To which Krell amp did you compare the Aragon? I have the 8008 to but given the choice I would take most if not all the 200W or higher Krells. Everything the Aragon does well the Krell does better. I've spent untold hours listening to my Aragon and my brother-in-laws Krell. If the oportunity to trade arose, I would keep everything I own in favor of his equipment except for the KMA amps. I would be glad to trade my great Aragon for his much better Krell. I don't understand why people keep taking unsubstantiated pot shots at Krell. It's better than the Aragon. |
I think even the class a/b Krells and especially the class have tight bass slam down but at the price (to these ears ) of sounding metallic in the mids.Overpriced.Aragon is to me a very good value if a bit "cool" sounding over some of it's competition say the Adcom 5802 I had briefly.Interesting to if there is a sonic difference with the new MkII designation Aragon put out. |
Sorry It took so long to reply bur didnt see the review button until today. This is all personal feelings and I was refering to the KAV series and not the big boys. I would also highly recomend the FPB and if I had the money give them consideration. I feel in this price range that I have the best at least to my ears. I did listen to the McCormack and was very impressed with it. |
Dear Nrchy, I am answering your posting after a while, and talking with the certainty that a good comparison will make, I have had a couple of Krells in my system as well as a couple of Threshold, through the years, and of course the Aragon's which I presently own among others such as Sunfire, Crown, also some tubed gear.
The fact that many people compare the Aragons to the Krells seems to be the bass control, the Slam on the mid bass and off course because they were designed by the same gentleman yes the very well respected Mr. D'Agostino.
Well, the Aragons will never have the finesse and creamy and silky top end of the Krells because simply they were not designed to that price point in mind.
They were supposed to be the Working Man's Krell, and they were if nothing else they are wonderful sounding Amps that just will beat the pants of any amp coming close to their price range and even more . . ..
They do share the slam and bass as well as many characteristics of the Krells, after all a family resemblance is only natural don't you think?
I don't know what Klipsch have been doing with them I hope something reasonable . . . As far as Amps go; the Aragon 8008 and any of its encarnations same as the old 4004 MK-II's they were designed to beat any competitor out there in the price range, Krell is just not a Competitor.
I am reviewing a Threshold from the new generation now and will post results here on our little corner. Stay tuned, as it is a good one, and for the price ($2,500) . . .
Good luck to you Gentlemen
Gonzalo |
It always amazes me how brand name lemmings feel compelled to jump to the defense of their "pet" brands. I've compared my Aragon 8008BB amps (I have three) against a good many big-buck amps that I've actually owned and used extensively in my own system, in my home, including the Rowland Model 10 and monoblock 12, the AR VT-200, the McIntosh MC352, the Bryston 14B-SSt, the Classe 401, and most recently the Krell FPB 400cx. All of those amps are orders of magnitude more expensive than the Aragon, but they are not orders of magnitude better, and a few, like the big Krell, are too close to justify the huge price premium. In fact, once I tried using two Aragon 8008BBs to vertically bi-amp my extremely accurate and revealing PMC MB-2 monitors, I realized what I was missing with the timber-challenged and soundstage-flattening Krell. The ONLY place the Aragons gave in to the Krell was a slight bit of congestion in the extreme highs. The Krell had to be history when two used Aragons that cost far less than half the price of the Krell showed it up in bass control and slam, dynamics and timbral accuracy. After listening to the Krell for more than a year, the two 8008BBs were a revalation. Jeez, maybe I've become an Aragon lemming. |
Turbo:
How did you balance the gain between the Aragon and the X5 in the horizontal biamp set-up?
Tailor3 |
On reputation alone I was ready to buy an 8008 BB, but when I went and heard the one I was interested in buying, I knew I had to have the thing. Nothing I could afford came anywhere close to controlling a speaker as well as this amplifier did. I recently got a pair of B&W Nautilus 802s, and even this power hungry speaker does well on them. They don't have the absolute dominant control they had on a pair of B&W 604s and other speakers of the same class and size, but they do awfully well. Their sound is every bit as musical as it is powerful, too. I'm considering getting a pair of Palladiums for the 802s if I can find the space for them. Without winning the lottery, that's the only true upgrade I can imagine being able to make. Then I can do 7.1 with my BB and 8008x3.. |
I've owned an 8008BB twice....upset that I got rid of it both times, once for Krell, once for Levinson. Awesome amp that lets you choose other places to put the savings...i.e. speakers. It's a pretty neutral amp that acts damn near a voltage source down to 2 ohms. What's not to like? |
I have just bought an Aragon 8008 MK2 and am very impressed - can you tell me Matti, what Krell and Levinson amps did you have? |
Hey Dave - glad to hear you're enjoying it. I had a KAV-250A and a Levinson 332. Both were nice but really not any better than the 8008 to my ears. I'm always trying new stuff and always buy used, so dollar-wise I rarley lose much...time-wise though...that's another story. That was sort of my point - if you want to get off of the merry-go-round, you could do much worse than the 8008. |
I bought an 8008st back in '97 and then had it factory upgraded to a bb in '01.
I have to jump on the bandwagon here, it's a fantastic amp and the bass control is amazing.
And as an added bonus, they hold their value very well if you keep them nice. I used to drive PSB Stratus Golds with the Aragon, and the bb upgrade was well worth the money. My system is completely changed now and I own Parasound JC1's driving Von Schweikert VR4 HSE's. The JC1's are far superior to the Aragon, but given the price difference, they should be. But, dollar for dollar, I think the 8008bb will go down in the history books as one of the great workhorses of all time.
P.S. I think the Stratus Golds are to speakers, as the 8008bb is to amps.
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I had Aragon 8008 BB Amplifier driving Thiel 3.6. Changed amplifiers to the Krell KSA 300 S and noticed no difference. Disappointed due to the significant cost increase in cost for the Krells. Both Amps sounded good. |
To my ears the Krell KSA series were the best offerings from Krell in particular the KSA 50 and KSA 80. Pure Class A output amplifiers. Big, heavy and generated a good deal of heat due to Class A operation. Service is recommended every 4 years on these amplifiers. But beyond those caveats these Krell amps are indeed spectacular, but not everyones cup of tea. |
Just wanted to add my two cents here ladies and gents. Aragon, i got it right when I purchased intothis name brand. No I haven't heard Krell or Mark Levinson, and with the 8008BB, 4004mkll, and 2004mkll, in my system give me one good reason why. Human nature makes us curious, and deep pockets along with that can sometimes make us unreasonable. But within reason Aragon has gotten it right, for me that is. The rest of you can continue to search, Dorothy wished she would have stayed in her own back yard. Peace!!!! |
Has anyone used 8008BB to drive Infinity IRS Omega?
If yes,please give a comment. |
