Anybody happy with high power Krell?

I am always amazed at how everyone on this site loves to trash Krell. I have owned the KSA-250 which is a good amp, but very lean sounding and a heater for the room it is in. I auditioned the Rowland 350 watt mono 7's at the time I had the Krell 250 because I had the Consummate preamp and I was disappointed in the sound and bass control. Rowland ran out of gas on anything played loud. I bought the 300FPB and it sounded more musical than the KSA250 and to me, just as detailed and controlled in the bass. In my mind, nothing comes close to the FPB600 in terms of sound and effortless power when it is compared to the past Krell stereo amps and other solid state for that matter. I recently upgraded to the Krell 650mc's connected to the KPS-25sc playback system with the CAST cable from Transparent (kills my Transparent Reference interconnects and only cost $300) driving the Wilson MAXX. The mono's are incredible. I will be honest..Krell is not forgiving of a recording. If it is a good recording it sounds unbelievable, a bad recording sounds bad. Sorry, that's the way it is. If you want to hear what's on the recording you will hear it. Most people don't balance the equipment to the level of Krell quality and will never hear what it can do. It is only bright sounding because of poor cabling, poor front end or bad source recording. I was in the Analog Room in San Jose, CA listening to the Nagra tubes stuff driving the Avalon Eidelons. The front end was a VPI turntable with great cartridge etc. and frankly, that sounded brighter and harder than the Krell. It drove me from the room. So my only recommendation is to bring it home and listen for a week. I could have bought anything and I bought Krell because they build great stuff.

Hi All,
If I had bottomless funds , I'd go for the Boulders in a flash. As it is, I buy virtually everything on Audiogon at 30-50 % off retail. Find me some used Boulders at 50% off and I might take the plunge. Anybody used the Pass X-series?

David

One of my regrets in things audio (and we all have them)is selling my KSA-50 II amp. This was a brash, kick ass & take names no apology amp that worked great with my Apogees. But alas, being an audiophile, I sold it for another amp. Big mistake. I've owned a KST-100 (didn't like)and a KSA-150 (nice, but a little....uninvolving).

I've heard from ears that I trust that the KSA-300S is a good amp. However, that "little" old KSA-50 was engaging as all get out and had that toe tapping swing.

My current amps are the keepers and are made by Reference Line (Silver Signatures with the high current, outboard power supplies). They have the grace and bloom of a good tube amp, the grip of the best solid state and the swing of the KSA-50. Hard to find, expensive, expensive to run (each amp is rated at 100 watts, 8 ohms and is class A biased all the way to clipping into 2 ohms) but they are worth it. I find that the solid state stuff that is HEAVILY biased into class A sounds the best, especially at low levels and with a glass of 18 year old single malt scotch.

To make a long story even longer, Krell HAS made some great sounding amps. You just have to pick and choose and don't be afraid to look BACK into their model line. Good luck in your search and choice.

1953, you and me both wish we'd never sold those KSA 50 amps! That was my first high-end amp, and easily the sweetest amp Krell ever made, as well as a powerhouse belying its power rating. I agree with you that certain of their older amps (the KSA 50 Mk II, the KSA150, 250 and MDA 300s and the KAS amps) are very nice sounding amps that can drive anything out there; as far as comparisons with other amps, it will ultimately come down to personal preference. Be worth a listen in David's setup, and I'd love to hear it. I must note that Kirk leaving those huge Tube Research amps on 24/7 must essentially eliminate the winter heating bills! But Kirk, what do you do in summer?

I had a krell FPB 300 and was very happpy with it. I used it to drive Magnepan 3.5R's. I's still have it except I decided to go with a tube amp. Buy the Krell used if possible. Save about half and still get a great product. Buy as new as you can to get some of the transferable 5 year warranty