Kenwood KT-2001A

The Kenwood KT-2001A is a Quartz-PLL synthesizer tuner. It was sold under both the Kenwood and Trio-Kenwood names, a common branding quirk for the Japanese manufacturer in international markets. The front end uses direct-access computer tuning with a quartz-PLL circuit, which locks onto stations with a precision analog tuners of the era couldn't match. Eight stations could be stored in memory, and the tuned frequency showed on a fluorescent tube display.

On paper, the KT-2001A holds its own against the better-known tuners of its day. Usable sensitivity is rated at 10.3dBf (1.3µV/75Ω) in mono, with a signal-to-noise ratio of 70dB stereo. Harmonic distortion is listed at 0.15% mono and 0.3% stereo, and stereo separation is 45dB. Selectivity is rated at 75dB, capture ratio at 1.0dB, and IF image rejection at 90dB. Those figures point to a well-executed front end built to pull in weak stations without adjacent-channel interference.

The tuning range covers FM 87.5-108 MHz and AM 525-1605 kHz, with the FM section using a 10.7MHz IF. Output level is approximately 0.7V, and power consumption is 12W. The unit measures 440 × 102 × 275 mm and weighs 5.3kg.

Documentation on the KT-2001A is thin. No original price, production years, or owner reviews have surfaced in the archive's records. It was a digital tuner from Kenwood's transition period, when the company was combining its analog radio expertise with quartz-locked digital technology.