I have owned the Krell and the Musical Fidelity X-A1 and A100. Neither the MF (love that abbreviation) or the Krell is better. The MF will be softer and smoother, the Krell faster and harder. My sense is that the contrast is so large that one or the other will fit your listening biases better. If you get really short on money, the Acurus DIA-100 is a surprising performer that hews more to the Krell sound, though not as good. They are getting a bit long in the tooth at this point, but remain good values, no remote though.