Can someone please explain the different Krell lines?

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  • tboooe
    Senior Member
    • Jun 2005
    • 657

    Can someone please explain the different Krell lines?

    Hi, I dont understand the differences between the KAV Class A or Evolution line of products. Can Krell expert please enlighten me?
  • soundhound
    Senior Member
    • Mar 2004
    • 815

    #2
    Great timing tboooe, I have seen a slue of them for around the 2k mark and thought, hmmm, are these way out of date, completely obsolete, or just a damn good buy........

    Comment

    • krellfan
      Member
      • Jul 2005
      • 64

      #3
      There are three catagory of Krell amps:

      Evolution - newest reference Class A line - monoblocks with seperate power supplies costing around $40K for the pair.

      Full Power Balance series (FPB xxx Mcx) Class A stereo and monoblocks ranging from 300W to 750W. xxx = wattage. Price is around $7000 to $28000.

      KAV/Showcase is a class A/B amp avaialbe in 2 to 7 channels and priced around $2500 to 8000.


      I am not sure how the Evolution series compares to the FPB Class A series since they are both Class A.

      Comment

      • audiofan
        Senior Member
        • May 2004
        • 272

        #4
        Sorry to hijack the thread .. 'cause i'm thinking of upgrading to Krell from Rotel.

        Krellfan,
        What do you think of Krell integrated amp (400xi or even 300 series) compared to Rotel separate for 2 channel audio?

        thanks.

        Comment

        • Karma
          Senior Member
          • Nov 2005
          • 801

          #5
          HI tboooe,
          Just to clarify, Class A is a catagory of amplifier topology and is not limited to Krell. There are are also Class B, Class A/B, Class C and Class D. There are probably others I am not familiar with. Others, like cascode, does not have a class designation.

          Each amplifier class uses the amplifying devices (tubes, bi polar transistors, FET's) differently to achieve certain design goals. Too much to go into here. Suffice it to say that each class biases the amplifying device differently. Class A is considered by many to give the purest sound but has many down sides. They run very hot, and are usually limited in power. They are usually very expensive.

          Sparky

          Comment

          • Claude D D
            Senior Member
            • Jan 2003
            • 465

            #6
            I replaced my RB-1080 with a KAV400xi in June. The 400xi easilly betters the 1080 in all aspects of sound quality and performance(as well it should). I run it in "thr" mode for HT and I run my SACD player directly into the 400xi for SACD/CD listening. Sounds awesome in my rig. :T I love the Krell gear.
            Attached Files

            Comment

            • audiofan
              Senior Member
              • May 2004
              • 272

              #7
              Claude DD, Does Krell 400xi run hot? I heard someone said that Krell is hot ,but i can't verify it.

              Does someone have any experience with Plinius 9200? How does KAV 400Xi compare to Plinius 9200?
              thanks.

              Comment

              • Claude D D
                Senior Member
                • Jan 2003
                • 465

                #8
                The Krell like any amp that is biased heavy to class A, it gets very warm. But it is designed with that in mind and if you have room for it to breath it's not an issue. :T It does run warmer than the Rotel RB-1080.

                Comment

                • kurtholz
                  Senior Member
                  • Feb 2005
                  • 345

                  #9
                  i am using a Krell kav3250 for my fronts, and a Rotel 1095 for teh rears, i think the rotel runs much hotter, the difference in sound quality is amazing, Krell is in a completely different class, and price range, but i think you are getting what you pay for.

                  holiday cheers

                  Kurt

                  Comment

                  • Spearmint
                    Senior Member
                    • Sep 2004
                    • 333

                    #10
                    Sorry if a bit off topic,

                    But I am looking for a 2ch pre amp and I am amazed at some of the units available of how wide they are hence a few I had my eye on will not fit into my rack.

                    One of the units that will is the Krell KAV-280p



                    Does anyone here own or have had any exposure to these pre-amps?

