Koda K10 preamp in my home for evaluation

sickophant · May 24, 2013

jfrech said:
Dave...Thanks so much for posting...I Love THAT color Can I borrow yours until mine is built ;-)

No.

MylesBAstor said:
I'm with Lee. Also what are you using for a front-end?

Just to briefly explain, the K-70 just arrived from Generation II upgrade (no. 1 had some parts even older than the recent production Gen. I, including the output stage's PCB layout, these white-clad boards Rob used to show me during R&D) and it was a sweeping change, including the bypass feature and Hi/Lo-Z switch for grunt or purr. You might say no.1 was Gen. 0, Rob's test case, and the full production version was Gen. I. So I plugged up real sweaty and fast on the carpet right down there deep and dirty; but smooth and passionately {is that too much?} and arrived at this contraption.

Enjoy.

Robert Koda-K-70_K-10_Initial Plugging-1.jpg

defride · Jul 16, 2013

I've had an enjoyable few days with a K-10 in my system. A few friends came around on the weekend for a little pre shootout, inc - Audio Note UK M5, ARC Ref3, Puresound L300, Shindo Vosne Romanee, the K-10 along with my Aesthetix.

One of the guys really summed things up quiet beautifully. All the amps were great however the tube amps all added something where the K-10 didn't.

A study in neutrality, it has been a joy to hear, sadly collected this morning but the impression will remain.

jfrech · Jul 16, 2013

defride said:
I've had an enjoyable few days with a K-10 in my system. A few friends came around on the weekend for a little pre shootout, inc - Audio Note UK M5, ARC Ref3, Puresound L300, Shindo Vosne Romanee, the K-10 along with my Aesthetix.

One of the guys really summed things up quiet beautifully. All the amps were great however the tube amps all added something where the K-10 didn't.

A study in neutrality, it has been a joy to hear, sadly collected this morning but the impression will remain.

Hi what part of the world are you in? My brand spanking new K 10 showed up about 2 weeks ago...I am just floored how good this pre amp is !

Here is a new review for anyone curious....http://www.inner-magazines.com/news/494/57/Koda-Takumi-K-10-pre-amp/

Thanks for posting your thoughts....interesting conclusion...and doesn't surprise me

sickophant · Jul 17, 2013

The K-10's a great pre.

Thanks for the review link. I missed that one.

jpetek · Jul 17, 2013

has anybody compaired the Koda K 10 against the Audio Note M9 or 10 (UK)?

I heard the M9 in a Audio Note Chain. The best I ever heard much better as for example the Pass XP 30 / XS150 / Wilson Alexia or a Devialet/ KEF Muon.

Josef

defride · Jul 17, 2013

jfrech said:
Hi what part of the world are you in? My brand spanking new K 10 showed up about 2 weeks ago...I am just floored how good this pre amp is !

Here is a new review for anyone curious....http://www.inner-magazines.com/news/494/57/Koda-Takumi-K-10-pre-amp/

Thanks for posting your thoughts....interesting conclusion...and doesn't surprise me

I'm in the UK, we've had RK product here for longer than in the US, I think it was 3 maybe even 4 years ago that I first heard the K-70. That also made quiet an impression driving Lumen White speakers. I hadn't seen that review, thanks.

Congratulations on your choice of pre amp, I'm sure it will bring many years of enjoyment. Me, I'll just have to keep saving!

sickophant · Jul 19, 2013

jpetek said:
has anybody compared the Koda K 10 against the Audio Note M9 or 10 (UK)?

I heard the M9 in a Audio Note Chain. The best I ever heard much better as for example the Pass XP 30 / XS150 / Wilson Alexia or a Devialet/ KEF Muon.

Josef

M9? Isn't that a phono? I am bereft of knowledge of the UK line.

jpetek · Jul 19, 2013

Not only, please look at this link:

http://www.audionote.co.uk/products/preamp/m9_phono_01.shtml

The volume control is an in house designed and hand made stereo attenuator with silver contacts and ½ watt Audio Note™ tantalum resistors throughout.

On the input side the M9 also offers some novelty in that, apart from the MM phono input, it has 3 line inputs one of which is a transformer coupled XLR balanced CD input, to allow for fully balanced connection to our best transformer coupled DACs., the most linear and lossless interface possible.

sickophant · Jul 19, 2013

Right.

Sure is a lot of text to get through.

But I get the picture.

Have you heard the K-10 yourself / yourselves?

Great things coming.

The boy's on the up !!

jpetek · Jul 19, 2013

No never heard. I do not know any dealer here in Germany.

Seems to me a very interesting Preamp. If I understand right Mr. Koda worked for AudioNote JP?

I heard the AudioNote M10 from Japan. I was not happy with the sound but I think the problem was the Loudspeaker. Not my cup of tea.

jfrech · Jul 19, 2013

I hear there is a K 15 preamp on the way...more money...more inputs/outputs but even better sound...

