The future of Krell

amirm · Sep 27, 2010

So what is the latest on this guys? I visited them at CEDIA and went over their Blu-ray player and processors. Was pleased the former was based on their own design and pretty clean architecture. And the latter supporting HDMI 1.3, moving to 1.4 in a sea of other high-end companies not supporting either. The green option on the new amps is also nice (puts them in standby mode so that power consumption when not in use is under 2 watts).

On the negative side is the lawsuits and past reliability issues on some transports.

Do you all still have faith in them?

flez007 · Sep 27, 2010

I had a Krell KST100 in the past driving B&W N speakers, great sound, nicely built, no issues amp, sold it as well a little higher than what I paid for it.

There are some people out there that ban Krell just because it is the visible flagship of high-ticket priced and above average marketing efforts deployment particulary among DIYs or people that decide to go for a less investment route - all of this is very understandable and I respect their opinion.

Me? I could/might have a Krell again anytime.

rblnr · Sep 27, 2010

amirm said:
So what is the latest on this guys? I visited them at CEDIA and went over their Blu-ray player and processors. Was pleased the former was based on their own design and pretty clean architecture. And the latter supporting HDMI 1.3, moving to 1.4 in a sea of other high-end companies not supporting either. The green option on the new amps is also nice (puts them in standby mode so that power consumption when not in use is under 2 watts).

On the negative side is the lawsuits and past reliability issues on some transports.

Do you all still have faith in them?

Have heard conflicting reports, but as you point out, they've got up-to-date product out unlike a lot of the high end.

RBFC · Sep 27, 2010

My dealer says that despite the infighting with Dan/Rondi and the new owners, the infusion of capital has allowed Krell to continue getting product out. The new designs ( "e" and HDMI 1.4, for example) show that Krell is trying to keep pace with the mainstream market developments as well as turn out solid gear. I will admit that the lawsuits, etc. gave me reason to pause, but I'd buy more Krell gear if I had the $$$.

Lee

R Johnson · Sep 28, 2010

Krell Founder Starts New Company

Joseph Palenchar -- TWICE, 9/27/2010

Weston, Conn. - Krell co-founder Dan D'Agostino launched a new company and the company's first new product.

The company, called Dan D'Agostino Inc., launched the Momentum monoblock amplifier, said to combine extremely high power output in a compact 4 by 12.5 by 18-inch chassis with low power consumption. The Momentum will ship this fall at a suggested $42,000 per pair and will soon be followed by the Momentum preamp. That product is said to combine the functions of a traditional analog preamplifier and a digital media server.

full article at: http://www.twice.com/article/457724-Krell_Founder_Starts_New_Company.php

MylesBAstor · Sep 28, 2010

R Johnson said:
Krell Founder Starts New Company

Joseph Palenchar -- TWICE, 9/27/2010

Weston, Conn. - Krell co-founder Dan D'Agostino launched a new company and the company's first new product.

The company, called Dan D'Agostino Inc., launched the Momentum monoblock amplifier, said to combine extremely high power output in a compact 4 by 12.5 by 18-inch chassis with low power consumption. The Momentum will ship this fall at a suggested $42,000 per pair and will soon be followed by the Momentum preamp. That product is said to combine the functions of a traditional analog preamplifier and a digital media server.

full article at: http://www.twice.com/article/457724-Krell_Founder_Starts_New_Company.php

Thanks for the info!! Was wondering when that was going to happen. Only question was whether Dan still had it in him to start a new company.

Maybe Dan will design a new tube amp too -not

MylesBAstor · Sep 28, 2010

In case are interested in the new amplifier look:

http://www.dagostinoinc.com/products/

MylesBAstor · Sep 28, 2010

New Krell Amp Pic

R Johnson · Sep 30, 2010

D'Agostino: High-end audio just got higher

by Steve Guttenberg

http://news.cnet.com/8301-13645_3-20018036-47.html

rblnr · Sep 30, 2010

Must say that I find the industrial design, particularly the way the meter sticks out as ugly.

mimesis · Sep 30, 2010

I agree on the design. that's why it's good to hire an industrial designer, otherwise things that sound good in theory look ugly. Or, perhaps he did hire a designer? The Breguet watch face looks tacky with the angled case that looks like it came from Panerai. The two tone color, rounded top front edge clashes with the matte, squared off bezel of the gauge. Also, when sitting, won't the gauge angled up be a distraction? I liked his Evo 1 design better (former owner).

