Kenwood KT-5500 Tuner

Today I have on our display a highly collectable Kenwood piece. This is a Kenwood KT-5500 tuner manufactured in 1978. The price for the new unit was around 175 dollars, so it was quite an investment back there almost forty years ago.

The KT-5500 tuner has 3 gangs and 2 ceramic filters. The KT-5500 has signal level and center tuning meters and an Intermediate-Frequency (IF) amplifier that improves sensitivity. The tuner is a little light on build quality compared to similar offerings like Pioneer 6800 or the 608. It  lacks some filters but sometimes the limited features are good- this translates into a more direct path for the tuner signal.  Anyway, the 5500 tuner is a great performer- able to pull in lots of stations very clean. Tuner performance is right up there and does surprisingly well, especially on strong signals.

These tuners are better than mostly anything you can land off the stores nowadays, in fact they are better than almost anything you might have gotten in the last 20 years.

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

• Sensitivity at 30dB quieling, 1.9mV
• Alternate channel selectivity 60dB.
• Stereo separation 45dB.
• 3-gang phase linear tuning capacitor with FETs tor high sensitivity.
• 2-gang variable capacitor for AM.
• 4-element phase-linear ceramic filter improves tone quality.
• PLL in FM Multiplex tor improved stereo separation.
• Accurate 2-meter tuning with signal strength and center-channel tuning meters.
• Deluxe dial with easy to read linear tuning scale with 200kHz calibrations tor FM.
• FM Auto Muting.
• Optional C8-3 walnut veneer cabinet (present), 8-5 walnut veneer side panels or D-5 carrying handles available.

SWEET FEATURES