I plan on waiting (hoping) a Koda phono stage appears soon...I really love my K10 (as if I didn't say that already)

LL21 · Jul 19, 2013

jpetek said:
No never heard. I do not know any dealer here in Germany.

Seems to me a very interesting Preamp. If I understand right Mr. Koda worked for AudioNote JP?

I heard the AudioNote M10 from Japan. I was not happy with the sound but I think the problem was the Loudspeaker. Not my cup of tea.

What was the system that you were using with the M10?

LL21 · Jul 19, 2013

jfrech said:
I hear there is a K 15 preamp on the way...more money...more inputs/outputs but even better sound...

I plan on waiting (hoping) a Koda phono stage appears soon...I really love my K10 (as if I didn't say that already)

What's the eta on Koda K15

sickophant · Jul 19, 2013

jpetek said:
No never heard. I do not know any dealer here in Germany.

Seems to me a very interesting Preamp. If I understand right Mr. Koda worked for AudioNote JP?

I heard the AudioNote M10 from Japan. I was not happy with the sound but I think the problem was the Loudspeaker. Not my cup of tea.

I used to get the model numbers mixed as well before I realised years ago that a less than acrimonious split had come to Audio Note. The last M number AN (Kondo) seemed to keep was the no. 7 for the M7 but after that they went 77 and then 1000 to stay away from the UK number sequence; and I'm sure their history was more complicated than that. So it was likely the M1000 you heard?

sickophant · Jul 19, 2013

jfrech said:
I hear there is a K 15 preamp on the way...more money...more inputs/outputs but even better sound...

I plan on waiting (hoping) a Koda phono stage appears soon...I really love my K10 (as if I didn't say that already)

How does this stuff get out?

jpetek · Jul 20, 2013

I heard a complete chain from AN JP, not the M10 but the KSL M1000 mk II, the Gakuoh and some other stuff, I didn´t remember.

The speakers are this one:

http://www.blackforestaudio.de/cms/front_content.php?idcat=106 without the subwoofer. I think this was the problem.

LL21 · Jul 20, 2013

jpetek said:
I heard a complete chain from AN JP, not the M10 but the KSL M1000 mk II, the Gakuoh and some other stuff, I didn´t remember.

The speakers are this one:

http://www.blackforestaudio.de/cms/front_content.php?idcat=106 without the subwoofer. I think this was the problem.

I have heard the Kondo M1000 preamp with Gakuoh and Genesis 1.1 as well. DCS Scarlatti on halcyonics active isolation table. The best sound I have ever heard by some margin. The system was painstakingly well set up by the owner in his own...so he had 'home court advantage' over demos which are often put together every few hours without the ability to address obsessively small levels of setup which when combined make a huge difference.

Nevertheless, what I heard in that room was far superior in resolution of the same tracks I always play, along with tonality, scale, nuance: in comparison to big Tidal Sunray 4-tower setup with full suite of Tidal monos, Stahl-Tek digital system, or XLF full ARC/D'Agostinto/Metronome Kalista Ref setup as 2 of a number of SOTA examples of truly beautiful systems I have heard. I heard whispers normally that unintelligle and way off in the distance suddenly take a particular space in the back of the room just off center, and I could heard the words. And the nice thing is I was not actually looking to hear them...I had so gotten used to them being unintelligible whispers, I just assumed that's how it was...until those words actually came whispering to me as clear as day. Quite a cool shock...a new reference for me now!

jpetek · Jul 20, 2013

A Gakuoh can drive a Genesis 1.1? Very interesting. I had a Infinity Beta before. Non of the Low Power Amps was able to drive the Mid/Highs.

LL21 · Jul 20, 2013

jpetek said:
A Gakuoh can drive a Genesis 1.1? Very interesting. I had a Infinity Beta before. Non of the Low Power Amps was able to drive the Mid/Highs.

The owner had this exact discussion with me. Dire Straits with their drum kicks was certainly loud enough that when I turned to my wife to speak, I had to shout. There was no strain, and in fact it was quite a marvel to feel the space really spread out nicely across 20 feet of soundstage (about 12+ feet high ceiling and 40 foot deep room also helped). Now, she could actually hear me...whereas in some night clubs, when you shout you cannot even hear yourself...that's when you start reaching to 120-130db. I have no desire to go there, though many of us have certainly been there before for short periods. So it was certainly loud in the room but effortless.

I do not know about Infinity Betas...but the tower subs on the Genesis 1.1 are self powered so that might have had something to do with it.

jpetek · Jul 20, 2013

I had a separte Bass Amp for the Towers. The Problem with the Infinitys was they have something around 80-85 db / 1m and go down to 2 Ohm in the Mid/Highs. Maybe this is now better.

Koda K10 preamp in my home for evaluation

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