OK, so I've been happily listening to my primary home system for a few years now. It consists of Arcam components (A19 integrated, and the CD player and tuner that more or less match). Speakers are Focal 814v. Then, a friend had the above-mentioned beast he offered at a price that was too good to resist...
My current dilemma is to sort out an idea of what direction I want to head. The Krell is a step up the food chain, at least in terms of original cost. So the question is what to do about a preamp. For the near term, the Arcam has pre outs so I'll just use that. But what would make a great match for the Krell down the road? I've read that the amp can be a bit bright and I've read that it pairs well with a tube pre. But, as you can tell from my current system, I love matching components, so the Krell KAV-250p is a temptation. I can get over that, though, if it makes for better sound.
Then there's the speakers. One thought would be to use the Arcam and Krell together and biamp, but my Focals are single terminals, so they would not work for that set up. While I love the Focals, maybe it is time to start thinking about the next step.
In short, I'm in that entertaining mode of puzzling out "what next", as so often seems to be the case around here. I'm not overly familiar with the Krell amp and I'm still trying to wrap my head around what I have here. Is it the piece to begin building an upgraded system around? If so, what direction should I go?
So I'm just asking people's thoughts. I'm not in any rush (budget having been somewhat used up short term). Let me know what you think. Also, one caveat, having read postings like this in the past: yes, I know I need to listen and trust my own ears, pick what I like, etc. What I'm looking for is opinions on what direction that search should take.
My current dilemma is to sort out an idea of what direction I want to head. The Krell is a step up the food chain, at least in terms of original cost. So the question is what to do about a preamp. For the near term, the Arcam has pre outs so I'll just use that. But what would make a great match for the Krell down the road? I've read that the amp can be a bit bright and I've read that it pairs well with a tube pre. But, as you can tell from my current system, I love matching components, so the Krell KAV-250p is a temptation. I can get over that, though, if it makes for better sound.
Then there's the speakers. One thought would be to use the Arcam and Krell together and biamp, but my Focals are single terminals, so they would not work for that set up. While I love the Focals, maybe it is time to start thinking about the next step.
In short, I'm in that entertaining mode of puzzling out "what next", as so often seems to be the case around here. I'm not overly familiar with the Krell amp and I'm still trying to wrap my head around what I have here. Is it the piece to begin building an upgraded system around? If so, what direction should I go?
So I'm just asking people's thoughts. I'm not in any rush (budget having been somewhat used up short term). Let me know what you think. Also, one caveat, having read postings like this in the past: yes, I know I need to listen and trust my own ears, pick what I like, etc. What I'm looking for is opinions on what direction that search should take.