Hi,
I owned the 400xi and now the 9200, both paired with Totem Forest.
To me no comparison, the 9200 is way more musical, involving and give more material to the instruments. The 400xi is just too etheral and boring. |
I was thinking about the new S300i, although i dont like the design and build quality comparing to 400xi. Did you have a chance to audition one or compare to 400xi? I think there is at least one member here on audiogon that changed his 400xi for s300i and came back to the 400 after all. That must have been Dave. I strongly disagree with his opinion, and so do several reviews I have read. I have 400xi and S300i on hand as I write. IMO S300i is a much better amp than 400xi, more natural, less forced, with superior resolution and sound stage depth. Like you, I think 400xi is more handsome and its chassis is better build - S300i on the other hand is bigger, heavier and more feature packed. |
For what it's worth, I have the Krell 400xi and the Vienna Beethoven Concert Grands. They sound like they work together quite well. That said, if I had my way I'd buy something more powerful to drive these speakers, go figure.
Mike |
01-14-10: Elberoth2
400xi is very synergistic with Vienna Acoustics Mozart Grand, or other Vienna Acoustics speakers for that matter. It is one of those combinations 'that work'.
However, if you want to have best of both worlds (400xi and Plinius) I would suggest geting the new Krell S300i. Elberoth2 -> I was thinking about the new S300i, although i dont like the design and build quality comparing to 400xi. Did you have a chance to audition one or compare to 400xi? I think there is at least one member here on audiogon that changed his 400xi for s300i and came back to the 400 after all. |
Ozzy I am laughing because I had the CD-LAD a few years ago and kept it too long....lol. I did like the remote :) |
Thanks Ozzy, So you prefer the pass to krell? Why? |
Ajackson1 ,There are many Krell for sale because Krell sells more units.
I loved my old Krell KSA 250 Amp.
Never owned a Plinius Amp but I had there junky CD-LAD for a while and sold it as quickly as I could.
Maybe check out Pass Labs |
I have had the Plinius 8200 MKii (quite similar to the 9200) and Musical Fidelity a3.2 and a308 integrateds. The Plinius was one of the better amps I have had, although the phono stage was lacking. I have also owned a pair of VA Haydn Grands, yet not paired with either the Plinius or MF.I have also heard the MF a5 and Krell KAV 400xi. If you felt the MF a5.5 was a bit too warm you may very well feel the Plinius warmer yet. I heard the Krell paired to Dynaudio Focus 140's. As Chazzbo stated it had a good grip on the bass. I did not feel the sound being noticeably metallic, possibly due to the soft dome tweeter of the Dyns. If I recall correctly the VA Mozart Grands has a soft dome tweeter also. Both the Krell and Plinius amps you are interested in will have a good resale value if by chance you are not pleased with what you hear. You should end up with a fine sounding system with either of these amps. |
I heard a Krell integrated powering some Vienna Acoustics Beethovens a few years ago and was surprised at how good the combination sounded, far better than I would have expected (I was not a fan of that Krell integrated) and something I could easily see enjoying for hours. I agree with Elberoth2, I believe it is a combination that just "works", for whatever reason. Plinius is a fine brand, but have not heard the combination so I can't comment. |
I have also wondered about a comparism between these two. There, however, so many Krell amps for sale, more than any other amp. No sure why. |
400xi is very synergistic with Vienna Acoustics Mozart Grand, or other Vienna Acoustics speakers for that matter. It is one of those combinations 'that work'.
However, if you want to have best of both worlds (400xi and Plinius) I would suggest geting the new Krell S300i. |
Dkzzzz you obviously don't what your talking about. |
Krell is a very sound distorting amp. It is geared towards Hometheater systems not 2 channel audio. Krell will have BASS and alien sounding "treble" from a distant planet.
If you want good amp look at companies that make good speakers like ATC. Their amps are relatively not that expensive if you r considering Krell.
Never heard Plinius, so cannot comment on it. |
The krell KAV 300iL stands for Audio and Video, the bass response is accurate rhytmic and fast. |
Im a bit worried about Krell being too cold and clinical although my Mozarts are very musical speakers. On the other hand i auditioned Viennas with MF A5.5 and it was too warm! Not being able to audition Plinius before buying one doesnt help either.... |
Haven't heard either of those integrateds, but I did briefly own the SA-102. It was one of the best sounding SS amps I've ever heard. I wouldn't hesitate to buy Plinius again if I was in that market.
Shakey |
Krell will give you better grip on bass but with a good speaker can sound a bit metallic or "etched" in mids.On other hand Plinius has very "tubey" SS sound that might or might not side by side be your cup of Tea.Depends on your other gear,wiring,and your tastes.I sold Krell way back but would probably go with the Plinius myself.On some very forgiving speakers or ones that aren't as much in need of tubes like the B&W's as they were inherently "warm" I slung with the Krell it worked Krell was fine.
Chazz |
I had a plinius 8200 and it was by far the best integrated I ever owned. I imagine the 9200 would work very well with your speaks. |
This is just an opinion based on what I read, so take it for what it's worth.
I believe the Krell amps have the reputation of being more forward, some might say a little bright while Plinius amps are considered more laid back or forgiving. If I've got that wrong please let me know.
So you should consider what kind of a nudge your system needs. If you think that it's a little bright the Plinius might work better. If you think it's a little dull maybe the Krell.
Of course the only way to know for sure is to buy one of these amps and listen to it in your system for a while. Unfortunate but true. |
I had the old Plinius US rep modify it with new tranistors
for short money and I beleive it sounds better Than the 9200
http://www.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/cls.pl?intatran&1268595459&/Plinius-8150-Integrated-Amp-Ex |
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