Vortrex, if your K&K phono experience is circa 2011, then no, it's not the latest design. The last three years have seen more that one upgrade.
Showing 3 responses by john_tracy
One needs to take any comparison to the K&K Audio Maxed Out with a grain of salt. The "Maxed Out" has undergone several major (sonically) revisions in the last couple of years. If the person does not specify which version he/she is referring to then it may be that they heard an older incarnation and not the current offering. I can think of three major changes in the last couple of years. The addition of a CCS plate load to the input tube with the switch from series RIAA resistance to shunt resistance, greatly increasing the dynamic expressiveness. The switch from a JFET to a MOSFET in the JFET/vacuum tube cascode in the input stage, which made for a much more natural musical presentation. And finally the addition of current source fed discrete shunt regulators in the B+ supply which really enhanced jump factor and musical flow. One of the nice features of owning a K&K Audio product is looking forward to the improvements that Kevin continues to make. Improvements that Kevin won't charge an arm and a leg for like some companies. He prices his upgrades on the actual parts cost, not on the sonic benefits. |
David, although not all the upgrades in the current Maxed Out are officially supported for older units it is possible to do (with cavets). I was the owner of the very first complete phono pre kit sold. When I acquired a beta Venice I sold "Old #1" to a buddy and have kept him up with all the latest upgrades including a current source fed, shunt regulated B+ supply (this was an alpha test of the idea). I was floored by that change. So was Kevin. He felt, quite rightly, that this would be too difficult to migrate backwards to all previous K&K phono pre's. That said: if you happen to have one of the older units with separate L/R Chn. boards and separate PS board; there is room to do this. The maxed out with the PS and L/R channels all on one board just do not have the room. As for bettering the Maxed Out, unfortunately the Sonus Veritas Venice, Kevin's all out 3 stage fully differential, series feed, transformer coupled, $25K phono stage never really had a chance to be heard by very many vinyl fans which is too bad. http://www.analogplanet.com/content/my-beta-venice-phono-pre This is a photo of my beta Venice taken before adding a CCS fed shunt reg. to the input stage. |