Krell KAV-300i integrated amplifier

Is Krell risking its reputation? With the KAV-300i, an integrated amplifier that was
originally envisaged as an export model, but for which home demand is clearly
increasing, the Connecticut-based amplifier manufacturer is dabbling in low-cost
territory. Previous Krell amplifiers have been known for their prodigious drive capability.
Time and time again, it is found that the true measure of the bass performance of a big
speaker isn't realized until a Krell power amplifier is brought into service. But how could
an amplifier with a meaty 150Wpc specification and full remote control be built to sell
for just $2350.

The answer lies partly in the growth of Home Theater, an

area where Krell has been gaining experience with good-
quality, competitively priced, multi-channel amplifiers.
There was also a precedent in the KST-100, a modestly
priced 100Wpc Krell power amplifier that found favor in
Europe a few years back.

The answer also lies in backing away from Krell's earlier design philosophy of
maintaining the amplifier's output voltage into very low impedances, 1 ohm or below. If
performance is to be sustained when the load impedance halves, then, all other things
being equal, the size of the amplifier power supply as well as the number of output
transistors and their heatsinks must double. For Krell to specify performance down to 2
ohms and below, they must pass the costs of doing so on to the customer.

In the end, it all boils down to application. So, if you back off from the unbreakable,
drive-anything amplifier-design philosophy and say, "Hey, let's be reasonable, let's
forget those possible 1 and 2 ohm loadings, and instead target and specify for well-
designed 4 and 8 ohm nominal speaker systems. Now let's see how the design
equations fall out." The KAV-300i's output is specified as 150Wpc into 8 ohms, doubling
to 300Wpc into 4 ohms, but the amplifier is not intended to drive lower impedances.
Sure, it will still be capable of frying a 3 ohm load, but you shouldn't expect the bass
slam that you get with an amplifier designed to drive lower impedances.

What you get

Krell's literature describes the KAV-300i as belonging to their "A/V" range of products. It
has significantly softer, rounder styling than the larger KSA amplifiers. It may lack
macho handles, but the '300i is well-finished, mainly in black textured enamel, with a
silver-charcoal aluminium fascia offset by black-anodized end caps. Its panel logo is
the new, downward-arrow Krell "Audio-Visual" symbol.

But regardless of Krell's philosophy or the unit's origins, I determined to view this
product as an entry-level Krell amplifier, one with an unusual combination of useful
features, offered at a tempting price. You get five inputs, including the tape (monitor)
facility. One input (B1) is balanced and may be configured, via an internal switch, as a
direct or "through" input for an audio/video set-up, where the surround processor
provides volume and balance control. (A hex wrench is supplied for getting inside, and
also for replacing major fuses should this be necessary.)

Two kinds of output are available from the KAV-300i: loudspeakers are connected via
one set of gold-plated five-way binding posts per channel; there is also a set of single-
ended preamplifier outputs via gold-plated RCA jacks. Note that the loudspeaker
terminals remain active even if the unit is run only as a preamp. This isn't a real
problem since in this mode no power need be drawn from the speaker terminals.
However, speaker cables should not be left connected, in case the plugs short-circuit
the amplifier outputs.

A model of simplicity, the front panel carries a horizontal line of milled, stainless-steel,
circular control buttons. From the left, we have the power switch, electrically servo'd,
with soft-start and standby modes. The power light glows red for standby, changing to
blue for "operate." The next five buttons deal with input selection, while the remaining
two cover volume up and down. LEDs show the status of all modes—the balance offset,
mute, the active input, standby/operate. In addition, a set of 11 LEDs graphically shows
the volume setting.

This amplifier will mainly be operated, I expect, via the remote-control handset, a
satisfactorily chunky plastic molding. As well as duplicating the power/standby, source
select, and volume control buttons on the amplifier's front panel, the remote gives the
user access to the balance facility. This can be shifted unambiguously in five 1dB
increments in either direction. The final touch is the inclusion of some basic control
functions for a Krell-compatible CD player or transport (including many Philips-type
RC5-coded units). I grew to like the handset with its dulled finish and positive-click
membrane-type buttons.
The case is of aluminium alloy, and its good conductivity is exploited in the form of
additional surface area for the modestly finned internal heatsinks. Though these do not
have an optimum orientation, an alloy block is bolted through to the lower case section
to aid heat conduction. No external fins are present, though there are some ventilation
slots in the top cover. I estimate that the unit should not be run continuously at full
power into 4 ohm loads for extended periods. The heatsinking is fine for normal peak
program duty, however.

