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Kharma Ceramique with Solid State Amp?

Is anyone driving Kharma speakers with SS amp? If so, what is your set up? If you went from tube to SS (or SS to tube) with the same Kharmas what do you think you've gained or lost? I am seeking a SS amp 'cuz they seem to be more "toddler friendly".

I have the Ceramique 2.0s and start feeling a little bit of fever from the ol' upgrade bug. I am currently using the Aloia 13.01i and think it sounds great with the Kharma, but it's been a while since I've made any changes to my system and I am starting to feel the itch again. I really need to seek help.....

I'll appreciate any input. Thanks.

Henry
henry_la
chantaipan
9 posts
 
My Goldnmund 28+ drives the Kharma 2.1s using silver speaker cables. Incomparable sound even through a run of the mill Sony!!!!
germanboxers's avatar
germanboxers
241 posts
 
Henry, most say that Kharma's sound best with tubes; however, I have come to the conclusion that the Kharma's sound good with just about anything.

Let me explain: My previous speakers (Avalon Eclipse) took on a completely new and wonderful dimension when driven by a high powered tube amp (Manley Ref 250's). The Manley's were a dramatic improvement over the Jadis Def7 MkIV, ARCVT100 MkII, and Levinson #27.5 (100w/ch solid state) WITH the Avalon Eclipses.

I now own the Kharma Ceramique 1.0's and have been driving them with Atma-Sphere MA1 MkII.2 OTL amps. Simply incredible!!! I recently sent one of the Atma-Sphere's to Ralph to replace the binding post (bent from UPS in shipment and only 3.5 months to settle claim). In the meantime, I hooked up my Marantz integrated amp (60w/ch SS) and it sounds very good! I could live with this easily if I didn't know how wonderful the system sounds with the A-S's in place. I tried this with the Avalon's in the past and just couldn't get them to sound good.

My point, I guess, is that the Kharma's seem so utterly easy to drive that even inexpensive solid state integrated amps can produce beautiful music for me. Be sure the Atma-Spheres take it to another level (really great amps BTW), but not in the same degree that the Manley's took the Avalon's compared to otherwise very high-end amps. My personal opinion is that the Avalon's presented a much tougher load for amps, and as a result, an amp not up to the task starts to "assault" the ears to a degree. With the Kharma's you can experience the amps real personality. I liken it to meeting a person for the first time in a relaxed environment versus meeting someone in the police department after they've been mugged.

Sorry for babbling on... you have awesome speakers and I think you will be able to enjoy music through them via solid state or tubes. Give it a try!
henry_la OP
13 posts
 
Chantaipan and Germanboxers, Thanks for the responses. Any other Kharma owners want to chime in?
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