Hello everybody at WhatHiFi! 
I'm Marco from Italy. I've been a lurker in this forum for a long time and it's the first time I write in it. I hope I'm not breaking any rule, if so please let me know.
I'd like to get a piece of advice from you, if you don't mind.
The amp I use is usually a Luxman L-113A, which goes together with my T-1 stereo tuner and the K-113 tape deck. The set is completed with a Pioneer PL-514 turntable and a couple of Jamo 230-R speakers (with some customizations). In the last days the amp broke (volume knob fault) and I'm waiting for my favorite techician to be back from his holidays so I got from the basement the old Kenwood KA-2002A I used to practice with some years ago, before I got the Luxman rack.
What I found out is that the Kenwood seems to rock! The sound is powerful, maybe a little warmer than the Luxman, and to my ears it plays really well in the room, which is a medium size one.
What I see is that the Kenwood amp is a lot less powerful than the Luxman one. These are the specs
Kenwood
Power output: 13 watts per channel into 8Ω (stereo)
Frequency response: 20Hz to 30kHz
Total harmonic distortion: 0.8%
Damping factor: 50
Input sensitivity: 2mV (MM), 150mV (DIN), 150mV (line)
Signal to noise ratio: 60dB (MM), 70dB (DIN), 70dB (line)
Output: 150mV (line), 30mV (DIN)
Speaker load impedance: 4Ω to 16Ω
Dimensions: 13 x 4 x 9 inches
Weight: 11.9lbs
Luxman
Power output: 40 watts per channel into 8Ω (stereo)
Frequency response: 30Hz to 20kHz
Total harmonic distortion: 0.02%
Input sensitivity: 2.2mV (MM), 130mV (line)
Signal to noise ratio: 93dB (MM), 100dB (line)
Dimensions: 438 x 306 x 84mm
Weight: 7.5kg
Given the numbers I'd expect the Luxman to be more "powerful", sound-wise, since the power output is almost four times the Kenwood. To my ears, it doesn't seem so. Is this normal?
Also, what about the "total harmonic distortion"? I don't really know what it is but I'd expect it to be "the lesser, the better" since it's a distortion, right? Also here the Luxman seems to win.
So my questions for you are:
1- How much does the power output affect the sound? Does it affect it at all?
2- How (and how much) does the total harmonic distortion affect the sound?
3- How (and how much) does the signal to noise ratio affect the sound?
4- If you were at my place would you stick to the Luxman, once i get it repaired, or do you think the Kenwood is actually an upgrade even though it's older, less powerful and apparently more prone to distortion?
Thank you SO much for your help
Marco
I'm Marco from Italy. I've been a lurker in this forum for a long time and it's the first time I write in it. I hope I'm not breaking any rule, if so please let me know.
I'd like to get a piece of advice from you, if you don't mind.
The amp I use is usually a Luxman L-113A, which goes together with my T-1 stereo tuner and the K-113 tape deck. The set is completed with a Pioneer PL-514 turntable and a couple of Jamo 230-R speakers (with some customizations). In the last days the amp broke (volume knob fault) and I'm waiting for my favorite techician to be back from his holidays so I got from the basement the old Kenwood KA-2002A I used to practice with some years ago, before I got the Luxman rack.
What I found out is that the Kenwood seems to rock! The sound is powerful, maybe a little warmer than the Luxman, and to my ears it plays really well in the room, which is a medium size one.
What I see is that the Kenwood amp is a lot less powerful than the Luxman one. These are the specs
Kenwood
Power output: 13 watts per channel into 8Ω (stereo)
Frequency response: 20Hz to 30kHz
Total harmonic distortion: 0.8%
Damping factor: 50
Input sensitivity: 2mV (MM), 150mV (DIN), 150mV (line)
Signal to noise ratio: 60dB (MM), 70dB (DIN), 70dB (line)
Output: 150mV (line), 30mV (DIN)
Speaker load impedance: 4Ω to 16Ω
Dimensions: 13 x 4 x 9 inches
Weight: 11.9lbs
Luxman
Power output: 40 watts per channel into 8Ω (stereo)
Frequency response: 30Hz to 20kHz
Total harmonic distortion: 0.02%
Input sensitivity: 2.2mV (MM), 130mV (line)
Signal to noise ratio: 93dB (MM), 100dB (line)
Dimensions: 438 x 306 x 84mm
Weight: 7.5kg
Given the numbers I'd expect the Luxman to be more "powerful", sound-wise, since the power output is almost four times the Kenwood. To my ears, it doesn't seem so. Is this normal?
Also, what about the "total harmonic distortion"? I don't really know what it is but I'd expect it to be "the lesser, the better" since it's a distortion, right? Also here the Luxman seems to win.
So my questions for you are:
1- How much does the power output affect the sound? Does it affect it at all?
2- How (and how much) does the total harmonic distortion affect the sound?
3- How (and how much) does the signal to noise ratio affect the sound?
4- If you were at my place would you stick to the Luxman, once i get it repaired, or do you think the Kenwood is actually an upgrade even though it's older, less powerful and apparently more prone to distortion?
Thank you SO much for your help
Marco
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