Krell or Pass

Hi Harvey, I too own a pair of CLS IIz. I purchased a pair of Krell FPB-250M monoblocks back in July. I have to admit to placing too much emphasis on reviews and not enough on my own listening tastes. I'm using a Pioneer Elite PD-65 for a transport, a Meridian 563 converter and BAT VK-5I preamp. I'm not getting the harmonic richness (liquidity?) that I would like and have a feeling the fault lies with the Krells. But then again, my front end very well could be at fault. I'm considering auditioning the Blue Circle BC-2 monoblocks. Based on what I've read at their website and the fact that the president to the company is using them with a pair of CLS IIz leads me to believe that this could be a match made in heaven. My best advice would be to audition, audition, audition. And buy an amp that has a low output impedance and good current output since the CLS IIz is a 4 ohm speaker that dips down into the 2 ohm area. By the way, have you auditioned any worthy subwoofers with your speakers? I've owned my Martin Logan since October and am ready for some real bass again! Good luck! Jim

Just my opinion ,,but I would rather buy a demo FPB 600 with full warranty than a 300. You can find them for about 9K.(one of the pre 1k price increase models) . I've never heard a Pass amp so I can not comment on it performance.

My vote would be for neither. Take a look at the Vacuum Tube Logic page for some tremendously musical amps that mate very well with Martin Logans. In fact, all the speakers shown in the photos are Logan designs. Don't forget that most "best of show" awards that Martin Logan speakers win are when paired with VTL gear versus the Krell. http://www.vtl.com I may be biased however, I DO own a VTL Ultimate preamp and love it :)

nelson pass of course

Hi. I have a Pass Aleph 3 and it's stunning. Pass products make music in a way that Krell can't touch. I've heard a Krell 300i and got a headache in 30 seconds. Pass plays music Krell plays with an electronic haze over everything. Go for a Pass. I know the X-series isn't the same concept as my Aleph 3 but you can always trust Pass to make great products that deliver music with the emotion intact.