Krell Amps and Pre-amps

I owned a Krell KSA 100 and KAV150a and have recently gotten into Mcintosh. After getting my MC2125, I sold the Krells and wished I had done so long ago! The Krells were just too bright and dead. The McIntosh are so much more refined and musical that I practically cannot believe it. I just bought a MC7100 that is many times better than the KSA100 and makes me appreciate music, and not a collection of sounds. I will never go back to Krell now so IMO, Krell does not justify its cost to me any more.

As a former amp builder and now power supply designer, I agree 110% with Karls above. If you need power conditioners, you need to find better amps. Go for McIntosh and the others that design good power supplies from the start.

Well, one reason I said what I said is because I have witnessed it with my own ears. I had a perpetual ground hum with the Krells, although slight and you had to get close to the speaker to hear it, but it vanished when I got the McIntosh amps. Before selling the Krells, I tried rewiring the outlet and it would not go away so maybe they were doing it(?).

I also want to point out that when I said "go for McIntosh et al." I was not ruling out Krell entirely. Perhaps the models I had were not up to par or something. I have heard other Krell systems that sounded very good and so I am sure some of their amps/systems are fully worthy of their high praise. I did afterall love them for a few years.

I will say that my only disappointment with the McIntoshes is the fact that they ARE so revealing. Some of my not-so-good recordings do not sound great. However, play a well recorded CD and feel chills come over you. Love it.
Arthur

s2k_dude: I am referring to their SS only - not very familiar with their tubes. The first time I heard McIntosh was on Thiel 2.2 speakers (I think that was the model) and XLO cables and I was less than impressed. It was an old amp (MC2205 from the 70s) but rather highly regarded by most Mc people but I thought it was vague and definately not detailed. I then heard a MC352 and was floored. I can not afford one yet but found a good deal on the little 7100 I mentioned and with my McIntosh C712, Paradigm Reference 100s, and MIT T2 cables, it is more detailed than either Krell I had (although to be honest I used the Krell mostly on B&W Nautilus 804s if that makes a difference). The layering in the music and the space is amazing, nuances abound, and continuity is impressive with this setup.

Audio equipment works as a system and if they don't agree to it, the sound will not sound up to par no matter what it is or how much it cost. Impedance, capcitance, inductance, bias, etc. all play a role and must work together for great sound. I just lucked out I guess....