Kenwood TK-55 (1967–1968)
The TK-55 is a late-1960s solid-state FM stereo receiver from Kenwood. The archive's record on it is almost entirely advertising, not independent review — but the ads are consistent and reasonably specific. Kenwood's announcement in HiFI-Stereo (September 1967, p.53) introduced it as a "new 60 watt, all solid state FM receiver" at $199.95, pitched as the best stereo deal of the season. The ad copy stresses a four-gang all-transistor front end for sensitivity, five IF stages for selectivity and interference rejection, an all-silicon transistor amplifier for wide power bandwidth, and a patented "blowout-free" transistor protection circuit.
A High Fidelity ad (June 1968, p.11) positioned the TK-55 next to the TK-66, noting the two looked almost identical and both sounded excellent — but were "slightly different" in feature content. Just how they differed isn't spelled out in the surviving copy. No service manual, owner's manual, or independent test report for the TK-55 has surfaced in the archive, so the specifics below reflect Kenwood's own advertising claims rather than measured performance.
Known advertised specifications:
- 60 watts, all solid state
- Four-gang all-transistor FM front end
- Five IF stages
- All-silicon transistor amplifier stage
- Patented "blowout-free" transistor protection circuit
- Output speaker terminals for two sets of speakers
- Original price: $199.95
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