Tremors Posted November 15, 2014 Share Posted November 15, 2014 Has anyone here had any experience with Krell amps in their HT? I say HT because I'm currently only looking at multi channel amps. I don't really do any 2-Channel listening. More specifically I am considering a Krell amp to use to Bi-Wire along side an Emotiva. Krell for the highs, Emotiva for the lows. The Emotiva has never lacked the punch that I'm looking for to run highs AND lows, however, I'd like to experiment with softening the highs by utilizing another brand amp. I've read these are very warm. I could pull the trigger on this tomorrow or never, I'm really just looking for some feedback on whether or not anyone has enough experience with this brand to agree with the warmth assessment. Or, with overall quality in general. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ski Bum Posted November 15, 2014 Share Posted November 15, 2014 So you plan to fool's bi-amp with an Emo amp, right? Let's roll with it, despite the lack of practical benefit. First thing that pops into my mind is possible gain matching issues. The Emos have rather high gain, and no input sensitivity or gain controls, so any amp you want to pair will have to have at least as much gain as the Emo. I'm not sure if the Krell has enough. If you run the highs and lows at different gain settings it will adversely alter the performance at crossover frequencies, so you don't want to do that. Also, Krell don't really have a sonic personality, at least as far as "softening the highs" goes. They're great amps, but of the no nonsense, linear sort, like your Emo. If you want a sonic change to the highs, you're better off simply foregoing bi-amping and applying eq/tone controls to taste. If you want to use amps with a distinct sonic signature, consider those less "well behaved" than Krell. If you can afford Krell, just get VRDs and forget about bi-amping. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
derrickdj1 Posted November 15, 2014 Share Posted November 15, 2014 To soften the highs, reduce the 2kHz by 2-3 db. Also consider the resistor mod for the RF 7's. Someone else is also having trouble with harness in his setup on the forum. It is interesting that both of you have Onkyo avr's. I have not owned Onkyo for years so, I don't know if that is a problem with the RF 7's. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tremors Posted November 15, 2014 Author Share Posted November 15, 2014 To soften the highs, reduce the 2kHz by 2-3 db. Also consider the resistor mod for the RF 7's. Someone else is also having trouble with harness in his setup on the forum. It is interesting that both of you have Onkyo avr's. I have not owned Onkyo for years so, I don't know if that is a problem with the RF 7's. Yes, I am part of that discussion as well, regarding the Onkyo and 7's. Mine is really only apparent in extreme usage conditions, I.e: high volume and long period of time. I may have an opportunity to purchase a very high end amp (the Krell) at a great price. The idea of bi-amping has always intrigued me and the info I've read on this brand points itself towards a warmer sound. Which has now been described by Skibum as neutral. For the price I can afford to take a shot at reducing the high pitch fatigue and still be able to resell without loss if it doesn't work. I'm not opposed to doing the resistor mod at all. I don't have any experience with this but it doesn't really intimidate me. Also, who doesn't like tinkering, lol. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scrappydue Posted November 16, 2014 Share Posted November 16, 2014 Passive bi-amping=total waste of time. And if it includes a krell (no matter what price) an extremely big waste of money. Maybe just try a different amp than the emo? Outlaw, acurus, b&k I have heard people say they are all warmer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobdog Posted November 16, 2014 Share Posted November 16, 2014 If I could afford the good Krell amps, and some are much better than others, I would not have any Emotiva gear in my kit. The Class A Krells will out punch almost any amp. I would want them running full range. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
willland Posted November 16, 2014 Share Posted November 16, 2014 (edited) Has anyone here had any experience with Krell amps in their HT? I've read these are very warm. Cold and sterile with gobs of punch and detail are the most used adjectives I have heard when describing the Krell sound. Not saying that is a bad thing but warm and Krell I have not often heard/read together. I'm not sure that the Krell will "soften" the highs the way you want it to but it will sure thump those 10 inch woofers to no end. Outlaw, acurus, b&k I have heard people say they are all warmer. B&K is often described as "warmish" but the Outlaw and Acurus are about as neutral as they come, IMO. Bill Edited November 16, 2014 by willland Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garyrc Posted November 16, 2014 Share Posted November 16, 2014 (edited) To soften the highs, reduce the 2kHz by 2-3 db. This is sometimes called "the BBC dip," and should work, providing you have an EQ, and it will be the easiest and cheapest. If you have one of the higher Audyssey programs in your AVR or pre-pro, the Audyssey Reference option will do it automatically. Audyssey calls it "midrange compensation," and Chris K, the CTO of Audyssey said he has yet to hear a speaker it doesn't improve. If you do it manually (with an EQ) if 2-3dB doesn't work, try 4 or 5 dB. Be sure to leave the frequencies above about 4K alone, so you will still get the shimmering overtones. Edited November 16, 2014 by Garyrc 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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