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Someone familiar with older KSA Krell amps

Someone familiar with older Krell amps...KSA 50-S I owned one of these many years agao, mated it with a Kell KRC-3 preamp....sound was fabulous, sounded like a tube amp, warm and smooth had alot of detail, people said it had no bass, yet it did in my system...this is the only amp of this series I have owned. Question: want to buy a used KSA amp now provided it is in good shape, cosmeitcally attractive, etc. etc. but I am looking to drive more difficult speaker loads, i.e., totme mani'2...are the larger Krell KSA 100-s, and then the KSA 200-s, can I expect the same sound I liked so much in the 50-S to be in these larger amps, only in a more powerful package?? Or are they different animals entirely wach with different characteristics, I believe that the 100-s should have enough power to drive the mani'2 but I dont know...I am sure the 200-s would have more than enough , but am I crazy to get such a large heavy Krell to drive these speakers when a 100 would probably do? I guess I have a feeling that the larger 200-s would have virtues of its own to be sure, but it might not have that warm tublike sound I enjoyed so much from the 50_S. Was hoping someone who has experience with these amps might help me... I am trying to decide between the 100-s and 200-s , I know I like the Krell KSA sound mated with a KRC-3 preamp, just dont knwo which is a better match for mani 2' with a 4 ohm, 84 db sensitivity load,,not sure if a 200-s is way overkill, or actually the better choice, and if it would have a warm like sound or be different sounding from the smaller Krell
128x128mankeegan
breuninger
101 posts
 
My take:

KSA 50/100- sweet and warm sounding Class A fan cooled see:
http://home.ca.inter.net/~lloyd.maclean/Krell/Krell.htm
JA still has his 50!!!

KMA 160s- Pure class A- heatsink cooled- AH those fins! Warm, and huge sounding- very realistic timbre.

KSA 80- same as above but less power and a little less magic.

KRS 200- cut form the same cloth as the two above but Elephant sized in both power (200 real class A watts) and sound.

KSA 200- more neutral than the former three, some say more "white sounding" I say more true to the recording.

KMA 400s- same as KSA 200 times two, rare and wonderful, less bias current than KSA 200 if set to factory spec. Bigger stage, more detailed.

KSA 250- take every amp Krell made to date, put in a blender and you have the sound of this magnificent amp.

All S series Krells- sliding bias, just a little more mechanical sounding than the prior Krells. These have many fanboys.

FPBs- big improvement on the S series amps. Warm plus big, plus detail, lots of power at all specs. Many people think these are the best.

Cast series--- I don't have data or listening notes on these. Fellow reviewers love them. I don't buy into the "cast" technology- it's too limiting on equip matching.

Peter
ozzy's avatar
ozzy
7,283 posts
 
I owned a KSA 250 for quite a few years. I did have to send it to Krell after a flame came out the top.
I think the repair was about $500 including freight shipping. The unit was returned installed on a pallet and a new box.
I eventually sold the Krell for a Pass Labs X350.5 Still about the same weight and it also puts out heat, not quite as much as the Krell.
The Pass Labs is a much better sounding unit.
stanwal's avatar
stanwal
3,147 posts
 
I don't think the KSA 50 and 100 Mk 1s had fans. I don't remember them. The 100 weighed over 100 lb. if I remember correctly. Had VERY large heat sinks.
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samzx12
1,220 posts
 
A friend of mine had the 100s driving his Thiel 3.7's. He then borrowed a 200s and preferred it because he immediately noticed more bass and overall a more balanced sound because of the extra power. He bought the 200s.
rcprince
3,062 posts
 
The original KSA 50 and 100 had fans in both their Mk I and II versions, as I recall--I owned a KSA 50 Mk II, one of the sweetest solid state amps around for a long time, and one I should have kept if only as a museum piece. Starting with the KSA 80 (which I also owned)/200 Krell started using heat sinks. Stan, are you thinking perhaps of the big KRS amplifiers that came out around that time? I far preferred the first three series of Krell amplifiers (through the KSA 250) to any of the sliding bias Krells that followed (especially the -s amplifiers) until you got to the FPBs. I'm sure my memory is overlooking the weaknesses of the early Krells, but they really could drive any load and I enjoyed my time with them, before the tubes started seducing me.
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