I heard a top end Classe amp with the Thiel 3.7 about a decade ago and it was great. Just blew me away though I gave most of the credit to the Thiel 3.7.
I am trying to figure out whether to buy the Makua with DAC + Luxman m900u amp or Luxman c900u preamp + Luxman m900u amp. The Makua is one less box in the system.
I am curious about the Kaluga since it is showing up on the used market and seems the natural match for the Makua.
Another comparison I want to hear is the Benchmark LA4 preamp vs the Mola Mola Makua. Both seem to have the same design goals. |
There is a dude in San Diego selling a Makua without the DAC for $5400. I emailed him yesterday to find out about the logistics of adding the DAC module. I decided to just buy a new one if I go with the Makua since adding the DAC module to a used Makua seemed like a PITA. He also has a Tambaqui + Makua combo for a decent price. US Audio Mart. |
@fastfreight Are you able to give some comparisons of the Kaluga's to any other amps you have used with the Revel Salon2's? I have owned the Salon1's and know they needed power.
The PS Audio gear you referenced above, does that include their amps? |
Mola Mola dealer quote to me: I spent the whole summer with it in prototype mode and you will see it is rather compact and comes in a nice flight case. Therefore, I was able to take it around with me along with having clients bring their digital gear in. I have heard it against the $90K+ MSB, dCS Vivaldi, Playback Design, Lampizator, D1 Esoteric, Mytek, Berkeley, Aqua , Weiss and a few more I am sure I am forgetting of course PS AUDIO and Auralic Vega. In every case the Tambaqui was the sure favorite. It is so lively and natural in the real sense. There are no veils, there are no dynamic constrictions, there is no coloration, no electronic sound. It is bigger sounding, more dynamic, truer to the natural scale and incredibly transparent. It just sounds real and natural. In my option there is no better DAC on the market whatsoever. The Tambaqui is the same as the DAC in the Makua. My understanding is the Makua sounds a bit better. Less interconnects, shorter signal path, etc... |
