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New Krell iBias Amps

Now that the new Krell iBias amps have been out for awhile I would appreciate any feedback on the reliability and the sound of these new units.  Are they running cool as Krell claims and are the fans quite?  Any thoughts on these amps would be welcome.  Thanks in advance for the feedback.
walnut
8 responses Add your response
mtrot
804 posts
 
@ walnut,

You've piqued my interest in these Krell iBias amps.  I'm currently running an FPB 400cx, which is a monster of an amp, and heats up a pretty large family room all by itself!  It's also so huge that it will not fit in the shelves of my equipment stand, so it has to sit on top.  This results in my turntable having to sit inside the stand, which is not optimal at all.

Does anyone know how an iBias amp like the Duo 300 would compare in sound quality to an FPB400cx?  It would be nice to be able to get my turntable back on top of the rack, and it sounds like the Duo 300 runs cool enough to be in a speaker stand and might actually fit.
theoriginalsmith
13 posts
 
herndonb, i have a related question for you, given your history selling Krell.  I'm trying to match my Krell LAT-1000's to the perfect mono blocks.  I'm debating the Krell Evolution Ones, the Solo 575's, and may be Dan's new Momentum 300's.  How would you rank those?  I understand the LAT-1000's were practically made for the Evo Ones, but not sure if technology has made that match obsolete.

Best,
Justin
4425
861 posts
 
Agree the newest Krell amps are great sounding. Very musical and smooth. I purchased a Chorus 5200 for a HT and couldn't be more satisfied. 
herndonb
124 posts
 
Krell is made in Connecticut.  AudioLabyrinth if you send me a text to (505)818-8643, I'll text you back with the two files.  It's Cassandra Wilson Dance to the Drums Again, the first 60 seconds.  You will have no problem hearing how much better iBias is than EVOe...
jafant's avatar
jafant
19,668 posts
 
Has Krell moved production back stateside?
dave_b's avatar
dave_b
3,159 posts
 
I second the sound of the iBias amps....superbly musical and realistic sounding.
audiolabyrinth's avatar
audiolabyrinth
4,555 posts
 
Hi herndonb, can you post a website link to your video? , like to see and hear that,  cheers. 
herndonb
124 posts
 

Hi Walnut,

I have spent lots of time with the Solo 575 mono block amplifiers.  They immediately sounded better than the EV403e I was running.  Much larger soundstage, noticeably more speed (hits on a high-hat, fast guitar, etc.), even more tautness to the bass (even compared to EV900e mono amps), and they are just far less harsh than any of the EVO amps.  They also run cool, and the fans are very quiet.  There is one scenario where you can hear the fans, if you playing something at high volume, and then all of a sudden you hit pause, or the song abruptly stops, there is a ~1 sec, quick ramp down of the fans that you hear as a whoosh.  It's never noticeable at any volume you are playing.  And they are silent when you are in your listening position and they are idling.  They only require 2 inches of clearance above them too.  Most importantly they are the best sounding Krell's ever.  I'm a Krell dealer, but I'm just as critical as I too am a user.  iBias is a big step forward.  Hope that helps.

-Brian

PS I have a video/text of the EV402e vs Solo 575, same track, same volume, same everything.  Even with an iPhone and it's crappy mic/speakers you can hear the difference clearly.  Way better dynamics, transparency, everything with the Solo 575.

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