Heart stopping base. Totally absent of color of any kind. Can handle really tough passages with ease. Works very well with the MGs.

These babies are heeaavy! 185 lbs. Shipping charge was about $230 bucks per unit when I bought them using Fed Ex freight.

Well...I actually have 2 of these babies. I use them in a tri amped system, which is compaosed of: Theta Data III, GenVa DAC, BAT VK-Vi pre amp, Bryston 10B xovers, Krells KSA 300S for mid and sub base and BAT VK-120s for midrange and tweeters, Maggie MG-20s for mid range and tweets and Advanced Sound Cappinelis for subwoofers....mostly Lapis and Diamond throughout the system for interconnects. I found the KSAs to be everything Krell said they would be. When they first came out, I wanted one but couldn't afford it [$9,000.....ouch!!!]. I bought 2 of them in 2000 and they still beat anything else on the planet, including the FPB series. I was using a hybrid amp prior to installing the Krell and thought at first that the sound was a little threadbare and dry. But then after a couple of weeks, I hooked the hybrids back up and then I heard it. It wasn't that the Krell was threadbare at all. The Hybrid added a lot of color and warmth to the music, which I had gotten used to over the years. Of course the krell adds nothing ....zip...... naddadodo...to the music, which may throw you at first. But sit back...relax....and let it warm up. You'll be in for one heck of a ride.

Similar Products Used:

Krell FPB Series, Krell Reference Series,

Bass authority, very dynamic and musical.

Must be on always to sound good. Very heavy and big.

I previously owned an ML333 power amp and a Krell KSA200-S. However the krell was better in the bass the ML333 was simply more musical. Therefore I sold my Krell KSA200-S. After a while I thought there must be something better than both the ML333 and the Krell KSA200-S. When I saw a KSA300-S at a good price second hand I decided to buy it. Now everything came into place. Not only was the bass much better than from both previous amplifiers. Also the mids were much better, even better than from the ML333. Also the KSA300-S was more musical than the ML333. So I sold the ML333 for more than what I payed for the Krell KSA300-S. The Krell is also much much more dynamic than the ML333. If you listen to jazz and non dynamic music yuo might like the ML but if you listen to pop music like me the Krell is the best amp by far. It depends on personal taste of course but from all my friends who compared the amps 4 out of 5 choose for the Krell. There is only one thing about this amp. I needs to be warm to sound good. Since there is no standby button and it takes about 2 hours to warm up I always leave the amp on. Next week I will get a Krell FPB600C amp. Although most people say this one is better than the KSA300-S I only beleive my ears. I will keep the best amp and sell the worst one. But it might be that the 300S is better than the FPB.

Similar Products Used:

Krell KSA200-S, ML333, Wilson Puppy 5.1, ML380, Meridian 508-24.

bass n extended mid range

too heavy

this giant amp is a real killer.it is a must to try .i was hesistant to purchase it until i tried this mighty amp.the bass is fantastic with extended mid range.it has overtaken my aging ml 23.5

Similar Products Used:

ml 23.5 , jeff rowland model 8

What do we all look for in high end audio? Sound quality, build quality, appearance, cachet? This amp has all these in spades. Almost 200 lb. shipping weight and the cohones to drive 1 ohm loads continuously. In fact Krell warns that it will drive the rear panel for a while if your spade lugs are touching it! This is not a toy, it can break a speaker.

How's it sound? Just like the source hooked to it. Mine is used in the following system: Theta Basic II single mode to Theta GenVA balanced to Krell KRC-HR balanced to the KSA-300S. AudioTruth Emerald balanced everywhere. Speaker cables are AudioTruth Clear to the mids/treble, and Sterling to the bass. All hooked to NHT 3.3's. (This is the Corey Greenberg memorial hi-fi system) The 300 has no grit or grain, is exceedingly neutral, and has the best dynamics and bass slam of any amp I have yet to hear. The control of large speaker drivers is incredible. Can it rock? Ohyeah! You think this thing is tame in the bass dept. until you play a disk that really reaches down, then suprise, the china is clanking together in the kitchen cabinets, and all of your imported beers are falling over in the fridge. Let me overkill here. The bass reaches to DC and it does so with absolute conviction. You will not here anything that has such a sense of rightness of the extreme low frequencies. No bloom, no bloat, no "it's down 3dB's at..." excuses here!

If you are a tube type listener, stay away. It is a bit dry sounding, but air and space is over the top.

Do's and don'ts: It has to be warm, this takes a while as there is a lot of metal there to heat up. It is not like the KSA-200S with a higher bias level which warms it up real quickly. Just get the 2nd set of bias lights lit up and let the 300 play until it has some warmth coming off the heat sinks. Get a good stand. Can you say Billy Bags Pro amp stand? Looks like it was made specifically for the 300S. Also, go ahead and pay the $ to get the local electrical guru's to come out and wire the house outlet for the amp alone to at least 20 amp status.

What else? Crank it up and enjoy the tunes, and admire a lifetime quality purchase that has already reached collectable status, as in many listeners opinion, the FPB series is no match sonically or mechanically.

