Hi all, delurking....
I have a kinki3 feeding a KK/1/D, into klout aktiv ninkas - very happy with it, fed by LP12SE and adikt. However, I had a brief listen to my TT through an akurate kontrol at the weekend, and yes, the AK phono stage was better than the kinki3 into AK line input.
So my question is, how much better than kinki3 is the current slipsik? And how does the slipsik compare to the Akurate? I'm not about to spring for the uphorik (....yet...if ever), and I'm happy with the kinki3, but for the trade up cost of kinki3 to slipsik.... what can I expect? If the slipsik is AK good, then its almost a no brainer, and totally in line with the source first philosophy.
Tell me... I need to know :)
kinki Vs slipsik and akurate
Moderator: Staff
kinki Vs slipsik and akurate
LP12SE+adikt/Ikemi/kinki3/KK/1/D/Klout x2/aktiv Ninka.Silvers&K400
Hi qtws!
I've got an LP12SE with Adikt as well, with which I give every KINKI3 and Slipsik a listen before they're shipped. In my opinion, KINKI3 makes the music enjoyable and does all the basics right. I can happily play with it for hours. When exchanging it for a Slipsik 5.1, another layer of musical detail, attacks and decays, is revealed. It's hard to go back after that change.
Ideally, you should hear the difference in your own system. In the UK, What You See and Hear in Beaconsfield have a Slipsik 5, which isn't the latest version but they can have it quickly upgraded if necessary. Maybe you can give them a call and ask whether you can try it?
I've got an LP12SE with Adikt as well, with which I give every KINKI3 and Slipsik a listen before they're shipped. In my opinion, KINKI3 makes the music enjoyable and does all the basics right. I can happily play with it for hours. When exchanging it for a Slipsik 5.1, another layer of musical detail, attacks and decays, is revealed. It's hard to go back after that change.
Ideally, you should hear the difference in your own system. In the UK, What You See and Hear in Beaconsfield have a Slipsik 5, which isn't the latest version but they can have it quickly upgraded if necessary. Maybe you can give them a call and ask whether you can try it?
the older version, probably dynamiked - I didn't up end it to check 
ultimate aim is Akiva + linto, then urika. so not looking to go Uphorik - that money makes more sense on akiva, and then trade the Lejonklou for a linto (£ish), although I see the sense in uphorik, what with it being switchable between MM/MC.
ultimate aim is Akiva + linto, then urika. so not looking to go Uphorik - that money makes more sense on akiva, and then trade the Lejonklou for a linto (£ish), although I see the sense in uphorik, what with it being switchable between MM/MC.
LP12SE+adikt/Ikemi/kinki3/KK/1/D/Klout x2/aktiv Ninka.Silvers&K400
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Tony Tune-age
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- Joined: 2009-12-19 19:07
- Location: United States
Having the option for moving coil or moving magnet cartridges is a really good feature on the Uphorik :!: And in addition to sonic performance, some individuals will purchase the Uphorik because of that particular feature 8) .qtws wrote:although I see the sense in uphorik, what with it being switchable between MM/MC.
Tony Tune-age
To start with I have to say that I find the Slipsik 5 and 5.1 quite a bit better than the Kinki 3. When I did some comparisons here between the Kinki 3 and the Slipsik 5 we all found that both were excellent pieces but the Slipsik was definitely more musical. From a sonic point of view they were very similar with little difference in frequency balance, detail, openness, etc. But on the Slipsik the music just flowed in a very natural way and sounded more real, easier to follow what the musicians are doing. To me the Slipsik had that kind of easy musical rightness I generally associate with Klimax components - it was simply the most musical sound I have heard from a moving magnet cartridge.
What confuses me a bit, however, is that we also preferred the Kinki 3 to the phono stage in the Akurate Kontrol/D. The phono stage in the AK/D hadn't been used much at all so burn in of the phono stage could have been a factor. We also used Linn Silver interconnects to connect the Kinki and Slipsik to the AK/D so that could have been a factor. Whatever the reasons for the difference we felt that the Kinki 3 was a slight bit better than the AK/D phono stage and the Slipsik 5 was a fair bit better. All these comparisons were done with the Slipsik 5, the 5.1 upgrade further improves the flow and tidies up the sound a bit.
I have not had the opportunity to compare the Lejonklou phono stages to the new AK/1 as we don't yet have a demo unit. My guess is that the differences would remain the same as I believe the phono card is the same and that the AK/1 uses the same Dynamik power supply. The musical improvements are therefore likely to be mostly from improved line circuitry and layout and the more solid chassis which would give the same improvements with the external phono stage. But you don't know for sure until you listen. We will be getting in the AK/1 for demo in the near future so I will do the comparisons again once it is here and burned in.
