Krell K-300i vs. other integrated amps under 10k

I have no experience with the Krell K-300i integrated amp.  Please see these reviews:  

Tone Publications Krell Review

Home Theatre Review of the Krell amp

HiFi Pus review of the Krell amp

I just sold my KRELL K-300i and bought the KRELL Duo 175XD stereo amp. If KRELL is to be believed the K-300i has the first 90 watts in Class A. The 175XD is supposed to have ALL 175 watts in Class A.

The following comments can be applied for either the K-300i or the 175XD. The new KRELL XD lineup is warm, but it has good detail and power. The K-300i drove my Thiel CS3.7 well, but my room is small. It never overheated but that maybe a function of me not cranking it too loud. My speakers really cannot tolerate very high SPL so I had no qualms.

My separates gear is better than the K-300i. The 175XD + CODA 07x preamp does sound better to me than the K-300i. After a few amp + speaker permutations I was last using the K-300i in the bedroom as a headphone amp. I got a good deal to get the 175XD and got it with the idea of using it as a headphone amp in my office. However, after comparing my CODA #8 vs KRELL 175XD on my Thiel CS3.7. I decided that I wanted to use the 175XD on the Thiels and the CODA on the headphones. I even had the CODA #8 on sale last week, to raise funds for some gear, but had a change of heart. Though I need to sell something.

The KRELL will be a great match with BE drivers. I was thinking that the K-300i would have been great with Paradigm Persona speakers that I demoed in the past. Those speakers were a little hot for me with the gear I demoed. The KRELL would have tamed those BE drivers.

The person who bought my K-300i was amazed how good it was. He bought it based on the glowing reviews and also after talking with me on audio stuff for a while.

@yyzsantabarbara 

How long did you keep your Krell K300i? 

Have you ever heard the classic krell Class A sound? 

I find it hard to believe their claim of 90W in pure class A without heat. I thought the whole point of class A is inefficiency which produced the best sound. 

Can anyone else compare above MAC7200  to Krell and Hegel

Depending on where you live .

Soulution INT 330

Integrated

120 W  ,   Class A

Home Theater Bypass
 

The KRELL uses the iBias that is why it can generate the high amount of Class A. These guys out of Asia are doing something similar (for $30K).

Re-imagining "Class A" Amplification | What's Best Audio and Video Forum. The Best High End Audio Forum on the planet! (whatsbestforum.com)

I kept the KRELL for exactly a year. My office does not work with integrate amps due to my rack and speaker location so that was another reason I did not keep the K-300i.

I have heard old KRELL at shows but never owned it. I owned a lot of Bryston in the past. I heard a few Hegel's in the past and I would say it is not as warm sounding nor as smooth sounding. The KRELL XD line is one which never gives me fatigue. It is not soft sounding either. I think it is the Class A that I am enjoying so much.

I do not like MAC at all.

I purchased the K-300ki from @yyzsantabarbara and could not be more thrilled with it. IIRC, the K-300i was the first product that used the iBias circuit although they may not have used that term in the original K-300i literature (or maybe even now). I heard that directly from Krell. They’ve got something special on their hands.

Like yyz, I suspect it’s the Class A sound I’m liking, but I have never heard a traditional class A amp, so it’s only a guess. But forever, I’ve read near universal praise for the SQ of Class A amplification (when well-designed of course) among audiophiles who appreciate solid state. Excessive heat and weight were the form-factor drawbacks. Krell iBias eliminates both, it seems. BTW, overheating issues are news to me. I never came across that and have not had that issue. I leave mine on full time.

Irrespective of why it sounds great, the K-300i is simply stellar in my opinion. I read reviews, spoke with dealers who carried the Krell and had also heard gear and/or were dealers of gear I knew well (so we could discuss how the Krell compared). I also spoke with owners (yyz) and read their posts here on AG. Do a search for K-300i in forums. Bottom line, I believe all the high praise for the K-300i is warranted.
I was planning to buy from a dealer who offers a return policy but decided instead to take a non-refundable plunge by buying used. It has panned out, to say the least.

Smooth as butter, yet punchy, detailed, holographic. It’s not bright at all, but not rolled off either. Nice sweet highs if it’s in the recording.

My only source is an Innuos Zenith streaming Qobuz. The Krell responds noticeably to cords. I tried 2 I had on hand. So you can optimize your SQ with cords to reach a sound you like with your Be tweeters.

If you’ve not done so yet and are interested, there are some good testimonials about the K-300i at the Krell website. FWIW, I concur with them.

good luck.

@rc22 thanks for encouraging words. I needed to hear that. 
how is the built in streamer and app? Have you tried to use that option ? Is there AirPlay ? Does the absence of the volume knob bother you ? How about the remote ? It seems bulky and not particularly user friendly. I have old Krell remotes from KRC-3 pre amp, I wonder if it would work. Do you keep the amp on indefinitely? My KRC-3 doesn’t even have a power button, it’s meant to be always on. 

We sell the k300 and sell paradigm and focal loudspeakers both use Beryllium tweeters

We also sell a ton of integrated amplifiers. 

