Kenwood 55-FM (c. 1967–1968)
Little is documented about a Kenwood model called the 55-FM under that exact name. In the period press, this receiver appears as the Kenwood TK-55, an FM-only solid-state stereo receiver. Audio (November 1967, p.52) ran an equipment profile that opened with the manufacturer's ratings - 60 watts IHF total music power at 4 ohms, with a power-bandwidth figure starting at 30 Hz at 1% THD. The same review noted clutch-type bass and treble controls that could be rotated together as a pair. Kenwood felt this allowed convenient individual tone adjustment in special listening situations.
A Kenwood advertisement in High Fidelity (February 1968, p.35) listed the TK-55 at $199.95. It described the receiver as a 60-watt FET solid-state FM stereo receiver and placed it alongside the AM/FM TK-40 and the larger TK-66 in the company's late-1960s lineup. Kenwood's ad campaigns of the era were romantic. One in Audio (June 1968, p.43) cast the brand as made for music lovers and told readers to set their hearts on Kenwood for the heart of a hi-fi stereo system.
Beyond that, the record is thin. No manual, production dates, or detailed lab measurements for the 55-FM/TK-55 have surfaced in the archive. What survives is the 1967 review profile, the early-1968 advertised price, and the receiver's place in Kenwood's transition to FET solid-state designs.
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