Is this a worthwhile Krell am upgrade?
Years ago, I replaced my existent speakers with Revel Ultima Studios and a center channel Ultima Voice. At the time I was using a Proceed 3-channel amplifier that I chose to replace as well. Revel had used Mark Levinson amplifiers in the process of developing the Ultima series, and so I tried that same combination at my dealer's. While quite nice, those amps were clearly eclipsed -- in the ears of both my wife and me -- by similarly powerful Krell FPB amps. Therefore, I purchased a Krell FPB 200C stereo amplifier and a 250c mono amplifier (for the center channel) and have been very content with this combination ever since then.
Recently, Krell has begun to enjoy a resurgence of its reputation, particularly in the area of power amps. Over the years since I bought my FPBs (circa 2005), their amplifiers have been extensively redesigned, which has caused me to wonder whether I would be well-served to replace my two Krell amps with their current Trio 300 XD.
Krell's closest dealer is several hundred miles from where I live, making an A/B comparison rather impractical. Consequently, I am soliciting the thoughts of my fellow audiophiles regarding the Trio 300 XD, particularly if you have been able to compare it sonically against a Krell FPB amplifier. (Knowing the speaker system driven would be helpful, too.)
Thank you!
__________________
Jonathan
"Do not go quietly into that good night,
. . . Rage, rage against the dying of the light."
Main System: Theta Casablanca V preamp/processor; Wadia 8 CD transport and Digimaster DDC 2000 DAC (w/all updates); Theta Compli CD transport; Oppo UDP-203 disc player; Lumin T2 music server/DAC; Roon Nucleus+ core (w/Teddy Pardo LPS); SOTA Sapphire turntable (w/ Premier FT3 arm and Hana SL cartridge); SugarCube SC-2 non-destructive "click and pop" removal device; PS Audio Stellar phono preamp; Magnum Dynalab MD-102 FM tuner (w/MD-205 Signal Sleuth FM antenna amplifier and ST-2 FM antenna); McIntosh MC 611 (3), Krell FPB 200C, and KAV-250a power amplifiers; Revel Ultima Studio (2 - L&R), Voice (1 - center), and Embrace (2 sides and 2 surrounds) speakers; SVS PB-16 Ultra (2) and 3000 Micro (2) powered subwoofers; WireWorld Silver Eclipse 8 speaker cables; various Kimber Kable, MIT, Shunyata, and WireWorld interconnects; Shunyata Denali 2000/T (2), Denali 6000/S, Hydra [original], Hydra 2, and Venom PS10 power conditioners; various Shunyata Delta, Venom, PowerSnake, and Sidewinder power cords, and Venom Defenders (2); Richard Gray's Power Company Substation and 400 Pro; Luxul AGS-1024 Ethernet switch; Sound Anchor amplifier stand; VTI (2) and Billy Bags (4) equipment racks.
Last edited by AVphile; 04-19-2020 at 09:13 PM.
Reason: Elimination of non-relevant information
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