I auditioned this amp really wanting to like it after all the hype I heard but couldn't bring myself to like it. In fact I ended up hating it very quickly. The highs are brittle, harsh, and WAY too loud. Listening to this amp is a chore. It will reproduce every tiny detail of a CD if you are iterested in hearing them but it will not produce music. Dropped a Macintosh into the system and the world became a better place.

I have to concur with Michael from Boston. I have tried this amp with cables from Nordost, Transparent, MIT, Wireworld and at least a half a dozen other cables and this amp STINKS!!! Talk about the placebo effect, my god what are you people hearing out there? I own a Krell power amp and I am freaked that this amp sounds so bad. To bad some of you can't afford the real thing. Keep saving your pennies.

this thing makes frank zappa sound great, what was noise is now music. i love it!

Half the people on this site think the Krell's the best thing since sliced bread, the other half think it sounds like fingernails on a blackboard. So is it just a question of taste ? I doubt it
I think there is somehting in common with everyone who dislikes this amp. Note how they all cite some budget equipment eg Arcam that sounds better. Is it because it REALLY sounds better or is it because it is lower resolution, inferior equipment that HIDES the PROBLEMS with your setup a bit better and therefore you THINK the Krell's sound bad precisely because they are so clean and transparent?

I suspect that all of you who think the Krell sounds harsh or fatiguing likely have problems with your AC (RFI) or inferior cables/partnering equipment that are brought into sharp relief by this amp. I simply cannot be the case that what some people perceive as a superbly natural sounding amp is percieved so differently by others. Taste is one thing, missing the wood for the trees is another.

MY EXPERIENCE: With both a $200 budget CD player and a $2500 KAV 250CD, this amp had several features in common - fast, dynamic rhythm, unbelievable control of complex, multi-layered recording like The Smashing Pumpkins, able to tame and seperate the many layers of guitars, create a pinpoint sharp soundstage and, ultimately, 'breathe' with vocal dominated recordings. There are very few types of music I don't like and this amp is even-handed with all of them, which tells me it is ultimately just a very good conduit for music for those who want the absolute truth and not the beautiful lie. Downside is that if there are weaknesses anywhere in the chain, this amp wil ruthlessley reveal them, which is probably why it seemed poor to many reviewers

I've just read through around 20 or so mixed reviews of the 300i and feelsomewhat surprised at the widely varying opinions.I've owned the 300i for two
years now and consider it to be a superb performer given certain criteria.
Firstly,support. The amp must be well isolated from vibration, doing so greatly
improves the soundstage and imaging capabilities of the amp. I use a Lovian
dedicated equipment rack and sit the amp on four rubber isolation disks (vibrapod's).
Secondly, interconnects. The initial sound of the amp (after break in) definately
erred on the bright side. Changing basic XLO phono leads to the MIT terminator 2's
introduced the necessary 'warmth' into the audio equation. With a few carefull
tweaks here and there the amp is a superb performer and rates high in comparison
with other similarly priced products. (list of previously owned and
demo'd equipment to extensive to list).
With any 'audiophile' product you must be prepared to experiment with ancillary's
to extract the maximum performance from the 'core' components within the system.
I suspect that the derogatory reviews of the 300i stem from individuals who have
not invested the time and effort into realizing and maximizing the audio qualities
of this product.

One box integrated that sounds better than most integrated amplifiers and a good degree of seperates.

Price, Cheap Junk RCA Jacks, Junk Remote, and Quirky Firmware

I think Krell has a decent product here, and I am going to take the middle line between haters and lovers. There is no reason at this price point to have RCA jacks pull out. There is also no reason to hear popping when switching sources due to firmware issues. I have seen better remotes on less expensive gear. But, to its credit, the Krell sounds very good for a one box player. I do believe however that better seperates are available at around the same price point or less. The advantage of the Krell is convenience in a one box player. Its not the greatest on the planet but compared to the vast majority of high end junk and scams it is very good. At about 1500 used with effecient speakers it is a good buy.

Similar Products Used:

Krell KST100 Amplifier

Heard enough of the reviews and planning
to set up a home theater using Krell KAV 300i. Is there any Audiophiles or Audio Enthusiast out here who knows about home theater or could give me any suggestion what surround processor I should buy?. Appreciate your comments...
I have a Monitor Audio Studio 20SE and Sony DVP7700 DVD player.

Sound quality and overall value.

The beauty of high end audio is that there are things to suit everyone's taste. The diversity of components is amazing and as one goes on auditioning, one truly acquires a sense of what is pleasing. The baby Krell does provide a sound quality that can't be rivaled by others in its price range. The convenience in a small box and the fact that it can push speakers like the highly respected Martin-Logan SL 3's effortlessly says a lot. I've heard this thing with a variety of setups including my own Wadia 830 CD, Alon II speakers with MIT Shotgun cabling and it has never faltered. Can you get better sound? Of course, but it probably will cost you some big, big bucks. Call me crazy but I've heard amps costing anywhere from $5-10K that I didn't like as much. My musical tastes are amazingly diverse ranging from Afro-Cuban music to classical to jazz and I'll tell you, this amp delivers.

the best amp ive ever had. Goes well with my monitor audio
speaker.

Incredible sound. Plenty of power.

None that I see

I listened to quite a few amps before buying this Krell. Many were a lot more expensive, but none sounded better. In fact, only one sounded as good, and it was on the far side of $6000. I matched it to a pair of B&W CDM7SE speakers, and I couldn't be more pleased.

I'm disappointed to see reviews like the one regarding the JC Penney speakers. I don't believe this is a fair review of the amplifier. I'm also a little confused. This person bought a top quality $2000+ amplifier......and hooks it up to JC Penney speakers? And when it sounds awful, its the amplifier that is blamed? Doesn't make sense to me.