What confuses me a bit, however, is that we also preferred the Kinki 3 to the phono stage in the Akurate Kontrol/D. The phono stage in the AK/D hadn't been used much at all so burn in of the phono stage could have been a factor. We also used Linn Silver interconnects to connect the Kinki and Slipsik to the AK/D so that could have been a factor. Whatever the reasons for the difference we felt that the Kinki 3 was a slight bit better than the AK/D phono stage and the Slipsik 5 was a fair bit better. All these comparisons were done with the Slipsik 5, the 5.1 upgrade further improves the flow and tidies up the sound a bit.
I have not had the opportunity to compare the Lejonklou phono stages to the new AK/1 as we don't yet have a demo unit. My guess is that the differences would remain the same as I believe the phono card is the same and that the AK/1 uses the same Dynamik power supply. The musical improvements are therefore likely to be mostly from improved line circuitry and layout and the more solid chassis which would give the same improvements with the external phono stage. But you don't know for sure until you listen. We will be getting in the AK/1 for demo in the near future so I will do the comparisons again once it is here and burned in.
hi folks,
many thanks for all the replies - confirming what I suspected! Sipsik is (obviously) better than kinki3, and probably AK as well. That would do me nicely. I'm not sure how much use the MM input in my dealer's AK has had. It was a fairly short test, as we were trying to find the reason my LP12 wasn't singing as it should*, but neither did it leave me feeling that I had made a mistake with the kinki3. The kinki3 was a blind (or should that be deaf??) purchase from WYSAH by mail order about a year ago - and it immediately beat my SMPS kairn. I will give WYSAH a shout and see what can be arranged. The Irish Sea is in the way and therefore getting a listen might be awkward as my local dealer doesn't carry Lejonklou.
* broken T-kable earth wire - not buzzing, but definitely wasn't right. Took about 5 seconds of music after replacement of the earth wire to realise that I do, indeed, have an LP12SE as opposed to a TT that was struggling to beat an Ikemi!! :shock:
many thanks for all the replies - confirming what I suspected! Sipsik is (obviously) better than kinki3, and probably AK as well. That would do me nicely. I'm not sure how much use the MM input in my dealer's AK has had. It was a fairly short test, as we were trying to find the reason my LP12 wasn't singing as it should*, but neither did it leave me feeling that I had made a mistake with the kinki3. The kinki3 was a blind (or should that be deaf??) purchase from WYSAH by mail order about a year ago - and it immediately beat my SMPS kairn. I will give WYSAH a shout and see what can be arranged. The Irish Sea is in the way and therefore getting a listen might be awkward as my local dealer doesn't carry Lejonklou.
* broken T-kable earth wire - not buzzing, but definitely wasn't right. Took about 5 seconds of music after replacement of the earth wire to realise that I do, indeed, have an LP12SE as opposed to a TT that was struggling to beat an Ikemi!! :shock:
LP12SE+adikt/Ikemi/kinki3/KK/1/D/Klout x2/aktiv Ninka.Silvers&K400
I've had some time over the last week to do some additional listening with the Kinki 3, Slipsik 5.1 and some new hardware in the store so I thought an update was in order.
The first comparison was between the Slipsik 5.1 and the new AK/1 phono stage. For these comparisons I actually used a KK/1/D as the line stage and fed the Slipsik and the fixed out of the AK/1 into it. So I was comparing the AK/1 strictly as if it were an external phono stage. This way both units were going through Linn Silvers into the KK so I felt it gave a better idea of how the phono stages operated by themselves. As in my previous tests with the original AK there was no question that the Slipsik was a more musical phono stage. While the AK/1 sounded better than I remember the AK sounding the phono stage had not gained much ground on the Slipsik which was definitely more in tune, had a more natural flow and allowed you to hear more of the subtleties in the musicians' playing. A couple of days after I did my first tests I was doing a couple more with a different record and one of our regular customers came in to listen. As soon as I switched to the Slipsik from the AK/1 he commented that it was obviously more musical and that things like the decay of the notes sounded more natural and were easier to follow. He heard the improvement from the Slipsik in the first 20 seconds.
Later I did the same comparison with the Kinki 3. Because of the improvement of the AK/1 over the AK I was wondering which phono stage would win. After a bit of listening I still feel the Kinki 3 is more musical and tuneful than the phono stage in the AK/1 although it is obviously closer than with the Slipsik 5.1. With one record I was using there is some very subtle note bending being done by the acoustic bass player. This same record really brought home how much more tuneful the Radikal was than the Lingo when we did the first comparisons of them as it made it immediately obvious that the bass player was a true master. The Kinki 3 vs. the AK/1 gave a bit of the same feel in that the decay of some of the notes sounded just slightly out of tune on the AK/1 yet were clearly in tune on the Kinki 3. In terms of things like frequency balance and clarity they were close, although the kinki 3 did still let you hear a bit more of what was going on. But the tunefulness was definitely in the favor of the Kinki 3.
