Kronos keeps getting better

Tango

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The power supply technology using ultracapacitors might be similar between SCPS-1 and Vinnie Rossi's amp. They both have two banks of capacitors. One working, the other charging. Incase of Vinnie Rossi amp, after 10 mininutes of usage voltage drops and it switches to the other bank. I read from somewhere there is a small ticking sound when it switches. The SCPS has no sound no tick of its own. Both of them feature extremely low noise floor. Vinnie Rossi amp cost only $5,000 so cost of this technology shouldn't be a factor. I wonder if more mfg use this technology, there will be no need for power conditioners. I spent obscene amount of money trying various power conditioners, none of them add without substracting some thing from the sound...Unlike the SCPS.
 

Tango

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It arrived earlier than expected.

IMG_2803.JPG
 

MadFloyd

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The power supply technology using ultracapacitors might be similar between SCPS-1 and Vinnie Rossi's amp. They both have two banks of capacitors. One working, the other charging. Incase of Vinnie Rossi amp, after 10 mininutes of usage voltage drops and it switches to the other bank. I read from somewhere there is a small ticking sound when it switches. The SCPS has no sound no tick of its own. Both of them feature extremely low noise floor. Vinnie Rossi amp cost only $5,000 so cost of this technology shouldn't be a factor. I wonder if more mfg use this technology, there will be no need for power conditioners. I spent obscene amount of money trying various power conditioners, none of them add without substracting some thing from the sound...Unlike the SCPS.

Does the SCPS improve speed stability at all? Have you measured this in any way?
 

spiritofmusic

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What a dilemma, Tango
Receiving a bleeding edge performance component like the SAT arm at the very point you don't think you need it anymore
The world is a terrible place
 

Tango

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Does the SCPS improve speed stability at all? Have you measured this in any way?

I havent tested the speed stability. But I found it takes less time to get up to speed.
 

Tango

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What a dilemma, Tango
Receiving a bleeding edge performance component like the SAT arm at the very point you don't think you need it anymore
The world is a terrible place

To be honest, I cant resist my curiosity to put the SAT on my Pro. Mr. Gomez just sent me setup tips for the Atlas SL. I will let you know whether I will exclaim "What the f_ck!" like Mr. fremer.
 

bonzo75

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Spirit, how were you able to separate the performance of the Kronos SCPS from the rest of the components in these various systems under Munich show conditions, let alone make a comparative statement with the TechDas AF-1? Were they demonstrated in the same system?

Does anyone know if the SCPS is available as an add-on for the Spartan model?

He never isolates. He never even brought along his own recordings. He heard me play scheherazade on one Kronos, and therefore liked the Kronos since he likes that symphony. It was impossible to isolate the lesions in their own room far less compare it with Techdas in another room
 

microstrip

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The power supply technology using ultracapacitors might be similar between SCPS-1 and Vinnie Rossi's amp. They both have two banks of capacitors. One working, the other charging. Incase of Vinnie Rossi amp, after 10 mininutes of usage voltage drops and it switches to the other bank. I read from somewhere there is a small ticking sound when it switches. The SCPS has no sound no tick of its own. Both of them feature extremely low noise floor. Vinnie Rossi amp cost only $5,000 so cost of this technology shouldn't be a factor. I wonder if more mfg use this technology, there will be no need for power conditioners. I spent obscene amount of money trying various power conditioners, none of them add without substracting some thing from the sound...Unlike the SCPS.

What is the technical advantage of using ultracapacitors compared to using batteries?
 

MadFloyd

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spiritofmusic

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I don't need to isolate things, or have my own recordings to have a proclivity to one tt or another
If I was in the market for a top tt and had £50-100k burning a hole in my pocket, I'd go back and forth btwn any number of top tts to make a formal decision
My comment was on a Kronos thread, and was that in my admittedly limited and non scientific comparisons, I'm minded to prefer it over the AF
And I heard the Kronos in a few rooms at Munich
Wasn't aware that was a comment that required discussing
 
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bonzo75

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I don't need to isolate things, or have my own recordings to have a proclivity to one tt or another
If I was in the market for a top tt and had £50-100k burning a hole in my pocket, I'd go back and forth btwn any number of top tts to make a formal decision
My comment was on a Kronos thread, and was that in my admittedly limited and non scientific comparisons, I'm minded to prefer it over the AF
And I heard the Kronos in a few rooms at Munich
Wasn't aware that was a comment that required discussing

