What Hi Fi Sound and Vision
23 SEP 2008
Roksan Kandy K2 amp
Roksan's Kandy range has been around for more years than we care to remember. Over that time, both the CD player and integrated amplifier have been turned from likeable, muscle-bound components into as finely honed products as you’ll find at this price level.
This latest generation of Kandy – there's this integrated amp and a matching £750 CD player – sports a flashy new look and enjoys a whole raft of engineering upgrades. We’re not wholly convinced by the new look, but you can judge for yourselves.
The new volume control is a shallow design that’s hard to hold, but apart from that this is as fuss-free as Kandy amplifiers have always been.
Well made and well worth the money
Roksan's new amp is very well made and worth all the money, which is a good thing because this Kandy, like much of the competition, has crept up in price in recent years.
We particularly like the dedicated remote handset: it’s programmable and massively classier than most handsets we see, almost regardless of the equipment’s price.
As for the amplifier, it shares its sister CD player’s sonic signature without adding any flaws of its own. This really is a brilliant all-rounder. We loved the last version, but this new one is so much cleaner-sounding than before.
It uncovers more detail and is better at organising it, too. That means whether you play the likes of Nirvana at very high volumes, or like a bit of Sinatra for a quiet late-night listen, the K2 amplifier will be a better performer than the old one by a significant margin.
It delivers seismic bass with more control
The power output is 125 watts per channel, which is pretty much unchanged from before, but this new amplifier delivers large-scale dynamics and seismic bass with so much more control than the LIII.
It’ll work more convincingly with a wider range of speakers, too, because there’s far more stretch to this design. If you're a vinyl fan, the K2 also has a good quality moving-magnet phono stage.
Frankly, the K2 amplifier has few rivals to worry about. It’s such a supremely talented unit that we can’t think of a better all-round alternative at similar money. Buy this one with confidence.
Click here to watch our video review of the Roksan Kandy K2.
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