The last test I did was of the Slipsik 5.1 vs. the Linn Uphorik. This was very interesting in part because both are such good and eminently musical phono stages. To get the immediate question out of the way, the MM part of the Uphorik is a more tuneful, musical and open phono stage than the Slipsik - which one would hope it would be considering the price and lineage. Through the Uphorik you can hear even more clearly what the musicians are doing and the interplay between them and it is also a bit more dynamic. However, the Slipsik is not shamed by the comparison at all. Switching back to the Slipsik 5.1 still left you with a very musical and enjoyable playback of the music - it just wasn't quite as good as the Uphorik. Both units were very tuneful and musical and had a very similar tonal balance and both could do justice to a fully tricked out LP12 with an Adikt (although the source for these comparisons was a Majik LP12). Sometimes when you compare two units (the KK and the Kairn come to mind as does the Majik DS vs. the Ikemi) you find that the superior one is so much better that you don't want to listen to the lesser unit anymore. This was not that kind of difference. You could hear that the Uphorik was better but you could happily go back and listen to the Slipsik for hours.
Considering the price difference (already about a 2:1 ratio which is just about to get even bigger) I can't see any but the most diehard MM lover buying the Uphorik as a MM only phono stage. Possibly someone who has two tables with MM on one and MC on the other. But the musical qualities brought out by the Slipsik 5.1 has made it my best selling phono stage for Adikt owners. An LP12 with Adikt just sings through a Slipsik 5.1, regardless of the level of the LP12 but also noticeably improving as the LP12 does.
I have to say that with the Kinki 3, Slipsik 5.1, Uphorik and Urika phono stages we have an embarrassment of riches here. What a great time to be a vinylphile!
The first comparison was between the Slipsik 5.1 and the new AK/1 phono stage. For these comparisons I actually used a KK/1/D as the line stage and fed the Slipsik and the fixed out of the AK/1 into it. So I was comparing the AK/1 strictly as if it were an external phono stage. This way both units were going through Linn Silvers into the KK so I felt it gave a better idea of how the phono stages operated by themselves. As in my previous tests with the original AK there was no question that the Slipsik was a more musical phono stage. While the AK/1 sounded better than I remember the AK sounding the phono stage had not gained much ground on the Slipsik which was definitely more in tune, had a more natural flow and allowed you to hear more of the subtleties in the musicians' playing. A couple of days after I did my first tests I was doing a couple more with a different record and one of our regular customers came in to listen. As soon as I switched to the Slipsik from the AK/1 he commented that it was obviously more musical and that things like the decay of the notes sounded more natural and were easier to follow. He heard the improvement from the Slipsik in the first 20 seconds.
Later I did the same comparison with the Kinki 3. Because of the improvement of the AK/1 over the AK I was wondering which phono stage would win. After a bit of listening I still feel the Kinki 3 is more musical and tuneful than the phono stage in the AK/1 although it is obviously closer than with the Slipsik 5.1. With one record I was using there is some very subtle note bending being done by the acoustic bass player. This same record really brought home how much more tuneful the Radikal was than the Lingo when we did the first comparisons of them as it made it immediately obvious that the bass player was a true master. The Kinki 3 vs. the AK/1 gave a bit of the same feel in that the decay of some of the notes sounded just slightly out of tune on the AK/1 yet were clearly in tune on the Kinki 3. In terms of things like frequency balance and clarity they were close, although the kinki 3 did still let you hear a bit more of what was going on. But the tunefulness was definitely in the favor of the Kinki 3.
The last test I did was of the Slipsik 5.1 vs. the Linn Uphorik. This was very interesting in part because both are such good and eminently musical phono stages. To get the immediate question out of the way, the MM part of the Uphorik is a more tuneful, musical and open phono stage than the Slipsik - which one would hope it would be considering the price and lineage. Through the Uphorik you can hear even more clearly what the musicians are doing and the interplay between them and it is also a bit more dynamic. However, the Slipsik is not shamed by the comparison at all. Switching back to the Slipsik 5.1 still left you with a very musical and enjoyable playback of the music - it just wasn't quite as good as the Uphorik. Both units were very tuneful and musical and had a very similar tonal balance and both could do justice to a fully tricked out LP12 with an Adikt (although the source for these comparisons was a Majik LP12). Sometimes when you compare two units (the KK and the Kairn come to mind as does the Majik DS vs. the Ikemi) you find that the superior one is so much better that you don't want to listen to the lesser unit anymore. This was not that kind of difference. You could hear that the Uphorik was better but you could happily go back and listen to the Slipsik for hours.
Considering the price difference (already about a 2:1 ratio which is just about to get even bigger) I can't see any but the most diehard MM lover buying the Uphorik as a MM only phono stage. Possibly someone who has two tables with MM on one and MC on the other. But the musical qualities brought out by the Slipsik 5.1 has made it my best selling phono stage for Adikt owners. An LP12 with Adikt just sings through a Slipsik 5.1, regardless of the level of the LP12 but also noticeably improving as the LP12 does.
I have to say that with the Kinki 3, Slipsik 5.1, Uphorik and Urika phono stages we have an embarrassment of riches here. What a great time to be a vinylphile!
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Tony Tune-age
- Very active member
- Posts: 1589
- Joined: 2009-12-19 19:07
- Location: United States