Adventures in amplification

[Diapason]

Sorry folks but you're going to have to indulge me with another mammoth post. I'm very excited, you see, and for the first time in ages I have a hifi I really want to listen to. Feel free to skip the explanation and go straight to the end!

I can't remember how long I've been looking for a new amp, but it's at least 3 years, and maybe closer to 4. When I changed from PMC to Kharma my Classé Fifteen just wasn't the right match, and ever since I've been searching for something to unlock the magic that I knew the speakers were capable of offering. I've sampled 15 or 20 amplifiers in the interim, ranging from 10w to 200w, valves to Class D and everything in between, but there's always been a niggle.

First up to turn my head were the little Class D Kharma MP150 monoblocks. They should be a perfect match, right? Well, in many ways they were, with some of the cleanest sound I'd ever heard, but they slightly lacked magic. One way or the other I dithered and dithered and eventually they were sold so that was that. As I reported elsewhere, the Shine came close to giving me what I wanted, but it's a temperamental beast and ultimately drove me mad. Then the new Primare Class D blew me away with it's clean, balanced sound, and I was *nearly* tempted to purchase, but that last ounce of very occasional glare stopped me once again. The problem of course was that I'd heard what Kharmas sounded like on the end of Jadis and Airtight monoblocks, and I wanted some of that magic, preferably without having to pay for Jadis or Airtight monoblocks!!

A few weeks ago I decided my CD player was the real problem, since I'd been through any number of amps without success. Ivan was surprised with this assessment, but was obviously quite happy to loan me some alternatives to see if the player really was the problem. Before I did that, though, he suggested that I should take the little 10w Leben home for a weekend, which I did. Well that Leben taught me a lot of things. Firstly it taught me that 10w sometimes really is enough. It taught me that warmth (or more accurately listenability) is really paramount, more so than all the usual hifi stuff. Most importantly, it taught me that my player wasn't the problem per se. If anything the Leben was too warm and cuddly for me (well, until the sound changed for the worse as it always seems to on weeknights, but that's an ongoing saga in another thread.)

At around the time I had the Leben I was searching the web for ideas, and I stuck something like "best amp for Kharma 3.2" into google. It brought me to a show report on the incredibly lofty and high-end Audio Federation website, where the usual suspects of Lamm and Tenor were recommended for use with Kharmas. This wasn't news, they're very highly-regarded amps, very expensive, and are a classic match for the Kharma line. More interesting news was to be found in the comments section, where somebody suggested that Lamm and Tenor amps are quite similar in quality and sound to the Graaf GM20, and that this was that person's amp of choice for the 3.2s. That caught my eye, because I remembered seeing a Graaf GM20 for sale on the Cloney pre-owned section. I'd seen it listed but dismissed it due to its low power output (20w) and some fairly mediocre reviews online. Closer inspection suggested I'd dismissed it too quickly.

The more I read about this little-known amp the more excited I became, but I tried not to get my hopes up because I've been burned before. It turned out that Ivan had a pair of them in the shop, the limited edition "Modena" version, which had originally been bought as a pair in monoblock (bridged) configuration. Ivan had "debridged" them back to stereo so I borrowed one and took it home.

What followed was one of the most enjoyable sessions of hifi listening I've ever had. The sound with the Graaf in place was so far ahead of anything else I'd ever had in the house that I almost couldn't believe it. I don't know whether it's simply a question of synergy but my God it was awesome. I knew I was onto something really good when I found myself tapping my feet, swaying and virtually dancing in the listening seat, without thinking about any of the usual hifi stuff. It's hard to describe the sound in many ways. It's not exactly "warm" because that would imply some kind of rolled-off effect and it definitely doesn't have that. It just sounds natural, INCREDIBLY open, detailed and fast, but in an unforced way that invites you in rather than pushing you away. Just glorious.

Now, huge orchestral crescendos could start to get a little closed-in and tight, and I could definitely hear the limits of its power and the OTL design in this way. But that's why you can turn them into monoblocks!! They go from 20w to 65w or 70w, and can cope with speakers down to 4 ohm rather than a minimum of 8 ohm. How could I resist?

At this stage, I've bought one, and I have the second at home pending a revalve and a return to monoblock status. It will probably be the new year by the time we get that sorted, but in the meantime I'm VERY happy to have one playing away. It looks, and more importantly SOUNDS, absolutely gorgeous!

[cybot]

Brilliant news Simon :) Can't say I'm surprised though as OTLs are supposed to be the bees knees; Ask a certain Glenn Croft. He used to make them :) Oh and I'd wager they look fabulous too. Any chance of a pic or two :)

[Ivor]

delighted you found amp happiness. Those beasts look and sound lovely.

[Diapason]

These aren't great pictures (ignore the mess for starters) but you'll get the idea:

[Ciaran]

Looking good! Google will save us all eventually!

[cybot]

Thanks for the pics Simon. I'd say you are in heaven......BIG TIME :)

[Ivor]

do they have a phonostage?

[fergus]

That is excellent news Simon....I am delighted for you!!

[Diapason]

Are those photos massive? I'm on my phone here, so apologies if so.

do they have a phonostage?

Don't you start!

[Ivor]

Are those photos massive? I'm on my phone here, so apologies if so.

No, they fit the format perfectly. "Good 'n' big!"