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krell vs.....

Jim Campbell

Jim Campbell

Member
looking for input.i have been looking into amps lately and so far the krell fpb 600 seems to be the bees nuts in my price range(used around 4500-6000 usd).my question is whether anyone here has any feelings negative or positive re this model ,pass labs x 600's,or krell cx 650-750 monos,which are substantially more dough.at present i do not have a krell cast pre and generally speaking the amps at that price point are non cast.im using an audio research sp 6 a but it being direct coupled it is a poor match for krells im told............release the hounds...
 
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I know people who need power (e.g. ribbon speakers, etc.) like them, but I never developed a taste for the Krell house sound.
 
With the caveat that I'm generally not a SS guy, I have heard a few Krell systems and they are not to my tastes.

For that kind of money I think you should try one at home first to make sure it's what you like - serious potential there for buyers remorse.
 
care to elaborate?there is a need for some serious power reserves,and bi-tri amping is not an option.to get that kind of sock from tubes would be into deep mac-audio research country for sure and the last pair of those i saw went for some 14 grand usd.im definitely not going single ended triode.........
 
It's just very analytical. But I have to admit, my basis is on their integrated, and I've heard at least one person say that Krell's strengths are in their separates.

If you can buy them used for a price that you can turn them over, then by all means buy them. If you don't like them, sell them off again.

I agree it's one of those situations where you need to hear it, but I also think this may be one of those situations where the only way you can hear it is by buying them.
 
To me, six grand isn't totally unreasonable for an amp, but that's one heck of an experiment...:)

I'd go dealer-hunting...see who's in your neck of the woods...listen, listen and listen some more.
 
Dusty Chalk said:
It's just very analytical. But I have to admit, my basis is on their integrated, and I've heard at least one person say that Krell's strengths are in their separates.

I agree it's one of those situations where you need to hear it, but I also think this may be one of those situations where the only way you can hear it is by buying them.
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i have long used separates in my main system...i know that there are some great receivers out there but i think its too much to ask of one piece of gear to perform so many functions...........imho
 
Did a nice long listen at the Krell display at the NYC HE show last month. The only thing that compared was the BAT/Wilson and the Burmeister (sp?) display. The BAT/Wilson was best, followed closely by the other two (and then the much smaller Joseph/PS Audio) displays. The Krell was terrific. If you can afford the FBP-600, go for it. There are a couple on Audiogon for ~$4600 that are very clean. One is just up the road from me. If you want to purchase, I'll pick it and listen to it for you until you can get down to pick it up.

I liked the new Krell FBI integrated, based on the 300CX amp, enough that I have seriously toyed with the idea of selling everything except my TTs, tuners and speakers and getting it and a high-end CDP and calling it quits with all this vintage stuff. It is that nice, both sonically and aesthetically.
 
Jim Campbell said:
which one(s)?and why?id really like to hear from some pass lab guys........x600 maybe.......
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20.5 monos would be a dream but the 27.5 is the nicest amp I've heard. Mind you if someone gave me a 23.5 or a 29 I wouldn't kick them in the groin.
 
the pass lab page shows only a 30.5 and that would be underpowered for my purposes.........im thinking of something of at least 450 watts and more is probably better
 
Is it important to you that the amp be big, heavy, and massive? If not you might consider the Yamaha MX-D1. It's a 23lb 500wpc class D amp that uses Yamaha's own MOSFET output chips. It received very good reviews. MSRP is $5000, but they can be purchased for much less than that.
 
actually i am upgrading from my bryston 4b...........when i had my jbl stuff it was triamped with lx x overs............bryston 4b,3b for the mids and an sae 2200
ran the tweets........i have purchased a new(used) wilson audio system and bi amping is possible but not recommended......nor is bridging to mono.i feel that class a power is the preferred route for me and i still have all my power amps............i just feel its time to buy a more powerful amp..........
 
Yamaha B-2 said:
Did a nice long listen at the Krell display at the NYC HE show last month. The only thing that compared was the BAT/Wilson and the Burmeister (sp?) display. The BAT/Wilson was best, followed closely by the other two (and then the much smaller Joseph/PS Audio) displays. The Krell was terrific. If you can afford the FBP-600, go for it. There are a couple on Audiogon for ~$4600 that are very clean. One is just up the road from me. If you want to purchase, I'll pick it and listen to it for you until you can get down to pick it up.

I liked the new Krell FBI integrated, based on the 300CX amp, enough that I have seriously toyed with the idea of selling everything except my TTs, tuners and speakers and getting it and a high-end CDP and calling it quits with all this vintage stuff. It is that nice, both sonically and aesthetically.
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Strong words from Glenn I must Say!:scratch2::scratch2:
Repectfully,
Jim
 
ehoove said:
Strong words from Glenn I must Say!:scratch2::scratch2:
Repectfully,
Jim
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yes and im mulling it over as we speak...........that one is a non cast krell and the long therm plan is to go krell pre as well.........i dont know how much cast improves the sound quality but i undersand that it allows for longer lossless cable runs,which i like.........the prospect of shipping that beast to utah to upgrade down the road is not something i relish and i really dont want to have to buy a new amp again in a couple of years........the whole idea is to get off the upgrade merry go round and enjoy.........
 
Which Wilson speakers did you get? The BAT/Wilson Watt Puppy 8's I listened to last month were the best sounding system I've heard. They were stunning. If I only had a spare $75K, or so.

The Krell amps are not truly Class A. They use a sliding bias that allows them to run in Class A at low power and then move into Class A/B bias at higher powers. If you want 'real' Class A, I would recommend a Threshold T-400, or even better, the sublime T-800 with those lovely meters.

On the other hand, Wilson speakers do not take that much power. They are over 90db efficient, IIRC. Can't feed them too much good power, but they are happy with with 100wpc of the 'top-shelf' watts. The Watt Puppy 8s were being fed with 150wpc.

Jim Campbell said:
yes and im mulling it over as we speak...........that one is a non cast krell and the long therm plan is to go krell pre as well.........
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If you are speaking of the Krell FBI integrated amp, it is definitely a CAST product. At 300wpc (actually, more like 400) it will drive a set of Wilson speakers very nicely. The newest 'Stereophile' has a review. The only complaint the reviewer had was the fact that the least expensive CAST CDP is $10K. He stated that he heard a clear difference between the CAST set-up and the non-CAST. And he ask Krell to come out with an under $5K CAST CDP.
 
grand slamm x 2s........which i auditioned with a krell fpb 300.....guys whose opinion i respect have recommended that more power is better and as as far as watts go anyway i had close to 600 wpc on my old jbs........these things have 2 woofs and are not horn driven so im inclined to agree.........i dont mean to disparage the integrated crowd but i think single function units are the way to go.....if i had the money id run right out and grab the master ref mono blocs,or even the cx 750s but im just not in that league.......so an fpb 600 or pass x 600s seem to be the top contenders so far..........from what im told the 2 separate power supplies in the monos make a huge difference than the combined one in the stereo versions..........
 
No argument from me on any of that. Threshold made some Class A monoblocs, but I don't recall their model numbers. Same with Stax. Both are quite rare. You might also check out BAT. But not Class A.

Post a pic or two of your Wilson speaks when you get a chance.
 
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