Staggering build quality; unfatiguing sound (as far removed from "digital" sound as I have experienced); high-quality processor for use with other transports; fully balanced design.

Needs an hour of warming up from cold to sound its best; can exaggerate sibilants on over-bright recordings.

This 20i is the first "mega-buck" player I have purchased, made possible only by a friendly dealer that had this unit for sale second-hand. My previous digital source was a Jadis JD3, later "upgraded" by the addition of the (much-revered and equally much-maligned) Perpetual Technologies P-1A and P-3A processors. I have to first admit that my purchasing decisions are somewhat influenced by build quality and aesthetics, more so when the outlay is substantial (I think this is justified, given that most of us don't listen to music wearing anoraks in dark basements). As far as these qaulities are concerned, the Krell is beyond reproach - it is built like the proverbial tank, seems to weigh as much as one and to me at least, it looks the part of a deadly serious, take-no-prisoners digital player. The controls are tactile and pleasant to use, apart from the electrically-operated CD well cover, which emits a rather industrial whirring noise in operation. I am also impressed with the attention paid to the suspension of the transport, including what appear to be spring-loaded rubber feet which allow a small amount of vertical travel if you press down on the unit with a little force. All told, I think the Krell's build quality fully justifies its high-end reputation and original selling price of USD9,000. I have not heard all that many "megabuck" CD players in my time, certainly not for extended periods anyway. Fleeting demos of the Levinson transport/DAC combinations, Oracle CD2500, dCS gear and the MF Tri-Vista are the closest I have come to true high-end CD players. Plus, I have very little exposure to vinyl playback (practical considerations being the main reason), so my comments on the 20i as a front-end should be taken in perspective. Having said that, and having used the 20i for almost a year now, I seriously doubt I will be in the market for any other "red-book" player anytime soon. CDs played back through the 20i sound noticeably different from the playback I have experienced. The music seems to recover pace, rythm and timing with no perceptible "digital" artifacts. Bass extension is outstanding -- for me, the improvement in this area alone justifies the upgrade cost. There is a palpable sense of air, distinct lack of grain and hash, and an expansive soundstage, all of which consistently eluded my previous sources. The overall presentation may be a little forward, expecially in the mid-range, but I prefer that to an overly laid-back sound. Extraction of detail is stupendous. On an limited edition of Sarah McLachlan's "Fallen" CD, which comes with a bonus disc of live performances, I can actually hear what sounds like a cell-phone beeping in the background at the beginning of her live rendition of "Fallen", which I had never noticed before. It is very difficult to find fault with this component, and its weaknesses can only be described as miniscule compared with the overall sound quality it produces. For one (small) thing, because the player puts out a slightly forward presentation, it can exaggerate sibilance on poorer quality recordings. Another minor niggle is that the unit improves perceptibly after warming up, after about an hour or so from starting it up cold. I understand from technical literature on the 20i that it has an extremely well-suspended transport, something like 11 stages of cascaded power supply regulation, 20-bit proprietary reconstructive software with 16x oversampling (to 705.6 kHz) and is fully-balanced from input to output. Which feature is principally responsible for the outstanding sound, I may never know. But I don't particularly care either, as long as it continues to give me the sort of playback from "red-book" CDs I enjoy from it now. Three final points. Firstly, I believe this unit is now close to eight years old, yet every single function on the 20i operates without a single glitch, which says something for the durability of its design and construction. Secondly, my system is run in balanced mode from the 20i right thorugh to the power amps, which may make a small difference to the sound quality. Thirdly, I use a Marantz mid-level SACD player as a secondary source, and I consistently find myself preferring "red-book" playback through the 20i to SACD playback through the Marantz. I have also fed 16/44.1 digital output from the Marantz into the 20i using the latter as a processor, and the results are noticeably superior to the CD layer output from the Marantz. The rest of my system now comprises Krell KAV-250p pre-amp and KAV-150a power amp (I'm not big on amps) and Sonus faber Cremona speakers, wired with Nordost Blue Heaven balanced ICs and speaker cables. An Audio Agile power conditioner and power cables are used throughout. All said and done, this 20i is a player I would be happy to live with for a long time to come.

Similar Products Used:

Marantz SA8260 multi-channel SACD player, Jadis JD3 player, Perpetual Technologies P-1A / P-3A processors.

