Music, build quality, looks, broad cast quality switching, control for personal taste and room set up.

Price, no volume control for zone 2(7.1 has it and a DAC upgrade)

This kicks ass! Expensive--yes Worth it only if you enjoy music! This machine is great sound for both music and movies. Alot of money but no comparison. There is no competition.

Similar Products Used:

proceed, lexicon, yamaha, denon, sunfire, B+K, Bryston, Acurus, Classe, rotel, marantz, meridian

detail, transparency, soundstage, military grade source switching, 12V DC trigger capability, balanced output for source

must use OSD to configure devices, 2 sec delay when switching sources, no tuner

Was deciding between this preamp and the proceed avp. Used in conjunction w/ my kav-500 amp, the image focus is nothing short of jaw dropping. The clarity is amazing. Not bright at all with my goertz silver sapphires. Take advantage of the balanced inputs and outputs. Great bargain if you can find one used. Krell is notorious for great customer service. They really stand behind their products. MY HT: http://www.geocities.com/chinje2000/ht.htm

Similar Products Used:

sunfire home theater grand II

See previous review.

None

I am updating my previous posting about the Krell Home Theater Standard processor. The unit I listened to was the third generation in this series of pre-amps from Krell with a suggested retail price of $8000. It is the latest processor with 7.1 capability. It also uses Bur Brown DACs. So my review is for the Krell HTS 7.1 and not the second version in the series, which is now discontinued. I would also like to note that the amplifiers used in my listening test were the mid-level CX version Krell mono-blocks, retailing for a mere $17,500 a pair. These are great sounding amplifiers, and they should be at that price! This past weekend I had an opportunity to listen to a Meridian/Mark Levinson setup that was not as involving. The air, detail, smoothness, and "you-are-there" quality of the Krell system was noticeably lacking. For example, tracks 5 and 9 of Cantate Domino (Proprius) lacked the warmth and smoothness that I had herd with the Krell equipment. The soundstage was not as large either. Moreover, the analog hiss on this CD is much less noticeable with the Meridian/Levinson combo, which is good, but it does show that either the amp/preamp combination or the cabling is veiling the overall resolution of this well-known CD. But that is not to say the Meridian/Levinson equipment was poor. It had a well-balanced, full bodied, lively, and dynamic quality, which I know so well. I also suspect that the equipment, while having been burned-in for about 200 hours, was still too new. It took nearly 1000 hours (no misprint) for the brightness to wear off of my Proceed AMP 5. By the way, this equipment included a Meridian 507 CD player, Mark Levinson 334 power amp, Mark Levinson 380 preamp, Transparent Audio MusicLink Super Balanced Interconnects, Transparent Audio MusicWave Super Speaker Cables, and the Thiel CS6 loudspeakers.

Similar Products Used:

Proceed AVP

Componet video switching, upgradable

2 second delay with coaxial digital

To the reviewer Robert. I always respect peoples opinions
about equipment because it's based on tastes. However, when you start bringing in Krell's quality of parts and their build standard I must draw a line. They use Burr Brown Dacs(considered to be the finest around) which is the same as Krell's other class A equipment. Secondly, how can we take reviewers serious when people demo equipment for 20 minutes and come to conclusion that a product is 2 stars. How was the room set up. What amp did they use with the Krell HTS, what speakers. Maybe the other equipmet use wasn't up to par?

Krell HTS
Krell FPB 200 / Kav 250/3a
Arcam FMJ cd player
Toshiba SD-9200 dvd
Magnum Dynalab Tuner
Snell XA-60 speaker front
Snell XA-55cr center
Vienna Acoustics Hayen rears
Velodyne FRS 18 sub
Monster M2.2 speaker cable
Transparent Balanced interconnects

Similar Products Used:

mc-12, mc1

Dynamics, soundstage and life like imaging.

I just can't find any at this time.

