An update on the Robert Koda K160s posted earlier today elsewhere in response to 2 questions...thought I would place here for proper long-term reference for others.
After several months...
....So far, stunning. I am still getting to know them and finding them remarkably composed and resolved in a way that even the mighty Mephisto did not match. That has required quite an adjustment for me in the 'art of the possible' because heretofore, I had not come across amplification I preferred in so many respects as the Gryphon...and certainly not something which made me question the leaps and bounds yet possible in sound reproduction.
The one area where I have a coin still flipping in the air is the upper bass. The Mephisto brings more raw power to that band. On all tracks, the Kodas upper bass is far more articulate than even the Mephisto...and it is really exciting when you get down very very low bass where the power of the Robert Koda exceeds a single Mephisto stereo.
But in the upper bass, there are about 10% of the tracks so far (see post #188 below where I give 2 examples), where the upper bass presentation is different between the two, and I genuinely struggle to figure out who is 'right' on the bass power. The Koda is so articulate, it finely splices elements of the bass in house tracks so you can really hear what is going on...and in a completely organic way.
And in my experience when you do that splicing...you tend to find that the bass wallop ebbs slightly because it is spread out across those splices. By contrast, the Gryphon is not as finely spliced...but you get a 5%-7% greater bass wallop (which for a bass freak like me is extremely material).
I am pretty happy to be critical and complimentary of our equipment and have no qualms in calling a spade a spade...good bad or indifferent. In this case, I am genuinely still trying to make up my mind.
PLUS, the XLFs have STILL not been finetuned/adjusted by the Wilson distributor...partly due to equipment changes and partly due to Covid. So there is also that finetuning which could make quite a difference...moving the speaker back by 2-3cm towards the back wall would no doubt have an influence on bass power.
HOWEVER...other than this one element, I can say that nothing in my own limited personal experience has rivaled the nuanced, organic way that Robert Koda has with music...which is then coupled with insanely low noise floor which allows a lot more detail to float through to the surface. Because of the 230 watts Class A power on tap and his design (dont really understand it but apparently likened to single ended triode, pure Class A no push/pull something about only N resistors no 'P' resistors or something...some other audiophiles will undoubtedly get it whereas I dont)...the amount of dynamic (macro and micro) on tap gives you remarkable inner articulation in the nuances of music that creates both intensely filigreed detail while always presenting it as part of an organic tapestry of music. The closest analogy is like super-super fine silk embroidery which you see in Asia where its like a highly detailed painting but its actually threads on silk...its all threads hand-sewn to make a piece of cloth with artwork on it that is virtually indistinguishable from a painting. Robert Koda has simply gotten to a level of perfection I have not experienced before.
