I have a Krell KSA 300S and I absolutely love it but there are some issues with owning a vintage Krell. I'm running a pair of Thiel CS6 speakers which dip below 3 ohms and have low sensitivity (87 db) so the robust power of the Krell is critical to driving these speakers. As much as I love this amp it's not easy to own one. Kinda like having a really hot, high-maintenance girlfriend.
Here are a few things to take into consideration:
These amps are big, heavy, and they put out a lot of heat. It should be on a sturdy stand up several inches from the floor. It should not be placed directly on carpet.
Has it been recapped recently by a reputable tech? If not, be prepared to spend well north of $1k on getting it done - and that's without shipping. Opinions vary but most Krell owners recap after about 20 years.
Research the location of the nearest shop that works on Krell. To my knowledge there are two in Connecticut, one in L.A., and one in Gig Harbor Washington. If you have to ship one of these amps to get it recapped or repaired It will add hundreds of dollars to the cost.
Make sure it has the original carton. If you have to buy one from Krell it's really expensive.
You should have a dedicated 20 amp outlet for the amp. If you plug a big Krell into a regular 15 amp outlet along with your other gear you can get some serious voltage sag.
If your speakers have a reasonable impedance curve and if they are of average sensitivity (90 db or higher) a vintage Krell may be overkill. There are lots of great sounding amps that will be easier to own. OTOH if you own speakers that are difficult to drive there is no better amp.
Here are a few things to take into consideration:
These amps are big, heavy, and they put out a lot of heat. It should be on a sturdy stand up several inches from the floor. It should not be placed directly on carpet.
Has it been recapped recently by a reputable tech? If not, be prepared to spend well north of $1k on getting it done - and that's without shipping. Opinions vary but most Krell owners recap after about 20 years.
Research the location of the nearest shop that works on Krell. To my knowledge there are two in Connecticut, one in L.A., and one in Gig Harbor Washington. If you have to ship one of these amps to get it recapped or repaired It will add hundreds of dollars to the cost.
Make sure it has the original carton. If you have to buy one from Krell it's really expensive.
You should have a dedicated 20 amp outlet for the amp. If you plug a big Krell into a regular 15 amp outlet along with your other gear you can get some serious voltage sag.
If your speakers have a reasonable impedance curve and if they are of average sensitivity (90 db or higher) a vintage Krell may be overkill. There are lots of great sounding amps that will be easier to own. OTOH if you own speakers that are difficult to drive there is no better amp.