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SONNET KRATOS AMPS
After having reviewed the stellar Sonnet Digital Audio combo of digital components, the Morpheus robust power supply, and they employ judicious feedback for linearity and damping factor. The Kratos are a true balanced design, with selectable XLR and RCA inputs available. The amplifiers have a very manageable footprint, weighing in at 9 lbs each, and being no wider than a shoebox. They are very sturdy however, as the workmanship is tip top. They have a few nice most welcome features as well. There is a selectable automatic music detection circuit that will activate the amps when they receive a signal, so one does not have to turn them on or off manually. They also have a temperature read out on the front display, The amps can be ordered with a black or silver faceplate. Our samples arrived with a silver finish.
SET UP & LISTENING:
the Kratos were designed in the Netherlands by the chief architect of Metrum Acoustics, Cees Ruijtenberg.
The Kratos amplifiers use a high voltage FET transistor input and a Class A/B MOSFET output. The amps put out 50 Watts per channel into 8 Ohms and this almost doubles to 95 Watts per channel into 4 Ohms. According to Sonnet, they choose a very
The Kratos were used with by Rogue RP-5 preamplifier, a Byrston BDA-3 DAC, a Sonore microRenu 2 streamer, and the speakers were Magnepan 1.7i. The analog source was a Rega Planer 6 turntable. Cabling was Audio Art Cable all around. Everything was connected to Bryston and Audience power conditioners. No special tweaks were used aside from an Audio Art Cable power cord on each amplifier. The first album we spun was an original vinyl pressing of ABBA’s 1978 succinctly titled The Album. It features some of their most loved in every way. This was an early digital recording, done with such care and attention to detail that it still stands up today against the very best recordings. It was originally released
Home”, a close second. The entire platter is a great listen. It was time travel back to our youth hearing these songs with fidelity unmatched back in those days. The layered audiokeyreviews.com vocals, the quirky keyboards, and the distinct vocals of Roger Hodgson were holographic and multidimensional.
We received a batch of excellent recent SACD releases, and put them to good use in evaluating the Kratos. Some of the standouts are the Mobile Fidelity DSD remasters of the entire Eagles studio output, the Analogue but even that may not cover it. The recordings are stellar, and she is a multi instrumentalist with degrees in flute, piano, and voice. The albums are simply intoxicating, and the 24 bit downloads were so dimensional and present in the room via the Kratos that this was the highlight of the review period. We then stumbled upon a band from