Hello Srajan, it's been a few years since I asked you about the Bakoon amp. I never upgraded from 11R to 12R to gain the extra 5 watts. I have lived happily with mine but have not yet found the perfect speaker partner. The rest of the family prefer one with a small footprint. But speakers with high sensitivity that can work with the 10 watts of the Bakoon seldom come in small packages. Most of them are too big and not visually appealing to the others in the family. I recently had the possibility to buy a pair of B-stock soundkaos Wave 40 in black but my wife said that she would feel as if Darth Vader was looking at her in the living room. I found them quite beautiful so our preferences differ. I am currently running the Bakoon with Blumenstein Orcas, a wonderful single-driver speaker with a warm character that has lovely tone and works very well with acoustic instruments and small ensembles. But a 3-inch driver in a 20m² room has limited dynamics and you sometimes feel that you are seated in the back rows in the concert hall.
Therefore I am now thinking of finding a speaker that has the virtues I appreciate with the Bakoon – great clarity with excellent detail but not too bright or edgy and fully enjoyable at low volumes – and to buy an amp that works well with that speaker. One of the candidates would be the Albedo Aptica you own. It is a compact beautiful speaker that, according to your review, works well at low volumes and has the same clarity in the presentation that I like with the Bakoon. Even if the sensitivity is a low 85dB, you indicate that the Aptica can work with lower power quality amps. I understand that 10 watts from the Bakoon wont sufficient but do you think that any of the First Watt amplifiers could work well? Best regards, Christer Lagvik
The FirstWatt F6 or F7 work very well with the Aptica. I’d go after the F7. That’s 25/50wpc into 8/4Ω and plentiferous in your size room. Mine is five times the size and the FirstWatt still is enough. Srajan
Hello Srajan, in the end I didn't go the Aptica route and still have the Bakoon 11R driving a pair of 3-inch single drivers. I am following your evolving Kroma Mimí review with interest. Any chance you will ask Mimí to take your 15W Bakoon for a waltz? With a sensitivity of 92dB, Mimí might consider that amp to be a charming cavalier. Even the little brother with only 10 watts could perhaps be a candidate in a small room though Kroma suggest 15 watts as a minimum. All the best, Christer
Yes, I'll take Mimí for a Bakoon ride. If it works out, I'll later use the inbound AMP-13R for comparison on the same speaker. Srajan
Srajan,
I noticed that the waltz with Bakoon and Mimí turned out rather well! My listening space is about 3.5×6 meters so Mimí could definitely be of interest. But considering how I have started to really appreciate the charm of single drivers, Cube Audio may very well be a better candidate. That company has recently gained a Swedish importer so now I have a chance to audition. One common disease amongst audiophiles is the need to swap gear constantly. There's always a novelty that might be better than what you currently have. Another version of that flue is the difficulty of deciding which component to buy because there are so many options. I am suffering that latter variety. It is better for the wallet but can be frustrating. On the grave stone of Swedish writer Fritiof Nilsson Piraten it says, "Here rests a man who was in the habit of always postponing everything. However, in the end he improved and really died on 31 January 1972." Hopefully I won't postpone my next loudspeaker choice that long but there are some coming reviews on 6moons that need to be read first. Regards, Christer
There'll always be coming reviews on 6moons that need to be read first – until one day there won't be. Perhaps you'll need to wait for that day? Srajan
