So why was the Krell KPS 28c discontinued?


I was looking at a CES 2003 show report and it mentioned that as of January 2003, the KPS 28c was discontinued. Is this true and if so, why was it so soon after launch (less than 2 years) with no equivalent product out yet to replace it?

Jeff
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Jeff,
If you have read my previous posts, then you know that I really, really like Krell; the company, the products and the people behind the products.

Knowing them, if they can offer an upgrade, they will. Only when the new product is too big of a change, they don't.

Richard
I emailed Krell about about a month ago and asked if a replacement for the KPS 28c was in the works. This is their reply:

Thank you for your e-mail.
There will be a replacement for the Krell KPS 28c, and I expect it will include SACD capability. We are working on that project now. Unfortunately, I do not have an estimate of when it will be ready or how much it will cost.
I owned the KPS 28 c for two years. What a piece of junk. It sounded bright(like most of Krell) and it was built like a Sony player. What a rip off. These people should get their hearing check and get a receptionist to answer the phone!
I just can't help myself, but I have to respond to the post of Ovature.

If you have such a negative feeling towards Krell, why did you own one for two years? And if it was built like the Sony SCD-1, that is a pretty good recommendation.

Although I am not personally familiar with the KPS28c, I am very familiar with most of the rest of their equipment; and the build quality is beyond reproach. Also, about being bright: Some of the older gear (10 years ago) was on the bright side, but now the gear is beautifully sweet, but VERY accurate. The fact that it does accurately reveal, on great speakers, what the music portrays, may indeed sound to you to be bright, but that is the way some music is.

I attend the San Francisco symphony regularly and sit in 10th row center, and nothing, to my ears comes closer to repoducing the concert sound as do the Krells driving my speakers.

Richard
You sound like you work for Krell. When I said built like a Sony, I meant a cheap Sony mid-fi player. The unit only weighed 17 lbs. The top never fit right. Unlike the kps 20i which was built like a tank, this unit had a plastic cd tray, a thin top which sounded like a tin can when you tapped it, and I would say that Krell had a hell of a nerve charging so much for a couple of circuit boards, a teac drive, a power supply and some outputs. Even with a 25% discount I paid $5600. This was a special order sight unseen situation which I will never do again. I kept it for 2 years because no one would pay a fair price for it because it was so overpriced to begin with. Krell is not known for their digital and this unit was better than previous Krells, but still somewhat grainy sounding. If you never owned one, how can you comment. Personally, with the exception of some of their amplifiers, I think Krell is some of the most overpriced junk on the market and components like the KRC series Pre-amps did nothing but distort the music. There is no reason why these products should be so expensive. The KPS 20i was built well but it had a grainy upper mid-range and that piece listed for 9K back in 1995. Give me a break!