Macca's Lash Up 2: Lash Harder

[Macca]

I'm lucky to know Alan!

Got to make the most of it before I get neighbours again. Saw the bloke who owns one of them the other day, says he's got a mate of his moving in there soon.

I asked him if the music might be a problem and he says he doubts it, the bloke used to be a roadie for Iron Maiden. So that's a result.

[Barry]

Got to make the most of it before I get neighbours again. Saw the bloke who owns one of them the other day, says he's got a mate of his moving in there soon.

I asked him if the music might be a problem and he says he doubts it, the bloke used to be a roadie for Iron Maiden. So that's a result.

Probably deaf then, which might be a problem if he likes Iron Maiden and has to play it at an "elevated" level.

[Macca]

Probably deaf then, which might be a problem if he likes Iron Maiden and has to play it at an "elevated" level.

I've got no problem with that. The previous occupant was a big Motley Crue fan. So it's arguably an improvement.

[Macca]

[Marco]

Is the Krell (and system overall) doing it for you now?

Marco.

[Macca]

Yeah I'm pretty happy. I don't think it is quite as good as when I had the Sony XB790QS player up front but it's a long time now since I had that set-up so might be just my memory playing tricks.

The Audiolab/Soncoz is probably more 'truthful' to the recording but I did enjoy the extra sweetness of the Sony.

I will sort out its drawer problem at some point and put it back in.

End of the line for me this is, except for the Tannoy Ardens, whenever they eventually turn up.

[Marco]

Fair enough, mate. What about the Technics players you have (had) - are they still in the equation? In my view, fully operational, one of those would be your best CD front end, and as such I'd be getting Alan (or someone else) working on that to get it fully up to speed.

Also, would you say that the Krell is as good now as it was when you first heard it, before it went tits up? I could be reading things wrongly, but when it came back recently, after it was fixed, your description of its performance came across as a little low-key...

Given that this was your 'big daddy' amp, you'd always hankered after and RAVED about initially, but sadly were forced to do without for a spell because it broke, when it was fixed and back in your system, I expected a similar RAVE review of its talents, with BIG GRINS and celebrations like this but it was more like 'well, it's back in and working, so that's good...'

All a bit low-key/somewhat nonplussed. But hey. maybe I've read you wrongly?

Marcoi.

[Macca]

Fair enough, mate. What about the Technics players you have (had) - are they still in the equation? In my view, fully operational, one of those would be your best CD front end, and as such I'd be getting Alan (or someone else) working on that to get it fully up to speed.

Also, would you say that the Krell is as good now as it was when you first heard it, before it went tits up? I could be reading things wrongly, but when it came back recently, after it was fixed, your description of its performance came across as a little low-key...

Given that this was your 'big daddy' amp, you'd always hankered after and RAVED about initially, but sadly were forced to do without for a spell because it broke, when it was fixed and back in your system, I expected a similar RAVE review of its talents, with BIG GRINS and celebrations like this but it was more like 'well, it's back in and working, so that's good...'

All a bit low-key/somewhat nonplussed. But hey. maybe I've read you wrongly?

Marcoi.

That's true but I couldn't really get into it for the first week or so in case it went bad on me again. Couldn't relax and just enjoy it. Feel a bit more confident about it now.

Actually the one I'm using is the one I bought more recently. Maybe they don't both sound exactly the same?

Anyway today is the first time I have listened to anything at 'serious' levels and it does just sound astonishing. I mean everything you could want, pretty much. Big, crisp, clean open, super-detailed, perfect control in the bass with full depth and articulation.

Differences between recordings really stand out. The recording engineers art is just laid out. It's pretty much the same as I had when I had Ollie's pre-amp and Neurochrome 686 in for the day a couple of weeks back. As he said then 'It's the sort of sound that would make 90 percent of audiophiles weak at the knees.'

It's a proper 'high-end' sound system and, maybe more relevant, it is the specific 'sonic signature' that I've always been chasing. So yeah, I'm happy.

Technics SLP1200 is also on the chart to be fixed but the issue with that could be practically anything so not as easy as replacing a disc draw belt. Plus I suspect the Sony XB970 might well be better, at least in the context of the rest of the set-up.

[Marco]

Cool, glad you're happy - and from your description it sounds good! You must be able to generate some nice SPLs, as from memory the JM Labs are reasonably efficient and an easy load...

How powerful is the Krell, and is it Class A? Can't remember the specs

Marco.

[Macca]

50wpc class A but use plateau biasing so some would say it's not 'proper' class A, although that's to assume that it matters which I don't think it does.

Alan measured it at 75 watts before clipping, only to be expected as Krell routinely underspecced power output so they could claim that their amps doubled their power into each halving of impedance load.

The first set of bias lights come on a when continuous power delivery exceeds 0.75w - it's very rare that these light up so except for momentary peaks less than a watt is required to get good volume level with the JM Labs which have a sensitivity of 90 dB 1w/1 meter

They are not an easy load though as impedance in the bass drops down to 2.4 Ohms so to get proper bass control and performance requires an amplifier with a power supply that's not going to sag, obviously a Krell ideal for this.

It's pretty easy to hear this difference by comparing the power amp of the NAD320BEE to the Krell. High SPL is not an issue with either amp but the NAD, although it delivers 67 watts before clipping, does not produce the same quality of bass as the Krell. My Linn LK100 power amp, by comparison, comes in somewhere in between the two.

When you were selling that range of speakers back in the 1990s do you recall what amplification you usually demonstrated them with?