For a couple hundred bucks count me in if you decide against owning it. Absolutely that amp would be my stairway to heaven. Hopefully, the drive to your house wouldn't be too much for me. If you do keep that beautiful amp I hope enjoy it for many years to come. All the very best, Kevin
I had a KSA150 in the 90s. It sounded great once after around 15 minutes or more in winter. On the weekend I would leave it on so I didn't have to wait. I ended up selling it because of this. I probably should have kept it because it sounded so good.
I hear you, but most of my amps are tube amps and they also take a while to warm up, sometimes 45 minutes or more. A lot of people just leave the class-A amps powered all the time, I think that's why you see some with the purple heat discoloration on the heatsink fins, and why some amps are still OK after 25 years, and others bite the dust. I'd like to hear a KSA150.
I've owned the same KSA 150 using it most days for the past 30yrs and it produced an amazing sound with my Tannoys and Quad 63s ( I know odd set up but I use other gear as well) but sadly 6 months ago it wouldn't switch on and is now in storage in it's original box. The problem in the UK is no schematic drawing for the guy to repair my amp also all Krell parts would have to be purchased through official import dealer, I say no more. Your price for a refurb by Krell is cheap but that's because your in U.S
Started with KMA-100s. Sold them. I bought the KMA 160's Kept them a while. Very nice amps. I sold them to get a KSA-250. Had it upgraded to KSA-250S. Sold it and bought the 600c. It Had a problem. Returned it and got the 350 monos. Returned them and got the 700CX. Great amp. But too big and heavy to deal with in my old age. Sold it. Ended up with the 250S again after the owner passed away. Still have it. Have a new DUO-175XD also. Lovely amps.
@@audio_resurgence_reviews I hope they do too. I guess I could be a Krell guy but I do own a pair of HK Citation Twos, a Threshold TA-200, a Sunfire Load Invariant Stereo 300, a couple of old Belles' amps a Moscode 600, McIntosh MA-6100, Yamaha CA-2010, and a few other receivers and so forth.
It would probably be a good idea to get a qualified technician to replace the electrolytic capacitors in the Krell before using it too much. They can degrade just from age and can cause the buzzing problem you mention. These older Krell amps are fantastic values. I had a KSA250 for a few years and loved it! Thanks for the vid!
Only a capacitor that is causing a device to perform out of tolerance is worth replacing. Older caps were genuinely made better and I see many who will replace them "just because it's old" but in fact are swapping out perfectly good (and often, better quality) capacitors with new ones. The buzzing could be due to any number of other factors including bad mosfets etc. and it would require proper diagnostics. I say this as an electronics technician.
Great little amps. I much prefer the older fixed bias Krells to the later sliding bias models. They sound best plugged straight into the wall, no power strips, no conditioners etc. If you do get it re-conditioned, send it back to Krell. Expensive yes but worth it. Good luck.
In January '23, I ran into a SoundStream DA-1 amplifier, which was made by Krell, from the mid-1990's. I paid $300 for it, but it didn't work, it was playing like preamp volumes out of it. I took it back to the pawn shop where I found it. I have regretted that ever since. I live five miles from a guy who does amazing work on stuff like this and he could've recapped it. It's a regret!
You are lucky. I bought a Krell 200 B class A amp at an estate sale along with some B&W 801 Anniversary edition speakers (which work great). The amp worked for about a week then the protection circuit kicked in a few times and now doesn’t come on at all. No one in my area wants to work on it because Krell won’t supply a schematic. Krell wants $2500 to fix.
It's tough, sorry to hear that. To add to your woes the owner of Krell passed away a while back and the last I read the entire company has closed to take a 'temporary' hiatus. I hope you can get it fixed eventually....though it isn't looking good for you if it's something more than a basic capacitor replacement.
There's a lot of truth in what you're saying. The modern amps seem cold and clinical compared to the older generation. Obviously priorities have changed somewhere along the way...
I sold Krell for years. The problem isn’t the performance of the ksa80, The problem is servicing the Amp, some of the parts are proprietary. It is also challenging finding a good technician, not impossible, but difficult.
Yes. Krell quoted $1800 and shipping cost 2-ways is another $300. A non-Krell service tech quoted $900 but wasn't clear on what, exactly, parts were going to be replaced. It's a crapshoot on an amp this age.
@@audio_resurgence_reviewsIf you can handle a screwdriver and a soldering iron cap replacement is easy! If that was my amp I'd do it myself! One caveat is that large power supply caps aren't cheap!
@@robertjermantowicz-uw3iw The issue with these amps is actually getting to all the components and how the boards are layered, and as I've mentioned elsewhere, the buzzing may be due to other factors. Simply swapping out all of those high quality caps (a good case of "they don't make them like they used to") with newer caps is not recommended unless the capacitor is performing out of spec.
Mamy te same kolumny i podstawki IsoAcoustics. Mój wzmacniacz to Moon 340i, przetwornik Musical Fidelity M6SRDAC, odtwarzacz sieciowy Eversolo DMP-A6, kable Audioquest. Wszystko gra bardzo pięknie. Pozdrawiam Przemek z Sopotu (Polska).
