Kinki Studio EX-M1 200wpc Integrated Amplifier

Nice. Thanks for the heads up! Anyone know how their dac sounds? 

So far as I can tell and from what Alvin told me, there should be no duty pending, stateside. Srajan noted in his review that in Ireland and most parts of the EU, it could be as much as 20%. I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

I'm also a bit intrigued by their DAC as well. Liu prefers to have density in his sound to achieve realism and he's using the AKM 4495 with it's "velvet sound" to get there. Liu believes in an artistic approach to interior design along with keeping circuits as short as possible and having all circuit traces gold plated (2 microns). 

He's not so much into numbers or the latest craze but what sounds good to his ears. His asking price for the DAC is very reasonable, like his integrated. Alvin is very responsive to emails and would gladly answer any questions. Right now it's 4:39 AM in China but when he's up, he answers quickly.

All the best,
Nonoise

David, thanks for calling this amp and this manufacturer to our attention. I read the review, and it certainly sounds like a remarkable value at its price point.

The only thing that strikes me as being a possible concern is the combination of its extremely high specified damping factor of 2000 (which is unheard of as far as I am aware for an amp that is described, per the reviewer, as not being class D), and (to a lesser extent) the low THDN spec of <0.006%. Those numbers suggest the likelihood that the amp uses substantial amounts of feedback, which might mean that the subjective perception of speed and detail that is reported may be significantly contributed to by TIM (transient intermodulation distortion).

We shall see. Nonoise, best of luck with your purchase.

Best regards,
-- Al

Thanks, Al. I just hope that he's found a workaround to what you described and that it won't be of any concern. 😀

I'l report back as things progress.

All the best,
Nonoise

@almarg  I also noticed the high damping factor but did not make the connection to the low THD spec. 

Thank you for bringing this to my (and our) attention. 

Perhaps @alvin1118 (Alvin / Vinshine Audio) can comment?