Kondo Overture - Any Good

[Erik-Alexander]

Kondo is king but you should consider the speaker amplifier matching and the real power you need for your room and speaker.

Hello Amir, you probably remember I use CR1TX with M700S/C700. My GoldNote phonostage might be open for an upgrade. Would you consider Kondo or Zanden Phonostage? For special listening, like tube sound, is any of these amps okay for CR1TX? Or better stay with solid state?

 

[Amir]

Hello Amir, you probably remember I use CR1TX with M700S/C700. My GoldNote phonostage might be open for an upgrade. Would you consider Kondo or Zanden Phonostage? For special listening, like tube sound, is any of these amps okay for CR1TX? Or better stay with solid state?

The only right/proper way to use phonostage with TAD system is using ASR Basis phonostage.

The reason is the ASR Basis phonostage works ok without connecting to wall AC (all three pin) so there is no path to earth wire.

 

[Amir]

Hello Amir, you probably remember I use CR1TX with M700S/C700. My GoldNote phonostage might be open for an upgrade. Would you consider Kondo or Zanden Phonostage? For special listening, like tube sound, is any of these amps okay for CR1TX? Or better stay with solid state?

Both Kondo and Zanden are my favorite but I do not like using tube phonostage (or tube dac or tube pre) in dc coupled solidstate system. Actually I do not use any tube in solidstate system.
I have some reasons that convinced me to use tubes just only in tube systems, for example all kondo or all audionote complete systems are ok but using tube dac in ss systems is not my favorite

 

[DasguteOhr]

When a kondo phono then the m7 this have 46db gain you can use 1:10/20 step up transformer for all cartridges of the world sounds perfect for me.

Kondo KSL-M7 Phono / Audio Note Japan (4744847185) | Gebrauchtgerät | Phonoverstärker | Angebot auf audio-markt.de

Angeboten wird „KSL-M7 Phono / Audio Note Japan“ von Kondo als Gebrauchtgerät aus der Kategorie „Phonoverstärker“ bei audio-markt.de - dem Online-Marktplatz für High-End. Das Inserat mit der Nummer 4744847185 endet am 14.04.2025 um 08:09 Uhr.

www.audio-markt.de

 

[mtemur]

I recommend using very powerful SS amps with TAD CR1 speakers. As a general rule when speakers get small matching amplifier should get bigger with more power. Tube amplifiers are for big speakers with big drivers. The better tube amplifiers you get you will have the option to use modern speakers with modern drivers like carbon, ceramic, diamond etc. You won’t be limited to old horns and paper cones. That’s what Kondo amps offer, possibility of using conventional modern speakers normally only plays with SS amps. The big TAD is more suitable for Kondo amps than CR1. And yes I heard big and middle TAD speakers with Kondo amps. These are my experiences and opinions.

 

[roundhead]

Heard the gamut of Kondo at definitive audio years ago and it was good but no better than Sugden class A. Most of the time, I vastly preferred latter to lower offerings from Kondo which sounded glassy and prosaic. There was beautiful holography, midrange tonality and colours and depth to sound not found in Kondo. This was present in 300b power and ongkau but needed a battery supply (£1/2 million). Same or similar high end Kondo sound but for fraction of price. The definitive speakers were boxy, muffled and throttled both Sugden and Kondo. No amount of silver cable switching helped. You should first and foremost invest in horn or high sensitivity revealing speakers.

 

[Amir]

Kondo is King if you find match Speaker

 

[roundhead]

Kondo is King if you find match Speaker

It’s really not. Some of it is good but not better. Just a different flavour of sound. It didn’t lift me into heaven. Most off the time, the Sugden surpassed it to my surprise and awe.