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Ideas for Krell-ish sound, but less heat?

Hello,
What class AB amps should a Krell-loving person consider? I have a 400 cx.

I have used a variety of nice audio gear over the years, and have gravitated towards the Krell sound. But in a room over the garage that already tends to get warm, the Krell's heat production is unbearable.

This hobby is all subjective of course. I like killer dyanamics, ballsy sound. Not interested in mellow or laid-back. As a comparison, I owned a Levinson 335 at one point but eventually decided the sound was boring to me. I'd love a multi-channel amplifier consistent with my sonic preferences, though I could also deal with combos of mono and stereo amps.

I have tried class D, but still looking. Ideas?
d_forrester
mapman's avatar
mapman
22,970 posts
 
What Class D amp did you try and with what pre-amp? Also what speakers?

Thanks.
stevecham
3,340 posts
 
For years I have been of the, (possibly misled) opinion that Musical Fidelity offered a "Krellish" type of presentation, albeit with a British take on the sonic approach. Having said that, the two are very different designs. It's gonna be difficult to match the quality of your 400cx though (disclaimer: I have one).
mapman's avatar
mapman
22,970 posts
 
I've heard some very good and very bad systems with Krell amps. The common link among the good ones have been use with Martin Logan speakers. I have heard similar sound with MLs using Classe amplifiers. Have also heard Krell amps sound very good similar to ML with Focal speakers.

I've only heard a few bad Krell systems which I would attibute most likely to poor setup/integration and/or specific units not performing up to spec.

I had a Musical Fidelity A3CR for a while. Less heat and bulk I suspect but no resemblance to Krell sound that I could determine.

I might be able to draw some similar comparisons between the Bel Canto ref1000m amps I currently use and the Krells I have heard, but the BCs are Class Ds, and I have never heard a Krell amp in my system, though I have considered Krell as an option.
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