It's my first post here. Klaus told me about Audiocircle, and I met a few members in his room. I am very glad that I made the trip from SF. I wanted to check out the Belles amps and the Salk and Emerald Physics speakers. They all are very good. excellent, actually. And then I made the mistake of walking into the Odyssey room. Yes, I have read about Odyssey but always dismissed them because of the low prices. Big mistake as it turns out.
Klaus is showing his new Kismet line. Let me explain it this way, I am buying the complete Kismet system, loudspeakers, mono amps ( actually 5 of them), Candela preamp, which will be upgraded to the Kismet preamp next year, and the Kismet phono stage. What I have heard in the Odyssey room was unbelievable. The musicality, the amount of effortless and layered soundstaging, the voicing, dynamics, every part of the performance had me drooling. The woodworking on the cabinets are beautiful, and the machining of the Kismet electronics are out of this world. Klaus showed a case disassembled, and I would eagerly pay $ 2000 for a case alone. UNBELIEVABLE. But a case does not make music, and the Odyssey room was on the very top of my list for best sound. Easily on the top of the list, besting systems for $ 100.000 and more. Ultimately the one product that I am impressed with the most is the Kismet phono preamp. Looks of a $ 10,000 unit and a sound that is soooooo good.
I know that many others feel the same. Outside the Odyssey room I overheard two magazine reviewers exiting the room. They could not believe what they heard. I spent two hours in the Odyssey room and a vast majority of the people coming in for a listening were godsmacked. My brother in law came with me and he was not really looking to buy anything. More a boys out of town trip for him. He loves music and plays Saxophone, but not a real audiophile. in the end he also bought a system, Loreleis, Stratos stereo amplifier and the Candela. I know that Klaus is doing serious business at the show. A couple sat with us for some time and they ended up getting the complete Kismet system as well. Imagine this we had to wait for them to sign up before we could order. In his folder I saw the order sheets. Klaus had over 20 orders already. On Saturday afternoon with Sunday still to come. His system is that exceptional.
I don't think that it is a secret here on Audiocircle that Klaus is a great guy. He is funny, no bull whatsoever. He is a huge guy with a personality to match. We had some drinks and we enjoyed his company. We had drinks, he had coffee.
Everybody out there, check out the Kismet. In my 35 years in this hobby I have never been this impressed.
Thank you, Nicolas
