JC3+ With Kleos SL?

Hey,

Well I sent the Kleos back to upgrade to the SL and am waiting.

The JC3+ works very well with the Kleos.  My only minor complaint is that it may be a touch forward compared to the other phono stages I have had in the system.  It does have depth to the soundstage so the slight forwardness may be due to the lack of coloration or the way many recordings are produced.  The clarity and extended response allows one to easily hear cable differences.  Also,  the build quality of my unit is very good. 

Hope that helps,
Robert

Robob, thank you for responding. I haven’t had a chance to hear one yet but the press almost puts it in a “no brainer” category. There isn’t a dealer in my area that has one for me to try. I have been using an old Linn Linto which works well, but better is always the quest, right. 
Thank you again for sharing your thoughts.

You are most welcome.

And yeah,  the reviews have been all good.  I am betting the JC3+ is still the one to beat anywhere near it's price.

And on the original topic,  my Kleos SL is on it's way from Japan to Audioquest and may ship to me by the end of the week.

WooHoo!

My backup system of a Dynevector 20xH on a VPI Scoutmaster is pretty good but can't match the detail and fullness of the Kleos/SME 309/SOTA Star (vacuum) combo.  And the elliptical stylus on the Dynevector picks up more noise.

Again let me remind folks that the newer Lyras are different from the older Helikon, etc.  They reproduce more body of an instrument without giving up detail.


Y'all take care
Robert

keep us posted, love my Delos but when I wear it out I am sure I will move North up the Lyra line. FWIW the Delos reacts well to a fine tonearm, I lucked into a Triplaner which seems magical...enjoy the music.

Jim

Hello Again,

To answer my original question,  the Kleos SL works very nicely into the JC3+.  Now on to the sound:

So I have the Kleos SL installed and roughly setup. I say roughly because the Shure stylus gauge is not good for two decimal places and I eyeballed the azimuth and VTA. The horizontal tracking angle did not change as the SL is the same body as the standard version, but I did check it.

As you might suspect, the sound is much the same as the Kleos. It is however more detailed both in transients and overtones. One would probably notice this on acoustic instruments as the plucking or hammer action is more distinct and there is more resonance as well. Also there is more texture which is probably another way of saying the above.

Unlike what an Absolute Sound reviewer said of the SL version of the Etna, the Kleos SL is more dynamic than it’s standard sibling.   Now my main setup is no longer less dynamic that the backup turntable rig. Both macro and micro dynamics have improved with the SL. Everything is more solid. The soundstage is perhaps a bit better and the individual instruments have more air or space around them. If you like the more homogenized sound of moving magnet cartridges, you won’t like the Kleos SL. It is also easier to notice when folks get carried away with reverb and slap echo.

I have a Clearaudio Weight Watcher stylus force gauge on order so I may have more to say after I experiment with different tracking force settings.

Y’all be cool,
Robert