I have been demo(ing) a/v preamps now for 6 months and I believe I can finally decide that the HTS is going to be my choice. You may of notice that I didn't say winner. Every a/v product in this price range has some very special features however, the main reason why I will choose the HTS is that you don't need to tweak the product to have that tremdous soundstage and wonderful sound in both stereo and HT. My latest audition between the HTS and MC1 was in Harvey's with a James Taylor dvd in concert and Dire Straits Sultan of Swing. Clearly, the HTS outperformed the Lex in soundatage and sound dynamics overall. The dvd was played on a big screen Runco projector with Vienna Acoustic mozarts and velo 15. Besides the Runco, not Harvey's top of the line but both units did wonders for the Vienna's. Watching the dvd, both units were wonderful but there was a greater separation in stereo. The HTS just sounded better to me and my ears. If you want the technical review I'm sure Eric 's listed below can answer some question.

Ps. we did some switching and I didn't notice that 2 second delay. Did they find a way to resolve that problem.

Similar Products Used:

Yamaha dsp-A1, demo Lexicon Mc-1, Cal Lab 2500, Proceed AVP

Easy of use. Fabulous Sound. Above average build quality. Did I say fabulous sound?

2 second delay when playing cds and after pausing DVDs. Price.

I love to listen to well recorded music and the 2-channel sound from the HTS was the primary reason I bought this unit. The review of the HTS in Home Theater Magazine (December I think) nails this pre/pro perfectly. The stereo sound is outstanding almost as good (maybe as good if I had one to compare it to next to it) as a Conrad Johnson preamp. Pure music, no noise within 2 miles of this unit. Great detail. Detail like the Conrad gives you.

The home theater portion of the Krell is a bonus that makes spending 6K(almost) on this equipment worth it. The DD (5.1) is as seamless as HT mag. says it is. The music in the movies you play fills the entire room. You are in the middle of the movie you are watching. The dialog is as clear as it’s recording. The DTS movies I have sound superior to the DD. Saving Private Ryan is just about like it was at the movies. I wanted to find cover as the shells flew over head. In other words, the movie experience with the Krell is just about perfect.

If you can swing the money and are looking for audiophile sound in both stereo and HT, this is the unit for you.

Now if only the coming upgrades are free or minimal it will be perfect.

I would give the Krell HTS a 4.95 rating because of the 2 second delay. Fix the delay and it becomes a 6.

Similar Products Used:

Lexicon MC-1, Meridian 565.

Just a correction to the earlier review. The Krell is not the only Pre/pro with balanced XLR outputs. The Sunfire Theater Grand also has (6) balanced XLR's outputs as well as RCA. it uses composite, S-video, and component video switching and in addition, uses Crystal Semiconductor DAC's too.
Although I have not heard the new Krell, I did audition the older Krell A+V Standard. The new Krell has the same features of the Sunfire for over 2x the cost. I do believe that some of the internal components used in the Krell may be superior to the Sunfire which would help justify the cost differential, but I cannot however, believe that it produces $3000 of overall sound improvement.

In my experiences, I have found that over the $3000 price level, there is a steep diminishing return for the extra money spent for an AV pre/pro. All sound very close in terms of DD, DTS performance and in some cases, 2-channel as well. Krell is not a bad product by any stretch of the imagination (I hold their amps in high regard). They just have followed the same path as Proceed (PAV/PDSD), Meridian (861) and Theta (Casablanca)--- they introduced a very expensive Pre/pro and several years later followed up with the same product but with pricing that is more in tune with the Home Theater market (but under a different name eg. AVP, 561, and Casa Nova). Yes, the new products do have some differing features but the consumer was just not there clamoring for their earlier versions and they needed to lower prices to improve sales. Therefore instead of gutting their reputation (and profit margin) by discounting or discontinuing the first generation of products, they kept both generations and amortized the cost of the first with the higher sales number of the second.

The point throuout this long explanation is this: Do not let price guide you--listen to all the products without your ego getting in the way, get the features you want, and pay the least amount you can for it. Most of all, enjoy.

Awesome sound

Interface

Much better sound than the comparable Proceed. I listened to the D/A compared to my Krell ref64 and was pleasently surprised the HTS held its own. I do not experience any delay with pause, ff, rev, etc using a Sony 7700 DVD player; according to Krell some players break the bitstream and some don't. (?)

Similar Products Used:

Proceed

Sound.

Quirky. Set up not a flexible as I would like.

