Thom, I know you posted about preamps, and I've offered you a recommendation on that score. But, I'm going to beg your indulgence and offer two alternative considerations for amplification with the Kharma speakers. I assume you're thinking about the 3.2 model when you say "lower end" of the Kharma line. I've heard the 3.2s with the Viva Aurora amps in Lloyd Walker's system ( Walker Audio) and that combination is superb: simply incredible speed, transparency, authority, dynamics and musical naturalness. . |
Brian,
Excellent advice, I couldn't agree more. I have been looking for a while now and I hope to continue to travel around a lot more before I make any quick decision. Luckily, my room won't be ready until the fall sometime. You don't know any emm labs/Tenor/Kharma dealers that offer such incentives do you ?
It's somewhat ironic that 2 out of the 3 are Canadian, and yet, I have to travel to the US to get to hear them all together. |
I think Thom y has the right idea. If he's got the cash, why waste time and energy? Get the Meitner gear and enjoy! |
Thom, you might want to take a step back and reflect upon your reasons for considering such a system. If I may be so superficial as to attach a price tag to such a system, how many systems have you heard which retail for over 100k USD? What differences did you hear between them, which did you prefer, and why? Take some trips to larger cities to hear what's available. Compared with the cost of the components you mention, the cost of airfare and hotel is very small. Enjoy some weekends out of town to do this. Some dealers (ahem :-) offer complimentary accommodations with no strings attached and travel reimbursement upon purchase, which makes it easier to do so. Just my two cents' worth, as I've been down that road you're on years ago and chose to look around for quite a while...it was worth it...
Brian |
Thom_y, I recommend that you take a look at the Aesthetix Callisto (at the top end of the spectrum) or the Aesthetix Calypso (at the moderate, but still expensive middle of the spectrum). These would be a great match to the system you're contemplating. http://www.musicalsurroundings.com/aesthetix.html. |
why am I looking at this gear ?
I guess it could be worse ... other people my age go out and buy a Hummer, Porsche or BMW ... luckily, I can walk to work and we don't need another car ... in my work, I see a lot of crap happen to people unexpectedly sometimes at all too young an age ... therefore, if I can afford it and enjoy it now, why not ! |
Metralla couldn't be more right. Get a good basic system but don't go wild before you have a chance to become accustomed to what you are hearing, and progress from there. Spending many tens of thousands of dollars as a newcomer to the high end may not be wise, as your tastes and priorities may likely change. Walk before you run. Visit a range of high end dealers and audition the equipment in your home if you can before purchasing, and don't put a lot of stock in reviews. Most of all, take your time and don't feel rushed to make decisions.
Brian |
am very new to this high-end spectrum Why are you starting out at such a pricey level? Most work their way up, but you are looking at some pretty expensive gear right off the bat. Regards, |
Mike,
First, it is great to hear from the "father" of this Tenor/Kharma 'cult'.
I am intrigued by your suggestion of the Placette RVC ... obviously, the notion of preamp vs. no preamp is quite contentious. Admittedly, I am very new to this high-end spectrum and come to this forum to try to learn from people like you and others. Yet, I am confused as some seem to argue the pre may be one of the most important components in the chain, while others seem more than happy to use a passive volume control like the Placette or the volume control on their CD player. Perhaps, when you get in the league of Tenor/Kharma the preamp is less important and may possibly only take away from the "magic" of the rest of the system. That is interesting, as it may make it easier to swallow buying the Tenor amp, if I can avoid an expensive preamp ! The Placette RVC is only 1000 bucks !
To start with I think I want to audition the emm labs transport/DACC2 for my system, but I would be still interested to hear other suggestions for an alternative preamp or others experiences as well.
Thanks for all of the help so far. |
well.....as the original Tenor/Kharma guy......i have always personally preferred my humble Placette passive RVC as the ultimate Tenor/Kharma preamp. i currently have the Tenor hybrid 300 mono's with Exquisite 1D's.
the beauty of the Tenor/Kharma combo is that it is 'complete' by itself.....anything 'added' diminishes the magic to some degree. nothing adds less than a single resistor in the signal path. i have compared the RVC to most everything out there regardless of price.....and for 2-channel it has always been my preference. there have been some good pre's that might do this or that better.....but the RVC gets me closest to the music.
i have not compared the DCC2 to my DAC6 with the RVC.....it could be as good or even better.
you can add the Placette RVC to any cdp or dac.....it's cheap and easy.....the only issue is to keep the interconnect from the RVC to the Tenors very short (1m or less).
if you are considering multi-channel then the emmlabs Switchman III is the only choice. in my new room i plan on combineing the RVC and the Switchman III. |
Tireguy,
Just to clarify things, right now I don't own anything. So, I was considering the options of the emm labs transport and a DCC2 vs. a very good CD-only player and a separate preamp. So, what I wanted were suggestions for a preamps that have apparent synergy with the Tenor hybrid amps. |
I hate to ask the obvious but, why don't you sell your DAC6e and get a DCC2? Your going to spend more then the difference between the two on the preamp alone(which you also get built in with the DCC2). Its also one less break in the signal path, which equates to fewer interconnects and power cords. You may take a small loss on the DAC6e, however, you would be further ahead by the time everything is said and done. |