Prospective buyers search on posts. Admitted hifi is the toughest to compare and audition, but it is unfair to dismiss Techdas that way..even in Detlof's system where only the analog part is different, rest of the system and room the same, it is impossible to tell. Maybe he can after so many months.
 

spiritofmusic

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So when is stating a general preference for one tt the same as dismissing the other?
I think the sales of AF can cope w lil ol me saying I on balance veer twds the Kronos
What's yr point? That from what I've heard of both I can't state a feeling for one over the other
Unlike you, I don't need to "break" a component to give it a thumbs up or down
 

PeterA

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So when is stating a general preference for one tt the same as dismissing the other?
I think the sales of AF can cope w lil ol me saying I on balance veer twds the Kronos
What's yr point? That from what I've heard of both I can't state a feeling for one over the other
Unlike you, I don't need to "break" a component to give it a thumbs up or down

Spirit, I am curious how you arrived at your conclusion that you prefer the Kronos over the AF if you heard them in different settings and more specifically, how did you reach your conclusions about the sound of the Kronos as separate from the rest of the components in those particular systems? I find that I can only reach such conclusions about a particular component if I am already familiar with the sound of the system and then only that component has been inserted in place of another. For instance, how do you know the sound of the Kronos versus that of the arm or cartridge or cable, or phono stage or the new CSPS supply in that particular system? Answering these questions might help me to understand what the Kronos and its new supply are doing to the sound. Thanks.

Saying you prefer the build quality or a particular aspect of the sound is a different matter. You were very clear about your rim drive benefits and linear tracking arm, for instance.
 

spiritofmusic

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Peter, don't read too much into my thoughts
I have heard both tts in a variety of settings w diff gear, but I do feel rightly or wrongly I have a little bit of a handle on both presentations and characters, w the AF being more grounded, dense and explosive, and the Kronos being more airy, transparent and "not there"
My overall instinct is that the Kronos gets out of the way more which is v compelling in its way, the AF imposes more of a dramatic presentation
My take is that the Kronos may be the quieter performer w it's counter rotating platters, and now this new psu
Oh, and to prove my lack of credentials in this argument, I prefer the AF3 to either the 2 or the 1, both sonically and design/aesthetics-wise
My experience of hearing cutting edge digital w the almost zero noise flr SGM streamer producing digital w no archetypes in its sound is for me now the comparator for me to judge a tt, not other tts
 
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spiritofmusic

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Tang, when are you getting 'round to installing the SAT?
We really need to know if Fremer's opinion is justified
And how happy you are w it
Or whether Kronos-Black Beauty synergy trumps all
 

MadFloyd

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Tang, when are you getting 'round to installing the SAT?
We really need to know if Fremer's opinion is justified
And how happy you are w it
Or whether Kronos-Black Beauty synergy trumps all

Ditto!
 

Steve Williams

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This could be a first as everyone I know with a Kronos as well as every show I've seen it at always was shown with the Black Beauty
I'm also anxious to hear Jack's impression of the SAT as well after he mounts it on his TD AF1
 

bonzo75

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This could be a first as everyone I know with a Kronos as well as every show I've seen it at always was shown with the Black Beauty
I'm also anxious to hear Jack's impression of the SAT as well after he mounts it on his TD AF1

Detlof has the SAT on the Techdas and 108CY has also had it on the the AF2
 

spiritofmusic

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Didn't the SAT get some v poor feedback somewhere recently?
 

PeterA

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This could be a first as everyone I know with a Kronos as well as every show I've seen it at always was shown with the Black Beauty
I'm also anxious to hear Jack's impression of the SAT as well after he mounts it on his TD AF1

The first time I ever heard the Kronos was at the NYC show in 2012. I met the designer and he was showing his new creation with an SME V-12 arm and the AirTight Supreme cartridge. I guess he has moved on to other designs he prefers. It does seem as though the Kronos is now a package deal with the Black Beauty arm.

I wonder how heavy the SAT arm is. It sure looks massive, so I wonder if it might cause balancing issues on a suspended table like the SME or Kronos. Just curious. The SME towers can be individually adjusted for height, so now that I think about it some more, perhaps it would not be an issue. I don't know about the adjustments on the Kronos.
 

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