Kora Hermes VS Electrocompaniet EMC-1 MK1

Hi Hifying. Interesting you bring this up, there was a thread a few months ago which contained posts addressing this very topic. An A'gon forum member is running the EMC-1 as a transport with the Hermes as the DAC. I hope this helps and good luck!

http://forum.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/fr.pl?ddgtl&1016903986&read&keyw&zzkora=hermes

Thanks for the tip Gunbei, But I have emailed him and got no reply

Rats... Well, if it's any help, since I posted in that thread months ago I've experimented with different Siemens and Mullard tubes in my Hermes and find the Mullards to work much better in my room for my tastes. Smoother, fuller, a monstrous soundstage and light years ahead of the Bel Canto DAC 1.1 I once owned.

And if your tastes run different from mine, the Hermes offers you the option of trying different tubes. The gold pin Siemens CCas were very transparent and resolving. They just didn't work in my system.

I hope he answers your e-mail.

Thanks again Gunbei..I am useing the ecc88 Telefunken tubes in the Kora and this dac sounds out right damn good. I have made a comintment on a EMC-1 and I just dont want to let the seller down, but it would mean giving up the Kora. So on that note I am just wondering what I would be giving up in terms of sonic performance by going to the EMC-1

I may have been the one you are talkng about with regards to the EMC player being used as a transport with the Hermes tubed Dac but I did not receive an email so maybe I am not the one. The EMC is a great player but combined with the Hermes it brings redbook CD play to a supremely natural sounding level - in A/B comparisons with the EMC 's balanced output the combo beats it everytime and you really do not want to listen to the EMC alone. I changed the Hermes tubes from stock Philips to Telefunken Falcons and that made a difference to even a better level. The EMC as a transport is fantastic and I do a lot of recording so the no mechanical moving parts top loading helps to speed things up. My friend has the EMC with the upgrade to 24/192 but even that does not come close to the combo sound.