Power, clean and nonfatiquing sound

Chip remote

This is a very nice product. I use it with B&W CDM7SE biwired with KIMBER Kable 8TC for lows and 4TC for highs.
Can't be beat for quality/price ratio.

Similar Products Used:

Bryston 60

Pretty Blue Light and Remote Control

Sounds like your average receiver

Extremely disapointed with this unit. No depth, detail, or real life presentation. Sounded like a receiver. Tried with several types of speakers and disapointed on each set up. Did an A-B test with the YBA unit and it was night and day difference with tonal accuracy, instrument placement, and real projection of sound. Listen to the competition before you buy. I purhased the YBA.

Associated Equipment:

JM Labs Electra 915
JM Labs Mini Utopia / Utopia Stands
Spender MM
Dynaudio 1.8 LE
Kimber Slelect 30/30
Kimber Monacle XL
YBA Blue Laser Cd

Similar Products Used:

YBA Integre DT, Classe Cap-151, Bryston

natural, musical, clear, detailed, open, large and stable soundstage, firm and deep bass.

minor : odd stepped volume control (but intended to avoid distortions of the traditional controls), complex remote.

I have been reading these wildly opposed reviews for some time and find myself on the side of those who love the 300i.

I am not an equipment fanatic, but a music lover. My reference sound is live performances, mostly of orchestral and choral works (I am an active choral singer), opera and chamber music. The 300i is a key part of a system which delivers a very natural musical experience with a good source -- a full and smooth range from deep and totally firm lows to the highest highs. The various instruments and voices are in their places and sound real. The sound is open and detailed and rich, and it breathes, not harsh or tiring unless the source is bad. I also listen to jazz and a wide variety of popular music, and the system does a great job with it, including imaging. And, in my system, I get more than enough undistorted power for very realistically loud performances with the volume control below the half-way mark. The detail and clarity make listening at low-volumes a great pleasure too.

I tend to agree with the reviews which explain the differences as due to the equipment match-up. I listened to the 300i with various set-ups in a couple of showrooms before buying it. With Martin-Logan speakers, to which one previous reviewer referred, the sound was overly bright and tiring, but it was an entirely different story with Maggies -- and that reviewer was wrong, in my view, to lump those two different speakers together as a bad match for the 300i. My system is:

Krell 300i
Krell 250cd
AudioQuest Viper XLR interconnects
Magnapan 2.5R speakers (with true "ribbon"
tweeter/mid)
AudioQuest Granite speaker cables.

Until I recently replaced my 11 year old Vampire wire speaker cables, and my not so old Oehlbach balanced interconnects, the system was enjoyable, but somewhat flat and compressed sounding on a number of CD's. Now, with the AudioQuests, it is totally convincing and some CD's I formerly found disappointing are very good!

Compact and serious

A little bright

System

Krell KAV300i
Wadia 830
Magnepan 1.6 with Infinity subwoofer
Goertz and MIT cables

I've had these for some time now. I like the compact solution the KAV300 offers although the sound is on the bright side. The Audio Alchemy front end ( DDS, DTI2,DDE3) I used earlier accented the brightness.
Enter the 830 with the soft top octave. The brightness is gone, and a lot of detail still remains. Ditto on the bass. All the subwoofer integration problems I had with the Alchemy gear just vanished with the 830.

I've been thinking of going to a bi amp setup with a KAV150 or KAV250. If the gain problem could be resolved, I was considering even a KSA100 or Pass Aleph 3.

Anyone out there have any experience with a KAV300i biamp system ???

Matt in SF

I just bought my Krell KAV-300I, I was looking for an amp that was punchy and dynamic. I listened to the new NAD S300 verses the Krell on a set of Ruark Accolade speakers. The NAD sound was not distinct like the Krell, The NAD sounded very (boomie) It was not punchy and dynamic as the Krell, I am very happy with my purchase and have yet to come a cross an amp that is as dynamic in sound.
My System
NAD 512 CD Player (I need an Arcam )
Speakers Ruark Accolade's
And a Krell KAV-300I

My five cents worth

The baby Krell was one the best finds. If you favour quality over quantity then this is the one for you, easily beating some more expensive pre/power combos. Krell have got the balance right with this one. I was expecting it to be bright with my Martin Logan Aerius i but as it turns out the result was spectacular. Any speaker could do with more power (some would say especially electrostatics), but at what cost? In my medium size room the set up is very satisfying. There is a certain rightness about the bass and mid range and overall coherence. A beefier Krell would provide more body and a bigger soundstage but at a lot more cost.
My gear:

Meridian 506 CD player
Martin Logan Aerius i
Krell KAV 300i
Kimber Select KS1020 interconnect
Accusound Apature speaker cables

With the Aerius/Krell combo you know that any problem with the source or cable will be easily magnified. This means you need to carefully select your CD player and cables. I believe the natural smoothness of the Meridian helps and the Kimber/Accusound cables provide a very coherent sound. If I had used something like the Rega Planet as a front end I suspect it would have been too bright for my liking.

