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If I can get my Harley in an apartment surely your Krell will do fine.
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Well I live in an apt (in SF no less) and I had no issues installing a dedicated 20A line. I used Cardas outlets. It was a bit spendy at ~$1K all in, but totally worth it. My amps (Vinnie Rossi) don't draw nearly as much as the Krell, and I can typically only listen at moderate levels; but my Transparent conditioner really wanted 20A, so I did it. |
Nice terry 9. I saw that movie the other night. It’s on Netflix. Hadn’t seen it in 30 yrs.. it’s so bad it’s good. |
Can you put a Krell in an apartment? Depends where you live. Forbidden Planet is the recommended venue. |
The cabin remark had me rolling. Forget that, Maybe I should sell everything, run to COSTCO and buy a large TUFF SHED and call an electrician to wire it up. Sound proof it and then throw some D'AGOSTINO RELENTLESS AMPS In there with some WILSONS. Now that I ponder that idea, I would actually be very happy in that situation. I am so gone. |
As you see I am a total "goner" living in a cheap apartment with about 50 grand in Audiophile equipment. I am looking at purchasing an old krell "FPB 400 CX" amp that the manufacturer says needs a dedicated 20 amp line. Can you still run this amp off a regular electrical outlet? If you can, will it sound like crap?
Sorry man, your question is simple enough. Instead of saying we don't even know where to start they are advising you on where to live and rebuilding your whole system. Almost all of it total malarkey. Oh well. Yes. Of course you can. No problem. Will it sound like crap? Well in the big scheme of things no. Keeping in mind you are in an apartment, RFI and power problems galore, then the whole 15 amps/20 amps thing pales in comparison. Only possible small problem, one of the few relevant comments above, there may be some small chance that depending on what all else is on that circuit, that if it all happens to be running at the same time AND you happen to turn the Krell on at that time, then MAYBE you trip the breaker. Not likely but in an apartment situation who knows how they wired it or what else you might have running. Anyway, point is, that is the worst that can happen. In which case you turn something off, flip the breaker, try again. In spite of what people assume the greatest power draw is not playing music loud but when filling the power supply caps from empty to full which only happens right at turn-on. Now about that cabin. You want a waterfall nearby. For the hydro.... |
Real estate advice ?...50 K worth of gear. A cheap, 500 sf apartment, in the hood. IME, the room, makes, or breaks, a system, both acoustically, and electrically. I stand by my recommendations. |
jeffvegas - Can you still run this amp off a regular electrical outlet? If you can, will it sound like crap?
Jeff - yes and not like it can. I would be more concerned with the detrimental long term effects the lack of power will cause your amp components - especially at start up. The power switch component will eventually go . You will definitely see your lights dim when powering it on. A telltale sign of bad things to come....... |
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? |
Why do you such a powerful amp for an apartment? It not like you will be able to play it loud. Imho, the equipment needs to match the listening room environment, unless the apartment is just an interim residence.
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"I would get a house, or a cabin..."
This is too funny...The guy is asking about an amplifier and he gets real estate recommendations...
Sorry, could not resist.
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In an apartment I'd run a smaller amp with better power conditioning.
Looking at the spec, it draws 350 at idle, 3,000 max.
The 350 is do-able in an apartment, but it will be a room heater. The maximum power draw at 15 A (the usual, non dedicated circuit) is usually given to be 1,800 W.
You could probably get away with it, but I'd still recommend power conditioning that can handle 15 or 20 Amps, mostly due to how dirty apartment power can be.
Keep in mind, apartments = small listening area. You don't need as much power, and smaller speakers tend to do better. Treat your room as much as you can, and you'll be amazed at how big a sound you can get.
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You should have the electrician check it out before you buy the amp. You're putting the cart before the horse! |
I can just see the KRELL taking out all the electric for the whole apartment complex. Lol!! Sounds awesome!!! I am going to move forward with the purchase and see if I can get an electrician over here to run a line from the main box on the apartment building. True "GONERS" never quit. Even if they live in a 500 square foot apartment in the hood.
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I would get a house, or a cabin, where you can install a true dedicated 20 amp circuit, and also, have the benefit of non connecting walls with others. If Krell recommends a dedicated 20 amp line, with your current apartment, this would not be the amp for you. Usually, ime, 20 amp circuits require heavier gauge in wall wiring. If I recall, the attached power cord, has a 20 amp plug. |
