Aragon 8008 bb vs. Krell KSA-150

The weakest components in your system now are the interconnect (the weakest) and the speaker cables. Consider the Transparent Music Link Plus interconnect (about $150 used) and the Transparent Music Wave Plus speaker cables (about $250 used). Look for the current version (MM) of the interconnect and the previous version of the speaker cable.

Consider upgrading these before the amp.

The Aragon is a great amp and there's a pretty well documented synergy between ARC and the 8008BB. That's the way I'd go. Never heard the older Krell stuff but have owned both their newer stuff and Aragon.

I've owned the Aragon 8008ST (BB was supposed to be better) and the KSA 200. Both were nice amps. A lot depends on your room and speakers. At the time, I had Nautilus 805's and both were overkill. Although the Aragon seemed tipped too much to the bass IMO. Like others have mentioned, the Krell will run hot. It is also bigger than the Aragon, so think about those factors before you buy. I saw your Aragon go for about $1200 on eBay recently, and the Krell should be in about the $1500-1600 range. At that price, you should also check out Pass Labs, and Plinius. Nice bargains too on Lexicon/Bryston.

I had an 8008st and replaced it with a Krell FPB 200. Although their rated power is the same, as are most of their specs, there was no comparison between the two amps.

I'm not sure what your budget is, but the newer FPB products are a lot better than the KSA series. Since they are newer and run considerably cooler caps will not be an issue for a longer time.

I wrote a review of the FPB 200 and compared it to the Aragon. check it out if you're curious...

I've always admired the the real Krells. I've never been really impressed by Aragon. While the Aragon was a step up from entry level, it never stepped up to the top tier, IMHO.