This review should be read with the understanding that I have only recently purchased this unit. First, the bad news: the unit is a bit quirky. That is, I can't turn my lights off or on without the unit temporarily shutting down. Such problem is likely related to the wiring in my apartment, but I've never had the problem with any other unit. Next, I can't figure out how to listen to left/right stereo and the sub only. The unit has an "enhanced stereo" mode that incorporates the left, right, center and sub channels, but I don't always want to hear the center. I wrote Krell an E-mail this afternoon inquiring about this issue. Parenthetically, don't trust your audio dealer to know about products like the HTS. The guy I used is a really nice guy, but he didn't know much about the unit. "Oh, ya, the DAC's are 24/96." "Oh, ya, you can listen to your main speakers and the sub. That's the 'enhanced stereo' mode." Wrong and wrong. Finally, the delay mentioned in the other review is a drag, but I can live with it.

Now for the good news: It was near the end of Hunt for Red October that I realized I had been clutching an empty wine glass for about an hour. The sound from this unit is really amazing and involving. I've read enough reviews to recognize the struggle for the right word to describe sound; this is an inherently difficult task. Here, I come back to "involving." I have seen the Red October DVD many times, but the other night, I lived it! Two channel audio, the most important aspect of any system in my opinion, is handled well by the Krell. The soundstage is large with the right balance between image focus and warmth of sound. Music is controlled appropriately, but the unit does not exhibit the aristocratic sound of some equipment. There is no shortage of detail. For sound alone, I would give this unit five stars. However, until some of my concerns are addressed, I cannot give the unit a perfect rating at its price. Overall, four stars.

Similar Products Used:

None.

Pre amp feature, great for SACD and the great DAC

Price

I waited a long time to make sure that I could make a contribution to this forum. I hates when somebody writes a review the same week they get the gear in place. I had this preamplifier for more than six months now. This Is, I think the perfect time to write this review, because I still remember life before this Krell came into my system. I have a Sony SACD player, the SCD777ES hooked to the Krell two ways. Analog for SACD playback and digital to use the Krell internal DAC for CD's. This allows me to use a subwoofer for CD playback.

The amp is a McIntosh 7205 Muiltichanel amp. My speakers are B&W 802 Matrix S3 and other B&W all around. All cables are Kimber. The weak link to this system is the DVD player, a Pioneer 525. I have not replace this player because I am taking my time to find a good sounding DVD-A player with good picture. The monitor is a Sony XBR2, 32 inches. This will be replaced when my credit card recovers and the plasmas come down from heaven.

I am very happy with the performance of this pre amp. It was difficult to find a AV preamp with a good DAC for CD's and analog bypass for SACD and DVD-A playback. I think this preamp does not color the sound of the music. It just reproduces what is in the source. I have listen to hundred of CD's and SACD's. Watched more than a hundred movies and regular satelitte TV with this preamp. The sound is very satisfying at all levels. This preamp reproduces just what the source indicates. When I am watching TV and the source changes from DD 2 channel to 5.1 this preamp adjust itself to the new source. No need to re-adjust.

I am still thinking about the upcoming update to 7.1 and analog multichannel bypass. I may just bypass the upgrade all together. By pricing the upgrade at $1500 and get it done only at the factory makes my desire to upgrade disappear. I don't care about 7.1. I think this is just a gimmick to make us buy more speakers and amps. The only reason I would upgrade is if Krell assures me that the two second delay with digital sources would disppear with this upgrade. It may be interesting to try DVD-A or SACD multichannel, but I am not crazy about it. I still waiting for a demo on how . multichannel improves the music experience. The state of the current multichannel DVD-A and SACD software indicates to me that the multichannel has been added at the remastering process not during the recording so who cares about multichannel at this point. Beside all this points, the idea of sending the preamp to the factory for a full month or more for the upgrade is totally ludicrous. They should send the upgrade to the dealers and get it done locally. That is what they advertized, a product that was eazy to upgrade by changing the panels inside the preamp.

But the sound is what it counts and the performance of this piece is amazing. If you can afford it give it a listen. If you can not afford it now save your pennies and buy it later.

Similar Products Used:

McIntosh MX 132, McIntosh 130