Any thoughts on Krell

Products are constantly being made "new and improved" in order to get continuing market attention. It's a common business marketing tactic that I don't think will change. It isn't unique to Krell, or to electronic products for that matter. My favourite brand is continually making improvements, but at least they keep the cosmetics intact for about eight to ten years at a time. The best advice I would offer is simply to realize what their approach is and take advantage of it. In other words, don't buy new but buy the reently discontinued model at a great discount price! If they change frequently, you're not going to be missing out on quality or any vast technological improvement. And you can resell at little or no loss. That's why a lot of us are here at Audiogon.

Buy the gear for what it sounds like now and whehter or not you like the looks.

Seems to me if you consider it a large investment (I do) then you would want to buy something that would keep you happy for a while. Regardless of what else comes on the market.

Newer is not always better. I'm not a Krell fan, but I prefer the sound of older Krell gear to that of the newer gear. Just relax and enjoy what you have.

I am a Krell fan, but I would never buy it new for the reasons you mention. Being able to buy a used piece in good condition at a bargain is positive, not a negative to me. But then, I don't necessarily need the latest and greatest, just something that fits my needs.

I think the most relevant point which Stenckr raised is about the non-upgradeability of the AVS! Part of the justification for the high price of the AVS was the claim that Krell products do not get obsolete- you can upgrade to the latest rather than buying new. However, with the AVs Krell failed in abig way- at no point was it seriously upgradeable other than the DTS option. Same is now true for the HTS2 and current HTS7.1- no way to get HDMI switching and with most newer display devices shunning component video for HDMI this is a major handicap. Moreover, for those of us with the necessary funds and desire to buy the latest, Krell has no new processor available as of now. The unit exhibited at the (which show?) early this year is still on the drawing board. Change in cosmetics is not a big issue, atleast for me. Nowadays with outstanding metal work available for peanuts (literally) from Asian manufacturers, it is easy and cheap for Krell to change cosmetics. It is very possible that the reason cosmetics stayed constant in earlier years was due to the high tooling costs and paucity of alternate sources. Just my opinion, ofcourse.