                    At this stage getting an audition is not going to be easy for me, so I am looking for feedback both positive & negative.
                    Richard

                    "Sometimes it is easier to ask forgiveness than to get permission... "

                    Comment

                    • Karma
                      Senior Member
                      • Nov 2005
                      • 801

                      #11
                      HI Spearmint (interesting handle),
                      I have a KAV280P mated to a KAV2250 for my front L & R speakers. I can say this is an excellent preamp. It is expensive but worth the money. I guess you know Krell makes some of the most expensive gear available. The KAV series is their economy line!! That's kind of like saying Ferrari makes a commuter hatch back. Ferrari doesn't but Krell does.

                      I generally do not like solid state preamps or power amplifiers. I'm a tube guy. But, tubes do wear out and using them many hours a day is not cost effective. Thus, having a good secondary solid state system makes sense. This is how I use the Krell's.

                      That statement, while true, makes an implication that the Krell is somehow inferior. That's not what I want say. This is great equipment that would be fully at home in anyone's main system. It's so good in so many ways that the Krell's are making me rethink my attachment to tubes. You can't loose on the KAV series.

                      BTW, I have traded in the KAV 2250 stereo power amp and am replacing it with a 3 channel KAV 3250 so I can also drive my center channel with equal quality. That shows you how much I like the Krell's.

                      To respond to other posts, the KAV2250 output stage is biased into class A/B. The upstream stages are biased into class A. This amp runs warm but certainly not hot. There are no exposed heat sinks. This is surprising for a Krell. You still need to give it some space, though. It is a monster power provider when called upon to do so.

                      Sparky

                      Comment

                      • Spearmint
                        Senior Member
                        • Sep 2004
                        • 333

                        #12
                        Hi Karma

                        Thanks for the feedback :T

                        The Krell is definitely on my short list at this point in time, still trying to find a dealer local that has one for me to audition.
                        Richard

                        "Sometimes it is easier to ask forgiveness than to get permission... "

                        Comment

                        • LikeCoiledSteel
                          Senior Member
                          • May 2004
                          • 210

                          #13
                          Hi,
                          I use a Krell Kav250P mated with a Krell Kav250A with great results. Definatly a forward sound but the control is awesome.
                          Steel

                          Comment

                          • krellfan
                            Member
                            • Jul 2005
                            • 64

                            #14
                            Audiofan,

                            I have not heard the Rotel 1080 so I can't comment on how it compares to the Krell integrated units.

                            Spearmint,

                            I think Krell's strength in designing amps. I have listened to Krell preamps a few time and it was not to my taste. I prefer BAT, Pass Labs and Sonic Frontiers preamps but it's a personal preference and system dependent. I use Pass Labs X1 preamp with Krell FPB 350Mcx amps.

                            Comment

                            • audiofan
                              Senior Member
                              • May 2004
                              • 272

                              #15
                              Thanks, Krellfan.

                              I , like Spearmint, can hardly audition Krell gears. That's why i'm also looking for positive and negative on Krell. Right now i'm in the between two options:

                              1> get Krell pre-amp KAV-280p and mate it with Rotel RB-1080

                              2> get Krell integrated amp KAV 400Xi

                              I also look into Plinius 9200 . If someone has heard it , please give me your opion.

                              thanks a lot.

                              Comment

                              • Spearmint
                                Senior Member
                                • Sep 2004
                                • 333

                                #16
                                Thanks Krellfan!

                                I appreciate your honesty and feedback.

                                Okay at this stage I am also going to trial The MF A5cr and Primare PRE30, still have had no luck with the Krell demo, may have to wait until the festive break is over and business gets back to some normality.
                                Richard

                                "Sometimes it is easier to ask forgiveness than to get permission... "

                                Comment

                                • Karma
                                  Senior Member
                                  • Nov 2005
                                  • 801

                                  #17
                                  HI,
                                  Check this out:



                                  It's a review of the KAV 280P and the KAV 2250.

                                  Sparky

                                  Comment

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