Vintage Krell

The KMA 100s ran class A up to the rated power. The amp always seemed a lot more powerful than 100 ways. They never ran out of steam. Getting to 100 dB on full range ESLs, no sub was easy. I suspect they kept going in AB mode. The power supply was huge.

I recently sold my KSA-50.  Had it for more than 15 years.  I loved the mid-range, but it was too bass heavy for long term listening, so it never got a lot of use. 

Listening to other Krells of the period, I felt all sounded similar.  Bass (and heat) like no tomorrow.  Impressive, but it wears on you after a while.  

Beautiful build quality.  

Norman

I have a Krell KSA-300s. I got it from an estate sale along with a pair of Apogee Scintilla speakers for a price I could not pass up. The amp dates from 1994. A son-in-law of the deceased owner told me he never saw it turned on. So that means it could have sat for 20 years or so. Upon first power up the relays chattered. I removed the cover then decided to send it to Krell for service. Their service charge is $125/hr. It got a full re-cap and new relays and a little more. Including shipping double boxed inside a wooden crate cost me right at $2300. That was more than I paid for the amp/speakers combined. I must say it has been flawless since. I have the Krell KRC-HR preamp / KPC phono preamp / KSA-300s amp / Apogee Scintilla's setup in my performance/recording studio that has great acoustic isolation. No matter what genre of music I listen to, it still is a pleasure to hear everything properly.

I owned a pair of MDA-300 monoblocks in the late 80's, early 90's. They generated a lot of heat, but I loved the sound. My wife convinced me to sell them because of the heat and high power bills. Selling these (and my Cello Audio Palette) are my biggest regrets in my audiophile journey. 

I bought an FPB-300 in the late 90's and owned it until one channel started distorting last year. Given it's age, I decided to sell it as-is instead of getting it repaired. This was another great sounding amp, although I think I liked the MDA-300 better (different system, different room, so direct comparisons aren't possible). 

The obvious issue with these older amps is that they will need service at some point (more likely sooner than later) and some of the parts are no longer available so re-engineering can get expensive. 

I really liked the KMA 160’s & 400’s!