Curious about Krell amps - they seem to be held with high regard - wondering what the general public has to say? are these good / reliable? How do they sound compared to Rotel or Parasound or similar brands? The ones I have looked at are the KAV amps (theater amplifier standard for example). Thanks in advance for any and all info!
Krell amps
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Absolutely they are! Of course, just how good depends alot on your speakers and room accoustics. The best amp in the world cannot overcome poor room accoustics and crappy speakers.
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The differences may not be perceived on anything other than the most detailed of speakers. If you have an "average" (Paradigm, Energy, PSB) speaker system, you may notice a bit more bass authority and quickness in the transients from the Krells, but a but more detail, dimensionality and resolution from some higher end speakers (Wilson, Revel, KEF, B&W Nautilus). YMMV
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Those are great amps! You should try them with your speakers! But, There is no sense in spending $4-8K on an amp to drive $2500 speakers... That ratio should be reversed IMO... The $2K Rotel and Parasound amps are awesome and would be very satisfying. Some find the Krell to be a bit too sterile or cold. I prefer the more analytical sound of the Mark Levinson, Krell type amps. You may find that you enjoy the warmer sound of Conrad Johnson or BAT...
Listen to as many amps with your speakers that you can... If you can audition them in your home, do so! Have a friend assist you in performing some blinded listening tests with various types of music and film sources. If the dealers won't allow an in home audition, then buy from one with a good return policy and get an AMEX Green Card (i.e., unlimited credit limit) and have a weekend audio-orgy!
| Originally posted by cip4465 Curious about Krell amps - they seem to be held with high regard - wondering what the general public has to say? are these good / reliable? |
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| How do they sound compared to Rotel or Parasound or similar brands? |
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| The ones I have looked at are the KAV amps (theater amplifier standard for example). Thanks in advance for any and all info! |
Those are great amps! You should try them with your speakers! But, There is no sense in spending $4-8K on an amp to drive $2500 speakers... That ratio should be reversed IMO... The $2K Rotel and Parasound amps are awesome and would be very satisfying. Some find the Krell to be a bit too sterile or cold. I prefer the more analytical sound of the Mark Levinson, Krell type amps. You may find that you enjoy the warmer sound of Conrad Johnson or BAT...
Listen to as many amps with your speakers that you can... If you can audition them in your home, do so! Have a friend assist you in performing some blinded listening tests with various types of music and film sources. If the dealers won't allow an in home audition, then buy from one with a good return policy and get an AMEX Green Card (i.e., unlimited credit limit) and have a weekend audio-orgy!
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The good about Krell amplification is that they are rock solid and exceedingly well built. Krell also stands behind its product. I have talked to them several times on the phone and they are definitely a class act.
As far as sound quality, they are quite an excellent amplifier. Krell's history is to build high power amplifiers that can drive difficult loads. The other amplifiers you list are excellent in their price range but won't have the power or stability of the Krell. Whether you can hear the difference or whether the money is better spent also is a different issue altogether. Depending on what speakers you are driving, I would follow the above advice and invest more in speakers than amplifiers. If you already have a great speaker, then you cannot go wrong with Krell but there is much competition in that price range that are of equal quality in both sound and build(Levinson, Pass, Ayre, Plinius, etc... ).
Now the bad part about Krell... Krell has a tendency to obsolete its products more rapidly than most other companies. A Krell product new to the market this year will be replaced next year with typically minor enhancements (and sometimes only cosmetic). This drives me nuts about Krell and is why I shy away from buying their products because their resale value falls through the floor when the next year's version comes out. If you plan on keeping it for 10 years, this isn't a big deal but if you like to try different components this might keep someone away.
As far as sound quality, they are quite an excellent amplifier. Krell's history is to build high power amplifiers that can drive difficult loads. The other amplifiers you list are excellent in their price range but won't have the power or stability of the Krell. Whether you can hear the difference or whether the money is better spent also is a different issue altogether. Depending on what speakers you are driving, I would follow the above advice and invest more in speakers than amplifiers. If you already have a great speaker, then you cannot go wrong with Krell but there is much competition in that price range that are of equal quality in both sound and build(Levinson, Pass, Ayre, Plinius, etc... ).
Now the bad part about Krell... Krell has a tendency to obsolete its products more rapidly than most other companies. A Krell product new to the market this year will be replaced next year with typically minor enhancements (and sometimes only cosmetic). This drives me nuts about Krell and is why I shy away from buying their products because their resale value falls through the floor when the next year's version comes out. If you plan on keeping it for 10 years, this isn't a big deal but if you like to try different components this might keep someone away.
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Having listened to both Krell and Adcom in the same room on the same speakers (Revel Studio) I can assure you that they are not at all close to my ear. The difference was so dramatic the sales rep even checked to make sure that the cables were connected solidly... Twice.
I cannot, however, assume that the difference would be quite as dramatic on lesser speakers or in a poor acoustic environment.
| Originally posted by nutt Krell makes very good amps, but they are somewhat overpriced. If you can get a good deal on a used one, go for it. If you are buying new, you can get the same quality for a lower price (think Bryston, Rotel, Adcom). Tim |
I cannot, however, assume that the difference would be quite as dramatic on lesser speakers or in a poor acoustic environment.
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