Macca's Lash Up 2: Lash Harder

[Macca]

My equipment graveyard yesterday:

[jandl100]

I've often wondered about a Krell FPB300, but too late now, the mantra is if I can't lift it I don't buy it!

[crimsondonkey]

Having heard a few, I would take a KSA50/ 100 over a FPB300 , but of course your ears might say different, and mating systems vary. I found getting the right preamp to match is very important to lighting up the dynamics that the Krell is capable of.

[jandl100]

Ah, interesting.
I've had a refurbed KSA50mk1 and wasn't very impressed finding it a bit laidback and oversmooth.
But maybe I hadn't partnered it with the right pre - I'm pretty sure one of them was an EAR 802. There were probably others.

[crimsondonkey]

If I recall correctly, the key was having a preamp with a strong output voltage and low impedance. A Puresound L300 is a good example of this and absolutely rocked with the Krells I matched it with.

[AJSki2fly]

Hmm, I can't imagine being so totally committed to a single particular component - there is so much interesting gear out there to try and to have fun with.

We're all different, I guess.

I agree there is lots of very nice gear that produces some great sounds. But I would have thought that by continually changing components you could get completely lost in what is good and what is not and what works with one piece of equipment on not with another, and with time could become completely confusing. From a personal perspective I have changed three pieces of equipment in the past only to realise later on that they were actually rather good and should have kept them. In each case I selected the wrong piece of kit to try and get an improvement, two were my fault and the other I allowed myself to be lead by a dealer.

[User211]

If I recall correctly, the key was having a preamp with a strong output voltage and low impedance. A Puresound L300 is a good example of this and absolutely rocked with the Krells I matched it with.

I tried a KSA50 with a passive into Apogees and it was dreadful. With a Audio Research LS26 and a pair of Mark & Daniel Sapphires it seemed really good TBH.

Jerry heard the later combo too if he can remember. He then tried the LS26 in his system and hated it I believe.

[jandl100]

He then tried the LS26 in his system and hated it I believe.

Haha, yes, My god.
So coloured I could have mistaken it for an Audionote.

Gosh, I was so excited when George(47) was bringing the LS26 round for me to dem - I was sure it was going to be my end game preamp.
Umm, not even close! Horrible sounding thing. Coloured and drab sounding.

[User211]

It was an effects box. But the KSA50 needed it because it sounded flat as a witches tit without it.

It threw images everywhere with the little M&Ds. Quite entertaining I thought. But definitely coloured.

Back in the day ARC/Krell was a very common pairing.

[crimsondonkey]

I tried a KSA50 with a passive into Apogees and it was dreadful. With a Audio Research LS26 and a pair of Mark & Daniel Sapphires it seemed really good TBH.

Jerry heard the later combo too if he can remember. He then tried the LS26 in his system and hated it I believe.

That's precisely what I would expect - I wouldn't recommend a pure passive with a Krell for the reasons I outlined above. Yes ARC preamps will work because of the good match of their output, but they are hardly neutral and there are better examples of strong voltage/ low impedance outputs out there.