Gorgeous casing, gorgeous electronics and the best sounding CD-Player I ever listened to, with SACD and with CD, period !!!
Then, why one star? The transport mechanism is unacceptable. It fails within a few months, replacement is very expensive and useless (the new transport will fail again within months), or ultra-expensive (if I remember well, around $2,000) for the 'version 3', which is more reliable, but noisy and still fail sometimes!
Except for the version 3, not recommended.
Another (minor) minus, it is very bulky.

Excellent sound, well built

None except minor quirks noted above

This is a terrific CD/SACD player. Sound easily surpasses the mass market players and betters the budget audio players such as NAD and Arcam (have owned both). However, you of course have to have the speakers/amps to hear it (using Aerial 5bs and Krell 400xi). This player is just much more analog sounding, smoother and better controlled, with more detail on RBCD and ups the ante considerably with well recorded SACDs. The player makes music much more enjoyable. It is kinda quirky though. The transport is slow to load and doesn't display the track number while playing. The unit I have is quieter than the demo player at the dealer.

Similar Products Used:

Sony XA777ES, NAD 541i, Arcam Solo, Ayre C-5xe, Denon 2910

Extraordinary build quality (except for the transport which is just average). Beautiful minimalist design of machined alluminum.

Transport is the weakest link. The display is somewhat dim compared to the Krell 400xi amp.

The Krell SACD standard replaced a $500 dbx CD player from 1987. In CD mode, the two players sound very much alike. In fact, I cannot hear any difference. Even after upgrading to pure silver audiophile speaker cables and XLR interconects, there is no difference in sound quality that I can discern. What the Krell owner is really buying is excellent industrial design, superior build quality and pride of ownership. Many years ago a magazine called Stereo Review made the audacious claim that amplifiers, CD players and cables make no difference in sound quality. This offended audiophiles who need a hobby to tinker with, but the magazine was absolutely correct. There are many good reasons to spend thousands of dollars on audio equipment, buy sound quality is not among them.

great sound

bad quality, not reliable, noise transport

It is a great sound, detail, dynamic. But it is not like other Krell products, it has very bad quality I ever had. it had been sent to krell, but they never answer my email. Be aware of it, very bad design.

Similar Products Used:

mark levinson 31.5 transport, 360 dac.

Detail, transient information, sound stage and dynamics.

reliability and noisy transport system.

Krell ia a renowned icon of high end devices and systems. As a matter of fact, the SACD Standard confirms the expected sonic qualities: detail, sound stage, transient information, pinpoint definition of the instruments and dynamics. Unfortunately, it hasn't met another proverbial quality of Krell: reliability. I bought my item last September and,unbelievably, it has already got damaged twice with the same problem. The first time I waited for about two months to have it back; now i'm already waiting for one month. If you have in mind that I acquired it last September,you'll conclude that my unlucky SACD Standard has been on holiday for too long or, at least, it's like a prodigal son. I used to read about the supreme quality of Krell's products and their super-efficient technical service and assistance. My present and practical experience contradicts those opinions. I must also refer that my amplifier is a 400 XI and it has also had a slight problem with the single-ended entries. However, it wouldn't be fair to mention that my official dealer has a superb service. They have dealt with all the implied repair diligences and minimized all these troubles replacing my SACD Standard by a Kav 280 CD. In short, Krell's SACD Standard sound is great but its reliability is absolutely under my expectations. Be aware of it! There have been some rumours about a considerable number of problems... I suppose it may be related with a structural defect that the manufacturer is trying hard to solve. Who knows?

Similar Products Used:

krell kav 250 cd, krell kav 280 cd

Great build quality Great sound reproduction

Credit Card remote control ( To be expected from an engineering company I guess)

This is actually a review for the NEW and improved SACD Standard MkII A great CD player, fantastic SACD player. I have listened to alot of players in my system before I bought this one. The Linn unidisk 1.1 was the closest competitor, but cost four times as much. While the Linn offered a little more transparency, and laid back detail, it was a little light in the loafers for me. Bass was detailed yet not dramatic. The Krell was everything the Linn was, but had the hearty american bottom end; without sacrificing top end detail and openess. I upgraded from and SCD777ES. Which was no slouch of a CD player. The Krell makes it sound like a 49 dollar emerson. A great buy for anyone looking to bring the real emotion of music home

Similar Products Used:

Linn Unidisk 1.1 and 2.1

everything

none

Serious sound quality! Cd's and SACD's are phenominal. I have not heard a better player under $15k. Outstanding dynamic range and open top end. The drive did need repair. Krell returned this to me in killer condition within 10days. Sounds even better now. See reviews in Stereophile and absolute sound. Listen for yourself!(the only way to know)

Similar Products Used:

marantz, sony, linn, musical fidelity, esoteric, phillips, arcam, ayre, lexicon

Sound.

Will play certain CD's with a loud noise in the Philips drive.

This is an excellent sounding product for the money. The SACD has a first rate CD player in it's class, but SACD's really shine, showing that the new format really is better than CD's. Has a balanced output.

Similar Products Used:

ARC CD 3, Meridian 508 CD player.