The Krell 20I-l. What else is there to say it's a Krell and it's 10,899 price tag better make it the best damn Cdtransport out there ( second only to the Levinson 30.5 ) It boasts a Dac that could destroy my house if had the chance . Sure the thing is made of pure aluminum and steel . But I must say this thing is a absolute killer there is nothing onthis earth that sounds this F#*^ing good . I had quite a few transports and i have heard the difference between them all . If the reason that we become Audiophiles is to search for the ultimate analog sound . Well Brothers ( and sisters ) to end you search buy it I promise that will never have another bones to pick about your muisc sound digital .I bought this thing one day after we transport of two years ( a certain Theta that we won't mention to protect the innocent) . I will tell you know even though I don't use the pre amp section of the piece I know that that it's absolutley breath taking . I wasn't a real fan of Krell until i felt the Steel Drums of Spyro Gyro in my living room . I have a bootleg Black Sabbath that I had mastered for me by a fiend i swear to you that their is nothing more realistic than having Tony Ioomi ( the once great Guitarist from Black Sabbath when they still had Ozzy to back them up ). I have still haven't recovered for the shock my jaw got when it hit the floor when he hit this amazing 13 minute solo that could curdle milk if given the right circumstances) .
I will tell you this Krell out did them selves when they made this thing . Infact I just might go out on a limb and say that it's better than the 15k Levinson peice that we all want .
Kudos to the boys from Orange Ct. ( Home of Krell )

Transcends any discussions about the new digital formats, like 24/96, 24/192 and SACD

No longer in production

By my estimation the KPS20i is becoming something of an audio legend. Although it was designed in the mid '90 its level of quality is still very close to the state of the art. However those in the know are keeping it silent.

How's that? Well, take notice of the following. Martin Colloms reviewed the $8,5k KPS28sc in the januari 2002 issue of HiFiNews and give this player an unreserved recommendation on the basis of a score of 42 points with classical material and 35 point with rock and jazz on his subjective rating scale.
At its price point the KPS28sc should be regarded as the successor to the KPS20i (which originally retailed for $9k), but Colloms curiously avoids a direct comparison. This seems odd, because he regularly compares new models to older ones in his Krell reviews to underline the progress in sound quality.

So why not in this case? The answer is very simple and more then a little embarrassing for Krell. As it so happens, Colloms reviewed the KPS20i for the same magazine back in 1995. In that review the player reached a landmark score of 48 points and was regarded by Colloms as the best cd player on the market. Consequently Colloms has used the KPS20i/L (the version with analog volume control) for years as the reference player in his own system.

Comparing both reviews that are separated by more then 5 years - an ETERNITY in digital audio - makes one thing perfectly clear. According to Colloms rating system the KPS20i is a far better player than the new model.
Of course this comparison wouldn't look good on the new model, so it was decided to avoid it. As a result Colloms' recommendation of the KPS28sc smells a little bit funny.

What can we learn from this:
1. Colloms' rating scale is hopelessly inconsistent and therefore useless
2. the so called progress in digital audio is a myth created by marketing people.
3. The KPS20i was an exceptionally good cd player for its time

The previous poster worries about the lack of upgrades. I wonder why. The KPS20i is still very close to being the ultimate 16bit redbook cd player. Every now and then you see it advertised on Audiogon for $3,5k or even less. If you can find one you will be getting the biggest high end bargain in all of audio. It replaced the 300cd in my system (which retailed for $3,5k). Nothing quite prepares you for the transformation that will take place in your system. All the usual digital nasties are not diminished as you usually experience when making digital upgrades. Instead, they are completely vanished, GONE.
I will never buy another cd player and just hope it will run forever. In fact this is my only worry, as the Philips CDM9 Pro transport mechanism is discontinued and supplies of the laser assembly have run out.

Similar Products Used:

Krell KAV300cd

Okay this is going to take some time, convinced a sure fire class A product, I initially purchased the 20 i/l (combines transport with pre & DAC) which is the best value for money Krell CD palyback iteration, to run directly into Krell's KAS monoblocks & Wilson Watt Puppy 5.1's in a smallish room. Cabling was Audioquest Diamond 3X balanced interconnects & Dragon Silver speaker cables.
Combined with the sweetness of the KAS - still in my opinion the best sounding Krell amp and the tonal neutrality of the WattPuppies the 20 i/l sounded excellent, perhaps a touch of grain here & there and ruthlessly revealing, the low end lacked ultimate low frequency extension (yes I know the Wilson's are limited in sub 35HZ LF) and could sound a touch uncontrolled when pushed hard during complex passages.

