Ron’s New System
- Thread starter Ron Resnick
- Start date
Weren't the Lamm and the NAT on a different version of the Sigma speakers? I think the one with the high sensitivity paper mids is likely the better sounding speaker, no?
that is only my guess the paper mids is what makes that version better. Either way the NAT was better than the Lamm hybrid on the same version, plus the NAT owner before had the Lamm hybrid in the same room and had the same impressions as I did. He now has Ianus and NAT both and prefers Ianus.
the other thing was with the Lamm hybrid it was pretty hard sounding, like you said, which was otherwise not a concern with this speaker at all in the other three systems.,
Another owner said that the K70 was better than the 160 and he made a mistake to “upgrade “
I am not surprised the Ianus is better...they are superb sounding amps. I am assuming they were the Essentias?
I am sure my preference would go that direction. Plus, I thought it was a cool concept to have one power supply chassis and two "monoblocks".
Speaking with Robert, my takeaway is that the K10 and K70 evolved in his mind in the K15EX and the K160 where being agnostic as to tube or SS, he wanted to really super-drive the performance envelope by creating an extremely low-noise floor, ultra-purist approach to sound. Something which had high signal-to-noise, low distortion (but not thru negative feedback but by obsessive approach to his point to point wiring, his circuitry & topology, his attenuator, his double-walled shielding internally, etc...
And having spoken with people who have compared K10 to K15EX and K70 to K160 (incl Amadeus)...and than having spent my own time getting to know Robert's designs, I can say that are categorically not for everyone unless you either: a) have super-professionals setting them up and designing the system, or b) you are prepared to put in the time.
The CJ GAT 2 and the Gryphon Mephisto were their predecessors, and when the Kodas went in over a 12 month period, it was quite shocking at how much rebalancing of the system I needed. You immediately know you are hearing something quite magical...but they are so finely balanced and tuned, the slightest warbles in the system and you hear it. Still organic, still natural and effortless...but you hear it.
And it demands you look at power, grounding, isolation, your speaker placement by those centimeters...and piece at a time, you do. And you eliminate what (I believe) have been the most subtle of either accommodations for the Gryphon's powerful mid-bass...or things that the CJ GAT 2/Mephisto (as great as they are, and they are great) simply did not reveal.
It has been a bit of a shock, and I know Amadeus spent real time going through Torus power, etc as he was getting to know his K160s.
For those who have heard the evolution of Conrad Johnson from golden glow to today's latest superbly organic, natural but ultra linear and shockingly transparent (ie, carving away so much of the golden glow but somehow leaving the organic behind)...I sense from those who have compared K10 to K15EX, that is the direction of travel which Robert has gone in generally. My sense is the difference is that CJ has taken a constant use of the razor to slice away any elements of excess shavings of warmth or glow from its tube designs. Robert just started all over...from the ground up, this time not using any tubes in his design...and building back up from his original design ethos but now using a combination of entirely Solid State, Pure Class A combined with an almost super-craftsman approach to point to point wiring, shielding, ultra-purist...to bring Solid State into a new form. Yeah, a non-technie's description to be sure...but that is the best way I can describe what I hear.
...for me, it has been revelatory...but I can say the Robert Kodas have taken 3x longer than any other single component (some of which were practically drop-in easy) to fine tune the system around. They are the closest to electron microscopes I have experienced...and yet he uses no negative feedback or other feedback systems to reduce distortion. They just really are well designed and well executed He does each piece himself personally.
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Cardas Clear Reflection long single-ended interconnects are installed
Ei KT90s
NOS Mullard 12AX7 long plate square getters
NOS Telefunken 802S
NOS Mullard EL86s
all swapped into JA100s
Mullard 12AX7 in the first stage and Telefunken 12AU7 in the second stage is Jadis' recommendation.
Ei KT90s
NOS Mullard 12AX7 long plate square getters
NOS Telefunken 802S
NOS Mullard EL86s
all swapped into JA100s
Mullard 12AX7 in the first stage and Telefunken 12AU7 in the second stage is Jadis' recommendation.
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C'mon, Ron...you're a great writer! how good? how much better? And yes, if I can visit, I definitely will!
I am wondering if both pairs of cheap cables, the Belden and the Gotham, were contributing sibilance/a bit of the edginess all this time?
My main impression so far is that I'm hearing less sibilance. Any hint of remaining edginess seems to be gone. I am playing loud to test this.
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Never underestimate what cables can do to a system. In some cases, they can actually be considered a component. IME/IMO
Tom
Tom