So - at the risk of being a troll :( Anyone looking at the Kinki Studio EX-M1 integrated amp?

[mhardy6647]

A fellow on the Polk forums got interested and bought one. His initial impressions are very positive.

Just wonderin' if any of all y'all were considering/looking at this amp?
S'posed to be "Swiss style" sound at a fraction of the price (less than $3k in the US)

https://www.kinki-studio.com/ex-m1
http://www.6moons.com/audioreviews2/kinki/1.html

EDIT: I have no horse in this race Just curious as to whether anyone here was paying any attention to this designer and/or this particular product?

Thanks.

 

[Ernie]

The somewhat lack of frame of reference, in the picture, has me thinking that this is a small form factor piece. The oversize knobs and uncluttered faceplate add to that.

A quick read of the manual shows that this is a substantial piece. 17"Wx5"Hx14.5"D and 55 pounds. 215 wpc into 8 ohms.

They are not playing around.

First I hear of this, but I'm somewhat intrigued. At least, as much as a confirmed low-wattage tube guy can be intrigued.

 

[prime minister]

Well, I am now! Lovely piece.

 

[TubeHiFiNut]

Where do the tubes go?

 

[mhardy6647]

Where do the tubes go?

yeah, yeah...

 

[David]

This amp does appear to be the talk of the town...

What’s special about it? Another champagne taste on a beer budget package from China?

 

[Ernie]

Amp designer, Liu, with one on the bench, testing performance. Not a lightweight integrated, nor is it Class D PS.

 

[prime minister]

Where do the tubes go?

Right in the garbage. Along with the ignition points, carbon paper, floppy disks and your old pager. Though I do understand there is the odd collector for this stuff, so you might want to try eBay before they go in the trash.

 

[TubeHiFiNut]

Right in the garbage. Along with the ignition points, carbon paper, floppy disks and your old pager. Though I do understand there is the odd collector for this stuff, so you might want to try eBay before they go in the trash.

Just send all those old outdated tubes and tube amps my way.

Come to think of it, I'll also need the ignition points for my 1957 Chevy and 1966 Mercury.

Back on topic: The amp looks nice and has plenty of power.

Wondering how well it drives low impedance, reactive (big electrostats) loads?

 

[mhardy6647]

...

Wondering how well it drives low impedance, reactive (big electrostats) loads?

Me, too ('specially the reactive part)

Here's the Polk forums thread, if anyone's interested & hasn't located it yet. I have been waxing pretty skeptical but that's just me being me
http://forum.polkaudio.com/discussion/182838/new-integrated-amp/p1

 

[Don Ivey]

For anyone interested, there is a pretty lengthy discussion of this amp on Audiogon. It seems to be quite popular.

 

[HepcatWilly]

Based on the scale of the photos (assuming the engineer is greater than 18" tall) the remote must be the size of a loaf of bread.

 

[JohnVF]

My wife's into kinki stuff.

c'mon, you all get to make Schiit jokes for 10 years and think they're funny.

 

[mhardy6647]

Imagine the Sino-California joint venture...

Kinki-Schiit

They'll petition the Frank Zappa family trust for rights to use Frank's name, likeness, and probably some of his music as part of their marketing campaign.
Maybe they'll contact Stormy Daniels, too...

 

[Redboy]

I’ve always thought the world deserves a Bulldog / Shih Tzu hybrid for the name, alone...

“Hey Nate, what would you call that dog?” you might ask...

 

[mhardy6647]

I’ve always thought the world deserves a Bulldog / Shih Tzu hybrid for the name, alone...

“Hey Nate, what would you call that dog?” you might ask...

you can't go wrong with a hybridization of those two names, actually -- as I reflect upon the possibilities.