One DAC To Rule Them All.... - Introducing the Kassandra from Aries Cerat

LL21

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Well not sure what your issue is with MC but I have found him to be one of the most accurate reviewers out there and consistently so. If he says it's phenomenal then I know, at the very least, that it is not hyperbole, regardless of how he chose to write this particular review. It shows, in fact that he was flabbergasted by it because he is usually giving very detailed descriptions of what he hears.

+1. I have only read 2 other reviews where I recall MC was so categorically impressed: Wilson X1/Grand Slamm in July 1994 (still have the article) and the Krell FPB600/650 where i recall he felt it re-wrote the benchmark on reference amps at that time, almost deserving its own class (ie, above Stereophile Class A)...its been a while, and i think it was something to that effect. The other impressed but not entirely over the top review was his Sonus Faber Guarneri. All 3 have since gone down as quite legendary in the annals of audio.

I read his review of the Audio Note DAC 5th Element with great interest. He certainly did not hold back praise there!
 

bonzo75

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+1. I have only read 2 other reviews where I recall MC was so categorically impressed: Wilson X1/Grand Slamm in July 1994 (still have the article) and the Krell FPB600/650 where i recall he felt it re-wrote the benchmark on reference amps at that time, almost deserving its own class (ie, above Stereophile Class A)...its been a while, and i think it was something to that effect. The other impressed but not entirely over the top review was his Sonus Faber Guarneri. All 3 have since gone down as quite legendary in the annals of audio.

I read his review of the Audio Note DAC 5th Element with great interest. He certainly did not hold back praise there!

But did others rate them as well, and did he rate stuff that did not turn out well?
 

LL21

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But did others rate them as well, and did he rate stuff that did not turn out well?

Yes, others rated them highly, but my point really was that MC was unequivocal about these 2 relative to many of his other reviews i have read over the years...he is rarely so unequivocal. And i found it interesting how well these pieces have stood the test of time. As for stuff that did not stand the test of time, i cannot think of any (there may be some) where he was unequivocal and yet turned out to be disappointing.
 

microstrip

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Yes, others rated them highly, but my point really was that MC was unequivocal about these 2 relative to many of his other reviews i have read over the years...he is rarely so unequivocal. And i found it interesting how well these pieces have stood the test of time. As for stuff that did not stand the test of time, i cannot think of any (there may be some) where he was unequivocal and yet turned out to be disappointing.

Lloyd,

The FBP600 did not stood the test of time - it was soon upgraded to CX status, that showed clearly how slow and heavy the FBP600 sound really was - I have owned it. Even today, hard core Krell aficionados consider it as one of the less successful Krell amplifiers.

Many years ago I got a pair of FPB750 CX. Although it had impressive bass and slam, the Premier 350 , a solid state 350W from conrad johnson was in general much better sounding IMHO. Curiously the premier 350 become the reference of MC, that gave it a much higher rating in a very enthusiastic review ...

BTW, I still keep a premier 350, because I particularly like the way it sounds in Wilson speakers.
 

LL21

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Lloyd,

The FBP600 did not stood the test of time - it was soon upgraded to CX status, that showed clearly how slow and heavy the FBP600 sound really was - I have owned it. Even today, hard core Krell aficionados consider it as one of the less successful Krell amplifiers.

Many years ago I got a pair of FPB750 CX. Although it had impressive bass and slam, the Premier 350 , a solid state 350W from conrad johnson was in general much better sounding IMHO. Curiously the premier 350 become the reference of MC, that gave it a much higher rating in a very enthusiastic review ...

BTW, I still keep a premier 350, because I particularly like the way it sounds in Wilson speakers.

Interesting, Micro. Thanks for that. Thinking back to the 90s, i cannot think of too many amps that people still look at seriously, and when i was looking, i considered the Gryphon Antileon, Forte 4, Pass Aleph, ML 33/33H and the big Krell FPB (600/650/750) as ones to go for from a vintage that places those amps at 20-25 years old today. I only heard the Antileon, Forte 4, 33 and FPB650. I found the ML and Krell to be grainier than i was expecting, but with tremendous grip, and with 20 years of time gone by, I was amazed at how good they sounded (for the money as well).
 

flyer

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Seems we all have converging opinions on MC, other than that the particular purpose of the subject in this thread started to escape me to be honest.
Except if we all agree to hand in a petition to MC to imply him to, please, review the Kassandra as well.
 

