Scythe Kama Kro 1100 Audio amp mini-review
Posted: Fri Nov 19, 2010 3:35 pm
I was casting around for a small footprint amp to replace my dying DTA-100. After a couple of great forum suggestions, decided to try out the Scythe Kama Kro 1100. I figured for $50, it was worth a go.
There’s a good review of the 1100 and its predecessor the 1000 at tnt-audio.com. Devon Cooke reviewed the 1000 in March 2008.
The unit has a small footprint. I have it sitting on the stand baseplate of one of my monitors with clearance to spare. This location lets me easily plug/unplug a headset for skype/teamspeak without having to reach as well as hit the mute switch. The unit is light but solidly built. The volume control pot is noiseless and has a good feel. The power switch is click in/out with an (unfortunately bright) white LED. The rear connectors are also solid. The speaker jacks are combination binding posts/banana jacks. I found the jacks to be a little larger than my other amps, so my banana plugs were a loose fit. I planned to used the binding posts in my study, so it didn't affect my use.
Power use when connected to Polk Monitor 40 speakers: Mostly reactive power as seen by the following measurements. I noticed higher power use on day one when hooked up to my SDA-1 speakers.
Off – 0W, 10mA, 1 VA displayed (~117VAC)
On and idle – 0W, 10mA, 1 VA displayed.
Background listening level - 0W, 10mA, 1VA
Moderate listening level – 0W, 20mA, 3VA
On and cranked to max – 2W, 4VA, 50mA peak viewed (70mA on day one).
I hooked the amp up to a pair of Polk SDA1’s and an iPod for 2 days and just let it run. Initial reaction was: sounds nice – but not as nice as the Tripath 2050 based DTA-100. It filled a large room with sound without any noticeable clipping or distortion. After the initial burn-in, I took the amp into my study and hooked up a pair of Polk Monitor II 40’s and used the output of my mobo audio for source.
Hum – none
Hiss (with the volume cranked up) – can only hear slight hiss with ear against speaker with no source present. It is not discernable at listening level/distance.
Pop – No noticeable pop on turn on/turn off or when plugging in or unplugging headphones.
No clipping or noticeable distortion with volume cranked up.
I’ve had the amp for a week. 2 days of burn-in followed by 5 days of a variety of music/movies/podcasts. It’s working out great - very decent sound for $55. I find that I’m EQ’ing a bit to emphasize mid-range, but that might just be what I need for my room/speaker/amp/source combination. I don’t think it has the clarity of the DTA-100, but it does the job well. I haven't noticed any RFI oddities that Devon saw with the Kama 1000.
There’s a good review of the 1100 and its predecessor the 1000 at tnt-audio.com. Devon Cooke reviewed the 1000 in March 2008.
The unit has a small footprint. I have it sitting on the stand baseplate of one of my monitors with clearance to spare. This location lets me easily plug/unplug a headset for skype/teamspeak without having to reach as well as hit the mute switch. The unit is light but solidly built. The volume control pot is noiseless and has a good feel. The power switch is click in/out with an (unfortunately bright) white LED. The rear connectors are also solid. The speaker jacks are combination binding posts/banana jacks. I found the jacks to be a little larger than my other amps, so my banana plugs were a loose fit. I planned to used the binding posts in my study, so it didn't affect my use.
Power use when connected to Polk Monitor 40 speakers: Mostly reactive power as seen by the following measurements. I noticed higher power use on day one when hooked up to my SDA-1 speakers.
Off – 0W, 10mA, 1 VA displayed (~117VAC)
On and idle – 0W, 10mA, 1 VA displayed.
Background listening level - 0W, 10mA, 1VA
Moderate listening level – 0W, 20mA, 3VA
On and cranked to max – 2W, 4VA, 50mA peak viewed (70mA on day one).
I hooked the amp up to a pair of Polk SDA1’s and an iPod for 2 days and just let it run. Initial reaction was: sounds nice – but not as nice as the Tripath 2050 based DTA-100. It filled a large room with sound without any noticeable clipping or distortion. After the initial burn-in, I took the amp into my study and hooked up a pair of Polk Monitor II 40’s and used the output of my mobo audio for source.
Hum – none
Hiss (with the volume cranked up) – can only hear slight hiss with ear against speaker with no source present. It is not discernable at listening level/distance.
Pop – No noticeable pop on turn on/turn off or when plugging in or unplugging headphones.
No clipping or noticeable distortion with volume cranked up.
I’ve had the amp for a week. 2 days of burn-in followed by 5 days of a variety of music/movies/podcasts. It’s working out great - very decent sound for $55. I find that I’m EQ’ing a bit to emphasize mid-range, but that might just be what I need for my room/speaker/amp/source combination. I don’t think it has the clarity of the DTA-100, but it does the job well. I haven't noticed any RFI oddities that Devon saw with the Kama 1000.