I ran a KRC-HR with a Krell FPB300c driving Von Schweikert VR4jr speakers for many years and was quite happy (back then) except when listening at high levels with sharper sounding CDs when the sound was just too strident. I changed to a CD player with a tube output (Modwright) but while it helped, it was still not what I wanted. Then I swopped my KRC-HR for a Calypso and not only was the stridency gone, but virtually everything else improved. There was less etch to High frequencies, improved ambience and depth, and the mid and upper bass range was in a different class. The sound-stage was also more layered and images were presented within its own acoustic. One can argue that bass power and punch was not as potent as the KRC's but I prefer the rounder and more resonant low end of the Calypso. In my system, there was no doubt that the Calypso was in a higher performance plane than the KRC-HR.
