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Krell SACD, DVD Standard, Showcase, KAV 280CD

I recently purchased a Krell 400xi and some Focal Be Micro's. I really like the sound of the amp and speakers, but I need to replace my current source. (I'm using a Sony DVD to feed my Benchmark DAC 1, but that leaves me without a headphone system for my desk.)

I usually do about 75% music and 25% video. Ideally I would like a DVD unit, but I'm not sure how well they will reproduce audio. I have read about every review out there and am still undecided.

Since I want to stick with Krell, I'm looking at the SACD, DVD Standard, Showcase DVD, and KAV280cd. Obviously the SACD and 280 won't play DVD's, but are they worth the money to only play CD's as I don't have any SACD's? The DVD standard and showcase prices are decent, but can they play CD's as well as a dedicated cd player? Another thing is the Showcase can be upgraded to HDMI with upsampling and to the best of my knowledge, the DVD standard can't.

Any insight will be appreciated.
gherrera1
gherrera1 OP
88 posts
 
I was aware of the problems associated with the SACD, but I didn't realize the DVD standard had similar issues. Definitely something I will have to keep in mind. Thanks for the input Arbuckle, the reviews for the 280 are all positive, if a little old.
gherrera1 OP
88 posts
 
Well, I picked up a DVD Standard and will be having it shipped out soon. From what I have read, it comes close to the SACD standard on Redbook CD's and gives me DVD video as well. My only problem now is getting it to work on 50Hz. I may just get a PS Audio regenerator instead of having the unit serviced.
gherrera1 OP
88 posts
 
My DVD Standard arrived yesterday and since I live overseas, I also picked up a PS Audio P500 Regenerator to deal with the 50Hz issue. Needless to say I plugged the DVD unit into my transformer and it worked! It runs on 120v/50Hz just fine. I'm still going to use the PS Audio unit as a "tweak" since all my equipment is on balanced power already.

Krell wanted $400 dollars to convert from 60Hz to 50Hz, but my unit must be universal. My integrated amp already has the 50Hz/60Hz modification, but that was done by the dealer for free when I bought it.
elberoth2's avatar
elberoth2
1,223 posts
 
The input voltage is switchable on all Krells. If you do not have the freq issue (some units were sold with 50/60Hz chips from the factory), you do not need the step-down transformer. Ask your dealer to help you switch the voltage or search the net.
ethan2k
1 posts
 
Is the voltage switch doable by yourself?

I plan on getting the SACD.
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