Can anyone describe the sound of the Kharma...

Thanks Jtinn. Can you be more specific on the sound of the Ceramiques 1.0's? I'm also considering the SF Amati Homage, Proac Response 4's, and Proac Response 3.8's. Anybody have insight on the above speakers? BTW Jtinn, I read your system profile and wow do you have the setup!!

I am looking for an easier to drive speaker than the Avalon Eclipse with much (hopefully even more) of this speakers 3D and musicality. The Avalon Eclipse required some powerful tube amps to really come alive IMO. I'd like to be able to use Cary 805C type amplifier. For me the musical truth is in the midrange (it must have soul which the Avalon's did). I also think the highs have to be quite open as to not distract from the midrange.

From what I'm hearing from you guys, it sounds like the Ceramiques are similar in sound to the Avalon Eclipse? The midrange of the Eclipse was very addictive.

It also seems as if the the Kharma's are close competitors of the other 3 speakers I'm considering (SF Amati Homage, Proac Response 4.0 or 3.8). Each is reported to do the midrange well. Can anyone compare the sound of the Kharma's to these other speakers? Thank you,

Jordan

Also, aside from the Cary 805C, what other tube amps will mate well with the Kharma, or for that matter, the Amati's and Proacs? I probably cannot afford the Tenor's, especially after buying a speaker in this price range, but I am expecting to pay in the <$7,000 range (used) for a quality tube power amp to power one of the above speakers.

Thanks for the help, guys! And Thorman, I had never heard of Thor Audio prior to reading your response. They look like quality amps. My Manley's also used Svetlana EL34's and really brought my Avalon Eclipse to life. Unfortunately, it took a 100+ watts of Triode power to really open the Avalon ups IMHO. I'd like to use less power, but also be satisfied listening to orchestral, blues, jazz, folk, and the occasional rock (no heavy metal for me please!).

Thanks again for the help!

Jtinn,

Won't be able to afford the Tenors unless someone is willing to sell for $7000 in mint condition. Any takers? LOL

You mentioned Joule Electra and I was wondering if you mean the OTL's (eg VZN-100 mono's) or the transformer coupled Stargate Mono's? OTL design intrigues me, but I don't want to miss the midrange magic or get too much on the lean side by doing so. I'm not familiar with the sound of OTL amps. Can you comment?

Jayme, I have read this review (several times in fact) prior to purchasing the Kharma Ceramiques 1.0. It made me somewhat (quite a bit) nervous because it seemed to imply that the speaker fell decidedly on the analytical side, though still an excellent speaker. After owning and loving the Avalon Eclipse (very coherent and musical and to me, better suited than even the Eidolon), I could not stand the idea of spending this much money and not having more of the magic of the Eclipses.

But alas... my desire (need?) to venture beyond (and hopefully above) what I had experienced in the past, along with some excellent advice/feedback from Jtinn and Thorman as well as others, drove me to purchase the Kharma Ceramiques 1.0's. I received them this week and couldn't be happier!!!

First off: as I am building my system from scratch (again, why do I do this???), I am only able to get music by playing the Kharma's with a 60w integrated amp, a $100 DVD player, $30 ic's, and home terminated 50c/foot speaker cable at this time. I couldn't wait to listen so this was my only option. The first time I played a disc I knew I had made the right decision.

Instead of highlighting all the nasties in my system (and there are plenty) and the software, the Kharma's let me first hear the music. I was about knocked over by Diana Krall's voice and piano (the first disc I played). I played disc after disc enjoying the music. The midrange was incredibly clear (particularly given the associated comps) and MUSICAL!! It was like having the Avalon Eclipses back from my brother, but without the power requirements the Avalon's require to really sing, with greater potential for low-end and seemingly greater potential for the highs as well.

The next EXTREMELY important test for my enjoyment is how does it do Dylan. His recordings are not usually very good, but if a system can communicate the emotion of Dylan and basically just make me smile and tap my foot, I know I've found a winner. And a winner I've found.

To be fair, I could not listen for nearly as long as I could with my previous system, which had on the order of $17k worth of supporting equipment powering the Avalon Eclipses, without having my ears really close down. So obviously, there is quite a bit of glare, hash, etc coming from the cheap comps and cables.

Yesterday, I changed out my 50c/foot speaker cable and replaced it with Synergistic Designer Reference .5's. Whoaaa!! Significant hash gone, dynamics and bass much better, can listen now for longer (though still not long by past standards).

Next step is a good pair of tube amps, either Joule OTL's, Atmasphere OTL's, VTL, Manley, Cary. Then I'll look at a direct to amp CD player such as Wadia, Audio Aero, or Resolution ref. Lastly, I'll dial in my cables.

I suppose my point in writing this long and possibly confusing reply is that my impressions of the "potential" of the Kharma's is much different than the review in TAS. I'll write more as I upgrade the rest of my system over the next couple of months.