Whats the krell sound?

Bright.
Very bright.
Did I mention bright?

I'll be the last to suggest that associated equipment and listening room acoustics don't play a major role in one's
evaluation of a particular component. It's foolish to think otherwise!

The fact remains, however, that this obsessive hobby is purely subjective, meaning that the original premise ("The Krell sound---love it/hate it?")is, itself, moot.

What I (and, apparently, Theo) consider "bright" may be considered "mellow" to another listener, and "dull" to yet another. So what else is new?

I would also suggest that there may well be substantial differences within the Krell family of componentry.

Ellery--

Perhaps you've hit on the problem I had: my Krell was the, I believe, KAV300i(?). It's been a few years, so I'm not sure of the proper number, but it was an integrated.

I suppose this doesn't qualify as a "real" Krell. So be it. It was, however, an unpleasant enough experience that I've had no desire to try another example of that brand. I can't even mitigate my opinion by citing build quality, etc.: one of the RCA connectors actually liked the interconnect so much that it detached itself from the backplate!

With reference to "morbius's" response:

I was using the integrated KAV300i with Maggie 3.5R's and I could never arrive at a satisfactory treble level, even after adding attenuating resistors to the high freq. connections in lieu of the standard jumpers. Those ribbon tweeters, in combo with the Krell, set my teeth on edge.(And the input was from a Wadia 830, which is infamous for its high freq. rolloff!)

But, again, the integrated amps probably don't qualify as "real" Krells. I won't argue with that opinion, having never again bothered to audition Krell products.

I now have SoundLab A-3's, powered by Bryston 7B-ST's, fed by a Burmester 001, all of which I find extremely satisfying. I still have the Maggies and recently had reason to put them back into service temporarily. With the Brystons, they are still a bit bright, but nowhere near the annoying level created by the Krell.

Keithr--

"Zamfir, the pan flute guy"?

Give US a break!