Set-up and installation
Contents
To take full advantage of the separated and balanced setup, we connect the Sonnet Kratos to the XLR output of our Sonnet Morpheus. The Morpheus in turn receives a signal from a Sonnet Hermes via i2s. So a complete Sonnet system except for the speakers. Those are our trusty Revel Performa m126be monitors which, spoiler alert, play particularly nice on this system. The Revels are 8 Ohm speakers that rarely dip below 6 Ohms and although the Sonnet Kratos delivers only 50 watts, we are not short of power.
That can be different with more difficult to drive speakers so keep that in mind. Because the music is more up-front, we initially tended to move the listening chair back a bit. But after a while we liked being in the bubble. It’s a kind of “reach out and touch” sound that is different than with our Moon amp. With the Moon, music is more laidback. So two different approaches. Think front row seats at a concert versus sitting in row ten.
Sound
We’ve had the Sonnet Kratos in our system for a while and have listened to a lot of music. What always stands out is the art of completely unraveling music. To present all the layers in the music separately without losing sight of the whole. And that, in a spacious soundstage where each element gets its rightful place. Furthermore, we hear enormous detail and can “look” deep into the recording. High notes sound silky smooth, the midrange is open and pure, but it is mainly the bass that provides magical moments. We’ll try to explain this with some music.
