Krell K 300i Vs Hegel 390 Help

The krell also has great drive!

The KRELL K-300i is fantastic. Going to go listen to it now in bed since it is my over the top headphone amp for my RAAL SR1a headphones. It was amazing on my floor standers but I cannot use an integrated amp in that setup. I could not get myself to sell the KRELL is it too good.

The KRELL does not run hot, a little warm only. I have it stuffed into a closet in the bedroom without any concern for heat issues with it.

I love my Krell K300I with Monitor Audio PL300II and my sources are Marantz SAKI Ruby sacd and TT15S1 turntable. Only issue I have with the k300, no phonostage. Other than that great amp. I also got mine with the digital package which I’m just getting to know, but like so far. The pre-outs I will use for a new subwoofer in the New Year. 

How about throwing the McIntosh MA7200 into the ring? (Close-minded and biased MAC haters need not reply!) All that Class A output on that Krell makes for a very hot amplifier, no? Seems like that heat sink is just not big enough. For about the same cash, you can get the MAC with its autoformers and upgraded DA2 DAC. That thing will run, pedal to the metal, all day and then some without breaking a sweat. 

I haven’t heard the new Krell 300i.  I just sold off the former Krell Digital Vanguard.  Thinking of buying the Hegel H390.

However, HiFiNews rated the $6k Cambridge Edge A as the sonic equivalent or nearly so of the Hegel H390’s pricier big brother and brand flagship Hegel H590, where the H590 is about double the cost of the Edge A. So perhaps the Edge A is the one to get, if you believe reviews.

https://www.hifinews.com/content/cambridge-audio-edge-integrated-ampdac

people who talk down the hegel h390 against other big dollar integrateds usually have not heard it...

Here it is:
https://www.hegel.com/images/reviews/H390hificriticuk.pdf

Hifi Critic magazine did a 3way shootout of Krell K-300i, Hegel H399 and Levinson 5805 and declared the Hegel the clear winner on sound quality 

The Krell K 300i is phenomenal, easily besting the Hegel 390. It won product of the year from Soundstage and has been widely reviewed with 5 star ratings across the board. To sum up, it sounds beautiful, harmonically complete, tonality is spot on, extended and controlled. Class A complexity and color with tremendously detailed zero fatigue listening. Shockingly good for any price...a steal at $8k with a world class DAC.  BTW I have owned a Krell Vangaurd Digital since it was released and as great as it is, the K 300i is more detailed and refined with a sweeter sound and lower noise floor.

Thank you so much

It just so happens that I have exactly these two amps. I got the Hegel H390 about 6 months ago. Using B&W 804 D3 speakers. It’s a very good amp, but felt the DAC could be better. I use Roon and was missing native Roon support on the Hegel. I brought a friends Topping D90 (MQA) DAC, and connected to the XLR of the Hegel - and the difference was absolute. 
Then I heard the new Krell K300i at a friends place using same speakers. There is something magic about Krell and B&W speakers .... and managed to convince myself that this was the time for me to do something I have been wanting for a long while. I got a pair of Magnepan LRS for my living room with the Hegel H390 - and have set up a new Krell K300i in my listening room for the last 4 weeks. No difference of using a Topping DAC with the Krell ..... the Krell is absolutely fantastic if you listen to rock, or classical. Huge sound stage, and very warm. The Hegel sounds extremely refined and drives the LRS beautifully - specially for vocals and instruments. 
I don’t think I can say one amp is better than the other. I find the Krell has more dynamics, is warmer and just overall body (I haven’t been able to go about 42 on the volume dial of the Krell). Even though the rating for the Krell is 150 watts - it feels like it has a lot more power left for sure. The Hegel H390 is very refined, and does not have Krell’s dynamics - but better for certain kinds of music. The DAC in the Hegel could be better. 

Hope this helps, and happy to share my experience - without picking one over another. 

Thank you

I've been test driving the Hegel at home for the past week, and I've been very impressed. Rich warm sound, bass is deep and tight, plenty of punch, large soundstage, nothing harsh. The DAC is quite good as well. Solid all-rounder. 

