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Trio Kenwood KD-1033 turntable main bearing service

  One of my first posts in this blog was regarding the servicing of the Pioneer PL12D turntable, and that has proven to be the most popular by a significant margin. The Pioneer PL12D had its competitors, and probably the most popular alternative was the Trio Kenwood KD-1033 turntable. I use both names (Trio and Kenwood) as the company operated under different names in different markets. In the UK they were Trio, possibly because the brand Kenwood was most famous here for food blenders. 95% of a KD-1033 is similar to  Pioneer PL12D, and servicing them is very much the same process. Both are belt drive , have an AC synchronous motor,  mechanical speed change , a main bearing, sprung top deck and rubber motor mounts. the KD-1033 uses a different type of anti skate mechanism, employing a thread and weight. The plinth is shallower with an internal cross brace. One aspect that is different is the design of the main bearing, and servicing it is a little harder than a PL12D. The ...
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Mending speaker drivers

Some months back, I did a silly thing and blew one of the drivers in my speakers. I think while fumbling with the wires between my pre and power amps I may have run a tape monitor into the power. Anyway, there was a loud noise and after that one of the Dalesford drivers in my RAM 200 speakers was damaged. It still worked but sounded wrong, and applying gentle inward pressure revealed it was rubbing on the voice coil. Basically the wiring had over heated.

 I looked around for a replacement but my challenge was that the Dalesford drivers are no longer made, and the RAM 200 used a special large magnet version of the driver. Some KEF drivers were considered a drop in replacement, but again, it would  require buying a second pair of speakers to cannibalise for parts, which also seemed wrong.

 I wondered if the speaker driver could be repaired, though I realised this was beyond anything I could do.
I found a few places on the internet that could do the work, though some seemed to take a very long time, with feedback indicating a wait of months. In the end I choose loudspeakerrepair.com in Belgium, who replied quickly and assured me they could do the work.
Shipping to and from Belgium for a large speaker driver was not cheap, but these speakers were very special to me, having been my fathers. I think if you shop around you may be able to find a cheaper courier. I was sending from the UK.

I carefully wrapped and shipped the driver to their address. Van Poelvoorde Stefaan carried out the work very quickly , within a week,  the cost of the repair was a fair price, and most important, they sounded exactly like the original on return. Less than two weeks after damaging my beloved speakers, they were sounding as new again. Now I even forget that I had one repaired , which is the best thing you can say.

 I am very pleased with their service

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Location: Kruisken 16, 9991 Maldegem, Belgium

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