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In Reply to: RE: The Krell sound... posted by AbeCollins on August 03, 2014 at 20:15:32
Thanks for your remarks, Abe. I have not heard any Krell from before 1999 or so. I had the KAV-250a over a decade ago in a different system with Magnepan 1.6, and I remember it sounding warmer than the 2250. I appreciate your sentiments on the 2250 - it needs to be powered on for 8-10 hours, and seems harder to keep "on song". Despite some of the professional reviews (mostly in the UK press), and though they are cut from the same sonic cloth, I think the 280p is the stronger of the two. It would be interesting to hear the 280p with the 250a. The turn-on thump of 250a was always a cause for mild apprehension, which is one thing the 2250 improved with the master power switch in the rear.
Follow Ups:
I thought the 280P was very good and for the price, you get a lot for your money sonically AND in terms of useful Inputs/Outputs and features.
For me, a tube linestage driving the 2250 might have made it more enjoyable. But you have to realize that I tend to favor vacuum tubes and a slightly warmish smooth sound with a bit of midrange magic that many solid-state amps simply don't deliver for me.
In general, I prefer tubes but for practical reasons I don't always run a tube setup. For example, since losing my dedicated listening room that I once had in my previous home, I am now using my home office as a listening room.
I have a solid-state integrated that I leave powered ON most of the day as I work but I fire up the tube integrated on weekends. I hate burning up expensive vacuum tubes all day long for mostly background music.
I think the Krell gear of this era had a very particular take on neutrality that is nothing like other gear of my experience. It tends to evoke a love-it or hate-it response, but most characterizations of the sound that I've seen are too simplistic. Why does does one listener call it harsh, while another calls it organic? I was trying to convey the essence of that sound, which is why the review grew so long. If a listener likes that sound, or has the same sonic priorities, nothing else will do. If a listener doesn't like the sound, there's quite a bit else that will do just fine. It's a bit like licorice in that respect.
Like you, I think the 280p is more likeable than the 2250 and has a good mix of sound quality and features for the price. I like using the 280p with the A308 amp, but I don't care for the 2250 with the A308 preamp. And the A308 is not a shabby preamp - it won Product of the Year Awards in the Absolute Sound and Hi-Fi Choice. You're right that the 2250 has very little warmth, it's not at all tube-like, and I've only heard it sound good well warmed up and used with the 280p.
I like tubes, too, but not the heat. I had a BAT VK-60 for a while, which was fine in the winter, but in the summer, I had to choose between a cool listening room or a quiet listening room.
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