Old Krell vs new Krell amps...


Hello,
I actually have to choose between differents Krell amps, for roughly the same price :
a pair of Krell Audio Standard (KAS)
a Krell Evo 302
and for half the price a pair of KAS-2 amps

How do they compare, in terms of sound ?
The KAS is a legend, but is it actually still a good choice ? Its fiability is good ? The KAS is really better than the KAS-2 ?
And, what about the new Evo amps ? Are they better than the KAS or the FPB amps ?
My speakers are easy to drive : Tannoy GRF, but I may swap to big TAD or JBL...
I can't compare those amps directly because they are sold in different(and very far from each others) shops.
Thanks a lot for all informations and advices.
Best Regards,
nico_g

Showing 8 responses by nico_g

The KRS-200 are 20 years old...
Should I be concerned with reliability problems with those kind of amps ?
Hello,
I've seen the KRS-200 on audiogon : very tempting too...
But I don't understand why the seller has to change the XLR inputs...

Usblues : you think that my actual GamuT amp is better than Krell amps ?
Thanks for all those answers : they are very interesting !
I think that the best choice would be a new EVO 302.
The KAS and KAS-2 are old amps and reliability problems could occur fast...
I noticed too that the EVO 302 construction (layout) seems to be more "clean and symetric" than the 402.
In the 402, the two output stages with their dissipators are parallel and very close.
In the 302, the output stages are on each side, like in classical stereo amps.
Upgrade1394 : could you confirm me that they are actually 2 transformers in the 302 : a smaller one upside the big one (that is shielded) ? Another question : do you have compared your EVO amp with some Pass amps, like the X350.5 or the XA100.5 ?
Best Regards,
Upgrade1394 : thanks in advance for all new answer to my last post...
But all other advice is welcome too !
Regards,
Thanks again for all the answers.
I will try to compare the KAS to my actual amp : GamuT D2 mkIII.
Then I will go to the other store and compare the D200 with the EVO 302...
Ozzy : do you have compared the Pass with some actual Krell amps like FPB or EVO series ?
Thanks for your help !
Yes, the KAS are in 4 blocks : eahc channel has its separate power supply.
They were built around 1990 and I don't have precise information about their reliability...
I have to test them seriously and if the shop offers a warranty, it could be interesting.
If I try to summarize all the answers, I get mixed results :
- 2 first posts : FPB are better than KAS,
- then 2 posts : EVO are the best,
- 2 posts : KSA and KAS are better than FPB.

So, there is no clear winner, I think !
Last result : Pass X350.5 is another very good solution...