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Mola Mola Makua and Kartugas or Preamp and Merrill Veritas?


     I've decided to hopefully upgrade my class D based system by investing in one of these preamp/amp solutions and I'm requesting a healthy dose of wise advise from the plethora of sage A'gon members, please.
     My budget is up to $15K, my inclination is to buy high-end class D amps based on the high quality Hypex NCore 1200 power modules and I plan to purchase used.  The problem is I've never personally listened to any of these amps and I'm relying only on the very positive reviews I've read, hence my request for advice.  Here are descriptions of the current self-identified 2 options I'm considering:


Option 1:  A pre-owned Mola Mola pair of Kaluga mono-blocks and Makua preamp.  I find this option attractive because the preamp was designed to match well with the mono-block amps both performance wise and cosmetically.  The downside, however, is that this matching of preamp and amps somewhat negates the benefits of using separates in the first place.  As an example, I've identified two sellers with Makuas and Kalugas in very good condition but they both want to sell their preamp/amps as three component sets for between $14-15K rather than individually.  

Option 2: A pre-owned pair of Merrill Audio Veritas mono-blocks and a suitable high quality preamp.  I know I can buy a pair in very good condition for about $5K because Merrill, of Merrill Audio, told me he's taking in quite a few pairs of Veritas as trade-ins toward purchases of his new Element line of amps.  He stated they thoroughly check all of these amps, refresh and tune them up as needed and resell them for about $5K/pair. I only know this by responding to one of his ads for a pair of Veritas on U.S. Audio Mart and wound up speaking directly with Merrill (he's a a good guy).  So, I'd likely buy a pre-owned pair from Merrill Audio if I opt for this option.
     This means I'd also need to select and buy a high quality and well matched pre-owned preamp, which I would appreciate any advise on, too, especially from current Veritas owners.
     Overall, my preference is for a ss preamp, mainly due to ease of maintenance, but would accept a tube preamp if it was low noise, low distortion, had a more neutral than euphonic sonic character and was highly detailed.  Besides this, my requirements for a preamp are that it's balanced, has a minimum of 2 pairs of balanced xlr inputs and a single pair of outputs, has a means of HT passthru, has a remote for at a minimum input/HT selection and volume functions and has an output impedance of 10K ohms or less.
     I've thus far identified two preamps that I believe are good pre-owned preamp candidates to pair with the Veritas: the Mark Levinson 326S solid state preamp for about $5K pre-owned that is my 1st choice and the Aesthetix Saturn Calypso hybrid ss/tube preamp for $4,500 new or up to about $2K less pre-owned that is my 2nd/backup choice.
    So, I'm requesting feedback on whether you think the Mola Mola Makua preamp and Kaluga mono-blocks or the Merrill Veritas and a TBD preamp is my better upgrade option and, if you believe it's the Veritas, which high quality preamp would you recommend?

Thanks in advance,
         Tim
noble100

Showing 1 response by hgeifman

hgeifman
2,306 posts
 
@noble100, Previously, I owned a custom built Hypex dual NC400 mono block class D amps (modified). They sounded okay but I decided to purchase the Mola Mola Makua pre-amp/DAC and Kartugas NC1200 mono blocks. The Mola Mola units sounded much better than the Hypex dual NC400 mono block amps. I have no listening experience with the Merrill Veritas amps.

After months of listening, I was not happy. Everyone has a different opinion on class D sound. Neither of these Class D amps sounded right to me. The music was very clear but, for me, it did not sound like music. I invited several friends over to listen and everyone agreed.

The music played, but for me, was not engaging, feeling, emotional and did not feel right to me. As a result, I decided to sell both my Mola Mola units.

After that “expensive” experiment, I decided to visit my local retailer and ask for advice. I have known him for many years and trust his ears. After listening to several units (many times), I finally purchased the SimAudio 700i V2 integrated amp. This integrated amp sounds terrific and is much more musical AND engaging than the Mola Mola units. This is my opinion.

I also purchased the Bricasti M21 DAC. This DAC operates as a 24 bit delta sigma, a 20 bit ladder DAC and a true 1 bit DSD for DSD content. Most of my listening is using the ladder DAC. I am very happy with the sound quality and have STOPPED looking for any new audio equipment (finally).

I hope this post encourages you to give class D amps a “serious” listen before you purchase one. Of course, some people on these forums will disagree with me and that is okay. The Mola Mola equipment is expensive, preowned or new.

Audio equipment Decisions like this are complicated. I encourage you to audition both the Mola Mola Amps and the Merrill Veritas amps before you purchase. And, also, I suggest other amps be auditioned before you purchase. I hope this helps.

And, if you are unable to audition the equipment, I suggest you scan these forums for additional info and post more questions, as needed.


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