Krell KAV-250a: good? vs. Bryston 4B ST at price?

It depends on what you are looking for in sound. Krell will kick yer booty, but I find them to be TOOO in your face. Great for rock and roll. Hey these are just my opinions, folks. The Bryston is "warmer" and I would think a much better match up for your tube preamp and M-3si's. I am a fan of Bryston, so I may be a little "prejudiced" and I know that we NEVER have THAT around here, do we :)
Do I own any? no, so I am NOT promoting what I have, just what I would choose over those two. We had Krell in the chain for about 2 days once. I am NOT Krell bashing, just doesn't match up with what my ears want. It's a personal taste thing.
(currently have Rowland Model 1's-matched pair, Classe CA300 in the HT and a pair of Wolcott P220M Presence Mono Block Tube amps in the 2 CH)
What kind of sound are you looking for?

Angela100 - good question.

I am very much interested in firm, solid well controlled bass, as well as an sweet and extended but non-fatiguing treble. I wouldn't want anything too dry and analytical, yet do want a very neutral amp with lots of detail. I listen to all types of music.

I also have a pair of Mirage's excellent BPSS-210 powered, servo-controled subwoofers that match nicely with, and extend the bass (down to 18Hz) of the M-3si's.

I'm sure there are other options outside of the Krell and the Bryston in that price range (new and used), but they are the two identified so far as fairly decent bets. I am open to suggestions. Might even do some vertical bi-amping of the M-3si's...

I would vote definitely for the Bryston 4BST. I owned a Krell a few years back (can't recall the model number, it was made in the early 90's, so I can't comment directly on the 250A). It was a good-looking amp, heavy, lots of slam, but really quite colored (that is, it just didn't sound natural), and extremely unreliable. Had to send it back three different times for major repair and was lucky it didn't blow up my speakers (power supply cap failures and I'm not sure what else...). That gets awful expensive at around 100 lbs, not to mention a pain in the...). Since then I've owned the 4BST and it was a wonderful sounding amp, vastly more neutral than the Krell, and as for reliability, the warranty speaks for itself.

The bottom is falling out of the market on the Krell KAV's. It's definitely "Krell-lite". I'm not bashing either, but I just don't think that the KAV-250 is in the same league as the Bryston. The Bryston is warmer, richer, better-built, etc.

At $2K new, the Krell seems like a good deal (compared to it's original retail), but you've gotta' wonder why they've pulled the plug on such a new product. And now, the market is FLOODED with KAV-150 and KAV-250's which won't help much in the re-sale dept. It appears that Krell over-estimated the success of this product-line. I'm guessing that the perceived value was not quite there, hence necessitating the liquidation of these pieces at a reduced price.

Think of it as the hi-fi equivalent of the BMW 318ti; a four-cylinder, hatchback Bimmer. Seemed like a good idea - "BMW Lite" you might say. Unfortunately, the buying public decided that if they couldn't afford a "REAL" BMW, then why bother?

Two points that have been raised on the Krell. First, it is often cited that the older Krells were a bit more strident sounding than the current (or at least more recent crop), so I'm not sure I'd base my opinion of the KAV-250a on one of the older KSA models. I've never owned one of the older models, so I can't make the comparison, but I don't find the KAV-250a to be harsh. Many of the reviews I read on it also commented on how it didn't share some of the harsh characteristics of earlier Krell amps.

Second, the KAV-250a isn't that new a product, at least for Krell (who seems to specialize in rolling their product line every 2-3 years). I think the reason it's being discontinued is because they've come out with upgraded versions of both the 2-channel and 3-channel 250 w/ch amps that also have the new cosmetics. I believe it's been a very successful product for Krell and, as with many other Krell products, good prices are to be had with the model rollover. I agree that it won't help with the used prices, but if you're buying and take it into account, a Krell will definitely retain a fair amount of value over time.

I agree with Angela that the Krell is an excellent choice if you like rock music - I listen to a lot of rock music and watch a lot of movies, both of which naturally have a lot of in-your-face sound to them. I listen to a lot of jazz and vocals as well, and I think it does a great job with them as well, but I haven't compared a bunch of amps so I may really be missing out. I'm sure that at $2K, there's a LOT to choose from and many models that would be excellent choices. I also don't know how difficult a load the Mirages are - the Dynaudios really like their current which is one of Krell's major strong points. -Kirk