Krell KSA-200s First Time Use


Ok in experimenting with the KSA-200S for the first time, in plugging it in to the wall socket (not connected to speakers or anything else) it comes on for a few seconds, then shuts off. Any ideas as to what is going on? Is this normal?
professorjohnkercheval
Hi, You need a dedicated 10 awg electrical cable going from your inside breaker box to the receptical you are going to use, you need a 15 amp breaker, your amp is shutting off because you do not have the current to make it operate!, The receptical you have now is also sharring the power with other recepticals, most homes have daisy chained one receptical to the next!, also, you need to make sure you are useing a 20 amp receptical, your amp will starve for power other wise, never connect your krell to a power conditioner, the same will happen!, Hopefully, your amp is going thru a safty mode to protect its self because of under current and voltage, keep me posted, I will do what I can to help.
The Krell 200S is designed to be used with a 20amp circuit, but what you are describing is IMHO not attributed to using a 15amp supply. The 200S at idle, only consumes 150 watts, therefore, the 15amp current supply should not be starving the 200s. Something else is causing the amp to shut down. If you can try the amp with a 20amp circuit, that would confirm my suspicion.
@ BRf, Hi, Read the ops post above again, He tried to use the krell ksa with a standard lighting wireing, right now, the breaker 15 amp or 20 amp has nothing to do with it, The op needs to run a dedicated 10 awg electrical wire in attic from breaker to receptical being used with a hospital grade 20 amp receeptical, then he can install a 15 amp breaker or a 20 amp breaker, I really believe he needs a 15 amp breaker, LOL!, My amp is a krell 700cx running on 6 ohms speakers with a 20 amp breaker!, thats 1,050 watts a channel!, If a 20 amp breaker can run that, why in the world would he need a 20 amp breaker for such a low powered krell amp?, However, I am going to do a 30 amp breaker, just to run smoother and result with a few percent better sound, keep in mind thou, the my amp runs very good with the breaker I have,the op needs the 15 amp breaker to better protect his investment, a 20 amp breaker takes more to flip when something goes wrong, he does not have the power as I do, cheers.
Audiolabyrinth, the Krell KSA-200S manual states that the amp is designed to be used with a dedicated 20amp circuit. However, I believe that the OP’s problem is not attributed to him using a 15amp circuit due to the fact that the amp cannot even turn on at idle, plus the existing 15amp circuit does not trip. A 20amp supply is required for the amp to operate “optimally” under a difficult load requirement.

A 10g dedicated line with a hospital grade receptacle etc etc may improve on the sound, but is not the source of the OP’s problem.
Prof. John, just a wild arsed speculation here, but is it possible the amp is tripping because it needs to be hooked up to the speakers. Maybe the open circuit is doing it. If not, it's time to call the factory.
@ Brf, Hi, If the op does not have problems with the krell amp its self, I assure you that I am correct, there is no way a krell amp is going to work without a dedicated line!, The amp draws to much current!, LOL!, I tried that once with a krell fpb 200, you should have seen the bulbs in the house flicker and some blew, and guess what, the amp would shut off to stand by quickly!, how do you know the op has a 15 amp breaker now?, If he does, LOL!, thats a 15 amp breaker for a room or two rooms in the house, not a single receptical that his amp is plugged into!, regardless, I hope we can help the op here,I have 18 years of exsperience with krell amps!, The ONLY krell amp that I could ever run on standard house wireing receptical was a krell 300I intergrated amp, everything else had to have a dedicated line with a 20 amp breaker to work!, the op can use a 20 amp breaker for his krell ksa 200s and still work, His problem is he cannot share power to the amp with anything else!, cheers.
Audiolabyrinth, the 20amp supply is required when the amp is required to provide large amounts of current under load. The OP's problem is that he cannot even get the 200S to stay on at IDLE.

My former KSA 250 would operate with a 15amp circuit, although peak performance was obtained with use of a 20amp circuit.

If the OP amp was trying to draw too much current from the 15amp circuit, why does the 15amp circuit trip?

