Nathan,
Those are some very old Krells you're asking about. The KSA100 was Krell's first amp, introduced in 1980. As a collector's item it probably has some value. But as for sonics, it sounds good but, well, old. By that I mean the thing you'll notice right away is that it sounds veiled (i.e. lacking in clarity). The bass is quite loose as well by modern standards. The KSA 80 is a half a dozen or so years newer, a touch more transparent but still not competitive with current (pun intended) designs. The old Krell to own by the way, is the KSA 50, the amp John Atkinson of Stereophile fame bought in England instead of the new car he apparently much needed.
All are pure class A output which is why they sounded so great in their day and why they run super hot and draw a tremendous amount of electrical current from your wall.
The Levinson 23 you previously asked about is a better value at $1900, IMO. It's more contemporary, sounds better, looks better, will likely be more reliable, and has better resale value. Like me, Atkinson eventually switched from Krell to Levinson (No.20s) where he remains -- hence my bias (no pun intended, this time) -- with a bit of time spent in between with an ARC Classic 60 tube amp.
Good luck.
[This message has been edited by PF (edited July 31, 2000).]
