My KGSShv Carbon review
Maybe should be in the amp reviews section but may get overlooked in there?
This is a quick review of a DIY built Stat amplifier using boards designed by Kevin Gilmour and others. It was built for me by 'headinclouds' and is a limited release (all sold).
However, the boards are available to the DIY community, so if anyone wants to find a builder go over to the other place for details. Building one yourself is not for the faint hearted or novice as high voltages are involved and the circuit is fairly complex.
Bear in mind I have my other DAC, the AMR DP-777 here for this review, not my bigger Audio Note DAC 5 Special.
The first impression on the very first note was wow. Information overload, guess not helped by playing a busy trance track. Comparing how my previous KGSShv (really great amp in it's own right) sounded with my 007As or my 009s, this Carbon is more lively and has more detail. It however has no sharp sounding treble or digital / unnatural sounding with that extra information. The soundstage is super wide and 3D and the instrument separation superb and amazing layering. It is not as warm and cosy as my Sanyo KGSShv. That amp was possibly more forgiving? There is tons of information hitting you at once, all clean and in the right place, remarkable. Even when it gets super busy you can separate everything and position it in the 'head stage', no mean feet.
The midrange is damb good, not sucked out or lacking information. It's all there. Vocal are very natural and piano realistic. It reminds me of a really great speaker setup with big dynamics and great timbre. The bass especially on the 009s is very fast and very textured, no muddy one note going on here. It also doesn't muddy the rest of the audio band even if it is a bass heavy track. It also goes very deep. Decay and echoes, tiny stuff in the background are all there, like a master tape. I get the feeling there is tons of spare power on hand, it is on tick over and is driving the 007s or 009s with ease.
I have read the SIC Fets are a big deal in the Carbon and probably part of the reason why it sounds so good. The power supply also uses the newer more advanced GR supplies (compared to my KGSShv) and the extra 2 LV 15V DC boards may also have an impact. My experience with various power amplifiers and DACs over the years seems to confirm a better and cleaner supply = better sound. I don't go into technicalities, the info it out there for ones who want to read further.
I can say thankfully my NOS AMR DAC is super smooth and no treble coldness so it is great, no issues so far. Female vocals or jazz, symbols are all fine. There is a tiny bit less bass in the Carbon than my old KGSShv, but it is faster and more textured, less one note and bloated. The amp grabs the 007s and wrings the last bit of life out of them, bit like bursting a ballon behind a Labrador and seeing it run as fast as a Border Collie.
With the 009s the soundstage goes even wider and the transparency goes up a notch compared to the 007s. It is still super clean though. It is as all things, the closer to the source = the less hidden are the sources possible faults. So a good clean and balanced sounding DAC is key I think.
It does get a tiny bit hotter than my old amp, about 38°C on the hottest part of the heat sinks. No big deal.
I'll let others rate the Carbon against Stax amps or other amps like the BHSE. Just need to say it is the best sound I have heard so far and am super happy with this amp. It is incredible how much better the 007s and 009s can get IMO.
Great write up astrostar59.
How does your Carbon sound compared to BHSE's you have heard with the 009's. ?
