Nice to read the story..and the conclusion. I had my Rowland model 8 serviced and modded by Jeff a few years back. Easily worth the $$, as it now sounds even better than when new. Some of these amps from the golden years, like my model 8 and the OP's model KSA 250 are going to be extremely hard to better unless many many times the price is willing to be paid. Even then, I'm not so sure that amps like the new D'Ag's, Soolution's etc., are that much better, if any! ( Yes, I have heard most of the new offerings).
Upgrade Krell KSA 250 to what?
Here's the situation:
My 30 year old Krell KSA 250 (upgraded/hot rodded at the factory 20 yrs ago) is showing signs of age. I'm having trouble turning it on/off and I'm afraid it needs service. While I've enjoyed it tremendously I'm naturally wondering about replacement in lieu of spending significant sums on updating it. Furthermore, not sure if the Krell factory is willing or capable of servicing an amp of this vintage.
So I've been toying with replacing it with a new or nearly new piece. Options I'm considering are Pass labs (possibly X250.8 or 350.8), ARC Ref 75 SE or possibly a Ref 150 SE (used), or similar. D'Agostino dealer is nearby as well along with a VAC dealer but both those brands are too rich ($$$$) for my blood. Trying to stay below $10K, preferably less than $8K.
The system for this change is composed mostly of older gear, as follows:
Wilson Watt/Puppy 7
Sota Star III/ SME V/ Benz Ruby Z analog front end
Oppo 105 digital player
ARC Ref 2 Mk II line stage
ARC PH3 SE phono
Straightwire/ Cogelco/ Purist Audio cables
Thanks in advance for the input!
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You've got a truly great amp (and I say that as a non-Krell person - I've done the Linn/Naim/Exposure route). I think you'd be surprised at how much better it sounds after servicing. I've not had a Krell serviced, but the difference in a Naim amp was night and day. And a cursory search showed a number of people commenting on the positive impact of service on a Krell. And a service will be less expensive than trying to find something comparable - and you won't find anything demonstrably better without spending multiples of $2500. |
Independent: Steve Leckrone mentioned above. Former head of service for the "old" Krell - when D'Agostino was around. Has his own shop where he services/restores the classic Krell amps like mine to supposedly new or better than new condition. Still expensive though ... it's kinda like spending $12K to service an old Mercedes S class worth $12K. Not sure it makes sense ... |
A real dilemma on my hands ....You could trade it in on the new JC1+’s Just say sometimes it doesn’t turn on so your not hiding anything it’s not blown up, If you pick the right retailer they’ve got their own repair that’ll fix it and they’ll get their money. Looking at Audio Shark the going price is between $2-$3k, I would ask for $1500 trade in as it’s not blown and they can fix it and make 100% on it Cheers George |
bobbydd OPThe Krell was a Bi-polar output classic, able to "almost" keep doubling it’s wattage down to 2ohms, they had a bit of Class-A bias on them as well about 12w. You obviously like what this sort of amp does grunt wise. Go even better with the new John Curl designed Parasound Holo JC1+ monoblocks, they do the Krell balls to the wall thing and will sound great even better than the older JC1’s did. https://parasound.com/jc1+.php And your Wilson 7’s (best watt/puppy made) will love the JC1+ current ability and drive, also you can switch them into high Class-A bias for even sweeter more transparent upper/mids and highs. And your on the money with them Cheers George |
+1 to mgatt In the mean time My fav amp was a Kinergetic KBA 75, but I killed it swapping out power cords before the caps drained. Since then I have owned tube amps, and many class Ds. None of them compared, BUT... About 7 months ago I bought Ric Schultz's EVS 1200 (dual mono XLR only class D using newest IcePower 1200AS2 modules, which he then mods MSRP ~ $2300 I use it direct from my Oppo 105 with upgraded Linear Power Module and upgraded IEC with Furutech rhodium and heavy gauge pure silver wire (both from Ebay(. He offers a 30 day money back You might keep it as a backup, and to listen to shhould you spend the $$$ to repair the Krell hth |
You could ask KrellFan1 over here what his journey has been. |
Biggest mistake of my HiFi journey, selling a fully refurbished KSA-250 several years ago. Missed it ever since, even tried to buy it back on more than one occasion. Keep the Krell, have it refurbished by Krell or an independent service technician. Sound quality is still up there with the very best IMHO. Plus, nothing beats a KSA-250 for bass control and extension. Steven Leckrone is the technician who serviced my amp at Krell. He now works as an independent Krell service specialist. Contact Steven at; Steven@theservicedepartmentct.com (203-331-0671). |