Great sound detail,very smooth, makes cds sound like live performances....plays HDCDs

will not play cdr's....also some pre-recorded cds

a terriific cd player....does have some quirks ...will not play cdrs....and so far has refused to play one pre-recorded cd....my rotel rdd980 transport is staying in my setup because of these quirks, but that is saving me from being ripped off by the absurd trade in or sale offers I have been receiving for such a quality transport...that being said, I have to admit that the sound from the 250cd is breathtaking, the detail brings out the best in my Nautilus 805s, I find my self playing all my cds just to experience how great they sound,the unit is very solidly built, a little red display light comes on when playing HDCDs, which also sound terriffic , uses Pacific Labs processing for HDCDs,....quirks aside, this cd player is highly recommeded, there are some great deals popping up on Audiogon for this player....it is money well spent and mine was 950 which at this point I feel was a real steal...one listen to this player and you will understand

Similar Products Used:

rotel rdd 980 transport

Musical, full complete sound. Honest representation of the music. Very honest, no coloration.

maybe too revealing.

This is my first Krell product and my first serious audiophile purchase. I auditioned 6-7 different cd players and no player is more honest and thorough. The build quality is second to none. It also offers the ability to upgrade to a seperate DAC. My one concern is that lesser quality cds sound like just that, second rate. I am in the process of buying a turntable, so I will write back with a comparison. But as far as Hi Quality cds such as XRCD, hdcd and the like, no player plays them better.

Similar Products Used:

myryad, cal audio labs, nad, rega, arcam, adcom

Detail, deep n tight(controled) bass, transparent, good spatial resolutions..etc..

extremely revealing n unforgiven to bad recordings, expensive

i compare this cd player mainly to cal audio CL-15. 250cd was a little more detail n clear than CL-15 which might be a little too bright if ur system is already on the lean side. krell's low end is more controled n deep. sound stage was a little bigger n deeper on the krell. CL-15 is more focus than the krell tho. all the things mentioned above r very SUBTLE differences tho, not dramatice enough to spend $800 more. so why did i get krell? two reasons 1. looks good with my Kav-300i amp 2. cal audio wasn't that much cheaper if u opt for the balance out(n everyone know balance is a must). this is why i went for krell.

system:
amp:Krell kav-300i
speaker: Martin Logan aerius i
interconnect: Cardas golden reference XLR
speaker cable: Cardas quadlink-5c (double run)
power strip: monster cable HT2000

Similar Products Used:

cal audio CL-15

detailed, extremely natural.

has trouble with cheap CDRs. works perfectly when using qulity CDRs.

wonderfully natural sound.
this machine can bring out an amazingly detiled sound without any fatigue.
a true quality krell product.

Similar Products Used:

Creek cd-53, NAD s500

(KAV-250CD/2). Excellent overall sound. No discernable flaws.

Sensitive to quality of mastering.

This CD player really shines when used with HDCD material.

current system:

Krell KAV-250CD/2
Krell KAV-250a (drives subs)
ML 27.5 (drives ribbons)
ML 38 Pre
Monster Power HTS5000 line conditioner
Apogee studioGrands (biamped, biwired)

Similar Products Used:

various

This is a true LOW_BUDGET player, has the same apperance asthe "MY FIRST SONY" cd-player
Sound is not to bad

Nice Cd player, match well with my Krell 300i.

Waytago KRELL...

Just purchased the KAV 250cd and KAV 300i together.The 300i was used in my previous system with Audiolab CDM and DAC and performed stunningly. The new KAV 250cd seems to need an awful lot longer time to break in. I am awaiting some Siltech Balanced interconnects to replace my cheap Audioquest Quartz. Speaker cables are Audioquest Crystal + Biwired to Kef Reference 2's.
My initial impressions are somewhat mixed compared to the Demo I received. so I will report back in 1-2 months but the sound is getting better daily.
Only 2/5 currently but I can see a potential 4-5/5 down the line.

I auditioned the KAV-250cd with the KAV-300i amp, and a pair of Castle Severn Speakers, and could only listen for a few seconds before having to turn the music off. The sound was unbearably harsh, and totally un-listenable. Thinking the speakers were to blame, a more suitable pair were put on (Sonus Fabers). This made the sound slightly more tolerable, but even listening to the silky smooth vocals of Sarah Maclachlan was toturous.
These were the first Krell products i have listened to, and having read numerous reviews of their more expensive kit, i felt justified in expecting a high-level of performance from their "budget" kit.
To say that i was dissappointed is a vast understatement.
I have since listned to a similarly priced Naim set up, which in my opinion blows the Krell pairing out of the Water. I actually enjoyed listening to my old Pioneer CD player more than the Krell, and it costs a tenth of the price.

Using this with a KAV30i amp and Alon V Mk II speakers. Interconnects by Transparent and triwired with Goertz MI2's
Deep, taut (but not particularly loud) basss, unbelieveably smooth and open midand and relaxed high-end combined with strong imaging and timing

Summary.....transparent and rhythmic. More speed and 'lightness of touch' than I have ever experienced with a non-electrostatic setup, due in large part to the dipolar mid and tweeeter on the Alon's

Also, I have used Kimber powekords to clean up the RF and some Mana soundframes under both speakers and electronics - I cannot reccommend these products enough, they have added 25% performance to a $10,000 system at a reasonable cost

The guy who thought the CD player was harsh clearly has RF and/or other problems with the set-up he listened to, this is diametrically opposite to my experience,
the sound is Naim-like for rhythm but incomparably superior to some far more expensive Naim set-ups I have heard