Krell KSA 50 vs. todays ss amps?

I traded in my KSA 50 for an 80; the 80 indeed did have more power, was more refined (once it warmed up) though not quite as sweet in the highs, had better bass quality and control, and generally was a better amp. Big problem with the KSA 50 was that it used a cooling fan, which could eventually wear out, vs. the 80's massive heat sinks. Both of these amps could heat a good sized room, as they ran in Class A all the time. Neither of these amps can give you the midrange of a great tube amp, but both of them excel at delivering power into demanding loads, which is what their design goal at the time was (no coincidence that Krell was often demoing with Apogee speakers).

Over a 15 year stretch I have owned 2 KSA-50MKii's. This amp and it's 100 watt Mono version KMA-100mkii put Krell on the map and in the homes of reviewers. These amps set the bar back in the late 80's and early 90's. The follow on series took the cooling fan out and placed the output transistors on the convection fins. The KSA-80B, KSA-200B, KMA-160B, were some of the finest amps that Krell made. These units were raved about by reviewers. After that Krell was on a mission to take the labor costs out of the production of it's amps. This made good business sence for Krell, but after the 250, the lush trademark sound was removed, along with the cost of manufacture. The S series was not reviewed well at all. Within months of the introduction there were a few units for sale each month in the back of Sterophile (well before the A-gon days). That series of product cost Krell, as reviewers were then clamoring over the new Levinson 331-333 amps.

I have compaired the KSA-200b and the KMA-160b to the new 250MCX and I prefer the sweetness of the older amps. You dont see too many of the older units moving here on a-gon, So I can not be alone on my assessment.

The fan units always get knocked becuase people contend that they wear out. In the 8 years that I had owned fan units, I never had a problem with a fan. I would annually, carefully remove the cover and blow out any dust. These were not cheap fans that Dan choose to use, and they do not wear out like a $5 bearing-less motor. Krell still has replacement fans if you do have a problem. Bottom line is that I would not shy away from this technology at all, and for the price it is a bargin.

I think that the older Krells like the KSA50 are better sounding then the newest Krells being manufactured now. The older Krell has a very sweet sound with lots of presence and midrange warmth. It delivers the musical goodies. In comparison, the Halcro I think is a little too analytical sounding. It's too clean and sterile. Like wearing a condom every time you listen to music. I would rather get down and dirty with the Krell.

I am in the hunt for a ksa-50
Does anyone know what the difference between the ksa-50 mk i and the mk ii models?

Thanks

If you are looking at the KSA50 I strongly urge you to also look for the comparable Threshold SA50. An original Nelson Pass design it usually is less expensive than the Krell and just as good; some say better but I suspect they are Threshold owners and biased. I've owned several Threshold products and, were I to go solid state again, it would be Threshold and/or Spectral. The used Threshold presents a wonderful value. Used KSA50 is a pure class with 50 watts that work down to 2 ohms or less easily. They typically trade for around
800 used.