Blew up the Krell S-300i

[Jack in Wilmington]

I guess I'm just worried that all that switching of speakers and wires really raises your margin for error and that may have indirectly caused the short circuit in the Alpha Cores. I'm sure you are a very careful person, in your line of work you would have to be, but stranger things have happened.

[JohnMichael]

I think most in this hobby suffer that particular, peculiar, affliction. I know I do.

Yes and since I am not rich or making triple figure pay I try to make what I buy work. One day it is one pair and then another day you miss an attribute of the other speaker and it is switch time.

I must say I am glad I have both pairs because having only one pair that you have grown tired with would be frustrating. I can at least switch them out and initially be pleased with the differences.

[JohnMichael]

I guess I'm just worried that all that switching of speakers and wires really raises your margin for error and that may have indirectly caused the short circuit in the Alpha Cores. I'm sure you are a very careful person, in your line of work you would have to be, but stranger things have happened.

I truly think one channel of speaker cables was not assembled properly since one channel of each amp did not produce sound. I have my RA to send the cables back for a refund. When I went back to the AQ Slates all was normal with the Onky A-9555.

[E-Stat]

Surely this isn't what we expect of a Krell amp. I don't see that the bi-wire AlphaCores should be enough lower in impedance to bother a Krell.

Very high capacitance - not resistance - is the villain. That amp might also have stability issues driving electrostatic speakers.

Low inductance is a good goal, but I prefer cables that achieve it with lower than 0.5nF/ft capacitance.

[JohnMichael]

Come Back Little Krell! I miss it and the Onkyo is okay but there is very much a veil or two I do not have with the S-300i. I miss the clarity and purity and It will be two weeks tomorrow. It should be home soon.

[frenchmon]

Hang in there big fella...it wont be long now.

[JohnMichael]

Hang in there big fella...it wont be long now.

Oh if only I had someone to hold me.

I had this dream that Krell brought out an updated version and they would replace my amp. When it was delivered the box was very light. I opened the box and inside was this cheap looking amp partly made from plastic with cheap slide controls.

[texlle]

^LOL. Yeah, then you peel off the Krell sticker (yes the silk screen printing has been replaced by paper labels) and it says Sony. NOOOO (total devastation).

That would have to be a bad omen for the whole industry!

[JohnMichael]

^LOL. Yeah, then you peel off the Krell sticker (yes the silk screen printing has been replaced by paper labels) and it says Sony. NOOOO (total devastation).

That would have to be a bad omen for the whole industry!

Like the company that brought out the expensive player and inside was a much less expensive but good Oppo player. I think that dream may have been wishful thinking that the Krell were lighter when I have to carry it up the stairs.

[Hyfi]

Like the company that brought out the expensive player and inside was a much less expensive but good Oppo player. I think that dream may have been wishful thinking that the Krell were lighter when I have to carry it up the stairs.

Lexicon?

[texlle]

I was reading that the Conrad Johnson Sonographe CD players used a Magnavox chassis. Apparently Magnavox made CD players- I had no idea. A majority of the components were upgraded though.

[Feanor]

Oh if only I had someone to hold me.

I had this dream that Krell brought out an updated version and they would replace my amp. When it was delivered the box was very light. I opened the box and inside was this cheap looking amp partly made from plastic with cheap slide controls.

What a nightmare!!

[JoeE SP9]

I was reading that the Conrad Johnson Sonographe CD players used a Magnavox chassis. Apparently Magnavox made CD players- I had no idea. A majority of the components were upgraded though.

I believe those were actually Phillips units with Magnavox labels.

[frenchmon]

Oh if only I had someone to hold me.

I had this dream that Krell brought out an updated version and they would replace my amp. When it was delivered the box was very light. I opened the box and inside was this cheap looking amp partly made from plastic with cheap slide controls.

Ahhhh.. It ain't that bad. Pull yourself together. When the Krell gets home you gotta do something special for her like go out and find those special speakers for her so when it's time to purchase it won't be a problem.

[JohnMichael]

Ahhhh.. It ain't that bad. Pull yourself together. When the Krell gets home you gotta do something special for her like go out and find those special speakers for her so when it's time to purchase it won't be a problem.

Check out this speaker kit. An interesting design point is the tweeter face plate. It is designed to narrow the tweeters output in the midrange and to broaden output in the highs. The concept with having the drivers dispersion more similar the crossover is less noticeable. Of course I only glanced at the article and will reread it tonight. Looked intersting and fun to put a kit together.

