Jeffkad
New member
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- #1
Well, the K-03 arrived a few weeks ago. The K-03 is massive, and offers numerous oversampling and filter options to tailor the sound. As the TAS reviewer Alan Taffel accurately described, the default setting (no OS or filters) is disappointing, at least prior to break in. Everyone says you need to break this machine in for at least 500 hours, and for each setting combination. However, Taffel's recommended settings immediately demonstrated what this machine is capable of, right out of the box. The level of detail is off the charts, although to be fair, other than store demos, I have never had a machine anywhere near this level in my own system.
Current settings: initially i started breaking in Taffel's recommended setting, and it was very good, but to be honest, I was not completely sold. However, I remembered that, during my research when I was deciding on the K-03, I had run across some threads at Audiogon that got heavily into settings. Specifically posts by "Guidocorona". He happens to be a reviewer and he posts often there. In one specific thread, he provides an excellent and detailed overview of his impression of the various filter combinations (and yes, he broke in every combo for 500 hours!). I think any current or future K-03 owner will find it an interesting read.
Based on his descriptions, I personally have moved to the 4x OS SDLY1 setting and I love it. It is exactly as he describes, warm and slightly tubey. And it sounds much better after 100 hours on it. Guido's preference is actually 4xOS SLDY2, which just goes to show that, as with all things audio, everyone has their own sonic preferences. The beauty of the K-03 is that, within one machine, it gives you some flexibility to shape the sound to your liking, which is truly awesome!
I have to say, the K-03 is proving revelatory as it breaks in. There are times when i just shake my head at the level of detail I'm hearing! And there are times when I just get totally immersed and pulled into what I'm hearing, which for me means air-guitaring, or air-drumming, or just plain bopping, lol!
The moment we live for: I have been building this high-end system for the past year, mostly by necessity, because the impulsive purchase of a well-priced used pair of Revel Salon 2's put me on an inexorable path to poverty, lol. Unfortunately, the Salon 2 revealed every single weakness in my system, and would not perform properly until I purchased the proper ancillary equipment. As I auditioned equipment, I had several demo CD's that I used, one of which was a somewhat compressed Bocelli album called Sogno. Some systems made it sound thin, unable to improve upon the compromised sound quality. A few systems, notably a pair of Maggie 20.1s with very expensive all ARC electronics, could really do justice to this CD. When I got my Krell S-1200 prepro, it made this CD sound wonderful, even though the source was the comparatively inexpensive Oppo BDP-95. Well, last night after breaking in the new filter combo, I popped in Sogno. The OMG moment arrived. The sound was absolutely glorious!! The K-03 had taken this poorly recorded CD and gave it a lush, full and amazing sound. I have never heard it sound as good on any system before. I can safely say I am now done. My system is complete (save a PC music server I will eventually run through the K-03's dac
). My journey is over. I can now concentrate on music. 
(BTW, I still have to give kudos to the Oppo BDP-95. It is amazing how good that little $1,000 box sounds even compared to the massive K-03. If I didn't hear a K-03, I could be pretty happy with the Oppo.)
Current settings: initially i started breaking in Taffel's recommended setting, and it was very good, but to be honest, I was not completely sold. However, I remembered that, during my research when I was deciding on the K-03, I had run across some threads at Audiogon that got heavily into settings. Specifically posts by "Guidocorona". He happens to be a reviewer and he posts often there. In one specific thread, he provides an excellent and detailed overview of his impression of the various filter combinations (and yes, he broke in every combo for 500 hours!). I think any current or future K-03 owner will find it an interesting read.
Based on his descriptions, I personally have moved to the 4x OS SDLY1 setting and I love it. It is exactly as he describes, warm and slightly tubey. And it sounds much better after 100 hours on it. Guido's preference is actually 4xOS SLDY2, which just goes to show that, as with all things audio, everyone has their own sonic preferences. The beauty of the K-03 is that, within one machine, it gives you some flexibility to shape the sound to your liking, which is truly awesome!
I have to say, the K-03 is proving revelatory as it breaks in. There are times when i just shake my head at the level of detail I'm hearing! And there are times when I just get totally immersed and pulled into what I'm hearing, which for me means air-guitaring, or air-drumming, or just plain bopping, lol!
The moment we live for: I have been building this high-end system for the past year, mostly by necessity, because the impulsive purchase of a well-priced used pair of Revel Salon 2's put me on an inexorable path to poverty, lol. Unfortunately, the Salon 2 revealed every single weakness in my system, and would not perform properly until I purchased the proper ancillary equipment. As I auditioned equipment, I had several demo CD's that I used, one of which was a somewhat compressed Bocelli album called Sogno. Some systems made it sound thin, unable to improve upon the compromised sound quality. A few systems, notably a pair of Maggie 20.1s with very expensive all ARC electronics, could really do justice to this CD. When I got my Krell S-1200 prepro, it made this CD sound wonderful, even though the source was the comparatively inexpensive Oppo BDP-95. Well, last night after breaking in the new filter combo, I popped in Sogno. The OMG moment arrived. The sound was absolutely glorious!! The K-03 had taken this poorly recorded CD and gave it a lush, full and amazing sound. I have never heard it sound as good on any system before. I can safely say I am now done. My system is complete (save a PC music server I will eventually run through the K-03's dac
). My journey is over. I can now concentrate on music. (BTW, I still have to give kudos to the Oppo BDP-95. It is amazing how good that little $1,000 box sounds even compared to the massive K-03. If I didn't hear a K-03, I could be pretty happy with the Oppo.)
