DH,
I have own Krell combos with the Thiels 3.6 and the CS7s.
The only difference as you have mentioned between the Krell FPB and the Cast are the protocols between the connection. If you dont have the cast chain then stick with the FPB. The FPB300 will be a nice combo for sure.
I was using a Hovland pre and moved up to a solid state from there with a 600cx now.
You wont go wrong with the combo. Cables and setups are the major issues with making these things bright and brittle like many say about Krell. My Krell setup now is actually smoother sound that my ARC PRE POWER combo with all the control and resolution I can ask for. Go with some neutral sounding cables and they will work like a charm, Transparent Audio, Clarity Cable and so on . Avoid the Synergistics Research and others that fall onto the other spectrum of preference.
In your case do try some tube preamps if you are concern by all means making sure their output levels match between one another so that you will acquire sufficient gain for the system.
I have own Krell combos with the Thiels 3.6 and the CS7s.
The only difference as you have mentioned between the Krell FPB and the Cast are the protocols between the connection. If you dont have the cast chain then stick with the FPB. The FPB300 will be a nice combo for sure.
I was using a Hovland pre and moved up to a solid state from there with a 600cx now.
You wont go wrong with the combo. Cables and setups are the major issues with making these things bright and brittle like many say about Krell. My Krell setup now is actually smoother sound that my ARC PRE POWER combo with all the control and resolution I can ask for. Go with some neutral sounding cables and they will work like a charm, Transparent Audio, Clarity Cable and so on . Avoid the Synergistics Research and others that fall onto the other spectrum of preference.
In your case do try some tube preamps if you are concern by all means making sure their output levels match between one another so that you will acquire sufficient gain for the system.