KC-130
100+ Head-Fier
I've owned the MK2 for a couple of months and, to exercise some hyperbole, I've yet to pick my jaw up off the floor.anyone have any thoughts after owning this amp for a while?
I ask friends to blindly compare my Cavalli, Woo, and MK2. The moment they hear the MK2 their expressions say they've received a special gift.
Some have even given it a hug and asked to take it home with them.
My preference for connecting the MK2 is with my Elears... so much that I will likely sell my LCD-2f.
I also connected the MK2 with my K7XX, and HE-560 before I sold them. To my tastes, none of my digital or analog arsenal of inputs could aid the 560's.
The first thing I noticed about the MK2 was what I wasn't able to hear... no hiss, no hum, no pop... nada, zip, zilch.
That's a remarkable comment to make about an out-of-the-box tube dependent amp. Every time I power it on I expect for reality to set in with a flurry of rabbit-ear-antenna-like static. To date, no background noise whatsoever.
Typically, when I first sample a new tube amp my initial though is "hmm, that's an interesting take on tube acoustics".
One of my usual sampling favorites is Bill Frissel's jazzy version of "Surfer Girl" and the MK2 delivered an unforgettable immersion into the steel-bending artistry of jazz guitar. It creates the sense that every note has been hand-crafted especially for you. The same tune played on my Woo left me saying, "meh".
The one word that repeatedly comes to mind in describing the MK2 is "Live". Every tune I sampled had the unmistakable essence of a Live performance. Not so much due to the intimate soundstage that was created but because the tonal aura seemed to continue on beyond my ears instead of terminating inside my head. The sound was being physically animated to an extent that I could see the very tunes I was hearing. Psychiatrist refer to it as "hallucinating". Whatever it is, I'm glad I found it.
On the mechanical side, the MK2 is capable of a threatening amount of power. I'm unable to twist the pot past 9 o'clock without removing my headpiece.
I can't say much about attack and decay. My ears just aren't specialized enough to detect those things.
However, the components do get very warm but only the top of the unit is hot to the touch, that I can attest to.
The styling of this unit has to been experienced in person. The photos of it are great but sitting in front of it, staring it eye-to-eye, you get the feeling you're in the presence of something far more than just electro-mechanical. Peering through the porthole on the front of the MK2 is akin to watching an aquarium. Whatever they put into those tubes creates something supernatural visually... and audibly.