Kenwood KR-6160 receiver

This time, in my endless rotation of audio equipment, I got Kenwood KR-6160 receiver. I bought it because it had MIC input (two actually) which allowed me to have some karaoke fun with my kids. This is a fairly small receiver that’s capable of delivering 2x70W and ability to connect three pairs of speakers (though only two can be run at the same time). Receiver has two AUX inputs so you are not limited to a CD or mp3 player only. You can also connect TV to it. Tone controls feature Mid potentiometer and two Phono sources. It is a pretty capable receiver.

There were two things I liked about this receiver. One was the look of it. It was silver with a lot of black. To me it was a mix of old school silver-faced gear with contemporary look of more modern black receivers. Pretty cool combination. The other thing was the ability to connect two microphones. The mic mixing with any source is a must if you are thinking about karaoke. Mic input on the source selector switch is not enough. There was also one thing that I did not like. It was the screw type speaker connectors that accepted spade-type connectors. If I were to keep this receiver, a speaker binding posts would be the first mod I would do.

Sound-wise, I was pleasantly surprised by this receiver. While it is the same company as the KA-7100 amplifier I had before, this KR-6160’s sound was a lot warmer. I guess that’s the difference in early 70s and late 70s gear. If you come across one of those in good condition for a good price, I would not hesitate to get it. The only reason why I sold it was because I got a good deal on fully refurbished Sansui receiver also with MIC-mixing capabilities (karaoke is so much fun!).