Bill, i just made that same move. i went with the Kharma Exquisite 1D. they arrived last thursday after a 5 month wait. i am simply overwhelmed at the performance and build quality of these speakers.
they are a work of art; 565 pounds with stands, and gorgeous. they mate perfectly with my 12 foot wide room and my 75 watt Tenor 75Wi OTL amplifiers.
i left behind 6 happy years with Levinson/Wilson (#33, #32, WP6). i was looking to step up to the top level and wanted to have the OTL tube magic. what i got has been beyond my high expectations. this speaker nails every audiophile perameter there is. read Jonathan Valins review in Absolute Sound from last Sept.(?) if you want the details. if anything, it is better than he describes. he reviewed the 1B, after that there was a 1C.
i have the first 1Ds that have been built. the 1D is bi-ampable and has cryo'd internal wiring and crossover components.
if you have the room for the Sound Labs they are really great. the Rockports are also as good as they come. but the Exquisites have a certain refinement that i think is unique among the "mega-speakers". with the Kharma it is not about the parts but about the whole....music comes first...the most seamless and coherent top to bottom presentation you can imagine. and any real world amp can easily drive them.
today i had 2 friends over to make sure i wasn't deluding myself about these speakers. they left profundly affected. this is my first post regarding the performance of the Exquisites and maybe with time i'll find a weakness....but so far these are the best speakers i have ever heard.
they are a work of art; 565 pounds with stands, and gorgeous. they mate perfectly with my 12 foot wide room and my 75 watt Tenor 75Wi OTL amplifiers.
i left behind 6 happy years with Levinson/Wilson (#33, #32, WP6). i was looking to step up to the top level and wanted to have the OTL tube magic. what i got has been beyond my high expectations. this speaker nails every audiophile perameter there is. read Jonathan Valins review in Absolute Sound from last Sept.(?) if you want the details. if anything, it is better than he describes. he reviewed the 1B, after that there was a 1C.
i have the first 1Ds that have been built. the 1D is bi-ampable and has cryo'd internal wiring and crossover components.
if you have the room for the Sound Labs they are really great. the Rockports are also as good as they come. but the Exquisites have a certain refinement that i think is unique among the "mega-speakers". with the Kharma it is not about the parts but about the whole....music comes first...the most seamless and coherent top to bottom presentation you can imagine. and any real world amp can easily drive them.
today i had 2 friends over to make sure i wasn't deluding myself about these speakers. they left profundly affected. this is my first post regarding the performance of the Exquisites and maybe with time i'll find a weakness....but so far these are the best speakers i have ever heard.