Krell XD technology


Interesting article at Stereophile regarding Krell's XD technology:


https://www.stereophile.com/content/krell-k-300i-integrated-amplifier-sonus-faber-olympica-iii-louds...


I quoteth it thus:


The key insight, which Goodman told me was discovered in the course of developing the K-300i, is that "lowering the output impedance below traditional norms" results in "substantial sonic improvements."


With 0.035 Ohms of output impedance, this would be a damping factor of around 230. I'm curious for two reasons:


  • I have seen evidence that SS amps are more susceptible to impedance variations than we think, and that this accounts for some of the changes we hear in speaker cabling.
  •  I wonder if it's something besides better feedback, and they're just afraid of calling it that?


I'm not a Krell fanboy, haven't heard them in decades.  Just saying from a tech perspective this was an interesting read for me.
erik_squires


I got a Vanguard when they first came out  I still love it!  I’ve had all the big name separates, but the Krell sounds amazingly warm and dynamic.  I’d be a little concerned that the new 300i might be too warm and cuddly for my taste.
I have the Digital Vanguard and although I don't understand a lot of the specs this amp is amazing for me. I have had Parasound for years and am sorry I ever put money into it, just lackluster compared with the Krell's performance. Open dynamic and musically stunning in my opinion. My older Vandersteen 2ce's have never sounded so good. I believe it probably comes down to system matching and integration. I'm playing with interconnects and cables now and having a blast!!