Best sounding Krell ?

The KAV-400xi is a decent Int. Amp., but cannot compare to the FPB-300cx or even the KAV-2250. When in direct comparison to a good Preamp./Amp. combo, the KAV-400xi sounds dead/lifeless/boring. The KAV-280p/KAV-2250 is a decent step-up. The KCT/FPB-300cx is a big step-up, and for comparison purposes, the PASS X1/X250.5 (my current rig) is in another league - as is Krell's own Evolution 202/302. Believe me, the differences were not subtle, there was no need to A/B - no critical listening is needed to discern this entry-level Int. Amp. from top-tier seperates.

Stevecham: Comparing the KAV-400xi to the KCT/FPB-400cx is silly...come on now...the Krell Employees and Dealers that I know, wouldn't even go there. The KAV-400xi is an OK Int. Amp., it does not represent the current "state-of-the-art for solid state amplification, and it is simply not in the same league as Krell's previous Class A and current Evolution Series Components. Anybody who doubts that, could simply walk into any Krell Dealer in the Country and hear it for themselves (every Dealer has a 400xi somewhere in the building). The KAV-400xi sounds good on its own, but when you run it against tier-one seperates, including Krell's own, it sounds like a step above a Receiver. I also ran it against another popular Int. Amp. - BAT's VK-300xSE, and again no A/B comparison was needed, the BAT was sonically a step away from the Krell in all areas, except maybe for power - which in any case, was close.

This is a ridiculous apples to oranges comparison, and it is not fair to our fellow Audiogoneers, that do not have access to a Krell Dealer to Demo. the 400xi for themselves, to see exactly where it lies sonically in the HiFi Food Chain, which is clearly; "entry-level". It's threads like this that contribute to so many people ending-up disappointed, after purchasing the 400xi, thinking that they were buying a bookshelf version of Krell's Evolution seperates.

Again, for the record, the KAV-400xi is a nice-sounding and fairly-powerful Int. Amp., but it is not a giant killer, or a replacement for high-powered seperates, believe me, I had one in my Home for years, as an inexpensive back-up while I was auditioning Preamps. & Amps. - with that said, for less then $3K new, I do feel that the KAV-400xi is among the best in "its" class.