krell mda 300 ..mono block amp..

Hi Banmac,

cannot say i have heard those exact amps, but i have heard a number of amps i believe are from around that era from Krell. I also have read excellent things about this particular amp...it was a bit of a cost no object product at the time as i recall.

imho, if anything like its generation of krell, unbelievable composed and controlled into any load, visceral bass, warmer mids than in newer evo-generation krells (a taste thing)...the question will be one of grain. for me, having audition that generation Krells and other sota SS Class A amps, i love the character of the sound...i also find there sometimes is a touch of grain compared to the latest, latest amps of today...but the warmth of the older SS Class A i prefer. I used to own Gryphon Antileon (SS Class A from that vintage), and i have upgraded to a second hand Gryphon Colosseum (also SS Class A). The only reason was the Antileon had given me a couple problems requiring recapping which eventually were resolved, but i decided long-term perhaps i should just do the upgrade anyway...the main benefit being newer (hopefully fewer repairs if any for years to come) and less grain. Otherwise, the other amp at 14 years old was still a champ in nearly every way.

As for your amps, my primary question really is about making sure they do not need recapping...being well built, you might be quite fortunate, but just make sure a proper tech has checked them out for you.

good luck and just one man's opinion...pls keep us posted and enjoy! i suspect they are truly special amps.

good luck!

wow Meadowman...very cool post. Have not come across anyone who owns one. Enjoy!

Hi Jimmymac928,

All SS amps have capacitors...i am no techie, but the simple man's understanding is their job is to hold and store energy. How much "capacitance" is a measure of how much energy the amp can store...this helps among other things provide headroom and dynamic capability for when there is a surge or draw on energy due to significant transients in your music.

Over time, capacitors tend to lose their ability to store energy reliably...in a worse case, they leak. Older-tech capacitors had elements that could dry up. In any event, with Krell, which at that generation was largely Class A--meaning the least efficient, hottest burning (but i love the sound best)...capacitors tend to need replacing after 10-15 years. So you 're-cap' them.

Hope that is helpful. A Krell would probably cost about $1000-$1500 to recap...and done well, you should be good to go for another 10 years, as (i am told) most of these well built amps dont have any other areas which would go wrong under normal circumstances...you almost have a 'new amp'.