Krell KAV280p to replace my KRC3?

I think the Krc3 is a great preamp....very neutral & not outdated (albeit no longer made). I am not familar with the Kav 280p, but do know the Krc3 was a significant steup from the kav 250p. I would look at the Krell kct if you are really looking to upgrade your preamp.

The bigger issue...I don't think the issue is with your pre preamp at all. I use to own the Kav series amp and think they have very pronounced lower & upper end. The upper end can be very fatiguing. If you want to stay in the Krell family, I would upgrade to one of their bigger amps or even their new kav 2250 amps. I believe the newer kav line has a more balanced upper-end. If not Krell, you have so many options out there.

I am not familar with the rest of your gear, so bear that in mind. I just wanted to comment since I think the Krc3 is a very good preamp.

Fairly new to high end, just upgraded to Krell 280p, with Krell 2250, Rotel 991AE CD all connected with Siltech SQ28 G5 balanced ICs running B&W CDM-9s. It's heaven, pure and simple. All the music, in a beautifully balanced, fluid and transparent format, with remarkable depth and air around the voices; criticism of Krell utterly,totally incomprehensible to me. Anybody got some 802s they'll sell cheap?