Krell company is struggling to keep up with service demands before, now the owner has past away it will need to restructure to become successful again.
Naw, Krell's not good for today's system which require trigger input, gain controls, loop out RCA for subwoofers. Not to mention Krell weighs more than 25 lbs and runs hot. I got the NAD C298 which does everything. --- source=Apple Music lossless
That little trick of “just plugging it in” (my words) might have cost your unit several years of life. Very bad idea. This is what variacs are for, to _slowly_ bring up AC voltage and give the main filter caps a chance of a long life.
I really doubt that simply plugging an older unit into a wall would cause damage that wasn't already present. 😅In fact I would actually advise against using a Variac to "bring up the voltage" since you're feeding an irregular voltage into the power supply that it was not designed to handle. Older amps especially tended to be overbuilt so simply plugging it into the wall should be perfectly fine. I would be more concerned with power spikes.
Agreed. I think the video was a bit confusing. Where I had it outside on the deck, with the buzzing, it was because of using the integrated amp as a preamp...I think I just had a nasty ground loop. As soon as I set it up properly inside, using a good preamp, everything sounded fine. The take away was not to be too hasty and to test everything properly. I almost didn't. Agreed on the Variac. I've seen an amp destroyed using a variac.
You got yourself a real winner here!
Ive always dreamed of getting a Krell KSA250 Amp!
For a couple hundred bucks count me in if you decide against owning it. Absolutely that amp would be my stairway to heaven. Hopefully, the drive to your house wouldn't be too much for me.
If you do keep that beautiful amp I hope enjoy it for many years to come.
All the very best, Kevin
I had a KSA150 in the 90s. It sounded great once after around 15 minutes or more in winter. On the weekend I would leave it on so I didn't have to wait. I ended up selling it because of this. I probably should have kept it because it sounded so good.
I hear you, but most of my amps are tube amps and they also take a while to warm up, sometimes 45 minutes or more. A lot of people just leave the class-A amps powered all the time, I think that's why you see some with the purple heat discoloration on the heatsink fins, and why some amps are still OK after 25 years, and others bite the dust. I'd like to hear a KSA150.
The KSA 150s is the best poweramp I've ever had
Thanks for the comment. For some context, can you list a few of the amps you've owned, please. Have you heard the KSA 80?
Have a look at the Topping B200 mono blocks - WAY cheaper and far better THD!
ruclips.net/video/vd6jzjWq8Dk/видео.html
@@audio_resurgence_reviews The one that got the best reviews back in the 70s was KSA50, nice amp.
@@_H_2023My Bedini 25/25 was even better!
I've owned the same KSA 150 using it most days for the past 30yrs and it produced an amazing sound with my Tannoys and Quad 63s ( I know odd set up but I use other gear as well) but sadly 6 months ago it wouldn't switch on and is now in storage in it's original box. The problem in the UK is no schematic drawing for the guy to repair my amp also all Krell parts would have to be purchased through official import dealer, I say no more. Your price for a refurb by Krell is cheap but that's because your in U.S
Started with KMA-100s. Sold them. I bought the KMA 160's Kept them a while. Very nice amps. I sold them to get a KSA-250. Had it upgraded to KSA-250S. Sold it and bought the 600c. It Had a problem. Returned it and got the 350 monos. Returned them and got the 700CX. Great amp. But too big and heavy to deal with in my old age. Sold it. Ended up with the 250S again after the owner passed away. Still have it. Have a new DUO-175XD also. Lovely amps.
I think you're what people in the trade call "a Krell guy", LOL. Keep up the good work, I hope the company bounces back from their recent troubles...
@@audio_resurgence_reviews I hope they do too. I guess I could be a Krell guy but I do own a pair of HK Citation Twos, a Threshold TA-200, a Sunfire Load Invariant Stereo 300, a couple of old Belles' amps a Moscode 600, McIntosh MA-6100, Yamaha CA-2010, and a few other receivers and so forth.
It’s fantastic ❤
It would probably be a good idea to get a qualified technician to replace the electrolytic capacitors in the Krell before using it too much. They can degrade just from age and can cause the buzzing problem you mention.
These older Krell amps are fantastic values. I had a KSA250 for a few years and loved it! Thanks for the vid!
Only a capacitor that is causing a device to perform out of tolerance is worth replacing. Older caps were genuinely made better and I see many who will replace them "just because it's old" but in fact are swapping out perfectly good (and often, better quality) capacitors with new ones. The buzzing could be due to any number of other factors including bad mosfets etc. and it would require proper diagnostics. I say this as an electronics technician.
Great little amps. I much prefer the older fixed bias Krells to the later sliding bias models. They sound best plugged straight into the wall, no power strips, no conditioners etc. If you do get it re-conditioned, send it back to Krell. Expensive yes but worth it. Good luck.
In January '23, I ran into a SoundStream DA-1 amplifier, which was made by Krell, from the mid-1990's. I paid $300 for it, but it didn't work, it was playing like preamp volumes out of it. I took it back to the pawn shop where I found it. I have regretted that ever since. I live five miles from a guy who does amazing work on stuff like this and he could've recapped it. It's a regret!
