REVIEW: Purity Audio K.I.C.A.S. Caliente home headphone amp - updated with comments on regular KICAS

[Skylab]

UPDATE: auditioning of KICAS non-Caliente (regular) version

Oriel at Purity Audio was nice enough to send me a regular KICAS (non-Caliente version) to audition. The plan was to compare it to the Caliente side-by-side, but this was not to be, as unfortunately I loaned my Caliente to another head-fier who has vanished with my amp

I did spend some time listening to the regular KICAS, though, and from memory I will say that I was quite surprised that it sounds much more similar to the Caliente than I expected. The regular KICAS is still very smooth, nicely detailed, with an a very neutral, even sound. It is neither bright, nor bass-deficient. Just as I found the Caliente not to be overly warm, I do not find the KICAS to be overly lean, or even lean at all. It's smooth and pleasant to listen to.

In almost every way the KICAS and Caliente sound very, very similar. Without being able to do a direct comparison it's almost impossible to define exactly how much difference there is, as I am certain that the difference between the two is quite subtle. If one has slightly lean headphones, it makes sense to get the Caliente, and conversely the regular KICAS would be the way to go if one has warm-ish headphones. But in neither case is either Purity Audio amp so colored that matching is all that critical. I enjoyed both versions with all the headphones I tried.

 

[Hatmann]

Has anyone compared these amps with Headrooms with the Max module?

 

[alwayshungry]

Thanks for the comparison Skylab. I am currently burning in a Caliente that I received this past Friday. Can you estimate how many hours it took before you felt it was finally burned in?

Also I would like to note that Oriel was extremely fast to ship and answer my questions when I ordered.

 

[Skylab]

I thought it changes fairly little during break-in, actually, but certainly 100 hours will do it.

 

[digger945]

Thanks Skylab, is there a thread about the culprit?

 

[Skylab]

Quote:

Originally Posted by digger945 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Thanks Skylab, is there a thread about the culprit?

Nah, that wouldn't accomplish anything, although I did post a warning in his feedback thread.

 

[digger945]

There is a KICAS in the Amp FS forum.

 

[Skylab]

Quote:

Originally Posted by digger945 /img/forum/go_quote.gif There is a KICAS in the Amp FS forum.

That is definitely not my amp

That is a regular KICAS - the one that was hijacked from me is a Caliente.

 

[musicmaker]

how does it fare with IEMs ?

 

[sbulack]

Quote:

Originally Posted by musicmaker /img/forum/go_quote.gif how does it fare with IEMs ?

The short answer is:
It works really well with the (very sensitive) Shure SE530.
The longer answer is:
No detectible hiss or any background noise over the range of pot volumes that would even conceivably be used for listening (and still keeping your hearing for more than a very short time). No pot tracking issues at the lower pot settings used with these sensitive IEMs. Even with a fairly strong source (iMod line-out), the pot is NOT at the bottom of its range, even with the very sensitive SE530's.
The even longer answer is:
SE530's, coupled with a Caliente, do not give a sound as full or large as, say, the HD650, but closer to the sound of a full-sized phone than with a PPA (with discrete buffer), M^3, Headroom Micro Amp, Meier Arietta, Penguin Caffeine, iBasso P2 or Go-Vibe V5 or V6. Over a broad range of tracks over a wide variety of genres and styles, I give the HD650 sound an overall A to A+, and the SE530 sound an overall A- to A.

 

[musicmaker]

thanks sbulack for the detailed response.

BTW, probably a long shot but has anyone compared the KICAS to a RSA XP7 ? They're kinda in the same price bracket. I've owned the XP-7 and it is a very very nice amp. Anyone heard both ?

 

[boozcool]

Just my two cents:
I got my KICAS Caliente earlier today, and I have been using it with my E-mu 0202 and DT-770s. To be honest, it did not meet my expectations at all. Compared to the Practical Devices XM4 w/ AD8620 OPAMP, the KICAS Caliente has a greater soundstage, but significantly less bass (both quantity and quality). Other than that, the differences are very slight, which is suprising considering the XM4 is a portable amp. For the price/quality difference between the XM4 w/ AD8620 OPAMP ($130) and the KICAS ($330), I would go with the XM4 for bass.
Has anyone had similar experiences with the DT770s? Could it be the headphones??

 

[s1rrah]

Quote:

Originally Posted by boozcool /img/forum/go_quote.gif Just my two cents: I got my KICAS Caliente earlier today, and I have been using it with my E-mu 0202 and DT-770s. To be honest, it did not meet my expectations at all. Compared to the Practical Devices XM4 w/ AD8620 OPAMP, the KICAS Caliente has a greater soundstage, but significantly less bass (both quantity and quality). Other than that, the differences are very slight, which is suprising considering the XM4 is a portable amp. For the price/quality difference between the XM4 w/ AD8620 OPAMP ($130) and the KICAS ($330), I would choose the XM4 hands down. Has anyone had similar experiences with the DT770s? Could it be the headphones??

Wow.

That's very intriguing as I am a former XM4 owner.

When I first got my Paradisea+ tube dac, I used the XM4 as a "desktop" amp for a few weeks. It sounded pretty darn toot'n good with the Paradisea+.

But when I got the Stello HP100, and when I plugged it into the Paradisea+ ... I simply could not believe how much more sonically intriguing and beautiful it was (Stello) compared to the XM4. I mean it was staggering ... but of course, the Stello was my first listen at a true desktop amp.

Anyway. I sold the XM4 the very next day and haven't done the portable thing since.

So strange that your impression should be such as that as I've always considered the Caliente to at least be a direct competitor performance wise, to the Stello.

Perhaps the source is what is not allowing you to adequately hear the differences? I'm not sure, really ...

Anyway ... just a few comments on desktop vs. portables since I was a XM4 owner (w/ AD8620) a bit back.

Have fun...

 

[Skylab]

Well, since the Caliente has a slight bass BOOST built in, I can't imagine the XM4 (which I owned a long time back) having more bass unless you are using the XM4's bass boost.

What model DT770 exactly?

 

[boozcool]

I use the DT 770/80 Pro, and used the XM4 with the bass boost. Without the bass boost, its comparable. The KICAS's bass gets a bit deeper. But the XM4 with the bass boost is wayyy better for bass heavy music like trance or hip hop.
Overall, I'd prefer the KICAS, but there's not as big a difference as I expected when going from portable to desktop amp.