Adventures in amplification

[DaveF]

I know it sounds mad, but I really think you should have a listen to that Primare I mentioned.

I'll make note of it, thanks.

I'll hire a van and take home every amp that Cloney's have in stock. :-)

[Seán]

I know it sounds mad, but I really think you should have a listen to that Primare I mentioned.

I'll make note of it, thanks.

I'll hire a van and take home every amp that Cloney's have in stock. :-)

Dave, I have been following this thread with great interest, I hope that you get it sorted real soon and get back to enjoying your music, it looks as if you might be on the "right trail".

Simon, what Primare amp are you referring to?

[mcq]

I know the temptation now is to look for subjectively "warm" amps, but that might not be the actual solution. You might find the synergy where you least expect it, so if I were you I'd try a bucket-load of stuff now that you have the chance.

That's probably wise alright. My previous Gamut was never regarded as a 'warm amp' but it was fine, so another neutral-ish amp might be just do the trick.
Lavardin is another possibility.

Lavardin make wonderful amps, Dave, but I've heard on a number of occasions that the synergy with Kharma is not ideal. This may sound like a strange suggestion but have you thought about smaller speakers? I'm not sure about the dimensions of your new room but perhaps the Kharmas don't have space to breathe. I know you're not a fan of B&W but I would recommend taking home a pair of the ex-demo 805Ds that Cloney Audio have on offer at the moment. It's worth a shot. Very nice price too.

[Diapason]

Simon, what Primare amp are you referring to?

The I32 I think it is. It's an integrated, class D or some variant thereof, retails for just over 2k I think. I found it excellent in a very neutral way, very fast and clean, but with much better timbral accuracy than I was expecting. Its sound is not really like anything else I've heard.

Reviews I've seen online are mixed, but that seems the norm for products I like. When working properly I didn't find it bright at all, just really open and liquid, with excellent bass and control.

[DaveF]

Lavardin make wonderful amps, Dave, but I've heard on a number of occasions that the synergy with Kharma is not ideal. This may sound like a strange suggestion but have you thought about smaller speakers? I'm not sure about the dimensions of your new room but perhaps the Kharmas don't have space to breathe. I know you're not a fan of B&W but I would recommend taking home a pair of the ex-demo 805Ds that Cloney Audio have on offer at the moment. It's worth a shot. Very nice price too.

The room itself is more than big enough for the Kharmas Paul so its not a question of them overwhelming the room. I had those 805s on demo a few years ago and whereas they were nice they are not in the same league as the Kharmas in terms of speed, clarity and treble-midrange integration.
I'll keep the Kharma's and just have to keep looking for the correct amp for them.

[Seán]

Simon, what Primare amp are you referring to?

The I32 I think it is. It's an integrated, class D or some variant thereof, retails for just over 2k I think. I found it excellent in a very neutral way, very fast and clean, but with much better timbral accuracy than I was expecting. Its sound is not really like anything else I've heard.

Reviews I've seen online are mixed, but that seems the norm for products I like. When working properly I didn't find it bright at all, just really open and liquid, with excellent bass and control.

Yes, it is an intergrated amp, I have its little brother the I21 driving a paid of SA1750s.
Primare have a pre-amp/amp combination too.

[Claus]

Kronos might be worth a visit as well. They have loads of interesting stuff on their website. I hear rumors about them having a show down this direction, so that might give you some options as well.... Best of luck! :)

[Fran]

Just to throw some other stuff into the mix, and if you want to try other things, I have a pass F5 here that you can try. I'm in the middle of a chip amp build too.

Both of those would need a preamp too.....


Fran

[Ivor]

Kronos might be worth a visit as well. They have loads of interesting stuff on their website. I hear rumors about them having a show down this direction, so that might give you some options as well.... Best of luck! :)

I second that. They have gear we never heard of! If you (or anybody on these forums) is in contact with KronosAV in Dungannon do tell them you're a member here.

[Gerry D]

I hate what you're going through Dave.
I know that you are a bit of a cable sceptic but I wonder have you tried variations there ?
I think I found that since I got into valve amplification a few years ago that cables make a more noticeable impact than I found previously with solid state gear.
Silver versus copper and so on. If the Kharmas are very accurate and fast then maybe a bit of "tone control" with speaker cables would help ?
Airtight and Kharmas theoretically approaches Audio Nirvana. Maybe there's a missing link ?