Audio Research, Krell, MF, REL

[enbee23]

Audio Research SP9 preamp. Classic 1980's valve/FET hybrid preamp with excellent phono stage. Well reviewed and sounds great. Very good condition and nearly new valves. £450, inc shipping.




Krell KSA-100 power amp. This was Krell's first statement product in 1980 that defined the whole genre of overbuilt Yankee muscle amps. The KSA-100 is more than just a muscle amp though as it runs all the way to full output in pure class A operation and sounds wonderful as a result. Many people prefer the sound of these first generation products to the newer, more sophisticated and supposedly "better" models...
It is rated at 100wpc into 8ohm loads, 200wpc into 4 ohms, 400wpc into 2 ohms and 800 wpc into 1 ohm but measures higher. It is built like a truck with true dual mono internal construction with a 900VA tranny and 80000 uF of power supply per channel. This amp has slam, grunt, bass and sheer grip in abundance.
It is however 28 years old. Condition is very good but not cosmetically perfect. It was serviced in November 2007 by a highly respected and suitably experienced/qualified engineer in Surrey who replaced several internal parts, commented that it was an excellent old thing and that they don't make them like they used to etc etc and then charged me accordingly. Ouch.
This amp is a genuine force of nature, with the rare combination of sublime sound and absolutely effortlessly big and powerful (torquey, in car terminology ) presentation. £1250


btw, this thing is 19" wide, 10" high, 24" deep and weighs about 50kg so shipping won't be free, sorry!


Musical Fidelity X-Cans v2 headphone amp, with full Pink Floyd/Rock Grotto mods. New caps, pot, valves, case mods etc. Sounds superb but my current amp has a headphone amp built in so this is redundant. Can just be seen perched on top of the Krell in the pic above. £175 to your door.


REL Strata subwoofer. I've had this for years but barely used it as my main speakers were either too big to need it or the room was too small to use it, depending on my system/house at the time. Hung on to it though in the hope of putting together an AV rig at some point but this just isn't going to happen. The unit is black and in vgc, with only a couple of very light scuffs. It works perfectly and has never been thrashed. £155, inc courier.

[enbee23]

REL provisionally sold.

[enbee23]

Audio Research sold.

[enbee23]

X-Cans gone now too.

One of you lucky people can still buy my Krell though