the beginning, becoming "taller". Saving fine nuances on the background of chorus in ulsang/Torsten Nilsson (Adolphe Adam), a leading vocal tried a little bit to zoom in scale. This model of Kenwood reminds a good driver, who strictly observes all road laws, demanding the same from others, without paying the attention to impatient hurries. It is right and that's about all.