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Krell KPS 20i - What Standard vs a Modern Machine?

My present system (Modified Magnepan 3.6R, SimAudio W10, ARC LS15, Audio Alchemy DDS Pro Transp, Dti Pro32 and MF A3 24 Upsampler DAC) has been put together over a period of less than 18 months and is starting to sound pretty good.

I wanted to add more warmth and depth (tonally) to the sound so I've been looking to switch out the ARC LS15 for something like a CJ Prem 16 Mk2.

Yesterday a buddy brought over a Krell KPS 20i CD player to play with, and I'm amazed by some of what it does.

The Krell sounds very different to my existing rig, but I haven't had a whole lot of time to come to terms with the changes.
The midbass and lower midrange seems much more full and authoratitive....more weight and impact.
I can't get a feel whether the midrange has some masking of detail by the extra fullness of the midbass and low midrange.
The highs seem to be more natural. If felt is if they were not as extended at first, yet there doesn't seem to be anything 'missing' that was there before. But I still get this sense of a lack of clarity...the presentation I'm used to was open and often a little too forward, but never lacking in detail. The Krell brings a fullness yet sounds laid back at some points in the frequency range.
It's a very different presentation and really gives me all of the warmth and depth that I've been missing....but I still have some reservations.

The question is, how does this player stack up against modern digital units? After all, it's over 10yrs old so there must be better players out there in the same price range ($2800 used) right?
How do other modern Krell players compare with the 20i?

Is there a player that gives me the weight and authority of the 20i with a little more clarity and openess through the upper mids and treble?

There doesn't appear to be much posted in the archives on the 20i so any help/opinion would be appreciated.

Regards

Rooze
128x128rooze

Showing 1 response by edgewear

edgewear
543 posts
 
I'd like to share with you a personal reappraisal of the 20i, as I recently reacqainted myself with it after a hiatus of 5 years. I decided to part with it in 2015, assuming that in the 20(!) years since its release in 1995 digital should have moved on enough to justify an upgrade. So I went through several high rez players, including well regarded brands like Metronome and Esoteric.

But to my ears none of these players offered substantial sonic improvements. If anything they left me with a feeling that I was listening to manipulated data instead of music. Of course I could hear all the notes, but there was nothing really happening. I missed the exitement and downright fun of the Krell.

It took me some time to accept my mistake, but I finally gave in and acquired another 20i, ironically with a serial number only one digit removed from the one I previously had! I had it fully refurbished by the premier Dutch specialist, including a new clock. And now the music has returned! And the lower register is back in its full majesty.

Vinyl will always remain my first choice for listening to acoustic instruments recorded in a real space, but for (live) rock and electronica the 20i is hard to beat. Massive Attack's "Unfinished Sympathy" anyone?



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