Review Purity Audio Caliente Headphone Amplifier - Page 2

WooHoo!

My Caliente is burning in right now I'm close to the 100hr make and there’s a significant improvement. I have HD580's and it is a sweet combo.

Thanks for a great review, Tom !

Anyone has tried the KICAS or Caliente with high-end Grados / Alessandros or Ultrasone?

I did, but bare in mind that it was with their KICAS prototype. I really liked what I've heard with the RS-1 & SR100 with HP1000 drivers, it was as neutral as it can be, quite revealing of both source & headphones, quite wire with gain and had the necessary current to drive the Grados for sure. I didn't like the GS-1000 with this combo, the Caliente would fit better for this one. I wish I could have tried it with a pair of HP-2..

Sorry to dig up this slight oldie, but how does this amp compare to the Stello HP100 in terms of 'blackground' and soundstage??

I must admit it sounds very impressive. probably better than the Shanling PH100 which although is only $220 probably sets out to do similar things.

Has anyone used any tube amps that have the detail and clarity of the Caliente with a more tubey sound in the same price range??

The Caliente isn't really tubey sounding - it does have a slight warmth from its very slight bass boost but that doesn't make it sound like a tube amp. It's a terrific amp, but it is a SS amp, with the attendant pluses and minuses vs. tubes.

If you buy the Head-Direct EF1 (tube/ss hybrid) and use a "tubey" sounding tube, you can get to what I think you are looking for.

Like an Amperex Bugle Boy - that was tubey.

I'd like to inform you guys that Purity Audio are shipping the K.I.C.A.S and K.I.C.A.S Caliente's with 220v/110v international psu's... Doesn't say so on their site yet.

So, any of you Head-Fiers in 220v regions around the world wanna share in this abundance of Purity Audio goodness? In a little more than a month, it'll be a year that I've owned a K.I.C.A.S. Caliente. I'm still totally loving it in my main rig with my HD650 and HFI-780 (now ALO-780) phones. And now, the 220v PSU obstacle is a thing of the past.

The KICAS comes with a separate PSU now?? Or are you guys talking about the wall mart?

If your talking about the wall mart, then when was there ever an issue converting from 220V?? The KICAS feeds off of a DC current, and even the cheapest of cheapest wall marts are capable of converting from 110 V or 220 V, so unless the KICAS wall mart was THAT cheap, how would 220 V ever be an obstacle??

The Caliente in my possession sounds exceptionally good with the supplied 110v wall wart, so I would doubt that it's a cheapest-of-breed. The folks who ARE Purity Audio are fellow Head-Fiers who, like the rest of us, are very concerned with the sound quality of their offerings. They wanted to take sufficient time after the initial offering to find an international wall wart which would offer the same exceptional sound with their amps as the 110v unit they initially shipped with their products.

From the initial release of the K.I.C.A.S. amps (regular and Caliente) until the Group Buy early in 2009, the amps were shipped only with a 110v, North American configured Wall Wart Power supply. There were posts from folks in 220/240v regions of the world to the effect that they were waiting for Purity Audio to ship their amps with a wall wart which would accomodate their local power requirements as well before they'd seriously consider a purchase. For those prospective buyers, the amp shipping with a 110v-only wall wart was an obstacle to their purchase. During the 2009 group buy and since, Purity Audio has shipped their amps with a 110v / 220v international wall wart, which for some folks interested in the Purity Audio amps, was a stated obstacle to their making a purchase. Purity Audio, having found such a wall wart which meets their sound quality standards at a cost which won't adversely affect their own pricing and currently shipping it with their products, has removed that obstacle.

I see. Considering the quality of the Caliente, I'm sure you are correct about the quality of the wall mart. It just seems a bit surprising to find an AC adapter which can only convert from 110V