Koda K10 preamp in my home for evaluation

[shakti]

the turntable on the picture is a rare Micro Seiki SX1500 FVG, so with air bearing and vakuum platter. Pumpsystem is the same as Micro Seiki SX8000 MKII.

Current speakers are Zingali Clien Name Evo 1.5

The plan is, to replace them with an original Steen Duelund Design, the

Gryphon Poeseidon speaker system.

Tha BassTower of those has a low input impedance and only xlr inputs, the gain is above 30. So very difficult to pair with a second set of amplifier and a preamp to drive both. The CAT JL3 has also a gain above 30 (which is a kind or rare measure) so I can combine with a low gain preamp as K10 with just 6db gain.

The output impedance of K10 is with 37ohm , balanced mode, perfect to drive the load of two amps and 2 sets of long cables.

 

[spiritofmusic]

Shakti, can you expand a bit more on the Zingalis and the sound they produce? There’s a s/h pair of Client Name Evo 2.1 Giants for sale at 1/3 of rrp.

 

[shakti]

the Zingali client name evo deliver, what Avantgarde promises
if you have at least 15w/channel available .
the focus is less on resolution, but more on integrity. So for me, Zingali has the right balance!

 

[LL21]

the turntable on the picture is a rare Micro Seiki SX1500 FVG, so with air bearing and vakuum platter. Pumpsystem is the same as Micro Seiki SX8000 MKII.

Current speakers are Zingali Clien Name Evo 1.5

The plan is, to replace them with an original Steen Duelund Design, the

Gryphon Poeseidon speaker system.

Tha BassTower of those has a low input impedance and only xlr inputs, the gain is above 30. So very difficult to pair with a second set of amplifier and a preamp to drive both. The CAT JL3 has also a gain above 30 (which is a kind or rare measure) so I can combine with a low gain preamp as K10 with just 6db gain.

The output impedance of K10 is with 37ohm , balanced mode, perfect to drive the load of two amps and 2 sets of long cables.

Stunning. That sounds great...you and Ron Resnick could compare notes on the Pendragons as fellow owners! As you may have seen, he is actively considering amp options for it now.

 

[shakti]

some more hours with my K10g2.
I cannot agree to the statement, that the K10 does not react on different power chords, but may be my set up is "unique"
I am using Vibex Granada/Alhambra as power splitter. Different powerchords were used and the K10 reacts (as my other gear as well) on different power chords, at the moment I prefer a NAT powerchord. The differences are "normal" so everybody with some experience will be able to choose a good power chord to meet their system requirements.

Another observation is, that the K10 likes a good base. Changing my M3X HRS Base to another feet color code is easy to identify. I prefer the color blue , together with 4 of the Nimbus feels, but without any HRS damper on the TopPlate.

now continuing to love the K10 performance, just listen to some "Dead Can Dance" music .

 

[jfrech]

some more hours with my K10g2.
I cannot agree to the statement, that the K10 does not react on different power chords, but may be my set up is "unique"
I am using Vibex Granada/Alhambra as power splitter. Different powerchords were used and the K10 reacts (as my other gear as well) on different power chords, at the moment I prefer a NAT powerchord. The differences are "normal" so everybody with some experience will be able to choose a good power chord to meet their system requirements.

Another observation is, that the K10 likes a good base. Changing my M3X HRS Base to another feet color code is easy to identify. I prefer the color blue , together with 4 of the Nimbus feels, but without any HRS damper on the TopPlate.

now continuing to love the K10 performance, just listen to some "Dead Can Dance" music .

I'm with you. My K10 liked the best in power cords and interconnects. Ditto a power conditioner. It clearly showed what the better cables can offer. I always ran my K10 on a Grand Prix Audio Silverstone rack, which is one of the best, so I figured it benefited but never tried something else.

You have one of the worlds best preamps. Congratulations !

 

[amadeus]

Shakti welcome to Koda K10 owners Club you have a very special preamp know!Will be never be the upgrade part if you ever feel the need...

 

[amadeus]

Shakti can you describe K10 Whit and whit out HRS M3X please.

