Play it again, KID
By The Prodigal Fool, published on 21 May 2008
Audiophiles – and yes, we confess to considering ourselves as such – have traditionally turned their noses up at MP3 players. The process of messing with the original source – compressing and then decompressing it before listening to it – just doesn’t sit easily with our desire for the purest, highest-quality sound. Oh sure, iPods are great for when you’re out and about or perhaps as a music source in a kitchen or study, but when it comes to our main music system, they simply couldn’t offer the sort of quality that we demand.
The problem is that, as true gadgetholics, we’ve become completely bought in to the convenience and flexibility that comes from having all of our music stored and categorised on our computer. Once you’ve done that and enjoyed the possibilities it affords on an iPod, the process of storing and using CDs on your main music system starts to feel rather archaic. But, that’s just the price you have to play for ‘real’ Hi-Fi sound, right? Well, maybe not. Meet Krell’s KID (Krell Interface Dock).
Released last year, the company claims that its KID is “the first device to perfect the interface between the music stored on an iPod and a high-quality hi-fi system.”
For those of you who like an insight into the technology behind such claims, Krell’s information pack reveals:
“First, the KID’s custom-made, self-locating cradle holds the iPod device. Then, the balanced differential signal from the internal DAC is opto-isolated between the device and the 255-step custom-taper volume control, ensuring the lowest possible noise or interference.
“The top-quality, digitally controlled analogue bass and treble controls allow custom-equalisation of the source material, helping to level out any sonic inconsistencies between the tracks stored on an iPod.
“Balanced differential Class A circuitry is maintained throughout the signal path and fed to the balanced (XLR) and single-ended (RCA phono) outputs.”
The Guide hasn’t sampled the KID but we have had the pleasure of spending a lot of time with other Krell equipment in the past and we have a great deal of faith in it.
If you’re looking for a complete system, then you’ll want to pair the KID up with Krell’s matching Papa Dock – a 2 x 170w power amp.
UK distributor Absolute Sounds has gone one step further and is packaging the KID with a pair of Martin Logan floorstanding speakers to create the ElectroKID system (above). The speakers use electrostatic panels and have their own 200w amps built in.
Surely, the world’s most Prodigal iPod system.
Absolute Sounds, 58 Durham Road, London SW20 0TW,
Tel: +44 20 8971 3909
Play it again, KID
Audiophiles – and yes, we confess to considering ourselves as such – have traditionally turned their noses up at MP3 players. The process of messing with the original source – compressing and then decompressing it before listening to it – just doesn’t sit easily with our desire for the purest, highest-quality sound. Oh sure, iPods [...]
2 Responses to “Play it again, KID”
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