2. amps-preamps
  3. 143600-3549

Krell XD gear in the House Initial Impressions

For those who were following a post we started a few weeks ago about considering bringing in Krell gear here is our follow up post after we just received the display gear.

We had 0 interest in adding Krell to our product portfolio before attending the Capitol Audio Fest we almost missed the room it was on the First floor in the back and it was VPI's room and we are not VPI dealers so it was almost a fluke that we even poked in. The huge Wilson Alex's were beckoning us in, so we decided to take a brief listen.

The sound in this room was mesmerizing, someone played Lou Reed's Walk on the Wild Side and there in three dimensions was Lou Reed and the three back up vocalisits, the sound was smooth, engaging, transparent, and has a sense of presence that made you take notice. 

So we started looking at the setup, VPI table $15k, Soundsmith cart $8k $110k Wilson speakers, lot of expensive Nordost Vallahalla or Odin but what was driving this insanely good sounding rig there in the bottom of the rack were two Krell 300XD amplifiers and a Krell preamp. 

Here was the best sound at this entire show, and the electronics were a fraction of the price of all of the other reference setups which were $80k monoblocs amplifers, $40k reference preamps and other such expensive gear. 

So we figured we would give the Krell a try part of the reason was logistics, powering our Paradigm Persona 9H is a $50k set of the phenominal T+A electronics from Germany, a $19.5K 300 Watt power amplifier, a $16.5 preamplifier and an optional outboard power supply at $13.5.

We have no issue with this gear it is incredible, however, we didn't have in this room a set or electronics which we thought would really give the T+A stuff a run for its money and yet be more affordable, so the Krell 300XD amp at $10,500 plus their Illusion 2 preamp/dac at $8k we thought would bring the price of doing a top notch system with the Personas down a bit in price and perhaps be a nice addition to our other electronics lines of T+A and Naim for top of the line solid state gear.

We hooked up the new Krell gear yesterday and even after only 24 hours of break in the sonic signature is very similar to what we heard at the Capital Audio Fest. 

The new Krell gear was liquid in the midrange, with nylon strings having the right type of roundness that makes acoustic guitar sound so right, tight well defined midbass, excellent rhythmic control, good top end extension with a slighly soft warm top end, and a big dimensional soundstage.

One of our questions is are there anyone on the boards who has this combo in particular the 300XD power amplifier and the illusion 2 preamp/dac we are currious to the affects of break in and how they improve. 

The sound after only 24 hours of initial plug in and break  in the gear is allready sounding ridiculous good how much better does it get and in what ways?

Dave and Troy
Audio Doctor NJ  new Krell dealers




128x128audiotroy
audiotroy's avatar
audiotroy OP
3,807 posts
 
Micheal, we think the reason is that people kind of written off the brand based on some of the negative issues involving the hostile take over and rousting of Dan and Rhondi in the recent past, then then there was the radical new look and new Ibias designs, and now finally with the tweeked up XD version these productsare  really sounding fantastic with critics and listeners alike confirming that the products are sounding much more involving that the previous versions.  Now with Walter and Rhondi is the company comming back to prominance and regaining stability with some very exciting new products on the drawing board.

Played with your racks when I worked at SBS very innovative products you were making at the time.

Thank you ZZ, Dznutz and everyone who has responded favoribly the only way any of us learn about new brands and how they perform and compare are threads like this.

As per the new Krell gear the K300i is sounding fantastic hooked up the Lumin T2, and the sound of course is way better as that is a $4,500.00 streamer but the sound of the amp is still showing through and that is a very good and highly competitive integrated amp for $7k.

Next week will be the full evalaution of the Illusion 2 with the 300XD with a better dac then the Illusion 2’s built in one.

Dave and Troy
Audio Doctor NJ Krell dealers


Post removed 
audiotroy's avatar
audiotroy OP
3,807 posts
 
Mental everyone has a different style, sorry if ours seems long winded we go into detail other than, gee new Krell sounds good, company back go check it out! 

If I was a  consumer and hey we are consumers as well, considering we don't get the gear for free and have to buy it, I would want to know more such as what have you compared it too, how is the sound different, how is the company different etc.

As per new Krell vs old read the tone review, these new Krell products sound very different than the old, less stream roller bass, more midrange richness more tonal color accross the board, less heat and smaller more managable sized products even the soundstage is wider they sound more like Pass without the high heat.

Read Jeff Dorgays comments on comparing Krell XD vs non XD and even vs classic Krell models:

http://www.tonepublications.com/whats-new-homepage/krells-new-ibias-duo-175xd/

Fortunately, Schofield made my job easy. He sent me an old version along with the new amp. While it’s great to rely on “sonic memory,” nothing gets the job done like having them both side by side to compare. So using the new D-01 DAC/streamer from Esoteric ($20,000) in for review that I’ve become very familiar with, Nagra’ s Classic preamplifier ($17,000) and a pair of GamuT Zodiac speakers ($149,000/pair), all cabled up with Cardas Clear cable, the comparison was a relatively easy task.


Initially, there’s no comparison between the two current models – the jump in resolution and musicality is massive. It’s like they are channeling the sound that made Krell famous, while incorporating the changes in technology that have come to be over the last 35 years.

The raw emotion that generated so much excitement over this brand in the 80s is back in spades, yet without losing that magic, there is more low level detail, and more refinement. This is a tough combination to master, yet Krell has. It’s like taking a car with a great paint job, wet sanding it with 2500 grit sandpaper and then buffing to a higher luster than you thought possible – yet there you are.

We’ll have a full review of the Duo 175XD before the end of this year, but for now, consider this more of a comparison between new and old versions to let you know what’s new. 

The folks at Krell are calling this “The New Sound of Krell,” but I submit that they’ve just returned to what made them great in the first place, bringing it up to date with the best advances in audio technology that have come our way in the last few decades. I’d say they’ve found their way back


Mental without knowing your current system there is no way of us knowing if the new Krell gear would work for you but after owning Krell 450 MCX, a Krell KRC HR, and a KSA 250 we know what classic Krell gear sounds like the new stuff is way better.


Dave and Troy

Audio Doctor NJ Krell dealers






Post removed 
rsf507
2,328 posts
 
More sales ramble here but this is nothing new. 
More to discover