We sell coda,naim, krell, hegel and many others 

The krell k300i is just a fantastic performer

Great amp great dac roon mqa Bluetooth hdmi inputs

The k300i is one of those products that is a perfect home run

In our shop you would have to spend 10k more to find a series of amp dac and streamer to beat the k300i yes it is really that good

DAVE AND TROY

AUDIO INTELLECT NJ

krell dealer 

@Dave and Troy

In the early 2000’s and late 90’s, we carried Krell in our stores. They wowed some and fatigued us. They were what I’d call "pitchy" toward the upper octaves creating an unpleasant stridency. We were comparing them to some of the other amps we sold being ARC, Manley, Quick Silver, etc. The Macs seemed like people singing thru a pillow back then but I guess they may have changed as well.

The Krells were so "speaker dependent" back then, we paired them mostly with Spendors to acquire a better sound. 

At any rate, I am curious as to what Krell did to tame down their amps because what I’m reading speaks of a different voicing presently.

ARRO, THE NEW KRELL GEAR IS NOTHING LIKE THE OLD GEAR..

THE I BIAS DESIGN SOUNDS LIKE A TUBE AMP IT IT IS WARM AND ORGANIC SOUNDINGM, SOLID STATE GEAR.

I ALSO OWNED A KSA 250 AND MCX 350MCS AGAIN THE NEW GEAR IS MUCH MORE ENGAGING. {Dave Owner.}

DAVE AND TROY

Audio intellect NJ

Krell dealers

@ei001h, I leave the Krell on indefinitely and also the Innuos player. I started doing that about 3 years ago since none of my gear has tubes. Everything plugs into a Puritan 156. I tried the Krell directly into the wall and liked it better in the Puritan, which, btw, also benefited with an upgraded power cord.

I’ve not used the streaming functions. Airplay? Just don’t recall of the top of my head.

My gear is fairly close to the left of my seat, but not close enough to reach a knob, so I’ve used a remote even when a knob is present. I am using only two remote functions: volume and sometimes “display” when I wish to see where the volume is set. The display times out and goes away after about 10 seconds or maybe less. I’ve not timed it. A thin blue lighted border does stay on but not the volume or source information. That times out.

The remote is heavier than necessary. When replacing the batteries, I liked the weight of it with the large back cover removed, so I may make a nice thin wooden replacement for the metal back cover. It would be a very nice improvement and pretty easy to do. Can paint it black to match or leave it a contrasting wood tone,

Over time, I will have the opportunity to compare the K-300i to some other highly regarded integrateds. But even before that, it’s easy to believe @audiotroy is telling it straight that the K-300i is an absolute home run, based on how it compares to other gear—in his experience. Not saying there aren’t other home run integrateds from other makers—especially since each person has their own preferences and is matching with their own source gear and speakers.

One of the folks I spoke with is awaiting a pair of Auidovector R6 Arrete speakers to arrive as am I ( R3 Arrete’s) and while discussing our audio journeys, it was clear he was quite experienced and had owned a good bit of high quality gear. He said a friend of his also bought AV R6’s and they sound amazing on a K-300i. That was was one of many such “favorable data points” that lead me to conclude that those exalting the K-300i *probably* weren’t recklessly employing fanboy hyperbole in their praise of the unit. The only way to *know*, of course, is to draw your own conclusions.

@ei001h, Based on my experience with the Luxman 590ax II Class A amp, my Hypex NCore NC400 Dual Mono Class D Power Amplifiers, my Mola Mola Kaluga Class D Mono Power Amplifiers (very disappointing), my SimAudio 700i V2 amp and my current Ayre X-5 Twenty amp, every amplifier has a different sound depending on it, the associated equipment, the source, music and your listening room. The only way to know what sounds great, is to listen using your components in your home. Obviously, I made some mistakes but, more important, I learned what sound I like and did not like.   

My friend said “my progression of gear were not expensive mistakes but rather a 'wonderful' learning experience.  It was an experience that only I could have in my home”.

I like my new Ayre AX-5 Twenty integrated amp very much.  The sound is different in that the sound is MORE natural and less 'exaggerated' than my previous amps. This is very hard to put into words. The sound is there with no artificial extra stuff around it.  The music is normal meaning it makes music, never adding color or stripping the musical recordings of their textures, feelings, and dynamics.  The music from the AX-5 Twenty amp is relaxed and smooth without sounding dark or laid-back. I hope this helps.

I've only had 1 krell product the kav 300il integrated and I loved it. The unit did run hot though and went in for service several times under warranty to get the amp repaired. Once the warranty was up and the amp baked itself again I used it as a preamp for several years. 

I've been rebuilding my system since 2015 and all I know for sure is the speaker/amp combo really can't be judged separately because both influence each other enough (at these prices) to affect results. I could offer some examples, but I'm sure you guys already have had similar experiences. 

I’ve never head the newer Krell intergated, but you mentioned the Hegal 390 and for the money it is a very impressive sounding amp. In my system, lush mids and very good bass. Very smooth as well. I also have a Pass integrated 250, Accuphase 380, Mac 352, and the Hegal is not embarrassed by any of them. Might check it as It is much cheaper than the Krell.