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Thoughts on Krell FPB series? 600 in particular.

Or the 300 as well.
Will be using it to power a pair of Thiel 3.6s and Maggie 2.7QR some of the time. Currently have a Classe CA-200. I'm looking for more slam and I'm thinking the extra power will result in a less constricted soundstage (more open). Is my thinking right?

How about the CX series? 300CX or 400CX

Associated equipment: Wadia 850, ARC LS-2B, Cardas and PAD cables.
jcatral14
jafant's avatar
jafant
19,733 posts
 
Do we know why Krell junk-sourced to china for these specific models?

It is good to learn that Krell learned from mistakes and brought it back "home".
herndonb
124 posts
 

Those products were very affordable.  The S-300i/S-350a were 2500, the S-350av was 4500, and the big S-550i was 5000.  These were amazing performance/dollar products at the time.  The new Vanguard integrated and Cipher CD/SACD player are both much better, but at 4.5k/12k respectively the price is higher now too. 

Many company's make some models outside of the US to keep the prices lower.  Unrelated (sort of):  I worked at a B&W dealer for 16 years, and when the 683 loudspeaker was released from their new, non-British factory I was surprised/disappointed, but then I listened to them.  Not only were they 1500/pr but they sound much better than the outgoing, British, 604S3 ($1600/pr) that they replaced.  So equating where an audio product is made with it's performance (or reliability) might not necessarily reflect reality.

That said, rest assured, ALL Krell is made in Connecticut now.  The new Vanguard integrated, and the iBias family of amplifiers are the best sounding amps they've ever made.  Give them a listen.  :-)

318jodans
5 posts
 
The fpb-600 is a great amp but with the age now it needs a recapping
boisehomes's avatar
boisehomes
56 posts
 
I wonder what it cost to recapp a pair of FPB 350m’s? A pair local to me but the age worries me. How do you know for sure when to do it? Does the performance change over time?
dan6054
37 posts
 
I know you were wondering what my impressions are with how the Krell FPB 600 compares to my Adcom 565 mono blocks. Let me just say that there is literally no comparison on how they sound. The Krell blows the Adcoms out of the water in every single way and in huge margins!!

I knew the bass was going to better, but I never thought my speakers could get any lower, louder, deeper, and much more controlled. I never thought the 10" woofers in my Infinity RS IIb's could sound so full, but they do now. The extension and clarity that the Krell added was unbelievable. I wish I could write more about the bass improvement, but I am still in shock at how much I was missing.

The mids and highs are what I was worried about most before purchasing the Krell. However, after listening to it for quite a few hours yesterday (with my 2 friends and brother who all concur), we do not understand how anyone could describe the sound of Krell amplifiers as harsh or bright!? The highs and mids became much more lush and "tube like". I was able to hear so much more in my music than I EVER did with my Adcoms. The separation and dynamics within the Krell are outstanding and to think that the slight harshness that I was experiencing with the Adcoms was all due to distortion! The more I upgrade components within my system (especially interconnects), the more I realize that distortion IS the root cause for listening fatigue and the sense of "harshness" that we hear.

I used to be one of the people that thought that all amps should sound the same, and although my Adcoms made me retract that thought.
This Krell has made me even more angry at myself for once believing this. lol But this is the the process of reaching Audio Nirvana..
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