 

[shakti]

The HRS M3x is doing the „standard“ job of a good base to the K10g2, adding a more defined structure, adding a better contrast between the instruments.

Somewhere in the web it was mentioned, that Robert is only using standard feet on the K10g2, but that some of the K10 were supplied with 5 soft rubberfeets, three for the R-core transformer side, two for the opposit side.

Using soft rubber feets has two effect, the immediate on resonance damping from outside vibrations and one in giving silence to ground plate as such, damping the resonance of the groundplate as such.

So I played arround with 3 or 4 of the HRS rubber / alu feets. The effect of the HRS Nimbus feets is stronger, than on my CAT SL1 preamp and (at least in my gear) on the same level, than the HRS M3x base alone. At the end, 4 feets to cover the maximum of the groundplate were used.

The most of my gear likes a mix up of Nimbus and hatd coupling to M3x, not the K10g2, the Koda Pre prefers to be only with coupled with the Nimbus feed.

I tried different HRS plates on the top with a negative impact, the sound slows down, the typical effect of over damping.

I can inagine, that the K10g2 would benefit from an active base as well, but the best feets between K10g2 and base would than be critical, as any kind of rubber is killing the effect of an active base.

Would live to try out Starcore as well, but in my room the HRS system has become a style element as well.
I am using like 12 HRS M3x in different sizes, only the tuentable has Accurion i4large .

 

[LL21]

Thanks, Shakti...very interesting feedback. you have clearly spent a lot of time working with your HRS isolation!

 

[amadeus]

Great thanks for the explanation in the near future sure i will try some HRS plateaus on different parts of my system to see whats working and whats not...

 

[amadeus]

Dear Audiocrack yes he is working on a "Superamp" it will delivered somewhere in August to the first Lucky owners and i feel privileged to be one of them...

 

[LL21]

Is Robert Koda not working on a new (super)amp? I believe I read that somewhere. Maybe a match for the K-15?

Dear Audiocrack yes he is working on a "Superamp" it will delivered somewhere in August to the first Lucky owners and i fell privileged to be one of them...

Wow! Congrats...that is very exciting. Can you tell us any details about it? Any details at all?

 

[LL21]

Well i was and am using the last 10 years almost always Rockport audio Speakers and i did use some of them Hyperion,Altair,AltairII,Avior,Cygnus...
At the moment i was lucky enough to try something different but not very different also in a way at the moment i use for the small System Rockport Avior whit great results and for the big system the Peak Consult Dragon Legend which i think is in way a "Clone" of the Rockport Hyperion speakers discontinued and for me still one of the very best speakers i have heard (maybe the best) ever forget about all Magico and other hypes... The reason i was interested in a speaker other than Rockport this time was also the reason that the Peak Consult Dragon Legend is in a way a Clone of Rockport Hyperion whit newer Generation Audio Technology Drivers which i also like a lot!

This are Big speakers but the Kondo Kagura and the Koda K70II can both play this speakers to live music levels...
Below there is a Review of the Dragon Legend and also a picture of rockport Hyperions lok if you agree whit me:

http://www.monoandstereo.com/2017/10/peak-consult-dragon-legend-speakers.html


http://www.hometheatershack.com/images/hyperion.jpg

Just got round to reading the review...impressive! Big speakers! Bigger than I had realized! 380kg or 840lbs per channel! some of the cabinetry is 7cm/2.75 inches thick...and all in one massive piece.

 

[amadeus]

I will tell soon details of the new Robert Koda "Superamps".

 

[amadeus]

Yes and all drivers are Audio Technology which i always like and did like a lot.

 

[LL21]

I will tell soon details of the new Robert Koda "Superamps".

great!

 

[Reinhard]

---Preamp Robert Koda K10g2---

What means g2 ?

Reinhard

 

[shakti]

Robert Koda Takumi K10g2 as "name" was first time mentioned in the HK Audio Exotic Forum. It was used for later produced K10.
With the development of K15 , Robert improved also the K10. To my knowledge the first K10g2 were shipped in 2015 with serial No 30.

 

[spiritofmusic]

Any sign of the new monoblocks, more powerful alternative to K70?
And despite chat on AE Forum re Koda phono, again news is scarce.