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

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.

@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.