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Post by basquiat on Jan 28, 2023 7:48:00 GMT -5
What would you prefer….what do you think is better
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Post by Boomzilla on Jan 28, 2023 8:17:36 GMT -5
Were it my money, I'd take the Krell. Emotiva's XPR series is long discontinued, it ran hot, and it sounded only ok. I owned the XPR-2, not the XPR-1s, so take that into account when weighing my opinion. I have, however, heard the KSA-250 at an audio amigo's place. He owns two. It meets the typical Krell sound expectations - world class bass, above average midrange, and slightly exuberant treble. The XPR and the Krell are opposites in the treble - the XPR sounds too refined, the XPS too bright - but both of these variations from neutral very small. Your money, your choice. Happy shopping!
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Post by simpleman68 on Jan 28, 2023 8:28:32 GMT -5
Like any amp discussion, I think most of the decision will come down to application (speaker used), personal preference, and system synergy.
I haven't heard Krell amps in a long time but I did compare the XPR1s with Parasound JC1s some years ago.
System used:
Legacy Whisper with Wavelet pre-amp/DSP
The XPR1s were powerful, dynamic and clean but not as warm as the JC1s and almost sounded a bit harsh/grainy in the mid region.
This is just my subjective opinion of course.
Scott
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Post by simpleman68 on Jan 28, 2023 8:29:58 GMT -5
Were it my money, I'd take the Krell. Emotiva's XPR series is long discontinued, it ran hot, and it sounded only ok. I owned the XPR-2, not the XPR-1s, so take that into account when weighing my opinion. I have, however, heard the KSA-250 at an audio amigo's place. He owns two. It meets the typical Krell sound expectations - world class bass, above average midrange, and slightly exuberant treble. The XPR and the Krell are opposites in the treble - the XPR sounds too refined, the XPS too bright - but both of these variations from neutral very small. Your money, your choice. Happy shopping! Just saw this and that was my experience as well. I also have an XPR2 but it sounded a lot better in the mids than the XPR1s. Don't know why that would make any sense but we did use them in the same rig.
The mid range performance of the XPR1s is what killed it for me. Scott
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Post by routlaw on Jan 28, 2023 15:37:30 GMT -5
I used to own a Krell KSA 250. Had it for a few years, was glad to see it go. IMO a grossly overpriced under performing heavy amp. Serious room heater too and very inefficient. Its also worth noting the Krell KSA series long discontinued for over 20 years now.
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Post by Boomzilla on Jan 28, 2023 16:53:59 GMT -5
I used to own a Krell KSA 250. Had it for a few years, was glad to see it go. IMO a grossly overpriced under performing heavy amp. Serious room heater too and very inefficient. Its also worth noting the Krell KSA series long discontinued for over 20 years now. Although true, you CAN still get Krell parts. Emotiva R-series parts? I don’t know… |
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Lsc
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Post by Lsc on Jan 28, 2023 19:31:06 GMT -5
I used to own a Krell KSA 250. Had it for a few years, was glad to see it go. IMO a grossly overpriced under performing heavy amp. Serious room heater too and very inefficient. Its also worth noting the Krell KSA series long discontinued for over 20 years now. Although true, you CAN still get Krell parts. Emotiva R-series parts? I don’t know… I also had the XPR-2 & XPR-5. I really enjoyed those amps and thought they performed very well. The XPR-2 was a little better imho. I switched them out when I heard that Emotiva no longer serviced them due to having no parts available and didn’t want a large heavy paper weight. I didn’t want to but between my buddies there was something like a 66% warranty need rate so it worked out well. I don’t favor getting old amps unless it’s dirt cheap. |
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Post by vcautokid on Jan 28, 2023 19:47:42 GMT -5
The XPA-1 really started it for Emotiva. I sold Krell for over 10 years, and some favoritism may leak in here. I have experience with Emotiva too. The XPR-1 to me was the pinnacle of what an Emotiva amplifier is. Many will disagree. What else is new. The the Differential Reference currently as good? Heck if I know. But Krell is a special animal, and will always hold the older Krell in high regard.
