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Considering my limited time with the Maggies and my poor results, I’ll focus my subsequent comments on solely the Vivid K1 which became a more accurate mirror for the amplifiers’ performance. In closing on the Magnepan chapter, I wouldn’t call the Karan performance a complete bust but it was less revealing than I achieved with similarly priced amps like my Luxman M88 and the Chord SMP-6000 loaners.

Back to the Vivids. As previously mentioned, unlike many big solid-state amps, the KA M2000 demonstrated a delicacy and fluidity uncommon in the upper spectrum as well as very low bass. Their bandwidth appeared devoid of any harshness. The upper midrange was natural and transparent, i.e. precise, smooth and consistent all at once. On voices the benefit of high three-dimensionality was obvious to create the most holographic soundstage I ever culled from the K1. The most impressive feature of the Serbians thus was this wide holographic soundstage that I’d compare to what I got from the big Soulution monos but with a bit more finesse in the treble and less weight in the lower midrange. In my opinion the Karans have just the right density to avoid the ethereal rendering of valves and the oppressing midrange of big transistor brutes. The power reserves were so huge that the dynamics never seemed an issue. But it wasn’t really their energy that impressed me but rather their complete lack of compression under all circumstances. Do you need muscle? They will gladly ridicule Conan the Barbarian. Do you look for sensitivity? They will make Boy George look like the prince of Death Metal. With the KA M2000 everything gets bigger, wider and deeper.

Listening to the 1981 Flamenco/Jazz live recording Friday Night in San Francisco [Philips], the ambient detail of the Warfield Theatre’s audience was astonishing. The level of detail in the lower midrange with its harmonics provided very realistic guitar timbres and a lifelike atmosphere. The tonal balance was indeed on the warm side but I believe that a live recording with microphones close to the guitars should and does lead to warmer results than we’d generally expect from an acoustic studio recording. I would not consider the Karan performance completely neutral since it was slightly warmer than I’m used to. But it was definitely pleasant and very organic. Again, the soundstage was wide but particularly deep and holographic. I had the sensation that the three guitarists were physically present but also that I could move freely all around them. And that I have not really achieved with other big power amps.


On symphonic music like Dvorak’s 9th Symphony with the CSO conducted by Sir Georg Solti [Decca], the muscular energy of my two loaners filled the entire room. The Karan amps seemed to take complete control over the Chicago orchestra from the first movement to the robust finale. For me it’s often difficult to be completely thrilled by the 9th through the diversity of delicate and titanic climaxes. But the Karans succeeded in preserving my involvement from the first bar to the last. They emphasized the raw emotional power of Dvorak’s New World masterpiece whilst casting a very solid and precise soundstage. The powerful brass section of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra never became too bright or edgy perhaps because the Serbians do live on the warm side of neutral. The more subtle second movement didn’t lack poignancy. Finally my fear to listen to a caricature of the 9th with these imposing beasts and the CSO’s terrific brass section completely vanished to give way to a spectacular live reading.


On operatic voices the two KA M2000 were rather convincing performers. In the second Leinsdorf’s recording of Madame Butterfly [Living Stereo], Leontyne Price as Cio-Cio San’s voice maintained all its finesse and voluptuous character. In this Puccini masterpiece, Price convincingly conveys the emotional evolution of Cio-Cio San throughout the course of the opera. The Karans highlighted with accuracy the naïve and happy mind set of Act 1, the confused and sad state of Act II and the soul devastation of Act III. I had opportunity last month to attend Kristine Opolais’ performance at the NY Metropolitan Opera—a great performance by the young Latvian soprano—and the Karans in that respect were quite close to the live event.



Conclusion. The flagship Karan monos did not completely meet my expectations for the Magnepan 20.7. But they more than did the job and perhaps went beyond my expectations on the Vivid Audio and Lawrence Audio speakers. They really are a kind of wall breaker. Under all circumstances they produced a wide and large scenery with a very hard-to-match holographic sculpting. With the right balance between density, authority and fluidity, they succeed in taking advantage of both vacuum and solid-state strengths. Of all the bad boys I‘ve taken for a spin yet, these most represented the famous image of the iron fist in the velvet glove. Thus should you find yourself looking for unlimited power, warm tones, extended bandwidth and have the financial wherewithal, these most definitely should be on your very short list. Just check first that your particular speakers will actually benefit from their very high damping factor.
Karan Acoustics website
Karan USA, UK, Germany and Benelux website