[tassardar]

For some reason there's no thread for Mass Kobo stuff in portable audio to discuss about it.



I got a chance to loan a Mass Kobo 475. Did an initial impression and I have to say I am impressed. I have many amps that is still sitting around waiting for me to do a review, but the out of box impression and initial comparison made the 475 a really interesting headphone amp that I have to review first.

Personally, I think the Mass Kobo 475 has a better detail retrieval, imaging and separation than even the Ferrum Oor. Im pretty sure it's got to do with the amp design.

Contrary to its rather below average specs, it powers anything from my IEM to even my DCA stealth without any distortion and clipping. It only played badly with me Simgot EA1000, alot of ground loop and static for that. Else everything was great, even the absolutely power hungry Moondrop para.

 

[Tanalasta]

Just received my MK475.

These are brief impressions only.

Very good build quality and tolerances. The battery cover slides with a pretty perfect fit. And kudos to Vishnu for the gorgeous leather case with a flap to access the battery compartment.

If you're cable sensitive - interconnects can subtly (or not so subtly) change the characteristic of the sound.
SP3000 -> Line out -> Eletech Ode to Laura IC -> MK475 -> Stock cable with Trialii

I'm fairly sure I double checked I was on low gain. The MK475 also has headphones in mind as I've only turned the volume pot 10-15 degrees from minimum.

Initial impressions are an immediate weight in the low mids. My personal preference is I like his leaner but Musical. There's a warmth and fullness to the low mids that borders on congested and the treble, whilst it's there seems more recessed as a result. I'll have spend more time with a wider range of IEM's / Headphones and Interconnects. Staging and separation better than the PB5.

I can't find a manual as to whether the USB-C power input will automatically draw the correct voltage (USB wall chargers these days can be 100W plus) so hoping someone can let me know before I try it with my laptop or GAN charger.