Looking for a mint Koru to accompany the Plinius amp I just got. Anyone happen to have one and also possess the urge or ability to let go of it?

What amp did you get ?

Koru would not be my first choice in Plinius phono stages.

What would that be then michaelw?

Jun 3, 2022 12:49:27 GMT 12 michaelw said:

What amp did you get ?

Koru would not be my first choice in Plinius phono stages.

Indeed. Michael, what would you go for?

Favourite Plinius phono is the M14, a step above the Jarrah.

The PureAudio phonos were a large evolutionary leap ahead.

Have you considered Simon Brown's Wand phono ?

Jun 3, 2022 12:49:27 GMT 12 michaelw said:

What amp did you get ?

Koru would not be my first choice in Plinius phono stages.

Not a good opening line if you want to sell your one to him! 😁

I never owned one, pic from when I reviewed it for AudioEnz.

I asked for an M14 for comparison

Jun 4, 2022 10:23:49 GMT 12 michaelw said:

I never owned one, pic from when I reviewed it for AudioEnz.

I asked for an M14 for comparison

I was going to say i'd buy it off you, but argue the price down because I heard from a guy on the internet that its not their best phono stage!

But to answer your earlier question which I missed, I just picked up a 9100 integrated that has barely seen any use, and I'm really liking it. It's got punch. Unfortunately I'm spiralling down a hole where I'm really liking the Plinius for a lot of spacious and electronic music, compared to my semi-vintage Audio Research set up. I got the Plinius to be a second system elsewhere with just a CD player, but now i've had it here for a few days of listening, i'm in that dangerous space where I'm starting to justify why I could build out the Plinius system with a phono stage. I even like it's ridiculous remote control!

And honestly, I like that the Koru is matchy matchy with the 9100. 

Cosmetically yes, sonically the Koru is a bit cool, more obviously solid state.

The 9100 is a great amp, one of Gary Morrison's favourites.

What ARC setup do you have ?

Arc kit is a SP-9mkII pre amp paired with a VS55 power amp. The SP has a nice phono section, I know it’s far from their best, but it’sa nice sounding system to my ears.

Nice combo, I like those early ARC hybrid preamps - SP9, SP11, SP11.

Their transparency was stunning after a generation of cloudy sounding all-tube stuff from ARC and others.

What's the phonostage like in the 9100?

If its anything like the 8150 it should be half decent.

Jun 4, 2022 18:11:41 GMT 12 Citroen said:

What's the phonostage like in the 9100?

If its anything like the 8150 it should be half decent.

The 9100 doesn’t have a phono stage sadly, that was the 9200 which was also 200w (vs the 9100 120w)

Whoops, my bad.

Did you get that one from Singapore Andy?

Jun 8, 2022 16:01:55 GMT 12 Citroen said:

Did you get that one from Singapore Andy?

No, it had sold already. the guy had offered another secondhand one, but without box or any details or docs, so with duty on top and so forth, it didn't feel like a good choice.

However, not one to miss an opportunity to strike when the irrational urge hits, I ordered a new one yesterday and should have it in 3-4 weeks!

Bold move!

Jun 9, 2022 14:34:48 GMT 12 Citroen said:

Bold move!

ha! well if we can't be irrational every now and then, what's the point? I know people have opinions about the various phases and stages of Plinius, but based on the amp I got the other week, I'm sold on them. The 9100 is really quite delightful, and the Koru, while overkill, is going to be a nice little machine to accompany it. Now on to the haphazard frenzy of new speaker selection! Sadly the Monitor Audio Gold 300 5gs i had thought long and hard about failed the visual fit test here at home, with the only timber finish being the striking but super stripy / super glossy ebony. 

I'm thinking Sonus Faber Sonetto V's, which are plenty for our small living space, and should be a good match with the Plinius.

Exciting times. So many choices!

What are Korus retailing at now ?

Jun 9, 2022 18:00:00 GMT 12 michaelw said:

What are Korus retailing at now ?

I paid $3249

That's almost exactly the launch price of $3250 back in 2006 !

Did you buy it from a dealer or direct ?

With everything going up so much in price that’s surprising. I guess the sticker price is higher now but bought/ordered from a dealer who was doing 10% off.