Price Paid:  $2500.00 from Singapore

Summary:
Sound very direct, detail and presenting wide stage and presence.

Strengths:
1)Class A means this preamp sound warm, rich and yet very detail.
2)It has a Theatre Thruput switch, after taking off the top casing, you can just tick a switch which enables the S4 input into Processor Thruput. It will bypass the preamp's volume control and will let your Surround proccesor or AV Amp to control the volume.
3)Sounds more impact and rich via the Balance output.

Weaknesses:
1)There is no on/off or standby switch, which means that this preamp will have to be kept on at full time.
2)This Class A baby do dissipate heat via the power supplier casing and the main casing itself. Wonder this will shorten the life of the preamp electronic circuit as it is designed to keep operation at all time.
3)Only one set of balanced and unbalanced output are surely not enough for people who have two set of power amp, or for people who are using subwoofer to add weight on their speakers.
4)Connection between the power supply and the main set must be firm and secure before switching this KRCHR on, orelse you will face a major circuit failure and the repair cost is not cheap.

Similar Products Used:
None.

Price Paid:  $3000.00

Summary:
I bouth it about six months ago and I have not come yet in front of a better performing preamplifier.
I was searching around for many months, in order to find the least colored, most neutral preamp., the one which would not give even the slightest signature of its own, on the overall performance.
I had auditioned to many preamps, but no preamp was the 'completely vanished' or 'no preamp' at all.
This was the single one machine that did not color or degrade the sound to the tinniest. I am using Audio Aero's Capitole 24/192 and whenever I tried to connect it directly on the power amp, I never stated any difference on the performance. Even now that Krell has released the newly designed CAST model (KCT), you cannot find the KRC-HR in the second hand market, probably because nobody wants to give it away.
In case you find it, buy it immediately, or you will lose it. The new CAST equipped KCT is definately an inferior preamp, it lacks the neutralness of KRC-HR and is not so 'musical' like its ancestor.
My system is:
Audio Aero Capitole 24/192 CD player
Krell KRC-HR preamplifier
Krell FPB-200 power amplifier
Apogee Diva loudspeakers

Strengths:
Everything you can imagine. The completely neutral preamlifier, like using no preamp at all!

Weaknesses:
None mentioned

Price Paid:  $0.00

Summary:
Superb pre-amp. I also have the reference phono board fitted and can honestly say it sounds fantastic. Also concur that a good power cable will increase performance dramtically all across the range. Very smooth and quiet.

Strengths:
Huge dynamic range. Very refined. Also has a bypass channel - useful for home cinema.

Weaknesses:
None that I'm aware of.

Similar Products Used:
AR - SP11, FPB600, MDA300.

Summary:
I bought this pre-amp after auditioning a number of high-end solid state pre-amps over a period of 3 months.

Partnered with the Krell 300cd and FBP 250M, it was the most transparent pre-amp producing the widest soundstage of all the equipment I heard.

The level of detail and bass slam is outstanding but I wouldn't describe it as "bright". It produces (with a high degree of fidelity..) what's on the disk. So much so that you'll soon identify (and discard!) poorly recorded material.

For best results, I recommend use of balanced inputs(there are two sets)and outputs.

Any criticisms? The remote looks a bit dated but is build like a tank (like the amp itself). Also a good quality power chord between the standalone power supply unit and your wall socket is essential. In my system, I got increased 3-D depth / dark background in the silences.

In summary I conclude that this is a reference standard pre-amp. It will rival anthing as the best solid state pre-amp in the world. With Krell introducing the CAST Current Tunnel pre-amp, in my view, it will become a second hand bargain (if you can get hold of one).

Strengths:
Reference pre-amp; transparency, soundstage, build quality, second hand bargain

Weaknesses:
None - save that could end up trashing poorly recorded CDs.

Similar Products Used:
Various Audiolab 8000Q; Meridian, Levinson, Chord; Passlab

Summary:
As Peter said and then some!I replace my Mark Levinson #380S with the KRC-HR and no looking back! Everything that been missing from ML#380S are all in KRELL KRC-HR's!From Tops to Bottoms Krell's just plain better.My Revel Salon's Sound Much Bigger and Fuller!This one is going to stay and ML's have got to go! Outstanding Preamplifier at any Price!

Strengths:
Bass,Detail,Mids,Highs,Everythings!

Weaknesses:
None

Similar Products Used:
Krell FPB-600's,Revel Ultima Salon's,AudioQuest Diamondx3's and Dragon's,Mark Levinson #39,etc.