Krell Adds Automatic Room Equalization System to Evolution 707

[PHC1]

Originally Posted by Uberbrown

402 = stable 1600 watts into 2 ohms...
600 = stable 2400 watts into 2 ohms...

I have an "acquaintance" that had tried Boulder, and many other names in the same category, and he now owns a Krell 402.

I have another "friend" who is very well aquatinted with McIntosh, Ayre, Boulder, etc..., and he now has a 402 with a 707 and a 505, as well as some other Krell amps for the surround channels and center, and he told me that in his opinion, there are very very few brands who offer anything that is comparable.

It's all about synergy. Krell builds very robust amps that take full control over a speaker but not every speaker goes with krell.

[Uberbrown]

Originally Posted by PHC1

It's all about synergy. Krell builds very robust amps that take full control over a speaker but not every speaker goes with krell.

Absolutely. Just trying to point out that Krell is more than just mid-fi with a name and a price.

[Still-One]

Originally Posted by Uberbrown

402 = stable 1600 watts into 2 ohms...
600 = stable 2400 watts into 2 ohms...

I have an "acquaintance" that had tried Boulder, and many other names in the same category, and he now owns a Krell 402.

I have another "friend" who is very well aquatinted with McIntosh, Ayre, Boulder, etc..., and he now has a 402 with a 707 and a 505, as well as some other Krell amps for the surround channels and center, and he told me that in his opinion, there are very very few brands who offer anything that is comparable.

Lots of opinions out here. As I said I like the Krell sound in general, but there is no way I would pay $16k list for a 402 versus Mac 402 that goes for what $7k. And although the 600's are really nice, I will keep the 1.2ks at $22k versus $32k.

As I noted, I would most likely go for the MBL 9008's if I was going to change amps.

All of the brands we have noted are very good, and a lot of it comes down to looks and personal preference. I am not crazy about the Evo look and would choose McIntosh, Boulder, Ayre or Burmester for that reason alone over the Krell.

[Still-One]

Originally Posted by Uberbrown

Absolutely. Just trying to point out that Krell is more than just mid-fi with a name and a price.

No one ever said Krell was mid-fi, I was just saying it is high priced versus some of it competition and that is exactly why D'Agostino was let go. He could not bring in the gear at competitive prices so it would sell in the numbers the investors wanted.

[Waboman]

I've always had a soft spot for Krell. My first "real" amp was a Krell. When they released their first processor the flagship A/V Standard for $10k-$12k back in '97, I bought that too... with a substanial discount. I had a few of their CD players too, including the KPS-20i which I bought off Agon, kept for a year or so, and resold for exactly what I paid for it. I just wonder if it's the same old Krell now that Dan D'Agostino isn't in charge anymore.

[PHC1]

Originally Posted by Stillone

Lots of opinions out here. As I said I like the Krell sound in general, but there is no way I would pay $16k list for a 402 versus Mac 402 that goes for what $7k. And although the 600's are really nice, I will keep the 1.2ks at $22k versus $32k.

As I noted, I would most likely go for the MBL 9008's if I was going to change amps.

All of the brands we have noted are very good, and a lot of it comes down to looks and personal preference. I am not crazy about the Evo look and would choose McIntosh, Boulder, Ayre or Burmester for that reason alone over the Krell.

The evo 402 and mc402 are not in the same league. Not dynamics nor resolution wise. which one you "prefer" is a different story.

[Uberbrown]

Originally Posted by Stillone

No one ever said Krell was mid-fi, I was just saying it is high priced versus some of it competition and that is exactly why D'Agostino was let go. He could not bring in the gear at competitive prices so it would sell in the numbers the investors wanted.

I never said that anyone did say that Krell was mid-fi. I simply quoted 2 quotes, the first of which dealt with the idea that Krell was overpriced compared to McIntosh, and the second of which dealt with the specific price of 2 of their amps. To the first quote, I responded that the same accusation has been laid against Mcintosh. To the second, I responded that their performance was through the roof, and listed some anecdotal evidence that communicated that they could hang with MBL, Boulder, Burmester, and all the other big boys. Then Serge quoted my second response, which listed some specs and some anecdotal evidence, and Serge made the point that synergy should be taken into account to which I agreed. Then in response to Serge I wrote that the reason I had written the post concerning the specs and the anecdotal evidence was that I was "Just trying to point out that Krell is more than just mid-fi with a name and a price." By my saying this I was not responding to someone else's claim, but making a claim myself, namely that Krell gear is expensive, but has great power output and can hang with the big boys as well. I am sorry if I was unclear and gave the impression that I was responding to someone else.

[Uberbrown]

Originally Posted by PHC1

The evo 402 and mc402 are not in the same league. Not dynamics nor resolution wise. which one you "prefer" is a different story.

+1

Also..
The Evo 600's were highly praised by Stereophile, and Ken Kessler loved them as well, saying that they were the first piece of gear in a long time that had given him chills. He said...

[They deliver] that tingle factor more repeatedly than any amp I can recall in recent memory, right up there with the kilowatt Musical Fidelity kW monoliths and the 600-watt Audio Research Reference monoblocks. Constantly dazzled was I by its way, not with bombast, for which its only rivals are probably the bigger Evolution models, but the sheer absence of artifice and the heightened detail.

Krell Evolution 600 Mono Power Amplifier Reviewed

[Masterlu]

Pretty limited clietele at that rarefied level.

[PHC1]

There was a time when Krell was "the big boy". Their house sound changed a bit back and forth over the years and there were periods of time when it was as musical as it was a brute with many speakers. It seemed the more perfect and technologically advanced it became, the more people complained while listening to their crappy, dynamic range compressed CDs. Mark Levinson also went through some metamorphosis over the years.

One thing for sure, a great recording on neutral speakers will knock your socks off driven by Krell. The same combination will reveal many of the flaws of a bad recording just ad easily.

Take an EVO 402 and hook it up to a pair of Elipsas, now you have something in between and very enjoyable while dynamically and resolution wise being very impressive.