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  #11  
Old 11-18-2013, 08:47 PM
Ritmo Ritmo is offline
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Congrats Steve on your new Krell!
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  #12  
Old 11-19-2013, 02:09 PM
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Congrats Steve, I'm looking forward to hearing (and seeing ) this preamp!
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  #13  
Old 11-19-2013, 04:24 PM
stock78 stock78 is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by SteveK View Post
The airiness and that sense of each instrument having own space is superlative in Phantom. It was similar to that wow effect when you hear the a great planar speakers for the first time, going from a low end cone speakers.
I work a lot on my iPad while listening to music. Many times, I would spontaneous look up to peek at the musicians, just out of reflex. Talk about feeling like "being there"...

But I did have great fun listening to Ref5se. It adds a bit of excitement to music, especially at the top end. And you can't beat that midrange tube magic. The bottom end was exceptionally well controlled even compared to solid state gear. The soundstage was great, but here is where Phantom trumps it.

And this is the strange part, Phantom didn't have that slight harshness that ref5se exhibited on some recordings. Apexorca on another thread mentioned this and I had my doubts. Not any more

I bet if I pair Krell 302e (or 400e) & ARC ref5se with Martin Logan CLX, I may get that sense of airiness and soundstage. But I wouldn't get that tight control from low midrange and down.

I agree Krells can sometimes sound too "real" and it can sound a bit analytical. I like that kind of sound. So, only your ears can decide.
SteveK,

Congrats and enjoy your Phantom! It is really a great piece of workmanship.
Thanks for the observations on the Krell Phantom vs ARC Ref5SE. They are spot on and mirrors mostly my own experiences with them, however contra eg. the harshness-thing, for which I found you have to reverse the names.

Interesting should be comparings between Krell Phantom and ARC Ref10, both with separate power supplies.

Best.
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  #14  
Old 11-19-2013, 07:01 PM
davew davew is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by SteveK View Post
I had opportunities to look at internal wiring of B&W 802D2, Monitor Audio G300, and Paradigm C5v3, Rel G1 (all of which I have owned). All of them had 12 gauge or less copper wires inside. I know this would a whole new discussion, but putting higher quality cables to bridge between these normal internal wirings of electronics & speakers doesn't seem logical.
Without starting an audiophile forum debate regarding the merits of cables...of which there are already far too many. I just wanted to help prod your logic to do the Phantom some justice by saying that perhaps 6-12' of cable from amp to speaker is very different from 6" in a speaker. I was a old out for a long time with my Krell system, and have never been disappointed that I finally gave in and upgraded to good cabling. I've found Cardas and Siltech to work very will with Krell, and seem to have similar sounds tastes as you. I recently switched over to a set of Wywires and have been thrilled with them.

Enjoy...
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  #15  
Old 11-19-2013, 07:57 PM
SteveK SteveK is offline
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Originally Posted by davew View Post
Without starting an audiophile forum debate regarding the merits of cables...of which there are already far too many. I just wanted to help prod your logic to do the Phantom some justice by saying that perhaps 6-12' of cable from amp to speaker is very different from 6" in a speaker. I was a old out for a long time with my Krell system, and have never been disappointed that I finally gave in and upgraded to good cabling. I've found Cardas and Siltech to work very will with Krell, and seem to have similar sounds tastes as you. I recently switched over to a set of Wywires and have been thrilled with them.

Enjoy...
I will be picking up a pair of 400e in a week or so, and my dealer agreed to let me home audition Cardas Clear cables. So I am cautiously excited. I am actually afraid I may find noticeable improvement. Thought of spending up to $10k (or more) on cables is scary...
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  #16  
Old 12-05-2013, 08:59 AM
Mikeoz Mikeoz is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by SteveK View Post
I will be picking up a pair of 400e in a week or so, and my dealer agreed to let me home audition Cardas Clear cables. So I am cautiously excited. I am actually afraid I may find noticeable improvement. Thought of spending up to $10k (or more) on cables is scary...
So how are the 400e ? That's an awesome combo even without the $10k cables
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  #17  
Old 01-03-2014, 01:49 AM
SteveK SteveK is offline
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There was a bit of delay in getting my 400e's. After listening to them for couple weeks now, all I can say is they have almost exactly the same sonic character as the 302e up to mild volume. As the volume is turned up, their grip on the speakers is amazing. Even at ear bleeding level, there is no loss of control. Same sound, just louder. Simply, wow!
I'm still using my good old 12 gauge copper cables, so trying different cables would be my next project
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  #18  
Old 01-03-2014, 10:52 AM
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That's great to hear, Steve. I've been wondering how things were going...
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  #19  
Old 04-19-2014, 08:25 AM
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I bought the Krell Phantom after comparing, in my system, with the Dartzeel pre, the top VTL pre, and many other preamps in this price range. It depends on the system and personal preferences, but I am quite happy with it.

I saw the specs of the new Illusion preamp and was surprised to see that the specs are identical, even the weight of each module, capacitance, etc. Is it the same, with just a new box? Is there any difference? Has anyone heard the Phanton vs. Illusion?
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  #20  
Old 04-19-2014, 01:20 PM
SteveK SteveK is offline
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I thought the same. It may be just a facelift, so that it can match Krell's new look - starting with Foundation and Connect, and now amps and pre.
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