Introduction
Kinki Studio is a China-based audio manufacturer that was founded in 2007 by Ivan Liu. Liu grew up in a district in Guangzhou known for military component manufacturing, including consumer audio equipment. This gave Liu opportunities to interact with technical personnel and experiment with military components. Influenced by this, he later went on to study electronics-related subjects in high school and University.
The company’s stated mission is to design and manufacture high-quality audio equipment that faithfully reproduces the purest source of music without distortion. All its products are tested with an Audio Precision ATS-2 audio analyser for strict quality control purposes before shipment to customers.
The Dazzle integrated amplifier is a collaboration product between Kinki and Vinshine, with exclusive Vinshine-specified enhancements. Vinshine Audio is our homeground audio retailer, founded in 2008 by Alvin Chee. Vinshine has served an important role in bringing high-quality China-made audio components to the rest of the world, while offering exemplary customer after-sales service. I’ve personally known Alvin for years and can attest to his dedication and focus on customer satisfaction.
In Depth
The Dazzle is described as a next-generation flagship integrated amplifier, with Kinki Studio’s most advanced amplification technologies into a single, mechanically damped, resonance-controlled chassis. Like Kinki’s other amplifiers, the Dazzle is based on lateral MOSFETs from Exicon.
For the uninitiated, Exicon’s lateral MOSFETs are high-end specific audio transistors that offer several advantage over traditional vertical MOSFETS such as better stability and a simpler circuit topology. In paralleled designs (like the Dazzle), no source or drain resistors are required. Lateral MOSFETs have seen use by other high-end manufacturers, but mostly at price ranges that are out of reach of most consumers. Kinki Studio has extensive experience with Exicon parts, having featured it in its first product, the EX-M1 amplifier, in 2018.
At the core of the Dazzle, is Kinki’s SSCLD (Super Symmetry Current Linear Drive) amplification module. This is said to be a high-bandwith design, which delivers ultra-low distortion and high dynamic range and voltage swing. The SSCLD drives 12 lateral MOSFET transistors, to deliver 300W into 8 ohm loads or 560W into 4 ohms.
The amplification circuit is backed by a dual-mono power supply. Each channel consists of an 800W low-loss toroidal transformer, 4 x 6800 uF Kinki Studio-tuned electrolytic capacitors and 4 x 100 uF Vishay MKP film capacitors.
Other design features include a floating chassis, 3um gold-plated PCBs, an ultra-short signal path and direct coupling. To avoid distortion from capacitors in the signal path, DC-servo protection is used.
Physically, the Dazzle measures 440x410x170mm and weighs 33 kg. Two buttons on the top of the chassis serve as a power and mute button. An all-metal IR remote provides full control. The bottom panel is magnetically attached, and detaches easily for battery swaps - a nice touch.
On the rear, the Dazzle has 5 inputs (3 RCA and 2 XLR), and a preamp input (RCA). A switch labelled “Filtering / through” toggles an in-built AC filter. The XLR inputs are provided for convenience, and are converted to single-ended internally. The RCA inputs have an impedance of 50kohms and the XLR inputs, 100kohms.
Vinshine’s magic dust consists of the following enhancements :-
6 x ShoonTH High-End Fuse. Cryogenerically treated fuse.
Exact Express FLAME internal cabling for AC power, DC, signal and speaker cables.
ShoonTH cryo-treated OFC IEC inlet.
ShoonTH speaker binding post. OFC plated in silver, palladium and gold.
Unboxing and moving the Dazzle into position will likely dazzle your chiropractor’s eyes if you aren’t careful. Alvin forewarned me to get help, and this old audiophile wasn’t taking any chances. Even then, the Dazzle caught me by surprise - this is one heavy beast!
From a build-quality and finish standpoint, this is top-notch. It was better built than the Gryphon Diablo I previously owned, and other similarly priced equipment I’ve had in my room for review purposes. The tolerances of the milling and knob/button feel were outstanding. I tried to nitpick with a reviewer’s lens but couldn’t find any flaws. The relay-controlled volume control is near-silent in operation and the Dazzle just oozes quiet confidence. Despite its high power output, and high-bias (the first 15W are Class A) point, the Dazzle runs cool, with the heatsinks hovering at about 40C (or about 15C above ambient temperature).
However, getting the Dazzle dialled in required a bit of legwork. It proved to be discerning on the cabling front, and likes abalone porridge for breakfast. I settled on cabling from Acrolink Mexcel and Black Cat Cable, which carry equally dazzling price tags. The Dazzle is highly revealing of partnering equipment and will keep you on your toes.
The Dazzle was set up with the Laiv Harmony uDAC as a source, and paired with KEF LS50, SB Acoustics ARA BE, and Tannoy Kensington GR speakers. All three speakers proved to be good matches, and I settled on the Tannoy.
Sound
The Dazzle struck me by how tight and articulated the bass was. Soundstaging was controlled and precise, while high frequencies were extended and clean, but seemed less energetic compared to the midrange and bass. Voices had a rich and laidback quality, contributing to an overall warm-neutral tone.
Bass notes came across as deep, powerful and tightly controlled. There is no added midbass emphasis to flatter things, and you get what’s on the recording. Hearing double bass notes, you get plenty of texture and detail. The bass was also agile and was never caught out, so faster-paced music was well handled. On the KEF LS50, which tends to sound a bit bass light, the Dazzle added useful heft.
Vocals were creamy and warm, with singers placed further back in the soundstage. The fullness does smooth over some detail, so vibrato and voice texture didn’t come across as clearly as I would have liked. As a bonus, raw recordings and vocal sibilance enjoyed some beauty-filter treatment.
Due to the sheer power of the low frequencies, the highs came across as comparatively subdued. On high-frequency centric content like violin solos, this was less apparent. The highs had a silk and soft texture, so you got nice extension and clarity, without any sharpness or harshness.
The Dazzle dished up plenty of resolution, with precise placement in a wide and deep soundstage. The quiet background also allowed plenty of dynamic contrast between soft and loud notes. Despite its resolving power, the Dazzle kept a firm grasp on musicality.
I enjoyed my time with the Dazzle. It sounded powerful, yet delicate when required. I prefer my presentation to be on the forgiving side, and the little flattery offered went a long way. Midrange transparency aside, I was otherwise very pleased with the presentation of the Dazzle.
The Dazzle’s place of manufacture both works for and against it. Some may frown at the Dazzle’s pricing, deeming it too expensive for China-made gear. However, I don’t think this could have been built in the West at its price point. I personally think it’s very competitively priced, although not quite the bargain presented by the company’s EX-M1 (which is about ⅓ of the price of the Dazzle).
If you like its tonal approach, the Dazzle gets my unequivocal recommendation.
Conclusion
The Dazzle is an immaculately built beast, with quality unseen at its price point. The sonics are highly competent with great soundstaging and good transparency. The unit also dished up unrestrained dynamics drawn from what feels like almost limitless power reserves.
It’s certainly not cheap, but the Dazzle is great value for the money. What I would really like to see, is a mini-Dazzle. Half the power output at a lower price point? I could see that really shaking up the market.
Highly Recommended
Price - S$ 10,994 / US$ 8,500