Given the opportunity I would try out either an Audio Research vacuum tube or BAT VK5i pre-amp and one of Krell's FPB power amps with the Aerius. I think this combo would provide the best of both worlds, the naturalness of tube and the quickness, tightness and control of solid state.

As it is, I am very happy with my Krell!

Krell KAV 300i
Brilliant. Absolutely brilliant. This amp is a class act in every way. It is built like a tank, ultra-easy to use, good looking, and sounds incredible. The KAV 300i is all anyone would ever need (sans speakers and source) for a lifetime of musical enjoyment. I heard the Krell KAV 300i mated to a pair of B&W CDM1 speakers and a Rotel RCD-971 CD player. The CDM1s have never sounded so good!

Listening to the KAV 300i/B&W combo, I was impressed by the three-dimensional nature of the soundstage. Listening to orchestral music, I was quite aware of the recording's acoustic, the space around instruments, and the position of various instruments and instrumental sections in the orchestra. String tone sounded unusually accurate. It was neither syrupy and over-rich nor hard and steely. Moreover, the bite and tension of the strings was sufficiently developed to closely match the real thing. The overall effect was breathtaking. The Krell KAV 300i displayed holographic precision in its recreation of both orchestra and Symphony Hall.

The KAV 300i was particularly skillful at re-creating micro-dynamics, the subtle musical clues that make instruments sound authentic. Furthermore, the KAV300i lent music powerful dynamics and drama without ever sacrificing subtlety and realism. The way the amp transformed the B&W CDM1s was like a great conductor inspiring a faded diva back to glory. The KAV 300i is a very patient amp. Much more of a diplomat than an autocrat, the Krell coaxes and cajoles speakers to greatness, rather than bullying them with force and muscle. What more can I say? I cannot imagine a more accurate and successful sound.

In comparison, the Arcam Alpha 8 (a very successful amp for it's class), that I use to power a pair of B&W P4 speakers, sounds anemic, un-focused, vague, and opaque. The Arcam seems to lack the great range of tonal colors that the KAV 300i is capable of. It lacks the Krell's transparency and realistic detail, Furthermore, it lacks the sense of a 3rd dimension that the KAV 300i is capable of creating. The Alpah 8 just cannot match the Krell's muscle, finesse, and musical insight. What more can I say? I want a Krell KAV 300i.

Soundstaging *****

Tonal Color *****

Dynamics/Grip *****

Bass Rhythm *****

Build Quality *****

Ease of Use *****

Looks *****

Value *****

Great product! Deep and spacious soundstage, transparency and clarity are amazing. Bass is very, I repeat, VERY strong(regardless of what other people may think, like Jim in particular). One of the most smooth units I've ever heard for under $6000. I think everyone should listen to this amp to see just how good a one box amp can be! A monstrous improvement over my Bryston B-60!

I still can't get over how late I was to hear this, I am the last audiophile on the planet to hear this unit. Anyway, I heard it with a pair of Martin Logan Aerius', a Rotel RCD990(the one and only) and MITerminator 2 speaker cables and MIT MH330 interconnects.

Wow. I did an a/b of the Krell KAV300i and the McCormack Micro Line Drive and DNA 0.5 combo. After listening to the McCormacks and then hearing this, I thought I had earplugs in my ears while I was hearing the McCormack setup. I thought the McCormacks were good, jeez, this thing blew up the soundstage a mile. The one thing that I noticed was 100% better was the clarity and transparency, not a touch of distortion came out of the MLs. More defined bass, musical accuracy was better, there was nothing wrong with this component. I like the remote control too.

I have heard many, many units in this price range and all, I mean ALL, were inferior to this unit. Unhesitantly, sincerely, 5 stars.

This Krell amp provides excellent sound quality for the price.