krell ksa 80 vs. krell ksa100s

One thing to keep in mind is that for every doubleing in output power there's only a loudness increase of 3db. Three db is just a little more than noticeable.

ihave not heard the ksa 80 but owned a ksa 100s . ifound this amp to be on the soft side and did not seem that it reveals the inner detailing and thought it did not really for a krell go the extra mile in the bottom end. i would call krell and ask them what speakers you are using the amps on and what they feel is the BETTER amp. since you are buying used they most likely will not have a problem answering your question. good luck, bill

I think the KSA 80 is a sweeter amp, as far as the extra wattage with the KSA 100, not much of a difference, if any.

The KSA-80 is 80 watts of Class A, this guy draws full power at all times from the wall, and makes lots of heat, the 100s contains the Sustained Plateau Biasing, thus the (S) designation. Not drawing full power until it thinks it needs it. The power supply in the 80 is more substantial, the 100 was completely different technology, not better, just different.

E-mail if you have any questions about the 80. I'm not familiar with the 100-s as I have never owned one.

thanks for your input!

I AM RELY LIKE SOUND OF KRELL KSA-100S.WITH MY PREAMPLIFIER AUDIO RESEARCH LS-15 AND CD KRELL KPS-30i I AM ENJOY IN MUSIC. KSA-100S IS VERY GOOD AMPLIFIER.

Actually, the KSA80 was really rated at 100 watts, same as the 100s; they just called it the 80 to avoid confusion with their prior, fan-cooled model, the KSA100. The 100s is a bit more clinical and probably more neutral than the KSA80, which, as Sundance 45 says, is a sweeter sounding amp. Having owned a KSA 80, I can tell you that I was not at all impressed with the 100s when it came out; I far preferred the 80. It had a little bit of character, the 100s sounded a little sterile in comparison. Power-wise, I also felt the 80 could handle difficult loads better than the 100s, which was not a Class A design.

You probably already know this, but, just in case you don't or just forgot; I believe the Krell KSA 80 was designed to be "progamable". The Krell KSA 80 can be programed by Krell to be a KMA 160, now all you need is another Krell KSA 80 to have one pair of my all time favorite amps.