Why Is Krell the a bad work???

Retroguy, I have no issue with your grammar. It is irrelevant to me. I am only concerned with content. While I cannot say your methods will win friends, I welcome your opinions. Whether I agree or disagree. And please give me the respect of not blanketly saying that we on this site only regurgitate what others say. I do not regurgitate opinion. I form my own, and share them. Whether they are right or wrong(if that even applies), is secondary to the point that they ARE mine.

Trelja, How do you form your opinions? Do you purchase the equipment and then live with that equipment long enough to truly get to know the product. Most people cannot simply cut a check for let us say $6,000.00 just to see if the unit will be a good addition to the system, they cannot afford the loss of reselling the unit as used. In some occasions a dealer will charge out a unit to a good customer for a day or two at best. It takes a long time to build that kind of rapport and trust. Even if you do have that option available, is two days enough to get to know the equipment. For those people whom don't have either option available, they must form opinions by simple instore auditions. The variables that affect the audition are so great in number that I really don't how anyone can create a strong opinion that is meaningful and accurate. I don't intend to offend anyone. If I have, you all have my most sincere appologies, except cornpone. UIUC is not a trade school and yes my part time job at a hi-fi store did qualify me to hear very subtle differences in equipment. I heard the best of the best for four years on a daily basis. I was trained by some of the true Golden Ears that have been instrumental in the foundation of several of todays best of the best. I have designed and built loudspeakers for the pure joy of it for 18 years. What is your history?

retro: how do you form your opinions of audio equipment? does your auditory memory of your college days provide you a reference catalog? how do you know that dealers where i live will loan out equipment only to those who've "built rapport"? or that such home auditions are limited to 2 days? (in fact, you are dead wrong on both these "audition" points.) oh, and what does uiuc stand for? BTW, retro, you're the one who started the name-calling here. the tone of my reposte was meant to deflect the absurd stridency of your second post of 01/11/01. read your words there over again and see if you can figure out why they were met with derision by all who responded, not just me. you're not gonna gain any points here suckin' up to trelja or dekay, or me for that matter. think before you write and reread what you've written before you push the "submit" button. i know, this is mere gratuitous advice but it's offered sincerely as a flame preventative. peace.

Retro: In regard to how long does it take to assess a piece of gear, I consider myself to be a "quick study" and I assume that many others are as well. I am also not an audiophile by any means. I spent 30 years listening to and playing live music and I have been at this hobby for 30 years as well (with a big vacation in the middle of it). If I am familiar with the associated equipment and have listened to "my" music in the room for a period of time, I can form a definite opinion at a dealer's showroom on a piece of gear (though it is not as strong as one that I would form at home). When auditioning gear at home, I usually know within the first few minutes if I like the piece or not and if I do like it, then 24 hours is plenty of time for me to make up my mind how it places among my other favorites both new and old. I know what to listen for and I know what I do and don't like. It's that simple. Synergy has a lot to do with it, but a bad piece is a bad piece, IMO. This may sound unbelievable, but I have a fairly accurate aural memory of every piece of gear and system that I have owned and lived with. These memories do include a few memorable auditioned pieces as well, like the B&O 5700 speakers for some odd reason. I also remember conversations as well as music going back many years and I can usually play them back as if they are on a tape deck in my head. This was a big asset (to me) when I was involved in business. On the other hand I have almost no visual memory whatsoever to the point where I do not have the slightest idea what clothing my wife is wearing in the next room and I can even forget what I am wearing if I do not take a peek. I have some trouble remembering written information as well. To each his own, don't expect others to necessarily share your traits.

dekay: excellent post! i've always believed i've had a good aural memory, too. i'm sure, tho, mine's not up to yours. my problem is: i can remember the sound of lots of equipment, the name and designation of which cannot be retrieved from my memory banks. as to the time it takes to audition equipment, permit me this observation: there's certain stuff that upon a short hearing will grab you by the scrotum and lead you to beleive life's not living if you can't own it; longer auditioning, tho, will reveal that the quality that first drew you in is, in fact, fatiguing. krell amps are perfect exemplars of this phenomenon. it is because of this that i distrust short-term auditions. my practice over the past few years has been to audition a piece in my system for at least two days. if i'm seriously interested in a possible purchase after the initial audition, i require at least an additional week's play in my system. recognize, tho, that we're talkin' here of $20k+ speakers and amp/pre/dacs in similar ranges. (without modesty, i should note, i've been at this hobby for 30+ years; if dealers don't meet my expectations, i simply go elsewhere.)