Krell KSA-200 Should I Or Shouldn’t I?


I have just seen a 220V Krell KSA-200 in great shape and for a good price. I Have always wanted to own a Krell power amp. However, I am concerned this is a +10 year old amplifier that, by definition, has been running very hot (class A operation). My question is; if I buy a +10 year old KSA-200 what problems should I expect? How reliable has your KSA-200 been over the years?

Regards,

Marcus
mgattmch
I assumed you are not going to plug 220V KSA-200 into 110V outlet (in US). Other than that, I highly recommend KSA-200. It is the last 'real Krell', that runs pure Class A without the 'stable plateau Class A/B game'.

The sound of KSA-200 is one of the best, better than all the series in between KSA-200 until the recent FPB/MDA series come close to it.

Another series to consider is the KMA series (100, 160, 200). In my opinion, the better Krells are from between 1989-1993, before theKSA-xxxS and KRC series.
This is not from personal experience, but my friend bought an ancient KSA-80 (I think) and made a boo-boo while changing speakers.
This thing was at least 10 years old and all he had to pay was shipping. The repair and updates were done for free.
When he asked about the bill, the service person responded..."There is no bill because there was no repiar. Krell amps don't break."
I like that policy.
I would encourage a call to the factory or the repair facility to see if this mindset is still in effect.
Yo Marcus,
Not unless you are planning to have it changed over to 120 volt operation at the factory and the price is good enough that you can afford to add that cost and still be well under the going price. I don't recommend trying to run it on USA 240 volts because it won't work.
A friend of mine has a KSA-200S and I've listened to it for many hours. It has an nice wide and deep soundstage with great dynamics and bass. To my ear, it sounds a bit fatiguing in the mids and on top.
Reliability is not a problem. They don't break.
I like the newest generation Krells (FPB-XXX-CX's) alot better.