you have tried krell integrated before and what was your opinion on them ?
have you ever tried anything from classe before? if not.....then give them a try.
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a krell is not twice as good as a classe |
I owned the Classe CAP-100. It is very good. I liked it better than the raw and unrefined Krell KAV-300i. No experience with 400XI so cannot comment.
Personally I would go with Classe CAP-150.
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Can't speak for Classe but I have owned the Krell Digital Vanguard with my Vandys 2CE's and that combo was amazing. Very Very Dynamic and Revealing! Had great experience with Krell customer support too. |
the original post asked if a krell integrated is worth twice the price of a comparable classe
that is an easy one, already answered hell no
depends as usual on what a buyer values... krells are extremely overbuilt, classe’s are less so - sq differential is much more of a mixed bag
krell over the years have made some wonderful pieces (particularly their ksa class a series) but also some truly bad sounding true dogs (esp. when they tried to do home theater type amps)
classe used be one of the sweetest sounding solid state brands, always beautifully voiced, imminently listenable for long stretches... classe as a company has also changed it focus in more recent years - both companies have changed ownership at least once since their heydays
so research and care need to be exercised in either case, make sure you get one that is truly worth owning |
Thanks for your responses. Given the info here, and what I have read regarding these two pieces, I’m leaning towards the Classe for its described sweeter, more musical sound character. I did have a krell kav-300i once, but it was bright, harsh and bass was overbearing—in my system anyway.
Question on xlr. Are all xlr connections louder than rca? |
@jsbach
i didn’t know you had owned a bad sounding krell before... now you know what they say about life and making the same mistake twice, right??? :)
on the q about xlr’s... it is a bit complicated... normally, with properly implemented balanced outputs and circuitty, the voltage swing will be double of a single ended one ...
...however ... many pieces and manufacturers will provide an xlr connection on their gear -- but only as a convenience... the circuitry is not balanced, and thus only one of the two hot pins are powered relative to the ground center pin... so you have in this case a single ended voltage swing carried in a balanced connector
so bottom line is it depends on the gear... hope this helps |
Update: picked up a classe cap-150 and it sounded really good—when it worked. It kept cutting out on the r channel and after some research, found out this is a common problem with this particular model. Didn’t want to fool with it, so it was returned for a refund.
Just recently picked up a creek destiny integrated and so far it sounds very nice. I prefer the preamp in passive mode as I feel it provides an even more open and wider sound. I sold my Rotel 991 and have an Arcam irdac on the way to use with both my iPhone (Amazon music) and to use with a Cambridge cxc transport for cd playback.
The only other integrated I’m curious about is the Ayre ax7e. I’m curious how that would compare to the destiny?
As for cabling, I’m using mogami speaker cable and interconnects via jerry at 10 audio. What are others using with this combo that compliment the destiny’s neutral sound and the Vandersteen’s well-mannered sound?
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@jsbach1685
try a belles aria or a hegel
they are very very good |
Im a Classe fan! I had a CA-150 and CA-200. Great amps.
The Ayre Ax-7e was one I was strongly considering lately but someone contacted me and offered me a Belles Aria for a fair price in the color I wanted, silver, so I went for it. The pairing with my Schiit Gumby and Fritz Carrera BE’s is heavenly 😁
I had some 2ce’s mkii not sigs, so I’m slightly familiar with those... I think the Belles Aria would pair well. The Ayre looks like a really nice one too so I’m not sure you can go wrong with either.
With all this in mind, I do think I still preferred my Classe CA-200 and lightspeed attenuator best. |
jsbach1685
AYRE is a sonic match for Vandy speakers. The Creek Destiny is no slouch. Those two integratedd amps are close in power output. It is come down to a matter of taste. Consider an AYRE AX-5 for even more power output to drive those Vandy 2CE Signature loudspeakers.
Happy Listening!
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I had a Classe SSP-30 w/a Vandersteen surround setup. 2CEs, V-CC1 center and VSM rear speakers. It was great match. |
Long time ago had a krell kav 400, ' with Cremona auditors and Cards cables
aldo it has lots of power it is very ’gray sounding
Had an opportunity to hear Ayre integrated as well, great match with SF Cremona auditor M speakers (together with Ayre cd player) but it has only 60w so it could be a problem with demanding speakers (did not hear the V.)
I would say that overall Ayre is ’better’ sounding amp |
@alexatpos
agree
ayre >> krell for sq, all day, any day of the week
maybe krell has more solid deep bass... that would be only area where krell may be superior... |