Orb · Oct 1, 2010

I cannot but help wonder if the meter was meant to be lower and more of an inset but they had to change the design and stick with the ordered chassis.
Look below the meter and it seems strange to me to have that circular piece of aluminium design cut into the chassis and then added again.
As a small venture if they did have to do changes after ordering the chassis/case then I doubt he could afford to write them off, but then maybe it is part of the design although seems strange to cut into the case like that IMO.

Cheers
Orb

Gregadd · Oct 1, 2010

Not that I am in the market for a $42k amp. I could get my dream preamp, amp, and speaker and have change left over for that. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. I think it looks great. Remember form follows function. Dan is trying to make it fit into it's environment.

Morbius · Dec 31, 2010

Steve Williams said:
Dan and his wife aren't even mentioned any more on the Krell site

Steve,

Many years from now the new Krell will have crawled up to where the old Krell once stood in their great moment of triumph and tragedy. And Dan D'Agostino's name will shine again, like a beacon in the audio community. It's true, it will remind us that we are, after all, not God.

In case you don't recognize it, I'm parodying the last line of the movie, Forbidden Planet :

http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Forbidden_Planet

See quotes for Commander John J. Adams.

Greg

microstrip · Jan 1, 2011

amirm said:
On the negative side is the lawsuits and past reliability issues on some transports.

Do you all still have faith in them?

Happily it seems they saw the light on the CD transport issue. After many years of excellent sounding CD/SACD players marred by poor reliability and the lack of long term suppliers of stable SACD mechanisms, they dropped SACD and are using an ATAPI standard driver in their new source products. A pity they did not do it many years ago - their Krell SACD Standard CD/SACD was a sonic bargain but also a reliability nightmare.

Remember "There's 50-plus years of Krell experience among the top three engineers" as said by their new president.

I also recently listened to the new 402e stereo amplifier and I feel we should have faith in them.

JackX · Jan 3, 2011

microstrip said:
Happily it seems they saw the light on the CD transport issue. After many years of excellent sounding CD/SACD players marred by poor reliability and the lack of long term suppliers of stable SACD mechanisms, they dropped SACD and are using an ATAPI standard driver in their new source products. A pity they did not do it many years ago - their Krell SACD Standard CD/SACD was a sonic bargain but also a reliability nightmare.

Remember "There's 50-plus years of Krell experience among the top three engineers" as said by their new president.

I also recently listened to the new 402e stereo amplifier and I feel we should have faith in them.

Really? I was under the impression Esoteric was the provider of the new transport, no?

microstrip · Jan 3, 2011

JackX said:
Really? I was under the impression Esoteric was the provider of the new transport, no?

In his lab report in the review of the new Krell Evolution 525 (HFNRR Jan 2011) Paul Miller explicitly refers to an ATAPI DVD driver, followed by a Krell jitter reduction module. I heard that the drive was supplied by TEAC, but could not confirm it. In the review of the new KR-S350, the president of Krell also refers to a 7.5s buffer in the driver.

amirm · Jan 10, 2011

BTW, I saw Dan D'Agostino's amp at CES. It is different in person. It is much smaller than it seems in the images. And somewhat prettier

. Let me put it this way: it is not ugly. The meter is odd but since it is smaller than it seems in the images, it is not as bad as one thinks.

The sound was pretty nice.

I touched it and it was cooking good so it needs that copper mass to keep it cool.

Here is a picture of them:

The business end in the back:

And yet another which was sitting without any connection but still way hot:

Gregadd · Jan 10, 2011

I would buy it on looks alone.

amirm · Jan 10, 2011

BTW, the meters are very slow responding. They were barely, barely moving as the thing was playing!

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