Overall a richer sound with some mid range bloom than using the 20T (transport) or the 20l (pre) but a very convenient & cost effective way of entering high end CD playback.

Some months later (on the recomendation of the factory) I used a KRC-HR pre amp with the 20i/l (volume on the 20i/l should be set to 120) and noticed an immediated improvement in soundstaging, transparency and low level detail, I am not talking about a huge improvement here but noticeable nonetheless, it was apparent that the increased ability of the dedicated pre-amp to drive the KAS monoblocks was definitely worthwhile.

Deciding to see where this would lead me I traded the 20i/l for a 20T (transport only) and purchased Krell's reference 64 (DAC). Well major upgrade - every apsect of the sound improved but a dramatic difference was heard in the low frequency extension, bass had a palpable quality not previously heard (or felt) and instruments seemed to have more texture,life & space. Cabling was still Audioquest Diamond with the Krell supplied optical cable joining Transport & DAC.

I lived with this combination for 18 months and gradually became aware of a tiring grainess only noticeable after an extended listening session, the Krell is without doubt an excellent player (combination) and when first auditioned seems very revealing but over time can become a tad uninvolving, sweetness is not its strong point.

Recently I changed/upgraded to the Mark Levinson No. 30.5,31.5 - and was staggered at the difference in overall presentation. Let me give you an example, the Krell is like watching a concert from the middle of the auditorium, while the Levinson's put you in the front row and totally immerse within the music, you feel the warmth, emotion and sheer lushness. I have never enjoyed my music so much, I went through disks & disks of old favourites, finding new details and expressions for hours - say no more.....!

A word of caution though it is easy to mistake the initial sweetness/softness of the Levinson as a lack of detail - it is not - it is allowing you to feel & hear within each note the emotion & weight, the multi layered texturing of real music which takes a while for your ear to settle down & relax to appreciate. The aggressive, revealing initial nature of the Krell makes you think it is superior, but I believe it is not, in time my ear tired of it - the grain and brightness seemed to be an overiding factor and so I stopped listening, gradually at first then for weeks - alert !

However be under no illusions there is no substitue for auditioning equipment at this level in your own home or at a well set up dealer with components and music you're familar with.

The Krell has just been superceded by the 25 series and should be really compared with the Mark Levinson No.39.

This is an excellent player, but is it worth $11k?. Absolutely not. This player has definitely passed the point of Diminishing returns. Both the Meridian 508-24 and the Sony xa7es are comparable in sound quality. Both cost a whole lot less.

We Purchased this player(20 I) from ULTRALINEAR INTERNATIONAL PTE LTD, SINGAPORE, and it is excellent system which we are using along with Krell 20 C Preamp and Krell 300 S Power Amp. The problem which are facing is the system is not working in Analog Mode. It is working well in Digital Mode. But We do not have Digital Receiver. Why is this not working in Analog. Kindly let us know a nearest local service centre and personnel who can check this player and service the same. If required we can send the CD player to the service centre.
Kindly reply immediately.

We are sending the message here as we do not know your Email Address.
Regards


Manoj Kumar

Exemplary build and functionality.
Excellent sonic performance (in a well balanced system)

It is not as good as the Krell KPS-25sc.
I wish they still made it.

Sound quality of the Krell 20i(with Delta 09 upgrade)is in my opinion still outstanding. (I prefer it to the Marantz CD-7)
It is fairly neutral throughout the spectrum, mids and highs are clear and sweet (no grain) and the bass is extraordinary.

The soundstage is large, deep and precise.

You will need balanced connections, Kimber Hi-current power cord, ( or similar ) and very high quality system components to show its best.

System:
Krell 20i D09
Pass XO
Krell Audio Standard II's
SF Amati Homage
Hovland Gen III XLR's
Yamamura M6000 Sp Cable.

Similar Products Used:

KPS-25sc,Advantage T1 + Krell Reference 64,Marantz CD-7.
Advantage CDS.

Very transparent

Seems to have absolutely no upgrade path

I am very keen to hear from anyone with a Krell 20i/l who can help me to understand what upgrade options exist for 24/96. In speaking to the factory it seems that it is "impossible" - seems strange considering that Wadia and ML have done the impossible though a wide range of their products. Are there any known ways of overcoming this?