Rating explanation; I have only one 5 star component, a Sequerra FM-1 tuner. So I give the KSA-300S the best I can, a 4 star. Can I give it a 4.5 in print here? Sure!

Also, thanks for the forum. It is great. See NHT 3.3 review elsewhere on this site. Listen and enjoy.

Well built, Massive Raw Clean Power! Extraordinarily Robust Deep Bass

None

What can be said about KRELL's KSA 300S CLASS A amp. I have seen and heard a lot of amps since my first CES show in 1984. When this amp hit the market I was really amazed by it's dynamics of quick and clean sound. First of all I don't recommend this unit for any tube lovers at all, since most of them like listening to soft filtered lazy rolled off sound and that is not what the KRELL is. This unit has the slam on the bass so quick like no other amps I have heard before. The extraordinarily robust deep bass extention on this unit is so deep and controlled, the sparkling highs are extended and very clean. The superior transient response in the over all sound is also very quick, accurate and clean. This amp must be used with good components in order to achieve the maximum sound quality. I do also recommended having adequate power out of your wall outlet at least a 30 amp power line.

Components used:
Preamp: KLYNE=System 7LX 3.5 Balanced
CD Player: THETA=Data Basic II
D/A Converter: THETA=DS Pro Gen V
Tuner: FANFARE FM=FT1
Speakers: ADVANCED AKUSTIC=1001 MkIV/SE/Reference
W/Esotar option
Cables: SYNERGISTIC RESERCH=Signature 2

Extended, well controlled bass. Smooth, detailed midrange. Clean treble. Extremely powerful.

Large size, heavy,awkward to move.

We are writing a joint review to provide a balance of perspective on this very fine amplifier. Jaeson is a bass aficionado while Scott is a Midrange fanatic. Likewise, Jaeson is the owner of Revel Gems mated to Linn's giant-killer subwoofer. Scott is addicted to planar loudspeakers and owns the Magneplanar 10.1. The should provide a context through which to view our remarks.

Jaeson:

The build quality is incredible (the power supply is bigger than the human head). This amp is insanely heavy and must lifted with care.

This amp can be compared to the finest available. The bass is thunderous, yet controlled. The midrange and treble are transparent. The amplifier controls the loudspeaker with an iron-fisted grip.

This amplifer is a steal if acquired second hand. At its new price, it was priced between $8,500 -$11,000 (depending on location). At its new price, it was "state of the art" and was as usual, a love affair product for Stereophile until was no longer "trendy" product. Used, the KSA 3000S is worth begging, borrowing, and stealing.

Scott -

I have just a few comments to fill in the areas that Jaeson did not cover in his review.

This amplifier presents the music in such a manner that on fine recordings, it is easy to forget that an electronic medium is delivering the musical message. On poor recordings, the volume knob is a welcome friend. Those fun, pop recordings we loved so in college can be unbearable unless volume is moderated. However, this liability is more than compensated for when very fine recordings are brought to life by the visceral impact of Krell power.

The usual common-sense considerations apply to this product:

Try before you buy.

Must mate with exceptional up-stream components.

Tube lovers will find this product disappointing - as this product does not embellish the recording toward harmonic richness.

Experimentation with cables and power cords will impart significant improvements.


Associated Equipment:
Revel Gems & Linn AV5150 Sub
Krell KRC Pre-amp
Proceed CD/DVD Transport
Mark Levinson 36S
Nakamichi Rx 202
Pioneer SD-582HD5
Marantz Surround Sound Processor
Transparent Audio and Vampire Wire Cabling

Similar Products Used:

Boulder 250AE (bridged-monos), Jeff Rowland Model 3, McIntosh 2105, Goldmund, Proceed HPA2, PSE Monoblocks, Kinergetics Monoblocks, solid state Audio Research, Mark Leveinson No. 23.5, Krell (KAS & FPB 250MC Monoblocks & FPB 300), Bryston 4B, McCormack DNA .5, Mark Levinson ML11, Mark Levisnon 33H.

I've been using Krell components for some time. However, I also previously own Conrad Johnson and many other british components such as Creek, Audiolab and Rotel. My evalaution is strictly based on what I heard and not any biasity with different manufacturers. I currently owned an FPB 600 and also the KSA 300S. I often switch back and forth between the two pwr amps. Personally, I prefer the sound characteristic of the KSA-300S to the FPB 600. The 300S has better bass slam and extension compared to the 600, but the 600 seemed to have better bass definition especially when hearing heavy orchestral music. The 600 overall has better soundstaging both a little bit wider and deeper. On the other hand, the 300S has better overall music coherence compared to the 600. Furthermore, the used 300S is selling at around half its retail price, and it definite provides an excellent value for your money if you are considering a reference amp.
Components:
KPS-25
FPB 600/KSA 300S
TRANSPARENT SUPER/MIT 770 CVT currently considering trying Straightwire
APOGEE MINIGRAND
MERIDIAN 508.24