Krell KSA-200 Should I Or Shouldn’t I?

Until recently I owned a Krell 200S. I absolutely loved it. I am now upgrading to FPB 600c. I was so emotionally attached to it that I had a hard time parting with it. Everything on it was great Bass, Mids, Trebles, soundstage etc.. I don't have the 600c yet so I can't compare. The only thing I can tell you is that I read that Nelson Pass suggested that caps are only good for 10 years after that their sound is somewhat compromised. To keep the best sound replace the caps every 10 years. If this unit hasn't been serviced it may be wise to get that done before you recieve the unit by Krell service dept., which incidently is getting harder to get in touch with.

I owned a KSA-200 in the early 90's. It was without a doubt one of the best amps I have ever owned. The sound with my meticulously positioned pair of Apogee Duettas made grown men cry. My amp began to trip shut and I called Krell for repairs. They knew immediately what the problem was (some sort of faulty switch I believe). Not only did they fix it but also paid for the air freight (quite expensive for this behemoth) and returned it to me within one week. I was, and remain, in awe of what I consider the last of the great Krells. If that kind of service still holds true than you have a winner. The KMA series was a mono version of the KSA. You simply purchased another KSA and the factory would modify the two for mono (free of charge of course). The biggest problem you will encounter is lugging the beast around. Remember, the Krell is pure class A and drinks electricity like anything. It sounds best if it is left on for at least 24 hours so you should plan on having your electric bill go up. No matter what the reviewers say, frankly I am not impressed with the newer Krells - but the old KSA Aaaah now there was a power amp !!!!

Yo Marcus,
Not unless you are planning to have it changed over to 120 volt operation at the factory and the price is good enough that you can afford to add that cost and still be well under the going price. I don't recommend trying to run it on USA 240 volts because it won't work.
A friend of mine has a KSA-200S and I've listened to it for many hours. It has an nice wide and deep soundstage with great dynamics and bass. To my ear, it sounds a bit fatiguing in the mids and on top.
Reliability is not a problem. They don't break.
I like the newest generation Krells (FPB-XXX-CX's) alot better.

This is not from personal experience, but my friend bought an ancient KSA-80 (I think) and made a boo-boo while changing speakers.
This thing was at least 10 years old and all he had to pay was shipping. The repair and updates were done for free.
When he asked about the bill, the service person responded..."There is no bill because there was no repiar. Krell amps don't break."
I like that policy.
I would encourage a call to the factory or the repair facility to see if this mindset is still in effect.

I assumed you are not going to plug 220V KSA-200 into 110V outlet (in US). Other than that, I highly recommend KSA-200. It is the last 'real Krell', that runs pure Class A without the 'stable plateau Class A/B game'.

The sound of KSA-200 is one of the best, better than all the series in between KSA-200 until the recent FPB/MDA series come close to it.

Another series to consider is the KMA series (100, 160, 200). In my opinion, the better Krells are from between 1989-1993, before theKSA-xxxS and KRC series.