Looking for a Krell primer...

[70sMac]

Hello Krell People.... Other than seeing the name in audio publications, we know zero about Krell. We've owned McIntosh equipment since we (wife and I) were kids, so we've grown old without the need to explore other brands.

As for specifics, we're presently looking for a multichannel power amp to fill the last major hole in a simple 5.1 surround setup that we have in mind. Why Krell? Well, I just got of the horn with a fellow who sells both Mac and Krell and, long story short, he told me that Krell was "in a different class altogether" than Mac.

[PHC1]

What’s there to say? Dan D’Agostino was producing some of the worlds most legendary products under the name of Krell since 1980 and now sets the benchmark even higher with Dan D’Agostino audio.

I’ve had the pleasure of meeting Dan in person and conversing with him on a few occasions. He is a master of his art, plain and simple.

Krell amplifiers, preamplifier, dacs, transports and CD players were typically regarded as some of the very best high end audio had to offer for decades. Military grade quality, top notch components under the hood and brilliant/innovative design that was always at the leading edge of technological performance that could be squeezed from the circuits and components.

Some of the most impressive auditions I’ve had the pleasure to experience over the years featured high current, sheer muscle Krell amplifiers grabbing compete control over any speaker and inducing eye flinching and rectum puckering dynamics that would blow the unprepared out of the seat yet being totally musical, engaging and mesmerizing in the context of great system synergy.

I have friends that are still enjoying the Krell products from late 80’s and 90’s. They are still as impressive as they ever were, even today. D’Agostino audio raises the bar even higher.

Since the master was forced out of Krell, I cannot speak for the post D’Agostino era products from Krell.


All one needs to do is peruse some of the archived reviews of Krell from any decade... in any publication.

[PHC1]

Here is an interview that gives one a glimpse of Krell and the man behind the name. https://www.stereophile.com/intervie...ino/index.html

[audioguy3107]

Love the older Krell amplifiication.....before I was able to afford any high end gear, I lusted after a pair of FPB 350MC amplifiers....I still think they look (and probably sound) excellent today.

[PHC1]

I was always impressed with the KSA series amps and Krell digital at the time. It just sounded so right and so musical and the presentation was holographical. Sheer magic when everything was right in the system.

The KSA-200S was class A 200w into 8 ohms and kept doubling down into 1 ohm for 1600w if the house wall supply was up to it. They typically weren’t up to it.

The sustained plateau biasing offered pure class A as long as possible before going class AB when the “pedal wanted metal”...

I still love Class A hence my own Class A integrated but I would say it was Krell over the many years that convinced my ears to never settle for anything but Class A or tubes.

Here is a review of the Krell KSA-200s It just as impressive amp today as the very best out there.

https://www.stereophile.com/solidpow...ell/index.html

[Apexorca]

Originally Posted by audioguy3107

Love the older Krell amplifiication.....before I was able to afford any high end gear, I lusted after a pair of FPB 350MC amplifiers....I still think they look (and probably sound) excellent today.

You are 100% right about that.
I'v just turned down a lot of High-End equipment from recent years and landed safe in Krell FPB 350mc. Today it's still very hard to find something better. Music presentation is top class whatever you compare it to. Though it gets hot.

[audioguy3107]

Originally Posted by Apexorca

You are 100% right about that.
I'v just turned down a lot of High-End equipment from recent years and landed safe in Krell FPB 350mc. Today it's still very hard to find something better. Music presentation is top class whatever you compare it to. Though it gets hot.

They're really beautiful amplifiers in that industrial way. One of the first high end systems I really ever spent time with was a pair of B&W Matrix 802s and a Krell KAV300i......they had another room with a FPB200 (I think) and a pair of Matrix 801s. Still remember that demo, it was great.

- Buck

[70sMac]

Originally Posted by Apexorca

You are 100% right about that.
I'v just turned down a lot of High-End equipment from recent years and landed safe in Krell FPB 350mc. Today it's still very hard to find something better. Music presentation is top class whatever you compare it to. Though it gets hot.

Apexorca..... I'm assuming that those are your Krell FBP 350MCs in the second photo? If they are, please inform the thread about why you invested in them? The idea of this thread is to learn about Krell power amps; hence, the questions.

Have a good one up there ~ Bill

[Apexorca]

Originally Posted by Apexorca

You are 100% right about that.
I'v just turned down a lot of High-End equipment from recent years and landed safe in Krell FPB 350mc. Today it's still very hard to find something better. Music presentation is top class whatever you compare it to. Though it gets hot.

Ok 70sMac!
I start to quote myself from my post earlier in this thread.

When Dan still was the mighty king at Krell they were built as few other brands.
The pure technical part of old Krell is a story of its own. Any service technician I speak with about Krell just love them. They often spontaniously overwhelm me about the finess of these products. The are extraordinary produced and they are built to cope with the heat and long term use better then other products. Not completely without technical flaws, but they are strong.
What you think of the musical presentation is all about taste, but in general terms, many reviewers and musiclovers that are into HiFi like especially older Krell and maybe the products coming from the time of the FPB-series are the most liked Krell models.

