The Krell KCT is designed with the CAST cable system.
That's great if you own a Krell CAST amp or CAST CD player.
Otherwise, it's wasted.
Ditto for the Spectral, their preamps seem much better suited to Spectral amps.
The Pass X2.5 can't hold a candle to the XP-10, which is even better sounding than the X1.
I'm not familiar with the Nagra....... |
To danielk141:
So the Krell not used with cast and other Krell components will be nothing special?
Is the XP10 really worth almost twice the price of the 2.5?
Anyone else? |
Another option would be the audio researc ls25 MII for 2100 euro... |
Hi,The Krell KCT works well without cast with nearly eanything,considering you have high quality cables!,How ever,the newer Krell phatom 2 pre-amp is far superior than all that is being discussed here!cheers! |
B&W 801s are a bit slow by nature. I owned them. They need very powerful amplification and to be played loud to come alive. It is the speakers mostly, then the amps and preamp last based on you description. |
Danielk is not speaking from experience. I took my KCT, which I have owned happily for the past ten years, to a friend's and we hooked it up to his Parasond JC-1s and it was magnificent. So absolutely, the KCT IS INDEED something special even without CAST. |
I have a good friend with a Krell Current Tunnel preamp, and CD player. He's had both for years. He also owned the FPB 700C with cast. He's owned many Krell pieces.
The fact is the CAST feature is current based. And Krell implemented it with a very stiff power supply. The CAST system was designed to allow long interconnect runs, with no degredation of signal quality. These pieces run hot. If you don't have another CAST piece in the system, the CAST feature is not needed.
My friend still has the CAST pieces with a different amp.
He won't sell either piece.
I did not say the Krell CAST preamps don't sound good used with other gear. I did say the CAST feature is not of any use without another CAST piece in the chain. |
Blueskywalker,
Can you audition any of these, in your system?
That will give you the most important opinion, yours.. |
The only way I can audition anything in my system is if I buy it :)...
I am however listening with accuphase directy to power amp and then to the whole system but with different smaller hifi speakers to identify the component in the chain that is the culprit... I feel Dgad may be right :(
I think I either have to change speakers, or the all the rest... as the B&W's are great speakers but not so intended for soft evening listening, then they are indeed inherently slow by nature...
A faster amp, preamp and less warm cd could help but changing speakers might be easier and better in the end.
Which doesn't mean I cannot improve upon the Levinson with preamps suggested but then I need to allocate the money first elsewhere I guess (speakers)... |
I am sure the newer gear will sound even better then the one in my question but it's out of my budget, but back to that question...if I keep speakers and amp, which pre af the above would help me the most going to a faster and more involving system? or is it hopeless :) |
One of the reasons my system lacks air maybe impedance mismatch?
MC 500 has imput impedance of 10kOhms (not specified if it doubles for balanced or not). The levinsons (331 etc and 432) all have 100k balanced and 50k single ended... so this is what their preamps are best suited for, included my 38?
If my theory holds a ground then the KCT is not good as the whole FPC cx range of power amps has 100kOhms input impedance.
The spectral DMA 180 and 150 also have 100kOhms (partners for the DMC 12... (but their own DMA 90 has 10kOhms with 100pF in parallel, this confuses me!)
Best suited seems the pass X 2.5 which partners the X250 has 22K balanced (no specs for single ended) and XA160 (think it was still the same preamp line) has 22k balanced and 11 k single ended... Newer pass line with the XP 10 preamp range mates with the XA .5 line and the X .5 line which all have 30k/20k input impedance...
Can someone point me out if this theory of mine is correct and the pass X 2.5 (or X1 and X0) are best suited to my MC500? Or of course the respectable partners for the MC402 with 10K balanced and 22k unbalanced (newer mac 452 is 22k balanced and unbalanced!!) which were C46 and C2200 (I sold the C46!! It did indeed have no rolled of highs and much air, but seemed to have its own sonic signature on all records?) |
Your starting to talk to yourself.You have very nice stuff.I would change out the speakers for sure,YMMV,James |
Well I tried the same setup but with different speakers... (smaller hifi speakers I own, and which I know can sound rather bright) and the sound still lacks air... so any other recommendations for system change regarding cdplayer or preamp then?
thx! |
great price for KCT 2800eu ,you will loose nothing ,in case you don't like you can sell for 3200eu.Just saw somebody selling for 3800eu on ebay.de |
There was indeed a KCT listed on ebay at 3800 euro but not sold...
Anyway I got other speakers (infinity gamma's) but same problem, more speed though but air is still not great.
Now I first have to sell the speakers before I can try a new cd or preamp... aaa life! :) |
