I have tried it its not good for high volumes low volume is pretty good. Yes it is forward And yes It is brite but its krell and thats their sound signature. My brother owns it and the cd player to match and I think it sounds like a high end receiver almost. Just a step up. If you want a musical premp The levinson 383 is the best you can buy but very exspensive. Also classe intergrated is pretty smooth bottom end is a little sloppy but the unit is musical much much better than the krell. You existing equipment will dictate what you should purchase. What are you using?
