A review of the Krell 707

Lefisc

New Member
Jul 13, 2013
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The white smoke coming from my chimney is to announce that a new Surround Sound Processor has officially been chosen. It is the Krell 707.
This is a review of the Krell 707 3D Processor. I have found it always difficult to compare one component to another one. Not for myself, but on line. People buy the stereo system that they like the best, or as time goes by, they get used to and enjoy the one they have. So many people will say that they have the best unit available because that is their personal preference. In fact, when they make comparisons, they are not using a standard, such as real music, but what they now feel real music sounds like….often their own system. About 20 years ago people with really good mid-priced units starting attacking, on line and in fanzines, people who bought more expensive stereos. Again, they felt their units sounded the best and paying more was wrong, even immoral to some degree. So instead of discussions, we often got arguments, especially when it came to wiring. So this is about my preferences.

I also understand that people will have greater experiences comparing one unit to another and some people even use electronic measuring tools which I do not have. But if you want one person’s opinion!

Unlike a two channel music system, with a surround unit, I have no standard. I don’t know what the Millennium Falcon, the Enterprise, or the Planet Pandora really sounds like.

Let me list the things I look for in equipment:
Ease of Setting Up!
Ease of Use!
Sound!
Picture!
Updatability and Service!

Ease of Setting Up:
This is the only place where I give a sigh. Without an on screen menu and a better set of instructions, the Krell is a bit difficult to set up. But I guess with all “operating systems” you just need a bit of time.

I have had the 707 up and running for nine months. And I love it! There were some difficulties.
I have a 6.1 system. There is no menu setting for a 6.1 system, although the unit says there is. (This was an easy fix, I set it to 7.1 and used a “y” cable.”). Also, it hand trouble “handshaking” my Oppo, but the man From Krell came and fixed that!

Ease of Use.
Once set up, this machine is the easiest thing in the world to use. The unit had easy discrete buttons and you did not go through a long menu for quick adjustments. Yeah, I wish the Krell buttons on everything were a bit larger. The machine is quiet, but it does give off a little bit of heat. There are also commands in the unit that can help you set your universal remote. Instead of going through menus to do simple things (like on the Mark Levinson 502) I was easily able to do most functions quickly. The Krell labels functions, like TV, Game, DVD, CD etc. But I have a few that they don’t list (Like Laser Disc) so I simply labeled the real function on the machine.

Picture:
Outstanding. The Krell unit doesn’t upscale any signal from an HDMI, it only up scaled analog signals. So my Verizon cable box is projected at 780P not 1080P. But I connected the component cables (analog) and boosted them to 1080p. The HDMI looked a bit better, so no loss. I did boost the image from my old Laser Disc Player and it looks fine. The Blu Ray image was fantastic and I could NOT believe how great the 3D Avatar movie looked, as well as the movies I list below. Wow. Really, wow. Also, the standard def images from the cable box also looked very good.

Sound:
The DTS-HD sound on Avitar was also unbelievably great. So was Koyaanisqatsi, The Fifth Element, Superman, and The Dark Knight Rises. I like it when a surround system places you in a bubble of sound, rather than hearing sound coming from each channel. This does that so well. And not just with DTS, but with Dolby Digital on the cable broadcasts. I saw a bit of Jurassic Park, Casper, and a half dozen other movies. Both sound and picture improved as I used the unit more.

I did the automatic settings which include room size and shape, speaker amounts and placement, speaker frequencies and other little touches. But I played with them a little and it sounds even better.

THE DIFFERENCE IN SOUND AND TONE WAS INCREDIBLE. The automatic settings proved great, especially in the matters of the sub-woofer and bass. It was a much better, fuller and real sound than my own settings. For example, I played the Empire Strikes Back’s first half with my settings and the second half with the new, automatic settings. The second half sounded much, much better, especially the bass.

It’s all a matter of perspective. It all started in the 1980s, with The Empire Strikes Back. Surround sound was new, AND two channel. Most movies then, especially the Bond pictures, had the sound placed in from the perspective of the viewer, so almost everything was in front of you. This included most off screen sounds including music. Starting with Empire, Lucas put you in the CENTER of the sound. So when Bond got into a car, you heard the car in front of you. But when Harrison Ford gets into a truck, you hear the sound as he would, all around you. And music can out of the rear speakers also. Many people, in the 1980s and 1990s had just four speakers for surround, the center being a “phantom.” This most often worked out until people began to use the THX standard. The center channel became a necessity to hear the dialogue well.

So I always put on a Bond and a Lucas movie when setting up a new surround system. If they both sound great, I know everything is OK. And they both sounded great here.

The Krell give you three “memories” that you can use for the room, so I was able to compare MY manual settings to the machines. In addition you can make adjustments and apply them to individual devices. For example, my TV cable box requires a 4 db increase in the rear and surrounds speakers to sound just right, but I do not have to make this adjustment each time, the machine automatically does.

The only processor I can compare this to is the defunct Mark Levenson 502. The picture on the ML look about as good for the Blu-Ray, but the Krell surpasses it, easily, in just about every category listed above, especially updatability and reliability. The 502 was down (broken) MORE than half the time I had it. And it didn’t take DTS HD, Dolby HD or 3D.

Updatability and Service!
Krell has updated this machine three times and they have even more software updates. That’s good. Everyone helped me at Krell, the service was fantastic.

Grade: A.
Krell also wants this to be your two channel pre-amp and has special settings for that which I have not tried yet. A final, funny thought. My friends saw, in 3D, John Carter here the other night. It was their first 3D movie and it looked and sounded great. The movie is not that good, but they were so impressed by the sight and sound that they thought it was one of the best movies ever! This unit sounds incredible. Even TV sound, not as full or as good as Blu-Ray is raised a bar. I’m impressed.

NEXT:!!!!!
I wanted to find out how good this unit was a straight two channel pre amp. I attached four two channel inputs. My Sonos (using a Toslink); Day Sequerra Tuner (using RCA); Pioneer Laser Disc (Coax) and a CD player (Krell Cipher). I used the “two channel preamp” settings, bypassing all surround processing. It sounds great, just great. I surprised me that it sounded better than my ML 32. The Krell Phono Preamp was even quieter than the ML one in the 32.

Now, my cassettes are long gone, there are no jazz or classical stations on FM, so I use a digital connection with Sonos. My DVD, Blu Rays and TV are all 5 channel digital and even CD player has an external coax if I want to plug it into my Krell 707. (I won’t). So, with a heavy hear, I sold my ML32. I never thought they day would come.

Sadly, I will now not ever be able to leave my home theatre room. Meals are being delivered; a bathroom will be installed, and am hooking up a refrigerator with cold running Coca-Cola.

If I don’t post anything in the next month, please have someone check in on me. But have them bring some of the new Blu-Rays that have come out OKAY?
 
Last edited:

Phelonious Ponk

New Member
Jun 30, 2010
8,677
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Sounds like fun, though I'd go for something a bit stronger than Coca Cola.

Tim
 

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