Kenwood LS-100 (1979–1981)

Name: Kenwood ls-100
Brand: Kenwood

The speaker weighs 14.5kg and stands nearly 60cm tall. It was built in Japan in the late '70s, and what's inside is still a mystery.

Overview

The Kenwood LS-100, also sold under the Trio brand, appeared in 1979 as a floor-standing loudspeaker system built in Japan. Some regions marketed it as the LS-100 F. Kenwood was building its reputation then for reliable, no-nonsense hi-fi gear with clean design and little flash. Owners report it came in brown or black finishes, likely woodgrain vinyl wrap over a particleboard cabinet, which was standard practice for the period. One feature confirmed by documentation is the removable front cover. Take it off for a clean baffle, or leave it on for the cloth grille. Beyond that, the surviving records have almost no technical details.

The LS-100 measures 59cm high, 30cm wide and 31cm deep, but it leaves a very small footprint in the historical record. No known reviews, service manuals or technical brochures cover its driver complement, crossover design or acoustic performance. It does not appear in Kenwood's major international catalogs alongside better documented models like the LS-1000 or LS-1800. Collectors note this silence suggests the LS-100 may have been a regional or budget-tier offering, possibly aimed at the domestic Japanese market or entry-level audiophiles. Sansui, Pioneer and Yamaha often published full engineering data for their contemporaries, and Kenwood did not for this one. Whether the documentation was lost or the speaker was always a modest performer remains unclear.

Specifications

Manufacturer	Kenwood (also referenced as Trio)
Product type	Speaker system
Production years	1979 – 1981
Made in	Japan
Dimensions	height 59cm, width 30cm, depth 31cm
Weight	14.5kg
Color	Brown / Black
Original price	37'000 Yen (Japan, 1979)
Original price	550 DM
Special Features	Removable front cover

Collectibility & Value

The Kenwood LS-100 sees minimal trading activity and few verified sales. A used pair was listed for 37,000 JPY on Yahoo Auctions as of September 25, 2024. That matches the original single-unit launch price from 1979. On the same date, an individual unit attracted a bid of ¥10,000, indicating a significant discount for incomplete or untested condition. No data exists on common failures, spare parts availability or restoration challenges, likely because no service documentation is known. Anyone restoring a pair should expect trouble sourcing replacement grilles, drivers or internal components, as no schematics or parts lists are known to survive.