I have been looking for new amps. Since the late 80s and 90s there were some great brands with "all in" mentality. The sound was everything. Sometime before 2010 I believen amps reached som kind of peak. It has been hard to find new developed amps as good as they were. The prices has been sky high because the mental price barrier has been broken. So the really good amps are now more expensive than ever. Some are very good. But there are also those who are not that good. Therefore I'v been a bit disappointed over the last years. I'v been to many Munich High-End shows, other shows and demos and many perfectly built system at peoples home. Here and there it has been old amps from the golden amp era. Often sounding very good. Therefor I opened my mind and moved my focus to alder amps and started to find out how they perform compared to newer amps.

I have been using Gryphon for some years and they are very good but lack some control when playing at volymes and dynamic like acoustic instruments live. Few amps can handle that and at the same time be delicate, nuanced and with great analogue texture as live instruments are.
Especially when I play tapes with R2R (that is a source that can deliver extreme dynamics compared to vinyl ore whatever digital media you try) it was a hole new test for the system. Krell can handle that with grace as you almost never hear it.
I have never compared Krell with Dan's new brand Dan d'Agostino side by side but it, but it should be the continuation.
I'v heard some brands that are good as well but at 10 times more expensive than what you could by used Krell FPB for.
I saw a pair of 350Mc that were slightly modified and very well serviced. I just bought them out of pure curiosity. When I listened to them vs. Gryphon I was actually a bit chocked. That was when my interest for old amps really started. I had never thought they would be better in any aspect. But they were...
If some service is made they will work well for quite some time and sound fabulous.

I have also owned amps from Krell Evolution-serie. They are also good but I like the FPB-sound more. It's more fun to listen to FPB. Evo is powerfull but the sound is a bit to dry and grayish due to mys taste.

I also heard older big amps from Mark Levinson No:33 H Monos 150 watt that are great. It's just one example of many.
But almost no one can compare to Krell ingeneral and Krell FPB. Let's look at the stereo amp fpb 400cx. It's at least 400 watt-8Ohm, 800watt-4Ohm, 1600watt-2Ohm (for real). So then the reproduced music is close to live music with acoustic instrument almost nothing can get close.

Dan d'Agostino never wanted the amp to use more than 10% of it's power when playing really loud. That's headroom...

There is more to say about this but I hope you get the point.

[70sMac]

Originally Posted by Apexorca

Ok 70sMac!

I start to quote myself from my post earlier in this thread.

When Dan still was the mighty king at Krell they were built as few other brands.
The pure technical part of old Krell is a story of its own. Any service technician I speak with about Krell just love them. They often spontaniously overwhelm me about the finess of these products. The are extraordinary produced and they are built to cope with the heat and long term use better then other products. Not completely without technical flaws, but they are strong.
What you think of the musical presentation is all about taste, but in general terms, many reviewers and musiclovers that are into HiFi like especially older Krell and maybe the products coming from the time of the FPB-series are the most liked Krell models.

I have been looking for new amps. Since the late 80s and 90s there were some great brands with "all in" mentality. The sound was everything. Sometime before 2010 I believen amps reached som kind of peak. It has been hard to find new developed amps as good as they were. The prices has been sky high because the mental price barrier has been broken. So the really good amps are now more expensive than ever. Some are very good. But there are also those who are not that good. Therefore I'v been a bit disappointed over the last years. I'v been to many Munich High-End shows, other shows and demos and many perfectly built system at peoples home. Here and there it has been old amps from the golden amp era. Often sounding very good. Therefor I opened my mind and moved my focus to alder amps and started to find out how they perform compared to newer amps.

I have been using Gryphon for some years and they are very good but lack some control when playing at volymes and dynamic like acoustic instruments live. Few amps can handle that and at the same time be delicate, nuanced and with great analogue texture as live instruments are.
Especially when I play tapes with R2R (that is a source that can deliver extreme dynamics compared to vinyl ore whatever digital media you try) it was a hole new test for the system. Krell can handle that with grace as you almost never hear it.
I have never compared Krell with Dan's new brand Dan d'Agostino side by side but it, but it should be the continuation.
I'v heard some brands that are good as well but at 10 times more expensive than what you could by used Krell FPB for.
I saw a pair of 350Mc that were slightly modified and very well serviced. I just bought them out of pure curiosity. When I listened to them vs. Gryphon I was actually a bit chocked. That was when my interest for old amps really started. I had never thought they would be better in any aspect. But they were...
If some service is made they will work well for quite some time and sound fabulous.

I have also owned amps from Krell Evolution-serie. They are also good but I like the FPB-sound more. It's more fun to listen to FPB. Evo is powerfull but the sound is a bit to dry and grayish due to mys taste.

I also heard older big amps from Mark Levinson No:33 H Monos 150 watt that are great. It's just one example of many.
But almost no one can compare to Krell ingeneral and Krell FPB. Let's look at the stereo amp fpb 400cx. It's at least 400 watt-8Ohm, 800watt-4Ohm, 1600watt-2Ohm (for real). So then the reproduced music is close to live music with acoustic instrument almost nothing can get close.

Dan d'Agostino never wanted the amp to use more than 10% of it's power when playing really loud. That's headroom...

There is more to say about this but I hope you get the point.

if you're willing to write a post like that, Apexorca, feel free to repeat as much as you like.

Very nice explanation about why you prefer the older Krell amps to newer, more expensive amplifiers. I definitely get your point loud and clear.