Krell Foundation Processor
 

I just spoke to the folks at Krell, and they mentioned that the final tests have completed on the Foundation Processor and that it's being shipped out to several dealers today. We should know more over the next several weeks, as dealers get them in and try them out. It comes with the ARES automatic room equilization feature, which will be interesting to try. I have not yet noticed a Manual on the website - hopefully soon!

I'll be curious as to how it sounds - for HDMI - in comparison with the S-1200. It seems that the Marantz AV8801 is a hot item, so I'll also be interested in how it compares with that, as well as the similarily priced McIntosh MX121.


Dave

I don't think it will do IIz, since I have not seen that advertised. I'm wondering if the display and the blue light can be turned off. I'll probably try calling Krell to find out.

Dave

Well, I found out that the display will turn off after a certain amount of time (by default), but the blue light in the center will not turn off. Unless I can open the unit and disconnect the blue light, this might be a deal breaker for me. My equipment is at the front of my room, so I don't want a blue led staring at me. Unfortunately, it doesn't look easy to cover up.

Dave

I spoke to the folks at Krell today, and they told me that the blue light is something that they researched and considered for folks like me. It is not supposed to be a distraction. It will be interesting to find out what users think of it.

Dave

The Krell website now has the Specs, as well as the User Manual. Looks pretty good! In fact the S/N ratio and THD look really good. Unfortunately, I won't be getting one of these, as I just purchased an S-1200. I'm looking forward though to reading about those that get the Foundation and their thoughts on it.

Dave

Was considering switching from the Cary Cinema 12 to the Foundation. Thoughts? Advice?

Hard to say. I spoke to a Cary/Krell dealer, prior to the release of the Foundation. He mentioned that the Krell S-1200 is about 20-30% better than the Cinema 12, which makes the Cary a terrific value. The Foundation isn't going to be as good as the Krell S-1200, so it's hard to say how it will be sonically vs the Cinema 12. However, if Krell is successful in achieving their goals for the Foundation, it should have a several advantages over the Cary:

1) Auto EQ
2) An HDMI interface without hiccups.
3) More HDMI inputs.
4) Other features?


Dave

Thanks for the input Dave. I know all about those hiccups. They can get a bit annoying.

But the other thing that I wasn't aware of with the Cary was that I cannot integrate it with a two channel preamp without RCA's. I don't know if that is the reason why I hear subtle noise in my mains when switching to the C12 for movies but it seems to be. My center & surrounds are virtually silent.

Either way, the Krell seems to be among the best but there is no denying the value of the Cary. Its a fully balanced design which is rare for sub-$10K processors; and that spec is nowhere to found on Cary's site. That;s pretty odd since it a huge selling point.

Krell, and Cary; which Auto Calibration and EQ system are they using?

I forget with the Cary and unsure with the Krell - I manually calibrate anyway; i think the results are much better.