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K.I.C.A.S. Caliente for D7000?

post #1 of 13
10/10/09 at 12:54pm
Thread Starter 
I'm interested in the Caliente because I've read that it's a good tube alternative for the HD650.

I also read in some review that it did pretty well with the Denon D5000. Has anyone tried the Caliente with the Denon D7000?
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post #2 of 13
10/10/09 at 3:04pm
Isn't the Caliente the one with the minor bass boost? IE, the '701' amp? Isn't the standard KICAS a better match for Denons since they are not lacking in bass?
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post #3 of 13
10/10/09 at 7:27pm
The Caliente is not the best match with the D7000s in my experience. The amp tends to emphasize the bass too much for the D7000s. I prefer a more neutral amp such as the Beta22, although it is much more expensive than the Caliente. Another combo that I liked was the D7000 with the iBasso D10. Good luck!
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post #4 of 13
10/10/09 at 7:32pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by el_monkey View Post
The Caliente is not the best match with the D7000s in my experience. The amp tends to emphasize the bass too much for the D7000s. I prefer a more neutral amp such as the Beta22, although it is much more expensive than the Caliente. Another combo that I liked was the D7000 with the iBasso D10. Good luck!
What about the 'non-boosted' version of the Caliente, the 'vanilla' KICAS?

I've heard that is a very good match for Denons. And that is what Purity Audio recommends if you own Denons.
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post #5 of 13
10/12/09 at 5:54pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by el_monkey View Post
The Caliente is not the best match with the D7000s in my experience. The amp tends to emphasize the bass too much for the D7000s. I prefer a more neutral amp such as the Beta22, although it is much more expensive than the Caliente. Another combo that I liked was the D7000 with the iBasso D10. Good luck!
Any specific opamp/buffer combo for the iBasso D10 that works well with the D7000?
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post #6 of 13
10/12/09 at 5:59pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jodet View Post
What about the 'non-boosted' version of the Caliente, the 'vanilla' KICAS?

I've heard that is a very good match for Denons. And that is what Purity Audio recommends if you own Denons.
Yeah that makes sense. Problem is that I want to get an amp that will work well with both the D7000 and the HD650. It's harder to find a SS amp that brings out the "musicality" of the HD650 (at least from what I've gathered scouring these forums).

Perhaps it's better to focus on an amp for the HD650 since the D7000 have sounded pretty good plugged directly into my MacBook and even into my surround sound receiver.
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post #7 of 13
10/12/09 at 6:37pm
Ever consider going hybrid or transformer-coupled tube that sounds SS-ish?
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post #8 of 13
10/12/09 at 8:06pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by K3cT View Post
Ever consider going hybrid or transformer-coupled tube that sounds SS-ish?
Considered the Woo WA6SE because it was suggested to me in another forum and I've read many good things about it, but kind of pricey for me right now especially considering I might also need to get a new DAC.

Haven't put too much consideration into hybrids.
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post #9 of 13
10/13/09 at 2:32am
Quote:
Originally Posted by rpaul View Post
Considered the Woo WA6SE because it was suggested to me in another forum and I've read many good things about it, but kind of pricey for me right now especially considering I might also need to get a new DAC.

Haven't put too much consideration into hybrids.
You could get the WA6 for the time being and upgrade later down the road. I haven't heard it with the D7000 but it does very well with my low-impedance HF2.
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post #10 of 13
10/13/09 at 3:37am
I had the Caliente version and it has a deliberate boost below 100 cycles and the treble is a bit rolled. I sent away for the jumpers and made it a "standard" version (non Caliente) and the response smoothed considerably. Not a bad amp for something competitively priced! Good parts and has been reliable while gobbling up the high sensitivity low impedance phones...nice!
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post #11 of 13
10/13/09 at 4:17am
I'm just wondering is the KICAS still available commercially? I remember posting about it in the Purity Audio thread here but it seemed to be out of stock and stayed that way for quite some time. That could be a point of consideration too I guess.
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post #12 of 13
10/13/09 at 4:25am
Thread Starter 
achristlaw, that is one helluva audio gear inventory you've got going!

I emailed Purity Audio earlier today and Oriel told me about the jumpers. Cool feature, will most probably go that route.

Of course, as fickle as I am, I think I'm gonna let the D7000 go. As much as I was attracted to its rich bass and smooth highs, there's just something about the sound signature that seems unnatural to me. The markl mods may or may not help, but I think I'll stick with open headphones for now.
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post #13 of 13
10/13/09 at 5:11am
Quote:
Originally Posted by K3cT View Post
Ever consider going hybrid or transformer-coupled tube that sounds SS-ish?
x1
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