Frankie Goes to Hollywood rocks 🤩🕺🙌
Yup, they rock!
Its in the fins, they make it sound better
Work great for Magnepans 😊
Yes they do
You are lucky. I bought a Krell 200 B class A amp at an estate sale along with some B&W 801 Anniversary edition speakers (which work great). The amp worked for about a week then the protection circuit kicked in a few times and now doesn’t come on at all. No one in my area wants to work on it because Krell won’t supply a schematic. Krell wants $2500 to fix.
It's tough, sorry to hear that. To add to your woes the owner of Krell passed away a while back and the last I read the entire company has closed to take a 'temporary' hiatus. I hope you can get it fixed eventually....though it isn't looking good for you if it's something more than a basic capacitor replacement.
Transistor amps don't need a rocket scientist to repair them. Apparently competent technicians are scarce these days!
Class A does sound special
Briliant review!
I think you should Recap, yes !! I got some vintage equipment, amplifyers and ALL recapped. It s becomes better than original projecta.
Sadly they don't make them like this anymore just excellent ampliers
There's a lot of truth in what you're saying. The modern amps seem cold and clinical compared to the older generation. Obviously priorities have changed somewhere along the way...
I sold Krell for years. The problem isn’t the performance of the ksa80, The problem is servicing the Amp, some of the parts are proprietary. It is also challenging finding a good technician, not impossible, but difficult.
Yes. Krell quoted $1800 and shipping cost 2-ways is another $300. A non-Krell service tech quoted $900 but wasn't clear on what, exactly, parts were going to be replaced. It's a crapshoot on an amp this age.
@@audio_resurgence_reviewsIf you can handle a screwdriver and a soldering iron cap replacement is easy! If that was my amp I'd do it myself! One caveat is that large power supply caps aren't cheap!
@@robertjermantowicz-uw3iw The issue with these amps is actually getting to all the components and how the boards are layered, and as I've mentioned elsewhere, the buzzing may be due to other factors. Simply swapping out all of those high quality caps (a good case of "they don't make them like they used to") with newer caps is not recommended unless the capacitor is performing out of spec.
Sounds better outside
Mamy te same kolumny i podstawki IsoAcoustics. Mój wzmacniacz to Moon 340i, przetwornik Musical Fidelity M6SRDAC, odtwarzacz sieciowy Eversolo DMP-A6, kable Audioquest. Wszystko gra bardzo pięknie. Pozdrawiam Przemek z Sopotu (Polska).
Krell company is struggling to keep up with service demands before, now the owner has past away it will need to restructure to become successful again.
It worth to recapped by Krell but You shoulf buy a krell preamp, and proper dac…
Sadly, that cost a great deal, and the issue might arise later on anyway. Imigine the shipping alone
@@itisjustacomment premium product expesive to keep, the Mark Levinson even more expensive. In Germany a 334 refurbishing cost 4000€…
@gojdartamas34 Yeah, I'm going off his words . What he stated multiple times was that he didn't want to throw a lot of money at said product.
How much money
Lol welcome to pleasure dome
Sounds similar to Quad 303 in my opinion!
That's debatable! I do have a restored 303, along with a restored 405. Both are excellent sounding amps!
@@robertjermantowicz-uw3iw Why is my 303 hissing?Is it designed to go with 33 preamp only?
Save, it's a krell
Naw, Krell's not good for today's system which require trigger input, gain controls, loop out RCA for subwoofers.
Not to mention Krell weighs more than 25 lbs and runs hot.
I got the NAD C298 which does everything.
---
source=Apple Music lossless
But your NAD sounds like garbage compared to a KSA80. Do you want handy features or something that sounds great and can drive anything?
@@audio_resurgence_reviews You haven't listened to the NAD C298 have you armchair quarterback?
That little trick of “just plugging it in” (my words) might have cost your unit several years of life. Very bad idea.
This is what variacs are for, to _slowly_ bring up AC voltage and give the main filter caps a chance of a long life.
Great point!
Always use a Variac to slowly power up old gear that has been sitting in storage. I have and use one. A good not expensive investment!
I really doubt that simply plugging an older unit into a wall would cause damage that wasn't already present. 😅In fact I would actually advise against using a Variac to "bring up the voltage" since you're feeding an irregular voltage into the power supply that it was not designed to handle. Older amps especially tended to be overbuilt so simply plugging it into the wall should be perfectly fine. I would be more concerned with power spikes.
Agreed. I think the video was a bit confusing. Where I had it outside on the deck, with the buzzing, it was because of using the integrated amp as a preamp...I think I just had a nasty ground loop. As soon as I set it up properly inside, using a good preamp, everything sounded fine. The take away was not to be too hasty and to test everything properly. I almost didn't.
Agreed on the Variac. I've seen an amp destroyed using a variac.
Keep it becoming collectable just store it
It's a nice idea but I have too many 'collectibles' already, LOL.
Very nice sounding amplifier 👍