Article: Review | Kinki Studio EX-M1+ 215 WPC Integrated Amplifier

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6 hours ago, PeterG said:

Always fun to read about a giant killer!  Although I agree that some expensive stuff does not sound as good as less expensive stuff, I do think there's a strong correlation between price and performance, at least from well respected brands.  I was expecting you to give this a big thumbs up by saying it's like an NAD, just to pick a great minimalist brand.  So it's awesome that a thoughtful listener would compare this to a D'Angostino.

 

The noise issue is interesting, especially in light of your note about not being a cable swapper.  I swapped my cables and added power conditioning long after putting together the rest of my system, to great benefit.  My take was that these things lowered the noise floor and enabled much more detail to come through.  I wonder if the secret sauce of the Kinki is that they figured out how to reduce noise inexpensively without third party cables/conditioning?

Oh, I have power conditioning. I have a hospital isolated power supply driving my system . It‘s a huge isolation transformer (about 75 pounds of copper and iron) with built-in LRC filters both before the 120 volt primary, and after the 120 volt secondary. I probably should have mentioned it in my equipment list, but it slipped my mind.

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1 hour ago, Rexp said:

Since i don't regard your HK900 as reference level, its hard to know if this amp is any good for $3K. There seems to be more recommendations in the $5K integrated area from the likes of Copeland, Hegel, Prima Luna & Mcintosh, if any deliver high-end sound at this price point its quite an achievement. 

Gee, what you regard as reference level, is kind of irrelevant. It is an excellent amplifier and I have had everything from Krell, to Threshhold to Audio Research (in fact, I replaced an SP 10 and a pair of VTL 140 monoblocs with the HK because it was better sounding, and not by little bit either. But if you’ve heard the HK and still think it’s sub par, then more power to you. That’s why they make so many different brands and styles of amps.

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17 minutes ago, Rexp said:

Ya sorry to rain on your parade, my covid got the better of me. 

Sorry to see that you have contracted COVID…

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I too would be interested in their  new top-of-the-line preamp and the monoblocks. Let me see what I can do about that 😉!

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7 hours ago, Rcanoe said:

Thanks for the review.  MOSFET  output is reminiscent of the old Hafler amps which had a tubey softness.  Based on the op-amp rolling suggestion/capability I assume this unit has a similar sound signature?  

 

Cheers

 

Went to the manual for more info.....

 

9. Technical Parameters

Frequency Response: 10-150kHz (±3dB)
THDN: 0.0232%; 0.006% (A-Weighted)
S/N Ratio: >103dB
Output Power: 215W RMS (8Ω), 290W RMS (4Ω) Both channel drivenDamping Factor: 2000

Max Output Voltage: 55VAC
AC Power: 110/240VAC, 50/60Hz (Factory configure)

Input Sensitivity: 2.25Vrms - 3.6Vrms
Input Impedance: 50kΩ
Input Connector: RCA x 3, XLR x 1, HT Bypass x 1 Output Connector: Preout x 1
Output: Speaker Binding Post 4mm L/R Channel

Dimension: 430W x 125H x 370D Weight: 25KG

I once had a Hafler amp. The DH 200, perhaps? It's been a long time. I don't remember it being particularly "soft" but on the other hand, lots of amps use MOSFETs as their output devices and I don't remember any them being characterized as "soft" so I'm not sure that it would be correct to associate the technology with "softness". But I could be wrong about that.

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First of all, the EX-M1 and the EX-M1+ are not the same amplifier. The + is an altogether better built unit and the speaker terminals are very high quality and made by Furutech as are the gold RCA connectors. I also understand that the circuit of the + is likewise upgraded with better parts and a somewhat modified topology. Frankly, I don’t see how they can sell the EX-M1+ for the price that they sell it for. I’ve seen Integrated amps costing several times the Kinki Studio’s $2900 selling price that aren’t built half as well. Of course, as usual, YMMV!

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Thanks for the clarification. There is damn little information available from the usual sources about these products, and the information I gave about the  sources for components and the differences between the EX-M1 and EX-M1+   were from sources I assumed were accurate. Well, you know what they say about assumptions! Thanks again.