Rockport Avior vs. Marten Coltrane vs. Kharma Midi

Thank you so much Bill, your sharing is very precious to me!

After my audition of Avior and Cotrane at different places ( and different front end gears for sure) last week, I feel Coltrane is more friendly to amps and the sound is amazing to me. I don't have chance to check Kharma Midi, but I think Coltrane is my decision.

Thanks again, wish you have a splendid 2013!

Yuhuac

Thanks for a good post! I am an Avior owner, still looking for direction in choosing electronics. I started with my 20+ y/o BAT preamp and Rowland 8T, which couldn't provide enough weight at the bottom and effaced much of what is so desirable of transients, yet offered a lovely midrange. I swapped it toward a Dan D'Agostino integrated- bass and transient/ attack problems solved! A bit warm but still lacking the emotion of the BAT/ Rowland combo. I would be grateful for your current opinion on how to get it all? Budget is whatever I can get for the Dan D'A, probably close to the $24k I paid for it. Best!

Aldenberry,

It sounds like with your desire for a combination of a warm, full-bodied midrange combined with fast, tight bass, a tube pre/solid state combo is where you probably need to go. Having Rowland in the past, combining it with BAT would probably not be the best combo and be too warm and dark.

I would,d suggest the following: ARC Ref 5se tube preamp - gives some degree of warmth and tube sound in the mid, but still very dynamic and fast. For amps, Andy Payor from Rockport voices his speakers with Gryphon. An ARC/Gryphon combo would be intriguing.

Thanks for a good post! I am an Avior owner, still looking for direction in choosing electronics. I started with my 20+ y/o BAT preamp and Rowland 8T, which couldn't provide enough weight at the bottom and effaced much of what is so desirable of transients, yet offered a lovely midrange. I swapped it toward a Dan D'Agostino integrated- bass and transient/ attack problems solved! A bit warm but still lacking the emotion of the BAT/ Rowland combo. I would be grateful for your current opinion on how to get it all? Budget is whatever I can get for the Dan D'A, probably close to the $24k I paid for it. Best!

Groundhog Day??? Echo what Philb said.