Kondo Kaguras in Da House and Warming Up

[MylesBAstor]

More to come!

[nc42acc]

[MylesBAstor]

Yup, that's them! Extreme single-ended!

[mep]

That should be quite the radical change for you Myles.

[MylesBAstor]

That should be quite the radical change for you Myles.

It's been 20 years since I had a single-ended amplifier in the system.

[nc42acc]

Is 5% THD normal for a SE tube power amplifier?

[Rhapsody]

For comparison here are the specs on the Lamm ML3 below......don't forget we are talking at full power with both the Kagura specs and the ML3 specs.


Maximum Output Power maximum continuous sine-wave power,at 1 KHz, with no more than:
5% THD (FTC) @ rated line voltage 37 Watts into 16 Ohms
5% THD (FTC) @ rated line voltage 37 Watts into 8 Ohms.
5% THD (FTC) @ rated line voltage 37 Watts into 4 Ohms.

[nc42acc]

Myles I am a complete SE amplifier newbie. I am sure those THD numbers would freak out some but the proof is in the sound. Kondo definitely spares no expense on premium materials in the construction.

[allenh]

Looking forward to your listening impression, Myles!

[Rob]

Looking forward to your listening impression, Myles!

+1 altho the 5% distortion figure is off putting.

[Audiocrack]

Myles, are you able to combine the Kagura's with a Kondo preamp? I have played with Kondo Gakuons and I am still playing with Kondo Gakuohs (push pull as well as single ended version) and all really began to shine with a matching Kondo preamp.

[Rhapsody]

I will jump in and answer for Myles regarding the Kondo pre. At this moment in time I am waiting for a M1000MKII, but I don't think it will be here prior to Myles playing with the Kaguras. You are correct, Kondo amps love Kondo preamps....and the Kondo cables as well.

I did take up the Absolare pre for Myles to play with the Kaguras if he decides to do so. The Absolare pre works very well with the Kaguras, but as you said the best results from Kondo amps is with a Kondo pre.

Over the last six months Kondo has had a 4 month lead time for new products due to the global demand, which has been very high. There have been 40+ pairs of Kaguras sold since they were announced in 2014. We currently have customers waiting for their new Kaguras to arrive and I am waiting for my M1000MKII.

[Beaur]

Don't want to derail the thread but if Bob's numbers are true, one company selling 40+ amps at $150K bodes well for the Hi-end.

[Audiocrack]

Thanks for your answer and info.

Btw, the word is out that Kondo will unleash a new top of the line preamp on (very) short notice to replace the m1000 mk ii (btw, I always clearly preferred the Kondo m1000 mk i (with fully tubed power supply) to the mk ii). Can you give us any update about this?

[Rhapsody]

Yes, the G1000 was announced officially at CES 2016. Delivery should start in the next six months. There will NOT be a phono board option as there is in the M1000's. Eventually there will probably be a GE1000 phono stage, but for now there is the GE1 and the KSL-M7 which are very good stand alone phono stages in their own right. The G1000 sounded VERY good at CES.

[MylesBAstor]

Sorry for the lousy quality. Maybe some better ones later.

[Albert Porter]

Build quality is stunning. If it sounds anything like it looks it's a winner.

[MylesBAstor]

Myles, are you able to combine the Kagura's with a Kondo preamp? I have played with Kondo Gakuons and I am still playing with Kondo Gakuohs (push pull as well as single ended version) and all really began to shine with a matching Kondo preamp.

I totally agree and I think that goes for any manufacturer's product! That why years ago when I ran Ultimate Audio, we always requested say when reviewing an amplifier, the manufacturer's matching preamp. Certainly if you are going to get the best the amplifier can deliver, it only makes sense that there is some synergy between the two! But accomplishing that task is easier said than done as Bob pointed out. Especially nowadays when manufacturers are reducing overhead and cutting back the number of products out for review.

That said, the Absolare and cj GAT preampliers aren't exactly chopped liver either.

[MylesBAstor]

Build quality is stunning. If it sounds anything like it looks it's a winner.

Those rectifier tubes give tube lovers a woody! Another interesting fact about the Kagura. You need two PCs per amplifier to run them: one for the heaters and one for the power supply.