[NavyDoc]

Just got the phone with Klaus, soon I will be the owner of a fully loaded Khartago stereo amp and a Tempest preamp w/remote, second pre outs for subs, and HT bypass.

The Odyssey equipment will be driving 4 Pi speakers (Pi Loudspeakers).  For bass the 4 Pi's are augmented with a pair of Pi 3 subwoofers using a miniDSP as an active crossover (LPF at 90 Hz; HPF at 15 Hz).  When I return to the U.S. in 2013 I will incorporate my ultra-low subwoofer (Exodus Audio Mal-X Gen II 18" driver in a 20 ft^3 vented enclodure tuned to 12 Hz [-3 dB at 13 Hz measured in room]) powered by a Crest Audio CC 2800 (2800W/4 ohm/bridged) pro amp.  The Mal-X only covers the 10 to 30 Hz range so it has very little impact for music, but makes the house shake when watching movies.  All subs are equalized using the miniDSP parametric eq following measurements with a calibrated microphone and REW software).  I love bass, but it has to be done right or not at all.

Currently I am running a 6.3 setup with an Onkyo TX-SR805 THX Ultra receiver, Adcom GFA-555 (as a L/R subwoofer amp), and the sources are a Sony BDP-S480 BluRay (digital signal via HDMI for DSD from SACD's) and an HP laptop (digital signal via toslink).  Once the spouse recoveres from this purchase - probably two years - will look into a better source.

Can't wait till the Odyssey equipment gets to Cambodia.

Thanks Klaus for all the guidance and recommendations!!!!!!!!!!

[MaxCast]

welcome to the club NavyDoc.  Enjoy your new amps and get us a pic of that sub 

[NavyDoc]

Thanks for the welcome.  I don't have a picture of the DIY sub as the HD where I had pictures of the build was stolen in the move from the U.S. to Cambodia. It is long-term storage in the US as it is to big to move around.  The dimensions are 96" x 32" x 15", it was located horizontally across the front of the HT room under the screen.  Must have weighed 250 lbs, the movers were not happy - I just hope they didn't destroy the driver out of spite.

When I get back to the states I am thinking about rebuilding the woofer into a modified tapped horn enclosure.  The design would be able to put out over 120 dB at 12 Hz.  No need to EVER do so, but I like plenty of headroom so bass-heavy soundtracks don't distort and potentially damage to the driver.  I typically watch movies at -10 dB from THX reference level.

Please note, the bass is calibrated to the rest of the system, I do not run it "hot" or with a "house curve."  In fact on many CD's you would think the system has weak bass, but when called for it is there.  The bass on Bela Fleck's Flight of the Cosmic Hippo loaded the entire room and you "felt" it as much as heard it.

[Will]

I meant to post to a different topic, but cannot figure out the way to delete a post. 

So I'll just add Welcome to the Club, and thanks very, very much for your service to the USA.

[NavyDoc]

just got an email from Klaus, my stuff has been shipped.  Only a couple of more weeks until it arrives!

[jMelvin]

Nice! I'm still waiting for a similar email from Klaus.

[the7comeback7kid]

Do you have the equipment yet? Would like to hear your opinion.

[NavyDoc]

The equipment arrived, unfortunately the preamplifier was damaged in transit (it was not a packaging issue, rather the common rough handling of packages by the mail carriers - in my case the items were shipped from Indy to Phnom Penh, Cambodia).

However, the Khartago is fantastic!!!!  After running it for a few weeks it has no noticible grain or additions to the signal.  I can hear things in music that I had missed before and the decay into silence is significanlty better than my previous amplifiers (note they were not world beaters, an Adcom GFA555II, Onkyo THX Ultra HT receiver, and an Audiosource Amp One).

Upon my return to the US I plan on returning the amp to Klaus to be retrofitted into a mono amp and purchase a second mono Khartago.