The big part is support, and anything that proprietary you can't get anymore. Like some of those rare transistors not made for Threshold, and Sansui anymore. Talking like some ring emitter transistors. Good luck getting those. Parts are always the big point of legacy electronics. You may love them. But for how long? Favorite amplifiers for me Emotiva made. The XPA-5,2,1, and the UPA-1 and UPA-2. XPA-1L, and the XPRs. Those to me define Emotiva. BAS-X now is the more attainable Emotiva like UPA was. Now the MR-1 makes me have contempt for every receiver made today. I wrote about how excited I was about the MR-1 on my LinkedIn page. A custom integrator I know replied "yawn". My reply was so you looked inside a Denon and Marantz lately right? Yawn my a$$! Others going backwards, Emotiva staying the course in rough seas of inept over priced products that eschew performance to convenience. Got off on a tangent. Damn did it feel good!
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Post by routlaw on Jan 28, 2023 21:00:49 GMT -5
I used to own a Krell KSA 250. Had it for a few years, was glad to see it go. IMO a grossly overpriced under performing heavy amp. Serious room heater too and very inefficient. Its also worth noting the Krell KSA series long discontinued for over 20 years now. Although true, you CAN still get Krell parts. Emotiva R-series parts? I don’t know… Are you sure parts, all of them, are still available for the old KSA series amps. Seems unlikely to me, but agree the Emo R series parts are not likely available. To all this I will add my existing system with the DR-1’s is probably the best its ever sounded with the speakers I have had for over 20 years now. Are the DR-1’s at the top of the heap? Probably not, but the cost of admission to take it up a few notches is more than I’m willing to invest. At this point in my life I’m looking for bang for the buck, the DR-1’s accommodate that very well. |
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ttocs
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I always have a wonderful time, wherever I am, whomever I'm with. (Elwood P Dowd)
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Post by ttocs on Jan 28, 2023 23:35:36 GMT -5
Although true, you CAN still get Krell parts. Emotiva R-series parts? I don’t know… Not all Krell parts. Specifically, the output boards for my S-1500 which got blown out by the electric utility on a really nice night, no storm, just a quick series of off/on etc. I can't complain because insurance bought the new one. |
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Post by novisnick on Jan 29, 2023 1:06:59 GMT -5
Were it my money, I'd take the Krell. Emotiva's XPR series is long discontinued, it ran hot, and it sounded only ok. I owned the XPR-2, not the XPR-1s, so take that into account when weighing my opinion. I have, however, heard the KSA-250 at an audio amigo's place. He owns two. It meets the typical Krell sound expectations - world class bass, above average midrange, and slightly exuberant treble. The XPR and the Krell are opposites in the treble - the XPR sounds too refined, the XPS too bright - but both of these variations from neutral very small. Your money, your choice. Happy shopping! Just saw this and that was my experience as well. I also have an XPR2 but it sounded a lot better in the mids than the XPR1s. Don't know why that would make any sense but we did use them in the same rig.
The mid range performance of the XPR1s is what killed it for me. Scott
Evening my friend, did you try a tube preamp with those XPR-1’s? I use a McIntosh C220 tube preamp and I personally do hear that problem. May be the tubes or synergy or me being deaf as I’ve used this system for some time now. All this being said, are we looking at price? Age? Overall sound depends on more then just amps. The complete chain has effects but I’m not stating a new revelation. Enjoy the music. |
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Post by novisnick on Jan 29, 2023 1:12:35 GMT -5
What would you prefer….what do you think is better Are you looking for new or used? How much power do you actually need? How much headroom does your speakers require? Is a warranty important to you? And of course, how deep are your pockets and how deep do you want to dig? just a few questions to ponder. Im extremely happy with my XPR-1’s, they were pricy for me. They have been dependable to me. They still weigh a ton, to everyone! LOL Needless to say, they’ve been moved once after they were delivered while I’ve owned them. To a new amp stand. Sound great and look great doing it. Enjoy the music! 🎶🎶🎶🎶🎶🎶🎶 |
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Post by simpleman68 on Jan 29, 2023 8:31:38 GMT -5
Just saw this and that was my experience as well. I also have an XPR2 but it sounded a lot better in the mids than the XPR1s. Don't know why that would make any sense but we did use them in the same rig.
The mid range performance of the XPR1s is what killed it for me. Scott
Evening my friend, did you try a tube preamp with those XPR-1’s? I use a McIntosh C220 tube preamp and I personally do hear that problem. May be the tubes or synergy or me being deaf as I’ve used this system for some time now. All this being said, are we looking at price? Age? Overall sound depends on more then just amps. The complete chain has effects but I’m not stating a new revelation. Enjoy the music. Nicky! Good to hear from you brother.
