Mola Mola Makua and Kartugas or Preamp and Merrill Veritas?

Hello rsf507,

     Yes, I would think the Christine might have the advantage of superior newer component parts.  Ideally, I'd prefer to audition them both in my system and purchase the one I liked best overall. 
     Unfortunately, it's highly unlikely I'd find an audio shop, within reasonable driving distance, that would have pre-owned examples of each preamp in very good condition and would allow me to take them to my home for auditioning and comparing performance.  
     But your point is well taken, the Christine preamp may be the better performing preamp.  I was required to choose between these 2 preamps without the benefit of direct comparisons of them in my system, however, and I selected the 326S due to there being a local Levinson dealer but not a Merrill dealer, they're both low noise, low distortion and neutral preamps according to pro reviews, I like its looks and remote more, I thought it'd be easier to sell in the future and it was priced about $3K less.

Tim

@noble100 sounds like a good plan. Question did not the ML 326S come out in 2005? Just my guess but I would assume there's been lots of upgraded parts to newer pres that might decrease the noise level of a system. Just my own thought.
Let all know what you think of each component once heard. I'm sure no matter what they will be a sonic improvement. Enjoy your journey.

Update:
     I got very lucky!

     I decided to call the owner of my favorite high-end audio store here in Indy yesterday , Graham the owner of Audio Solutions, and get his thoughts on my attempted upgrades to my system.  His shop is always interesting because he's very knowledgeable, there's a wide selection of new high-end audio/video equipment on display available for audition and there's also a constant arrival of high quality pre-owned equipment available for purchase arriving as a result of regular trade-ins on new high-quality gear purchases.  They have a full-time crew of repair technicians on staff that ensure all gear is functioning optimally.
     Okay, here's the lucky part, After I told him of my specific system upgrade intentions, he stated they had recently taken in some trade-ins in very good condition: a Levinson 326S preamp and a black pair of Magnepan 3.7is bought new this year that were not even fully broken in yet and currently stored there in their original packaging.; his wife thought they were too big for their living room.
     Well, what do you know?  This is the same shop from which I recently purchased a new Lumin D2 dac/streamer, a matched 20 TB Synology NAS and a Parasound Halo P6 preamp w/ remote and HT passthru. I love the sound quality and convenient functionality, paired with an iPad as a user interface, of all this new equipment in my system with the exception of the P6 preamp. The P6 was a necessary addition since I required a selecting/volume control device to accommodate the separate D2 dac/streamer now that I'd no longer able to use my Oppo 105 as a preamp due to its lack of a balanced xlr input.  
     The P6 has an accurate, detailed, neutral and enjoyable sound quality as well as the capacity to portray a solid and stable 3 dimensional soundstage illusion.  However, I didn't like its lack of a input/volume display, somewhat clunky remote and its poor volume control precision.  
     So, I'm going to return the P6 preamp and Audio Solutions is going to come out and swap out the following equipmemtequipment:
Swapping in the Levinson 326S for the P6.
Swapping in the Magnepan 3.7is for my 2.7QRs.
Swapping in my recently purchased Oppo 205 for my105.

     They're also going to allow me to audition a pre-owned pair of Levinson 531H mono-blocks (asking price is about half off their original new msrp of $13K/pair).  As I've stated before, I think my 1,200 watt @ 4 ohm D-Sonic M3-600-M class D mono-blocks are a definite strength of my current system driving my 2.7QRs but these speakers are almost 25 years old.  I'm curious to hear if they'll drive the 3.7is just as well and comparing them to the Levinson 531Hs.  I like many qualities of good quality class D amps but I'm confident my love is reserved for the amps, regardless of amp type,  that actually perform and sound the best driving my speakers in my system. No matter the results, I'll try to remain open-minded and would still be interested in auditioning the Merrill Veritas and Mola Mola Kartuga class D mono-blocks in my system if possible.    
     I'm also very curious on the improvements gained in my system by upgrading to the 3.7is and its true ribbon tweeters.  I'm obviously expecting increased treble detail but realize there are likely to be other performance improvements elsewhere in the audible frequency spectrum.
     Given these numerous impending changes to my system, I do regret probably not having the chance to audition the apparently very competent, low noise, low distortion and neutral Merrill Christine preamp in my system, I suspect I would truly enjoy one in my system.  The Levinson 326S preamp that I will be auditioning, according to numerous professional reviews I've read, shares the same exact attributes the Christine possesses.  I believe it should give me a very reasonable facsimile of the effect a low noise, low distortion and neutral preamp would have on my system's overall sound quality. 
     But if the 326S does not meet or exceed my high expectations or it's not a combination I thoroughly enjoy, I think I'll likely still be seeking out and auditioning the alternative Christine preamp with low noise, low distortion pairs of class D mono-blocks such as my D-Sonics, the Merrill Veritas and the Mola Mola Kartugas just to satisfy my curiosity and determine definitively whether this theoretically excellent combination actually results in excellent sound quality performance.
     The above are the details of my first phase of planned upgrades to my system's audio quality.  The planned second phase of planned upgrades to my system's acoustics and video quality will occur immediately following successful completion of the audio quality phase.
      Constructive criticism and comments welcomed.
Thanks,
  Tim

@noble100 just curious if you got the listed Christine?

