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On the input side of the amp, the Kismets come fitted with XLR receptacles although these are provided as a convenience for those with balanced line-level cabling. The amp is not a differential design. Internally Groneberg’s Quattro Reference New Generation cabling connects the line-level inputs to the first stage of the amplifier.


The output is for all practical purposes limited by the power supply, which comprises a mains transformer, regulators and several large capacitors. A Canadian Plitron toroidal transformer—90% or more efficient according to the manufacturer—is a 650VA affair while a hefty 120,000μF bank of storage capacitors insures that the power will be there for sustained blasts from the orchestra or imploding Death Stars. Even more caps can be fitted as an option.


The standard speaker cable terminals are the mid-level 24-carat gold-plated OFC copper alloy WBT 0763. According to the manufacturer, these can handle 200 amperes of continuous output, which might be enough for arc welding. Mechanically they’re completely comfortable with the massive machined spade lugs of the AudioQuest Wild Wood speaker cables. However, be sure to consider their high-end CE and IEC-compliant Platinum-plated WBT 0705ag NextGen series terminals. For the relatively modest cost of the upgrade, these should be high on your list of options. They boost the Kismets into another realm of performance, which was actually rather a surprise to me.
At RMAF 2010

The Kismet series of amplifiers and preamplifiers sport an entirely new case aesthetic built from scratch in the Odyssey shop. It continues the oval front-panel motif of earlier models but features chromed cylindrical pillars in the corners and integrated heat sinks. The pillars and other components are CNC machined from aviation-grade aluminum billet; the tops and bottoms are CNC stamped and the whole fabrication process requires about 13 hours of shop time. And then comes the assembly work. In the interest of expediency—these new cases were backordered for weeks—and personal preference, my own Kismets came in conventional Odyssey cases but strikingly anodized in deep red with glossy black enamel chosen to match my interior décor. They also became the styling cues for the special paint on my new Sashas.


Basic considerations: As the first step of what would be a long review process, an Odyssey Stratos 'glass ceiling' Extreme stereo amplifier was brought in—an outstanding product in its own right—to tide me over during the several months before the Kismets would arrive. But one fine day they did arrive. If you don’t mind a quick trip to your local airport, air freight is the preferred shipping method for such dense and heavy items (the amps run about 60-70 pounds each depending on options). Although Maui is a very long ways from Indianapolis, the price was right and much cheaper than FedEx or UPS. Both boxes arrived in immaculate condition with nary a cut or smudge. A friendly forklift operator at Hawaiian Airlines carefully lowered the boxes into my waiting Honda Element and off we went.


Monoblocks allow placement of the amps close to the speakers, which has the considerable advantage of reducing the length of the speaker cables, always a good thing for most technologies. And one can afford a much higher grade of cable, which for such a short length may cost less than a longer run of lower-grade cable. You win either way. Of course this layout also requires longer line-level interconnects but these are usually less critical with respect to their effect on sound quality.

With power amplifiers the installation is pretty simple. Plug them in, connect the line-level and speaker cables and turn ‘em on.  Both Kismets came to life as indicated by the pale blue LED illumination of the front panel and a few seconds later a relay snapped close enabling the outputs. The amplifiers need to be left on 24/7 but coast along at about 35 watts each when idling. The bill from your local utility isn’t going to go through the roof. And even when running full tilt for hours, the massive cases get barely warm to the touch.


Here on Maui residential electricity costs a relatively staggering 35 cents/kWh with all fees and surcharges, about two to three times the typical mainland rates. The bump to the monthly bill was about $20 or $240 a year, not that distressing. In comparison those fortunate to live close to the Tennessee Valley Authority or in the Pacific Northwest can keep the amps ready to rock and roll for about 10 cents a kWh or less.


Beginning of a beautiful relationship: My system is minimalist. Bit-perfect PCM data from a computer music server (battery-powered for the most critical listening sessions) is transported by a newly-introduced USB to S/PDIF converter, the Audiophilleo1 that approaches the current state of the art with respect to low noise and jitter. This device plugs directly—no cable required—into the back of the refined and reference-grade Weiss DAC 202 and could be used to connect any DAC especially those lacking computer interfaces and attenuators. Alternatively,PCM-encoded music can be sent to Weiss via FireWire, which some listeners may prefer.

My listening experience with the Kismets includes several months each with two rather different speakers, the brilliant Usher Be-718 DMDs and then Wilson’s latest and possibly most balanced speaker, the Sasha W/P. Both make good mates for the Kismets. For those not familiar with the Ushers, they might best be described as massive monitors with usable bass extension in my main listening room down to the mid 30s. Mounted on substantial third-party stands with granite slab bases, each side weighs close to 100 pounds. Think of them as the top section of what would be very large floorstanders. The Usher alone weighs roughly twice as much as the WATT on top of the Sashas and is much larger in volume. However they’re not particular sensitive coming in at just 83dB real world over a 300Hz-3kHz bandwidth yet  present a benign 8Ω or higher load across most of the spectrum.


Stand-mounted monitors are an interesting paradox. On one hand they don’t have deep bass but that’s often a blessing disguised as a specification. In many rooms they will sound better overall than floorstanders. As acoustical engineers will inform you, one reason for this is that the space under the midrange and tweeter drivers is pretty much guaranteed to be lousy for a bass cabinet given how air behaves in enclosed spaces. So for critical listening and evaluating a wide range of gear the Usher monitors are excellent reference speakers.

In any event the Usher Be-718 had no difficulty putting out beautiful music almost regardless of genre. While they can be driven to high levels with large-scale orchestral fare until the ports start to chuff noticeably, the overall presentation is entirely pleasing, realistic and as one expects from the best monitors, features impressive soundstaging and imaging. The absence of the deep bass—especially too much deep bass (an unnecessary and frequent obstacle to realism in home audio)—-naturally lets one’s attention rest on the refined inner detail of music. Few tower speakers allow this without careful attention to bass management, equalization and room treatment.


The Sashas by comparison are obviously quite happy in the Stygian depths, producing substantial output in the low 20Hz region depending on the room. While featuring a rather high 91dB voltage sensitivity, they present a complex difficult load as low as 1.8Ω at around 100Hz and not much higher over much of the rest of the spectrum. The nominal IEC rating is 2.2Ω and thus the high current capability of the Kismets should be put to good use. Many wonderful tube amplifiers need not apply.


Naturally whenever a major new component like this shows up, all real work stops for the rest of the day. It’s timeout to enjoy the new addition to the family. In the first moments of critical listening it was clear that although the Stratos shares some components with the Kismets and has a similar topology, the new amps were different beasts. My listening notes included first impressions along the lines of greater smoothness and clarity and the Stratos was no slouch in either of these areas.


We were off to a good start of what would be a rather long ride through the ups and downs of conditioning. Although the impending passage between the audio equivalents of Scylla and Charybdis was anticipated, it took some unusual forms. First there’s too much bass, then too little -or was it the other way around? It seems like they went through this cycle more than once. Secondly, the soundstage grows, contracts and expands yet again. Why this all takes place and more astonishingly, that everything does eventually converge is certainly a mystery to me.

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