The Audio Beat - SEAS Idunn Loudspeaker Kit

[frenchmon]

Check out this speaker kit. An interesting design point is the tweeter face plate. It is designed to narrow the tweeters output in the midrange and to broaden output in the highs. The concept with having the drivers dispersion more similar the crossover is less noticeable. Of course I only glanced at the article and will reread it tonight. Looked intersting and fun to put a kit together.

The Audio Beat - SEAS Idunn Loudspeaker Kit

I like wide dispersion sounds interesting....not a bad price either. You have the skills....might be a good project.

[JohnMichael]

Ahhhh.. It ain't that bad. Pull yourself together. When the Krell gets home you gotta do something special for her like go out and find those special speakers for her so when it's time to purchase it won't be a problem.

It only gets worse. When I took the cables to UPS to return, the clerk noticed they had entered the wrong return address. Instead of 204 that previous clerk entered 304 and when I came home to check the receipt from the amp surely enough my address was wrong. He changed it in the computer. Luckily there is no 304 so I do not have to worry about someone else listening to my amp.

[frenchmon]

It only gets worse. When I took the cables to UPS to return, the clerk noticed they had entered the wrong return address. Instead of 204 that previous clerk entered 304 and when I came home to check the receipt from the amp surely enough my address was wrong. He changed it in the computer. Luckily there is no 304 so I do not have to worry about someone else listening to my amp.

Now that would have been really bad....Is there going to be just a drop shipment, or do they need a signature?

[JohnMichael]

Now that would have been really bad....Is there going to be just a drop shipment, or do they need a signature?

My UPS driver knows me well. If I am not at home he takes it to the Rental Office where they sign for the packages. I live in a security building so he is unable to drop it off at my front door and due to value they do want a signature.

[frenchmon]

So do you have a plain B....just in case the Krell goes down again?

[JohnMichael]

So do you have a plain B....just in case the Krell goes down again?

If you cut me do I not bleed?

Let me set the record straight. Ya I said straight. The S-300i had a problem with noise in the right channel after it was put in stand-by mode. I called Krell and they said that should not be happening. They asked me to send it back and they fixed whatever parts were starting to fail. The amp was still playing music in both channels. Once repaired the S-300i sounded as good as I remember when I first put it in my system. Something was failing but it was so gradual that I did not realize it until the noise continued in stand-by.

This last problem was on me. I should have asked for the Zobel network when I ordered the cables. I plugged them in and that was that, silence.

Once the amp is back I will enjoy it and avoid any exotic wires. Get ready AntiCables you are on deck.

The Krell S-300i may have been built in China but mine will have been rebuilt in Orange, CT.

[JohnMichael]

The Onkyo has a thickness in the midrange that the Krell does not. I have been listening to Bryn Terfel and Andreas Scholl and for some reason their vocals are more affected by the Onkyo. A lack of clarity or added congestion.

In case I am too subtle I miss my S-300i.

[BadAssJazz]

The Onkyo has a thickness in the midrange that the Krell does not. I have been listening to Bryn Terfel and Andreas Scholl and for some reason their vocals are more affected by the Onkyo. A lack of clarity or added congestion.

In case I am too subtle I miss my S-300i.

Well, to be fair to the Onkyo, it is just an Onkyo.

Reminds me of the time when I had to take my Cayman in for a weekend of routine maintenance and was left to drive a rental Mustang. Both will get you there, more or less, but with the Porsche there's never any question that you've arrived.

I'm sure you feel the same way about the Krell.

[E-Stat]

The concept with having the drivers dispersion more similar the crossover is less noticeable.

Bingo!

As a coherency freak, I find that flaw immediately noticeable. A friend and I were comparing his modified Advents to JBL L-110s - the more neutral sounding cousin to the more famous L-100 Century. While it was quite neutral in character and had a more extended top end than the Advent, it ran the 5" midrange up to 5 kHz. The problem is the driver beamed horribly at the crossover point - where the wide dispersion tweeter took over.

The result was an image that resembled a fun house mirror: frequency-wise it had a wide stage at the top and bottom but noticeably pinched at a critical mid point. Very unnatural sounding.

[JohnMichael]

I am missing the wide and deep soundstage provided by the Krell. I am missing the purity and the clarity. The S-300i has 5 way binding posts so I will be able to use the AntiCables again. Hope to hear something soon about the return of the repaired int. amp. Since they are fixing my amp under warranty for something I did I have not had the nerve to complain.