Thinking Of Going All Krell...Thoughts?

[Rilands]

Originally Posted by Masterlu

The 2 channel performance on my MX150 is crazy good, I really think something still isn't quite right with yours, just sayin.

Good luck!

I agree. Mine is fantastic.

[allen_bh]

Originally Posted by Masterlu

The 2 channel performance on my MX150 is crazy good, I really think something still isn't quite right with yours, just sayin.

Good luck!

So Ivan's statement had me quite concerned. Today I took my MX150 to the McIntosh dealer and plugged my unit into their setup and compared mine to their's (the dealer was very gracious). I also took my W4S DAC2 and laptop just for kicks. The owner and I spent several hours with several customers and employees and I have the following to report:
1. I'm not crazy. My MX150 sounds just like theirs. Nothing wrong with it.
2. Both MX150's don't sound as good as my W4S DAC2 direct as a preamp (serving up both redbook and Hdtracks 24bit flac files).

So what can I infer from this? That comparing my MX150 to my friends Krell S1200 is a valid comparison. There's nothing wrong with my unit, it just doesn't sound as good as the Krell (to my ears, and a few other's).

I guess you could try to argue that the dealer's MX150 also has something (the exact something as mine) wrong with it, but I doubt that. Mine just came back from McIntosh after being thoroughly gone through (according to Chuck Hinton) after repairs.

The more I think about this, it's pretty silly really. The MX150 is a great sounding pre/pro, but it's not a knock-your-socks-off preamp. If it was, people wouldn't own both C1000's and MX150's .

I've got a lead on a C45 and will integrate that into my setup and see how it turns out. Perhaps that will help scratch the itch and not force the change to Krell.

[Masterlu]

Bryan... I guess it was good for you to do the comparison and remove all doubt. Keep us up to date on the path you choose.

[Mr Froggy]

Good thing to do comparaison and have several point of view!

[jeffkrag]

Bryan, great that you were able to do the mx150 comparison to confirm your opinion of the mx150. Now you need to borrow the Krell S1200 and play it in your room to see if the improvement you heard at your friend's place sustains in your environment. The C45 may be the answer though, and I'm very curious how that plays out.

Your research is really helping me out as I'm in the same boat. My itch is so bad I've alternatively almost pulled trigger on Bryston SP3, Krell S1200 and the MX150. All have their pros/cons. With the mx150, I figured how bad can it be in two channel, and if I ever wanted to improve it I would just add a great preamp later on. But I would get the Room Perfect auto correction, which is probably the best "auto" solution out there right now. The mx150 also has tone controls, so if I wanted to "massage" the sound of poorer recordings to make them a little more listenable, I could.

I also wonder just how good that W4S Dac is? It is killing everything else you listen to, and everyone raves about it. I actually emailed them to ask if they would make a mch version of their preamp, and they said they are looking at it but have other more pressing products in the pipeline. You know, if it's THAT good, maybe the answer is 3 W4S Dacs?!? Are you looking to improve on the W4S with the C45 or the Krell?

Good hunting!

[jeffkrag]

Bryan, couple of quick questions:

Doesn't the Room Perfect feature make a significant improvement in 2 ch and mch sound?

Are you saying that, even with RP engaged, the W4S sounded better on 2 ch?

What didnt you like about the SSP-800 (and to what/how did you compare it)?

[PHC1]

Bryan, I use a Krell S1200 in my theater. Other than splurging on the Evolution 707, the S1200 was the best solution for me for all around performance with multi-channel as well as 2 channel music. The class A analog pure preamp stage is tough to beat if you listen to 2 channel critically like I do.

The S1200 withstood the test of time as my system evolved from all Bryston amplification with Sonus Faber to Bryston and Wilson to now a blend of D'Agostino amps for 3 front speakers with Wilson speakers all around and Bryston amplification for surround sound duty. I have no immediate plans to upgrade or replace the S1200 at all.

I think the S1200 will obviously play nice with all Krell amplification and Krell amplification in turn has always been a viable choice in my book to power B&W, at least in most rooms.

[jeffkrag]

PHC, any reason to believe the Krell would not perform as well with Mac? (in my case specifically, an MC452 with Revel Salon 2 as mains)

[PHC1]

Originally Posted by jeffkad

PHC, any reason to believe the Krell would not perform as well with Mac? (in my case specifically, an MC452 with Revel Salon 2 as mains)

Nope, the Krell is very pure with virtually undetectable sonic signature of its own. So... If you love the rest of your gear, S1200 will not try to change that.

In my own system the difference between the sources and especially the EAR tubed CDP is so noticeable and distinct that I smile every time I listen knowing how "uncolored" and "faithful" the playback chain is, Krell S1200 being squarely in the middle of that chain.

[jeffkrag]

Originally Posted by PHC1

Nope, the Krell is very pure with virtually undetectable sonic signature of its own. So... If you love the rest of your gear, S1200 will not try to change that.

In my own system the difference between the sources and especially the EAR tubed CDP is so noticeable and distinct that I smile every time I listen knowing how "uncolored" and "faithful" the playback chain is, Krell S1200 being squarely in the middle of that chain.

That's pretty awesome. What I also like about the Krell is that it offers what appears to be pretty robust manual EQ flexibility. I think (correct me if wrong) it also allows four different EQ profiles to be established, which can be engaged as you like (ie, I could set up one with freq shaping that will enhance older/mediocre redbook CDs that need fuller mids/bass and tamer highs, and another one that enhances mch coherence/blending for movies).

No auto setup does mean I would have to have someone come do setup to take advantage of all this EQ prowess, as I don't have the time or patience. That's the nice thing about Room Perfect.