Between those 2, I would pick the Hegel. At this price range perhaps look at Accuphase and Luxman integrateds too. They make Class AB and Class A integrateds.

i cannot speak to a head on comparison (i personally have no interest whatsoever in spending thousands on a new krell given my past experiences, to find out), but i would say the internal dac in the hegel h390 is very good... on par with many 1500-2000 dacs on the market i have tried... it also has true mqa capability, if one values that

no affiliation w hegel, just a very happy and appreciative customer

Also very interested in this match up esp the DAC. H390 gets glowing reviews virtually everywhere. Krell K-300i also strong but fewer articles and nothing head to head.

Anything else you can share Troy would be immensely helpful!

After languishing for years after Dan D'A's departure, this happened.
https://www.technologyintegrator.net/article/krell-industries-announces-new-coo-extensive-roadmap/
Then this:
https://www.stereo.net.au/news/krell-is-back-on-the-map-with-new-k300i-xd-integrated-amplifier
Of course, proof of the pudding is in the eating.

What do you think of Hegel's DAC? I've read that it's not as good as Krell's.

say more troy!!  tell us how it compares against the hegels...

the new hot sh&t krell against which hegel?  h390?  590?  what speakers?  what source feed?

i am happy to hear krell is now making warm sounding solid state, the old stuff hurt my ears

No k 3001 built in ct totally new design s0ounds fantastic

Thanks for your answer.
My salesperson in Argentina tells me that the Vanguard is built in the USA and that the new Krell is in China but that they both sound very similar.

Jesam totally wrong the krellis much warmer this is the new siund of krell

We have both krell and hegel.im the same sound room

Dave and troy auddio intellect nj

i haven’t owned a krell piece for about 5-7 years now, and the piece i owned would be 10-12 years old now - it was as i described - but if newer krell units have been voiced warmer and more listenable on most speakers, good for them... nice when old dogs learn new tricks

and as said below... hegels are not bright and harsh - not by a long shot... if you hear a properly working hegel unit playing bright and harsh tones, it is something else in the chain, not the hegel

The new Krell K300i is probably somewhat similar to the Vanguard integrated.  The Vanguard is part of the first Solo/Duo/Trio/Chorus line of amps.  These are also voiced on the lush/smooth side.

The older S-300i integrated is part of the Evolution generation of Krell equipment.  It is much cleaner and higher resolution without the amount of "bipolar Class A" type of lush/smooth sound that the current generation has.

@jjss49 or it comes in a different shade of black!

@auxinput... the Hegel is not in any way bright or harsh. At least to my ears...

Could someone tell me if there are many differences between the new Krell K300i and the Vanguard?

Thanks for the comments, I am referring to the new Krell K300i

hegel will sound smoother
krell bit brighter bass sound bigger (but not tighter) than hegel
B&W speakers err on bright side, suggest Hegel over Krell

Actually, I completely disagree with this.  If you are referencing the new K300i integrated, it has the new Krell sound, which is very smooth and lush.  The highs are not bright or harsh at all, but very smoothed over.

The Hegel might sound a bit bright and harsh, to be honest.

@geof3 

geoff wait you hear the soon to be released hegel h390i se mark 2 limited edition!!!!  you will think your plain jane 390 is broken!!

LOLOLOLOL

I went from separates, back to an int... I wasn’t sure what I wanted and I had a budge of about 6-7k... tubes were impractical due to setup realities, so the line up was Luxman, Krell, Naim, and a few others. I have difficult speakers to drive so I needed something with some grunt. I didn’t want to go through the process of ordering, auditioning, going used... whatever. I remembered a demo I did with my local dealer awhile back with a Hegel and started doing some research... overall excellent reviews, power, and good bells and whistles. I call my guy and went and picked up the floor model of an H390 for a demo... keep in mind, my wife had no idea what I was up to... so I get the thing home, set it up and fire it up. I’m sitting there liking what I hear, digging in to some tunes and my wife, out of nowhere, says... wow, what did you change? Ding... Hegel it was. In my house with my setup, the 390 is great, very happy overall. But as we all know, this crazy hobby is rarely status quo... there may be something else in the future. But for now I can say, I could live with my setup for a very long time...

hegel will sound smoother
krell bit brighter bass sound bigger (but not tighter) than hegel
B&W speakers err on bright side, suggest Hegel over Krell