TroyD
02-02-2007, 06:15 PM
Well, Mantis would be proud. Krell have I.
Due to my impatience to get the Quad rig up to snuff and wanting to make the LR rig a bit more user friendly (ie fully remote capable), I moved out the Sunfire tube pre and the Classe 25 amp.
I'd been wanting to move to an integrated for some time and this deal worked out. So, anyhow, the Krell has been in the system for a couple weeks now.
It's a GOOD looking piece. Slim, simple and unassuming. Nice. Specs have it at 150wpc@8ohms/300@4...blah blah blah....Solid feeling piece.
Yeah, yeah, BDT....get to the money shot.
Ok, to the point, is it as good or better than what I had? No, it's not. However, MSRP on the Krell was around 2K. The Sunfire was 2400 and the Classe was 4500...so, probably not a fair comparison.
What IS better is bass extension and definition, long Krell strongpoints, and this amp doesn't dissapoint. I'll say it's probably the best sounding in the lower registers, I've ever heard my 2.3tl's sound.
Overall, the sound, I'd characterize as analytical. The Sunfire/Classe was warm all over. The Krell is about 180 degrees the other way. Not saying better or worse, just different. I'd say the 2.3tl's needed a little less warmth, actually. While the Sunfire/Classe would make less than optimal recordings at least listenable, the Krell reveals them for what they are. OK, I've got a good library of recordings at my disposal, I can live with a dose of truth in recording.
Where the Krell strips poor recordings apart is in the upper registers. It's not going to turn a piccolo into a steaming tea kettle on it's own, but, if that's how it was recorded....that's how it's going to sound. I've got a couple versions of Vivaldi's Four Seasons that have been rendered all but unlistenable through this rig.
Now, something else that I DO like is that soundstaging and so forth is very consistent as the volume increases/decreases. I do a lot of listening at low volumes in this rig so that's a plus.
Overall, I'm impressed. Does it best a, what I would consider, 'reference' quality pre/amp ala Sunfire/Classe? No, probably not. However, for a reasonably priced integrated? It gives you a HUGE slice of hifi.
Also, one other note. The remote. JHC, you'd think that Krell could come up with a BETTER designed remote. This thing SCREAMS 1979. HUGE with the dickbump pushbuttons. It does what you need it to do but that's about it.
Rockin' on down the highway with Krell in my 'sole';)
BDT
Due to my impatience to get the Quad rig up to snuff and wanting to make the LR rig a bit more user friendly (ie fully remote capable), I moved out the Sunfire tube pre and the Classe 25 amp.
I'd been wanting to move to an integrated for some time and this deal worked out. So, anyhow, the Krell has been in the system for a couple weeks now.
It's a GOOD looking piece. Slim, simple and unassuming. Nice. Specs have it at 150wpc@8ohms/300@4...blah blah blah....Solid feeling piece.
Yeah, yeah, BDT....get to the money shot.
Ok, to the point, is it as good or better than what I had? No, it's not. However, MSRP on the Krell was around 2K. The Sunfire was 2400 and the Classe was 4500...so, probably not a fair comparison.
What IS better is bass extension and definition, long Krell strongpoints, and this amp doesn't dissapoint. I'll say it's probably the best sounding in the lower registers, I've ever heard my 2.3tl's sound.
Overall, the sound, I'd characterize as analytical. The Sunfire/Classe was warm all over. The Krell is about 180 degrees the other way. Not saying better or worse, just different. I'd say the 2.3tl's needed a little less warmth, actually. While the Sunfire/Classe would make less than optimal recordings at least listenable, the Krell reveals them for what they are. OK, I've got a good library of recordings at my disposal, I can live with a dose of truth in recording.
Where the Krell strips poor recordings apart is in the upper registers. It's not going to turn a piccolo into a steaming tea kettle on it's own, but, if that's how it was recorded....that's how it's going to sound. I've got a couple versions of Vivaldi's Four Seasons that have been rendered all but unlistenable through this rig.
Now, something else that I DO like is that soundstaging and so forth is very consistent as the volume increases/decreases. I do a lot of listening at low volumes in this rig so that's a plus.
Overall, I'm impressed. Does it best a, what I would consider, 'reference' quality pre/amp ala Sunfire/Classe? No, probably not. However, for a reasonably priced integrated? It gives you a HUGE slice of hifi.
Also, one other note. The remote. JHC, you'd think that Krell could come up with a BETTER designed remote. This thing SCREAMS 1979. HUGE with the dickbump pushbuttons. It does what you need it to do but that's about it.
Rockin' on down the highway with Krell in my 'sole';)
BDT