Shop w/me

Next Auditon

Not Linn vs Hovlands...tommorow.

Target: Kharma CRM Ref 3.2. But none in stock so tested CRM 3.1 (2 way soft dome tweeter), and 2.3 CRM (3 way focal tweeter)
Retailer system: Metronome Tech CD player (1st time for me), Pass Lab X1 preamp, Pass Lab 350 Monoblocks, Kharma speaker cable.

Impressions
OH.......MY........GOD. What a revelation after the Wilsons. Started w/ 3.1 but the impact was immediate for me. Though the Wilson's were superior in transient detail/attack/decay, and perhaps deeper bass...Kharma had the mid range beauty, huge sound stage, and what was the biggest issue for from the previous Wilson set up.. emotional involvement.

A few listening notes

Caia: soundstage city....now that's chill out...triangles in the background just as clear as Wilsons but a rounder tone. one gets awashed in sound.

Dennis Chambers: spec says shld not go low in bass as Wilsons, but for my purposes both the kick drum and elec bass had more impact perhaps due to soundstage. Yes, I wanted to dance and boogie to the heavy funk

Mike Clark: " Actual Proof" drummer (u got to chech him out). Drum attack fine, u r there quality, bass lines clear yet round, horn brassiness retained but not annoying

Patrcia Barber: mid range to fore...track 2 on Modern Cool. acoustic bass: wow. just like in front of me whereas the wilsons were a bit lean. the voice-mike thing I can tell, perhaps not as obvious as Wilsons, but the bueaty of the voice is far greater.

Conclusion: the diff cannot be explained away via the associated electronics, room acoustics etc. To me, Kharma is far superior...indeed I am sold: I just got 2 figure which one. I've also tried the Avalons in the past (great but found them too sensitive to rm positioning), Sonus Faber Amati Homage I hear is great but physical size for me is too big while the Stravidus (what a beauty!), Komris, etc are beyond my self disciplined budget. Indeed the Diamond tweeter option for Kharma's are too expensive for me too. Perhaps I will try the Genesis 501 but the Kharmas, most likely the 2.3 CRM Focals are my standard now.

So I got my speakers....or nearly there. Next up: amplification: retain Klimaxxes (which I want to do, to save moeny and I happen to like them) and just get a good pre-amp, do a whole combo chg.?

As such, next round is Linns vs Hovland. Intend to check out BAT VK 51 SE (can it drive the Klimaxxes?), Ayre K1X and maybe even VTL 7.5 later on. Perhaps the Pass Labs X1?

The pre-map contest is gonna much more difficult to ascertain by deduction given different retailers, so no AB testing and of course not obvious as w/ speakers

Any one out there? Wish me luck!

Henry,
Amp/speaker matching is critical. Be careful to not assume that the Linn amp will perform w/the Kharmas(or anything else) as the Pass Labs. You really should consider bringing your amp to the store to audition w/the speakers you're targeting, if this is possible.
Also, if you like the Kharmas and are too tight on $$ for the right matching amp,
maybe look for used kharmas and then get the right amp.
Slap me for doing the old "buy what I have!", but you might want to read the thread here comparing the Kharmas to the Merlin VSMs at about half the price. That thread contains many interesting comments about the exceptional performance of both of them. Perhaps Merlins would be another speaker that would appeal to you, as do the Kharmas. If you go that route, I'd recommend switching to a tube amp...
Lastly, FWIW, many have echoed your feelings on the Wilsons; For some reason they generate plenty of controversy.
Cheers,
Spencer

Found speakers? Please do not decide before you check stats or planars. Martin Logan Prodigy, Magnepan 3.6 or if you can afford Sound Lab's. This is from former owner of dynamic speakers.

The Klimax *should* be able to drive the Kharma -- as to whether you like the result... you MUST try the speakers (any short-listed speaker) with your amps.

As to a suitable pre-amp: Linn makes its own which is expensive; admittedly, it's also very good.

I would really belabour the speaker issue: try as many as you can. For example, Kharma and Avalon often use similar drive unit complements, so Avalon could be another choice if you like Kharma.

The Wilsons' bass response: a frequency response plot I saw shows a small hump at around 50-70Hz if I remember correctly. If memory serves well and there is such a hump, it is not necessarily indicative of better bass -- rather, certain frequencies are pronounced giving the impression of more bass. Again, if I remember correctly, the Sophia have a smoother bass region than the 7. As always, however, it's a matter of taste.

A final note: the Proac 4 are arguably very good speakers. What do you want to improve on -- or, what don't you like about them??