What's a good upgrade from a Krell 300cd cd player

A friend of mine moved from the 300cd (after 6-yrs.) to the SACD Standard and is very happy with the upgrade, it was a big improvement in all areas, plus it also plays SACDs. I've owned an SACD Standard since 2004, and have been very happy with it as well, to my ears it sounds very much like Krell's Evolution 505, which also makes it a great buy.

Lorn, The "new" mk111 Standard would be a good fit. It does not compete with the 505/525. Pricing is no comparison either, which helps the decision.

Another suggestion is to buy a used SACD Standard MK2 and have it upgraded (MK3) by Krell down the road. This will work-out much cheaper than buying a new MK3, which I believe retails for $6K.

Tusa, I don't get the math regarding your recomendation. 2 grand or so for a MK 11 that is guaranteed to fail, plus 3000 dollars for Krell to upgrade it to a model with virtually no resale value? Why not just get a deal on a new MK 111 that you can kick down a flight of stairs and still have work perfectly? 5 year warranty, huge savings on not shipping boxes back and forth, and alot more time spent listening to music. What am I missing?

Zieman: I recently purchased a used Standard MKII here on Audiogon for $1,800- and had it upgraded by Krell to the MKIII version for $700-, shipping to the Factory was $30- and Krell paid the return shipping. The whole process took approx. 3-weeks. I'm now in it for $2,500- which is a lot less than the 10% discount that my Krell Dealer offered me on a new MKIII, with sales tax, I saved approx. $3,300- plus Krell re-warrantied the Unit. I agree with you that the MKIII does seem quite robust, though I don't think it would survive a "kick down a flight of stairs" as you have suggested.