I was using the Legacy Wavelet as a pre-amp (SS) I'll bet a good tube pre-amp could have very good synergy with the XPR 1s as they would help tame the mids. That was my only complaint about the XPR 1 amps. They had gobs of clean power but I just didn't care for how the handled the mids.
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Post by vcautokid on Jan 29, 2023 9:53:35 GMT -5
If you have an XPR family, you are at the time for a complete re cap. Put in some quality Nichicon Audiophile or similar. Once that controller schiits the bed, you are done! You are not getting a replacement. Unless you pay way too much for a donor, or the actual part itself. Yeah re capping will be spendy, but you will keep your XPR alive. Gene D. of Audioholics had XPRs, and they were his favorite amplifiers. Complacency will make these fail. Don't let the best amplifier Emotiva ever made fail for relatively cheap electrolytic capacitors especially anywhere near the controller.
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Post by Boomzilla on Jan 29, 2023 10:32:16 GMT -5
vcautokid makes a good point - preventative maintenance, despite its high cost, is, in the long run, a LOT cheaper than reactive repair. While you would never recap an AVR, for example, a Emotiva XPR power amp is a different level of investment.
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Post by audiosyndrome on Jan 29, 2023 13:15:05 GMT -5
Why pour $$$ into old (heavy) amps. It’s a crapshoot in my opinion. Go current technology, Class D all the way.
Russ
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Post by novisnick on Jan 29, 2023 13:20:20 GMT -5
Evening my friend, did you try a tube preamp with those XPR-1’s? I use a McIntosh C220 tube preamp and I personally do hear that problem. May be the tubes or synergy or me being deaf as I’ve used this system for some time now. All this being said, are we looking at price? Age? Overall sound depends on more then just amps. The complete chain has effects but I’m not stating a new revelation. Enjoy the music. Nicky! Good to hear from you brother.
I was using the Legacy Wavelet as a pre-amp (SS) I'll bet a good tube pre-amp could have very good synergy with the XPR 1s as they would help tame the mids. That was my only complaint about the XPR 1 amps. They had gobs of clean power but I just didn't care for how the handled the mids.
Great to be back but unfortunately on limited time. Bussiness and community have been consuming most of my time. I need more time to spin records and visit with my friends here. You are correct about tubes in my chain. I do need to say that when I purchased my preamp it came with Gold Lion tubes and it sounded more Solid state and analytical. When I installed two sets of Mallards the beauty and the synergy became alive. I was shocked at the difference in the magic and was hooked. |
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Post by novisnick on Jan 29, 2023 13:33:39 GMT -5
Were it my money, I'd take the Krell. Emotiva's XPR series is long discontinued, it ran hot, and it sounded only ok. I owned the XPR-2, not the XPR-1s, so take that into account when weighing my opinion. I have, however, heard the KSA-250 at an audio amigo's place. He owns two. It meets the typical Krell sound expectations - world class bass, above average midrange, and slightly exuberant treble. The XPR and the Krell are opposites in the treble - the XPR sounds too refined, the XPS too bright - but both of these variations from neutral very small. Your money, your choice. Happy shopping! I can attest that my XPR-1’s do not run hot. I’ve read a lot about the XPR series and the mono-blocks are the coolest running of that group. How many hours and on what other system have you heard them with, that you were familiar with all the other components? If you had a set in your system for any period of time I withdraw my skepticism and apologize, Otherwise I feel your opinion unfounded about the XPR-1’s. Respectfully submitted, Nick |
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Post by novisnick on Jan 29, 2023 13:45:35 GMT -5
If you have an XPR family, you are at the time for a complete re cap. Put in some quality Nichicon Audiophile or similar. Once that controller schiits the bed, you are done! You are not getting a replacement. Unless you pay way too much for a donor, or the actual part itself. Yeah re capping will be spendy, but you will keep you XPR alive. Gene D. of Audioholics had XPRs, and they were his favorite amplifiers. Complacency will make these fail. Don't let the best amplifier Emotiva ever made fail for relatively cheap electrolytic capacitors especially anywhere near the controller. I will not disagree with you but the thing that scares me the most is moving them. The thought of shipping them makes me want to hide under my bed! LOL In today’s market It may even be cheaper to ship the technician to the amps! LOL ALMOST 😎 |
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Post by vcautokid on Jan 29, 2023 13:51:55 GMT -5
Why pour $$$ into old (heavy) amps. It’s a crapshoot in my opinion. Go current technology, Class D all the way. Russ Certainly an option Russ. |
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