If you want musical Class D, Bel Canto would be worth your listening time.  They've been doing it for a long time.  

Doesn't look like an auction. Send a message and maybe tell them you can give a $500 deposit if you are serious which should satisfy most sellers. Again only if you are serious otherwise you would be wasting his/her time. Can't lose to try.

So you better transfer your money first from your “investment” fund before you make any offer. Or negotiate with seller first, and explain your case

Hello rsf507,
    Funny, I was just thinking the same thing, if you're talking about the one for $7,500 here on A'gon. I'm a bit torn between the Christine and the Levinson 326S that usually go for about $5K used in very good condition.     I know the Christine would work well with my current class D amps and has everything I need but my issue is I'm transferring the funds to buy a preamp from an investment fund and it'sgoing to take 10 business days for the money to arrive, which means about Dec. 11th.
    Do you know how his ad works? I just checked it again and the ad states there's 18 days left and the price is still listed as $7,500.  Is this ad an auction and bidding won't close until the 19th? Or is there a 'buy now' option?  Do you think I should send him a message explaining my situation and intent to purchase?
     Sorry, I'm not sure of my options.

Thanks,
  Tim

@noble100 good plan but if looking for a used Christine pre which I've only seen 2 show up in the last yr might be wise to make an offer now. As you stated only great reviews on it. I've had items that I really wanted and while I contemplated to buy they were quickly gone. Just saying!

Bill Parish of GTT Audio up in New Jersey is not only a Mola Mola dealer, but also the US Distributer of the brand. Very nice guy. I have met him in person. 

I own the Makua preamp/DAC and absolutely love it. I have it paired with a Simaudio 870a amp (Class A/B). The detailed, neutral sound of the Makua paired with the warm, refined sound of the Simaudio amp is a wonderful match. If you read the reviews of the Makua/ Kaluga combo it's the Makua that really stands out. I never considered the Kalugas as possible amps to pair with the Makua. I have owned and listened to a few class D amps and never found them as musical as class A or A/B amps.....BTW I was able to do an in-home demo of the Makua (through Bill Parish of GTT Audio).  

If I was set on class D I would wait for Ralph’s Atmasphere amp to come out.

rsf507:
"Why not get the Veritas with the matching Merrill Christine pre? "

Yes, the Merrill Christine does seem like an ideal option.  I just read a very positive review on it:
  
http://www.enjoythemusic.com/superioraudio/equipment/0517/Merrill_Audio_Christine_Reference_Stereo_P...

   I think this just moved to the top of the list if I go with the Veritas.  Thanks, rsf507.

yyzsantabarbara:
"For class D I would be interested to see what Mr Puztey's new class D designs sounds like. He is the king of Class D."
     Good point.   If Bruno Putzeys's sets out to create and design a custom pair of high performance class D mono-blocks specifically based on the top of the line Hypex NCore 1200 power modules, that he also invented and designed, along with a solid state preamp designed and built from the ground up to be a high quality low noise, low distortion, neutral and ideally matched companion component,  I would think the chances are excellent they would each be outstanding performers individually and achieve even better results combined.

     Based on the numerous Merrill and Mola Mola reviews I've recently read, however, I'm  becoming increasingly concerned that the Makua and Kalugas may not live up to my high expectations. I wasn't expecting the Merrill Christine preamp and Veritas mono-blocks  would consistently receive more positive reviews than the Makua and Kalugas. 
     I believe the reason why rocray's advice, to "put your ears on the gear", sounds and feels so exactly right to me is because it's an honest and simple remedy to the consequences of relying too heavily on audio equipment reviews.  I enjoy reading reviews even though I realize it's a very poor substitute for listening in person and forming one's own impressions, likes and dislikes.  
     My primary current intention is to seek out and arrange methods to personally audition the audio equipment I'm interested in, as well as exposure to available high quality gear I'm not presently aware of but might develop an interest in,  to gain knowledge, experience and develop an effective plan to upgrade my a/v system within my budget in the near future.
     I would describe my current combination 2-channel music and 5.1 surround sound audio/video system as generally of good quality with a few obvious areas in need of improvements, that I'll detail later on this post.
     My room is 23' x16' x 8' with wall to wall carpeting and the following along one 16' short wall:
A low 6'w x2'h equipment rack, 
A 65" wall mounted Panasonic plasma 1080p hdtv located above the rack that extends 3' out from the wall. 
A Magnepan CC3 center speaker, mounted to a separate tv wall mount that also extends out 3' from the wall, positioned just above the  hdtv and angled slightly downward towards my listening seat.
A pair of Magnepan 2.7QR 6'x2' panel spkrs straddling the hdtv and about 3' out from the front wall.
The top wood shelf of my low 6'x2'  equipment rack contains:

A pair of D-Sonic M3-600-M 1,200 watt @ 4 ohms class D mono-blocks that drive my main speakers.
A Parasound Halo P6 preamp with HT passthru. 
A 20 TB Synology NAS storage device.
A Lumin D2 dac/streamer.
An Oppo 105 Bluray/CD/SACDplayer/5.1 Surround processor

The 2 shelves behind the front doors on my rack contains:

A  1,000 watt@ 4 ohms class AB amp that powers the four Audio Kinesis Debra distributed bass array system subs (1'x1'x2' cabinets with a 10" aluminum long-throw woofer in each) that are dispersed throughout the room.
A 220 watt @ 8 ohms ClassD Audio stereo amp that drives a pair of in-ceiling Infinity rear surround speakers.
A 375 watt @ 4 ohms Emerald Physics class D bridged stereo amp that drives the Magnepan CC3 center channel speaker.

