Can you put a Krell in an apartment?

In an apartment, you want speakers that sound lively and full at lower volume levels.  These types of speakers a re most likely to be high efficiency models that also don't require much power.  Even if you are already committed to some kind of low efficiency speaker, it makes sense to focus on amplifiers that deliver good sound at modest output levels.  Really big amps tend to sound a little bit lifeless when they are called upon to only deliver very low output.  I would be looking at quality, not quantity in your circumstances.

Since you are probably never going to get close to drawing 3,000 watts and you should never expect to play the amp at the limits of its capability, the bigger concern is how much the amp draws on turn on.  When the amp is first turned on, it can draw quite a bit while it is charging the capacitors in the power supply.  That short term draw may trip a breaker, particularly if there is other stuff on the line that are already drawing power.  Another practical consideration: 350 at idle is a LOT of power which is not only wasteful, it will mean a lot of heat output; is your air conditioning up to snuff in the summer?

I would not be that comfortable buying a 30-year old solid state amp.  Many of the components, like the output transistors, may be hard to replace if they go bad.  Tube gear is quite different in that most of them can be relatively easily serviced and stuff that is 60-70 years old don't give me much concern.  

If you are now considering alternatives to the Krell, it would help to know about the rest of your system, that is, if sound quality is of some importance.  

I don't quite understand going to extremes to fit in one piece of gear instead of looking for something appropriate to the system and the venue.  A small apartment should mean looking for suitable speakers and then electronics that work well with the speakers.  I cannot imagine why some high-powered behemoth is suitable, even if the speakers are notoriously inefficient or need some juice to come alive.

I don't know about the specifics of this amp, but, something that old that cost so much back then would be astronomically higher in price in today's market.  I doubt that there have been much technological advances in amp design that this amp would be easily outperformed at this price level.  Of course this is all contingent on the amp being in flawless condition. 

All Krells run hot, and heat always shortens the life of components.  If this has been a heavily used amp, it might not be worth the price of purchase and refurbishing.  There really is no way of knowing, so it is a bit of a gamble.  It is good to hear that Krell can still service the amp, that is not always the case with old solid state gear.

Jeff,

I know some of your comments are in jest, but, the idea of comparing outrageous apartment systems, with the measure being the inappropriateness of the gear seems to be the wrong approach to making a good actual choice.  The best sound is achieved by employing the right gear for the apartment setting.  This does not necessarily mean tiny speakers and really low-powered amps.  

For example, if you look in Japanese audio magazines, you will see a lot of systems with very large horn-based speakers in tiny apartments.  Why?  It is because horns can sound extremely vibrant and alive when actually playing at quite low volume--a good attribute in an apartment with thin walls.  That horn systems also tend to be very efficient is another great attribute because most of the very best amplifiers (in my opinion) are low-powered amps.

You can also get very dynamic sound at low volume with high efficiency fullrange drivers used either in single-driver fullrange systems or with the full-range driver used in multi-way systems.  Most of these types of systems are also quite efficient.

Even large dipole panel speakers might be appropriate in an apartment, if you can get them out into the room.  Dipoles tend to concentrate the sound within a narrow field (the back and front wave are out of phase and cancel at the sides) and will sound pretty loud without spilling that loudness throughout the apartment (and into the next apartment).

There are many other ways to achieve good apartment sound, but, large subwoofers and hundreds of watts of power are the least likely way to get there.

I've heard Magnepan 3.7 and 1.7 in small apartments/condos, and I have used Acoustat 1+1 and Martin Logan Quests in an apartment.  When I replaced the Quest with a horn-based system, I was shocked to find how much more sound seemed to spill out of the listening area than was the case with dipole speakers, meaning that I have to play the speaker at a lower volume level so as to not disturb neighbors.  Horn systems, because of their directivity, are supposed to be good at not disturbing neighbors, but, they are not as good as dipoles in that respect.

The limitations imposed by an apartment do not mean one cannot go crazy in building a sound system, it just means going crazy in a different way.  I am in that camp.  I own three amplifiers, the most expensive currently retails near six figures and the one I am currently running I could easily sell for $25,000.  The much more expensive reserve amp (on loan to a friend) has a rated output of 6.5 watts/channe; the one I am currently running has an output around 5.5 per channel.

Gryphon Cantata's sound quite nice in the smaller rooms I've heard them.  It is a nice bonus that they look good too.   

Speakers meant to work in smaller spaces and close to the corners or the front wall of the room that I like a lot include Audio Note speakers and the Gradient Revolution.  Within the Audio Note line, you can go nuts on upgrade of parts and the results can be quite rewarding.  They are reasonably efficient and will work well with low-powered amps.  The Gradient speakers are not as efficient, so they need a bit more in the way of amps, but they too sound great when placed near the wall.