Kenwood LS-1200 (1975)
The Kenwood LS-1200 is a 3-way, 4-driver bass-reflex loudspeaker introduced in 1975, at the height of the Japanese hi-fi component boom. It uses a 25cm cone woofer, two 7.5cm midranges and a 25mm horn-type tweeter. Crossover points are 1.5kHz and 8kHz. The cabinet is ported, and the rear panel has two pairs of binding posts, so you can bi-wire it.
The record on this model is thin, and the two main sources contradict each other on several key specs. The official Japanese Kenwood/Trio heritage page (audio-heritage.jp) lists 6Ω impedance, 100W maximum input, frequency response of 45Hz - 20kHz and sensitivity of 87 dB/W/m. Dimensions there are 470W × 745H × 330D mm, and weight is 18kg. An unofficial enthusiast source (kenwood-heritage.info) agrees on impedance and max input. It claims a wider frequency response of 40Hz - 20kHz, higher sensitivity of 90 dB/W/m, and very different dimensions of 460W × 866H × 320D mm. These could be Japan-market versus export versions, but neither source says so, so that stays a guess. Period advertising for the LS-1200 pushed Kenwood's own driver construction, including their thermally treated wood-pulp cones. It claimed clean frequency response "from solo flute to full orchestra" (High Fidelity, October 1979, p.162). The same ad copy ran in Audio (August 1979, p.41) and HiFI-Stereo (December 1979, p.35).
The one subjective assessment found comes from the same enthusiast source. It describes the LS-1200 as warm, balanced and non-fatiguing, with good imaging. Bass is well-defined but not particularly deep or powerful. A 1980 High Fidelity listing puts the LS-1200 at $365 and gives dimensions of 25 19/32"H × 13 25/32"W × 12 3/4"D, with a weight of 47 lbs. 5 oz. It describes the speaker as vented with a walnut finish (High Fidelity, 1980, p.168). The same listing notes the drivers were fused and the design was intended for disco operation, radiating sound from the top, both sides and front for panoramic dispersion. No original price beyond that listing, no production run details and no service manual have surfaced.
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