Krell Disappointment,,

[mikeks]

Going by the schematics of Krell amps. on the 'net, i have to say i have been rather surprised at the common-place circuitry used in these designs....

So....where is the beef....apart from the hefty case work...?

[Eva]

In comparison with animals, the human race has excelent sight but terrible hearing. This fact explains a lot about audio market and personal preferences, I think

[mikeks]

Indeed!!...and the propensity to spend VAST amounts of money on Krell when this:

http://www.meridian-audio.com/p_559.htm

will do a demonstrably better job!

[Peter Daniel]

I was reading some Krell literature yesterday and this picture caught my eye

[mr l]

keeping in mind the schematics available are from the eighties.it would be interesting to see the latest models(FPB series),balanced input to output,regulated supplies,uP controlled biasing & loads of available power.I am trusting product information but you never see a bad review.

[hifi]

I think he got my eyes?

<------ mr flibbles (from red dwarf)

[andy_c]

Well, I've had a Krell KSA-100 since 1985. I still have the original sales receipt! I can assure you that the amplifier was made by magic elves who sprinkled their sonic fairy dust on the rubber feet of the amplifier. This makes its performance level unattainable by anyone with less than a PhD in marketing.

[Terry Demol]

Originally posted by andy_c
Well, I've had a Krell KSA-100 since 1985. I still have the original sales receipt!

So, how does it sound?

Terry

[andy_c]

Originally posted by Terry Demol


So, how does it sound?

Terry

I've recently replaced the entire system I was using it with, retiring the Krell to the garage, believe it or not. My new apartment has a tiny living room, and the Krell is just too much of a "white elephant" to get along there. All I can comment on is overall system performance.

Original system (bought 1985)
Magneplanar MGIII
Krell KSA-100 power amp
Krell PAM-5 preamp

New system
VMPS RM30
NAD C162 preamp
4 Outlaw M200 mono power amps (biamp setup)
(yes, these are ultra cheapo class G amps)

The new system sounds a lot better than the old, mostly due to the VMPS speakers I think. What I notice most is completely effortless dynamics. Take the song "After" from the Wynton Marsalis "J Mood" album. The sound of the muted trumpet in that song is intense and tough to reproduce cleanly. The MGIII's sounded strained and harsh on that track at all but very subdued listening levels. The RM30's sound absolutely effortless and pure, even when cranking the volume waaaaay up. Because of the change in so many components, I can't really compare the Krell to anything. But I used to live in California, in an apartment with no air conditioning. In the summer, I had to close the windows to keep from disturbing my neighbors when listening. You can imagine what the temperature in that apartment did after a short time with the Krell. Not fun. I don't miss that amplifier a bit.

[Steven]

Originally posted by mikeks
Indeed!!...and the propensity to spend VAST amounts of money on Krell when this:

http://www.meridian-audio.com/p_559.htm

will do a demonstrably better job!

Hi Mikeks,

I saw you posted this link in two threads as examples of better audio engineering. Did you have a hand in its design?

Steven