     I've already begun the process of upgrading my system in areas that are fairly obvious to me such as:

Purchased a 4K Oppo 205 to replace my 1080p Oppo 105 
Will soon purchase an LG C9 77" OLED hdtv to replace my 1080p Panasonic VT60 series 65" plasma hdtv.

     I've also identified a few areas of my system that are currently performing well but that I believe could significantly improve my overall system's performance quality if upgraded effectively, such as:

Upgrade my Magnepan 2.7QR main speakers, that are approaching 25 yrs old, to a new or pre-owned pair of Magnepan 3.71s.

Upgrade my Parasound Halo P6 preamp to a pre-owned preamp with HT pass thru.  Possible candidates are the Merrill Audio Christine or Cara, Levinson 326S and possible others that have at least 2 balanced xlr  pairs of inputs and at least 1 balanced xlr pair of outputs, a means of HT PassThru, a remote and an output impedance under 10K ohms.

Attempt to arrange 30 day in-home trial period to audition the Merrill Veritas, the Mola Mola Makua and pair of the Kalugas. I'm going to attempt this since I'm having such difficulty finding Mola Mola and Merrill Audio dealers to audition mainly their amps but also the Makua preamp.


     Because of this, I've decided to shift my upgrade focus over the next few months more toward upgrading my main speakers, preamp and likely having a local audio shop analyze my room, develop a  comprehensive plan to improve its acoustics using GIK products and installing the treatments.

     Posting this thread and reading the responses has not only already helped me take a more objective look at my system and recognize areas that would benefit from specific upgrades,  it's also spurred me to estimate the likely benefits of each of these potential upgrades to my overall system performance and prioritize them in order of expected benefit.  Kind of like picking the low hanging fruit first.
     For example, I realized that I consider the high quality performance of my D-Sonic mono-blocks driving my main speakers as a major strength of my system.  Upgrading these at this time makes little sense and was probably motivated more out of curiosity than an actual need. 
     Another example is neglecting the fact that a system's main speakers are the main factor that determines the quality level and characteristics of its overall sound.  Of course, it's also important that the main speakers are driven by a high quality and well matched amp I've been driving my 2.7QRs with high quality and well matched amps for so many years with great result, that I may have taken their performance for granted, neglecting the reality that they're about to be 25 years old and failing to realize that upgrading to the much newer 3.71s would likely result in a significant system improvement of the 'why didn't I do this years ago' variety.
Sorry this post is so long.

Thanks,
   Tim

I am personally not a fan of class D amps, but IMHO best implementation of those is from Jeff Rowland.

The only Mola Mola I have heard is their DAC, the Tambaqui. It was fantastic!

A few people I know own the monoblocks from Gato Audio, and they like them very much:

https://www.gato-audio.com/eu/pwr-222.html

I personally have no experience with Gato

Not to complicate things for you but Nuprime's. Evolution One Mono amps should also be on your list. New 8K and used about 5K, to me they handily beat out many Class D including Veritas. I also have found that Class D pairs well with a tubed preamp or DAC that tends to add a naturalness to the music.

You are asking people on an internet forum that you do not know to help you decide on gear you have never heard....a recipe for disaster, IMO.
Just like @hgeifman I too purchased Ncore NC1200 amps and eventually sold them because I didn't think they sounded as believable as the Class A and Class AB amps I owned previously.
You really ought to listen to a pair before spending your money.  It took me almost a year to figure out what exactly I didn't like about them in comparison to Class A and Class AB amps.
You could instead buy the pair listed by @willgolf.  If you like them, then you will have a set manufactured by the man who created Ncore, but if you decide they are not for you, then you could probably sell them without losing too much. 

@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.

With that kind of outlay,why not hop on a plane,and put your ears on the gear? Just a suggestion. 

Tim - As previously stated I would sell the Makua pre-amp separate.  Or, I could be talked into selling the Kaluga's separate.  Also, what speakers do you have?  

For class D I would be interested to see what Mr Puztey's new class D designs sounds like. He is the king of Class D.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/bruno-putzeys-1946597/

https://www.linkedin.com/company/purifi-audio/

They were saying the the goal of Purifi Audio is to remove a zero from the price of an amp,

Why not get the Veritas with the matching Merrill Christine pre? I own the Thor amp and love the Merrill sound and would think a full merrill system would be wonderful. There's a used Christine listed here on Agon.