The best advice is to give Krell a call or try the amp with a dedicated 20amp circuit to satisfy Audiolabyrinth's concern.
Something isn't right with the amp. The 15 amp circuit breaker would trip first if their wasn't enough current to handle the amp. It isn't the circuit wiring. However, there may be a voltage sagging problem with the amp pluged into that particular wiring. if the wiring isn't adequate, at turn on, with too much amp draw, the voltage drop may be substantial enough to turn off the amp based on low voltage protection in the amp. So AudioLabrith may be correct to a point. It isn't the rating of the circuit breaker, but it may be the actual wiring itself. Take the amp to another place with a dedicated 20 amp ciruit (say the dealer where you bought it) and plug it into a 20 amp circuit with 10 gauge wiring and see if it stays on. No amp should trip off if speakers aren't connected.

enjoy
12-10-13: Bifwynne
Prof. John, just a wild arsed speculation here, but is it possible the amp is tripping because it needs to be hooked up to the speakers. Maybe the open circuit is doing it. If not, it's time to call the factory.
Exactly my thought.

I had 3 Krell amps (KSA100s, FPB300 and FPB600) when living at my brother's condo. Even though it was new construction, there were no special wiring, outlets ... just basic construction grade 15 amp everything.

Using stock PCs, I never had problems with circuit breaker tripping or any power related issues. From my experience, 20 amp dedicated circuit is NOT a requirement for Krell amps to play at a moderate to loud level.
Hi, what I have been tring to say, it seems no one understands, I am tring to say that the ops krell ksa 200s amp has to be sharring power with something else in the house, and the breaker he has is tripping because its to much, and the amp is starving, so it shuts off because of the lack of sufficient current, if the op just runs a dedicated line and circuit, btw, is cheap to do, if the problem then is not solved, his amp has damage!, the amp should work correctly when its not connected to speakers, my krell does, and all the krells I have ever had did too!, cheers gentleman.
I agree, the KSA 200S does not need a load attached when powered on, it even states that in the manual.

Question for Audiolabyinth. Why doesn't the OP's 15amp circuit trip if the load is too great? The KSA 200S at idle only consumes 150 watts.
I use to have a Krell FPB 200 and the manual "Recommends" a 20 amp circuit. My house was built in 1997. Most to outlets a 20 amps. When starting up the Krell, the lights in my listening room would dim for the second. It was a me issue, I had too many devices on the circuit. I put in a dedicated 20 amp.

Advice to original poster: 1. Call Krell. 2. Locate and trace the power circuit, unplug all the devices on the circuit, then test the amp.
@ Vegasears, Agreed!, Your post is exactly what I am tring to say!, @ Brf Hi,vegasears has the answer to your question in his post that I would have said, another answer BRf would be his amp may be damaged, the other would be the safty breaker inside the amp is working before the house breaker does, recently, my amp flipped to standby all the time, it did not flip the house breaker, I had issues with the amp thou, another reason I had the amp completly renewed, I am not saying the ops amp has issues, that would be a bummer if he bought a faulty amp!, cheers.
Audiolabyrinth; The OP didn't say that the panel circuit breaker tripped. He said that the amp shuts off. Those are two entirely different things. I believe the problem may be a low voltage sagging problem at turn on, due to inrush and current draw that causes a quick voltage sag on the wiring. The amps low voltage protection circuity may be activating.
@ Minorl, Hi, BRF said that the ops breaker was tripping!, I thought maybe he talked to him?, so my conversation was related to the breaker tripping, I never assumed that!, your theory is exactly what I have been saying here, man, I must talk foreign or something, LOL!, yes, where is the op?
No, I was asking if there was too much draw on the 15 amp circuit to cause a voltage sag, why wouldn't the 15amp breaker trip?
@ Brf, Hi, The safty precautions the amp has built into it does this, In my exsperience, thats what happened to the amp I have now before I sent it to krell for renewl. where is the op!, Please give us an update, cheers.