spiritofmusic

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I never got the MC schtick
He spent his early career castigating anyone who listened to digital, or who varied from the v particular, v subjective Linn/Naim worldview
And then refashions himself as the King of objectively measured reviews, w tallies and average scores
But where I lost all faith in him was his lauding of the Townshend Alllegri passive AVC preamp, as a nr worlds best component
I've heard it in a handful of systems now incl my own, and it remained truly underwhelming in each
I lost all faith in his judgement from that moment
Other than that, I'm sure he's a smashing guy
 

Jeffy

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I own a used pair of Krell FPB650's and they are not grainy, slow or thick. These are the best amps I've had in my system so far. The list includes VTL 450's and VAC 300i monoblocks. I'm using the Sig. Absolare Preamp and Aesthetix Io with two power supplies. The speakers are Rockport Altair II and if there was grain or mud I would hear it. Michael Fremer was at my place and he was floored.
 

microstrip

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I own a used pair of Krell FPB650's and they are not grainy, slow or thick. These are the best amps I've had in my system so far. The list includes VTL 450's and VAC 300i monoblocks. I'm using the Sig. Absolare Preamp and Aesthetix Io with two power supplies. The speakers are Rockport Altair II and if there was grain or mud I would hear it. Michael Fremer was at my place and he was floored.

My comments addressed essentially the original FPB600 - I remember that the FPB650 was a notorious improvement over the old unit, mainly in agility, bass control and clarity. And even the 600 was not grainy. The CX units were quite similar to the FPB...50's, but had the CAST input added.

And yes, we could master and even overcome the sound characteristics of the Krell's using an excellent tube preamplfier - I did it great with success.
 

microstrip

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Seems we all have converging opinions on MC, other than that the particular purpose of the subject in this thread started to escape me to be honest.
Except if we all agree to hand in a petition to MC to imply him to, please, review the Kassandra as well??.

As people were quoting opinions of an well known audio reviewer on vintage chip DACs, debating the review, his preferences and biases (and ours) becomes an interesting side subject. And as far as I know reviewers do not review equipment on users requirement, but mostly when manufacturers propose it - it would be great if the Aries Cerat could send him a Kassandra for evaluation. I am sure he will not say no!
 

microstrip

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Interesting, Micro. Thanks for that. Thinking back to the 90s, i cannot think of too many amps that people still look at seriously, and when i was looking, i considered the Gryphon Antileon, Forte 4, Pass Aleph, ML 33/33H and the big Krell FPB (600/650/750) as ones to go for from a vintage that places those amps at 20-25 years old today. I only heard the Antileon, Forte 4, 33 and FPB650. I found the ML and Krell to be grainier than i was expecting, but with tremendous grip, and with 20 years of time gone by, I was amazed at how good they sounded (for the money as well).

I had several famous vintage amplifiers in my system, mainly attracted by the current low price and my remembrance of how good I have heard them sounding in the past. I have to say that I was systematically disappointed when comparing them to equivalent modern units side by side. But surely we can assemble great systems using them, and in therms of value for money they represent great values.

If I needed 300 good sounding watts for a difficult speaker spending just a few thousands I would also look for an used Krell! But if funds were not a concern I would consider the Mephisto Solo's or the DartZeel 458s ... :eek:
 

Jeffy

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microstrip I would too, but your talking about 40,000 and 160,000 for those. I don't know that I would like the Mephisto better because as I have heard them in the past they were on the dark side. I would love to hear the Dartzeel, but even at cost which would be less than 100,000, its still way too much money.
 

LL21

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I had several famous vintage amplifiers in my system, mainly attracted by the current low price and my remembrance of how good I have heard them sounding in the past. I have to say that I was systematically disappointed when comparing them to equivalent modern units side by side. But surely we can assemble great systems using them, and in therms of value for money they represent great values.

If I needed 300 good sounding watts for a difficult speaker spending just a few thousands I would also look for an used Krell! But if funds were not a concern I would consider the Mephisto Solo's or the DartZeel 458s ... :eek:

Good to know, Micro...surely, i have experimented far less than you, and i have some limited ability from your comments to calibrate your tastes...which are excellent! ;)
 

AudioDoc

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LL21

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Congrats! Happy New Year!
 

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