Intriguing knock offs

£100 says that pre aint using the right matched jfets...

Interesting.

S.

Cocksound?

If you look, you'll see that they're actually made by Breeze Audio.

It's what the Japanese and Chinese do: they copy. Go and read Ken Ishiwata's early history. When he was young Garrard 301s were copied as the real thing wasn't available (years later, here in the UK, God knows how many ended up in skips when the LP12 was put about as the best thing ever. Garrards were disposed of and the Japanese were snapping them up...)

I'd still be reluctant to pay £660 (plus customs) for the power amp, without knowing if it was genuinely suitable for UK 240V, not to mention how comparable the circuit is to the original item.

Here's a neat implementation of The Marantz 8 Preamp (something Ken Ishiwata cloned when he was young), again, made by Breeze Audio. Only about £15 with dual valve rectifiers, but no signal valves:

Also you can buy the real thing for around £1K to £1200 so why would you go for a knock-off just to save a couple of hundred?

I'll take the proper one any day of the week. Dust and all. Krell KSA are one of the few amplifiers in the world that are not utter tat and that you can still pick up cheap because people don't have a clue.

I think if you saw it in the flesh you would see it wasn't the real deal right away. I'd put money on it not sounding comparable with an original. I'll give you 5 to 1.

Should say “slot head” but too amusing to change.

I don't know if people are as blind to Krells as in recent times. They seem to be getting a bit more expensive and selling quite quickly at the minute.

No-one was interested in them when I bought mine. DSJR couldn't give it away. And look how many people tried to talk you out of getting one. 12 months later...

I am missing mine quite seriously. The XTZ is not so far behind it, it's just little differences. A bit softer in the bass, a tiny bit more opaque in the mids. But they add up to be the difference between good and amazing. ofc a Krell alone is not the answer, it needs mating perfectly with a good pre-amp. It was only when I got the DCB1 in there that it started amazing me. Which was your shout.

Well, you can get it with free postage for £485. That's a saving of £500-£700. Enough to buy a Variac - and change to spare.

If you look closely, I think you'll find the name plate does actually have slot-headed screws. And as it has "Breeze Audio" on it, I can't see how it's trying to fool anyone. True, the handles don't have the slot-headed screws as well.

I would think it's fair to assume there are other amplifiers equally, if not perhaps more so, capable as a Krell. Threshold springs to mind and I'd suggest Line Magnetic; Colin W's SECA kit amps could be another. Threshold were "doing it" quite some time before Krell came along and came up with the blueprint for a serious Class A power amplifier. For decades the Leak Stereo 20 was an unknown to the great unwashed. It wasn't until Hi-Fi World shone a light on it that became to be appreciated for what it does. I would imagine there are still other amps out there waiting to be discovered.

And let's not forget the fact that Jimmy (The Man) Hughes had THREE KSA 50s in his system for a time. And when the time came, they were replaced with a less than powerhouse Class AB design from DNM, which I think offered greater musical insight, to his mind.

It was the grab handles I criticised for lack of accuracy. They too had. brass slot head screws on the original.

Well as I said previously, I would imagine there are others, not on the radar at less than the price of a Krell, or whatever. And I mean globally. No one ever considers the like of French, Italian, German or Russian hi-fi.

The Leak Stereo 20 was just an example of something that never was regarded - now it is. It's the same amp it always was, it was just never considered. It wasn't to say it was as capable as as a Krell or anything else.

James Michael Hughes. Considering the the amount of gear he has had experience of and lived with (a crucial consideration, he suggested decades ago. An impressive sound might be impressive in the short term - but could you live with it long term?), I'd regard him as being an authority. I'd consider any advice he might to offer, at least to try with my own two ears.

His Naim 6 pack (I think) was replaced when the KSA 50 came along and caught his attention, and later tripled. So obviously he thought they were doing something the Naim's couldn't. He had them for a period until something else came along that in his opinion bettered the Krells. Surely, he must have thought that what replaced the KSA 50s offered a valid improvement - otherwise he wouldn't have made the switch? Having used the Krell with various items (as he did, when reviewing kit), I would have thought that he would appreciate what the amp was capable of.

Anyway, I'm going to do the Mr Lampizator mods on me Audioromy 813 which improves the bass no end and made it better sounding than his own GM 70 monoblocks amps at the time costing 10 times as much. Another individual on DIY Audio considers the Audioromy to be the best of 40 valve/solid state amps he's tried. When I can find the motivation, that is. Boutiqued up to the balls, I reckon it will leave a 30 year old Krell standing! Seriously!!