Inside
Inside, the compact, low-profile chassis packs a modest-looking, toroidal, steel-band-
shielded transformer. This is rated at 400VA, but to a high-regulation Krell specification.
(If this were not the case, that 300W into 4 ohm specification would be well out of
reach.) Considerable thought has been given to protection, which in this design is by
fuses (the bigger Krells use electronic protection operating via power relays). Gross
short-circuit and speaker-fault protection is provided by 12A fuses at the output; these
are located beneath the output terminals and user-accessible from the outside. A 12A
fuse should be good for continuous full power into 2 ohms so I don't reckon it would
ever blow in normal use. There are four additional 12A fuses inside protecting the plus
and minus voltage rails to each channel in case of device or circuit failure. Finally there
is the AC mains fuse, which is integral with the IEC AC input receptacle.

Remarkably compact in layout, the circuitry is largely symmetrical for both channels,
with a short path from input to output. It is also dual-mono from the separated
transformer secondary windings onwards. The smaller, upper board is the input and
control section, noteworthy for its desirably high input impedance of 210k ohms. Earlier
Krell products often had rather low input load impedances, but the '300i will load source
components lightly, even suiting D/A processors with tubed output stages. The inputs
are AC-coupled using polypropylene dielectric capacitors. The potentially noisy
microprocessor, complete with its own power supply, is located well away on the front
panel board together with its associated buttons and LEDs.

Balanced/single-ended input conditioning is achieved with Krell's discrete FET-input,

class-A amplifier. This has a low output impedance appropriate for driving the
microprocessor-programmed volume-control section. This features a precision MDAC
chip (a PMI DAC8043, one per channel) used as a precision multiplying attenuator. This
stage outputs a signal in current form; current/voltage conversion is accomplished by a
well-respected op-amp chip, a SM2131, which feeds the resultant voltage signal to the
DC-coupled stereo power amplifier stages on the lower board.
This larger board also incorporates the power supplies, which are integrated with the
stereo channels. A dual winding on the transformer feeds separate rectifiers and
moderate-capacity Nichicon supply reservoir capacitors, two 8200µF electrolytics per
channel. Krell practice is followed for the driver-section power supplies, which use
multiple paralleled reservoirs for a controlled low impedance over the audio bandwidth.

All-discrete, the power amplifier circuitry follows Krell design principles, with arrays of
complementary differential stages possessing a wide bandwidth. The fully
complementary output stages use custom, high-current TO3-can Motorola bipolar
transistors, six per channel. These have an intrinsic peak rating of over 40A per set and
are operated in class-A/B at moderate bias. The '300i amplifier stages employ low
values of global negative feedback, reflecting current thinking that the quest by
designers in earlier years for high specific damping factors and very low distortion was
misguided, especially if their realization required high feedback. Although not true in all
cases, it does seem that amplifiers that achieve a good overall technical performance
with low global feedback sound more natural than those that rely on high feedback for
linearization.

Sound
Installation was a breeze. The KAV-300i ran fairly cool and reached a stable sound
quality in a matter of 10 to 15 minutes from standby. In operation, the remote control
was slick and smooth-acting, with no funny noises, offering positive input selection as
well as an even, wide-ranging volume control action of good resolution (just how the
KPS-20i/l's volume control should have been—see Stereophile, April '95, Vol.18 No.4).

Serious listening commenced after a week's conditioning and informal use. The KAV-
300i turned out to be a seriously good amplifier. Fresh out of the box the '300i sounded
promising. It could play loud and neither change in tonal character nor appear short of
breath. In its raw state, however, it lacked some of the clarity and refinement which
became nicely apparent after the initial 20-40 hours of use.

Writers and engineers have recently been discussing the advantages of well-designed
one-box CD players with their jitter-free direct link between transport and decoder.
There is a similar advantage with a single-box integrated amplifier. Not only is the
signal path shortened, you also eliminate typically two soldered connections for each
channel as well as a length of external cable. More importantly, you get rid of the
ground currents that occur between audio separates and the audio connectors at each
cable end. Knowing in advance the matching criteria for the pre- to power-amp
connection, the designer doesn't have to over-engineer the interface in expectation of a
range of load problems. This may help simplify the preamp section as well as further
boosting the performance of the integrated amplifier.

Provided that such an amplifier has been appropriately designed with the right
components, it will show a gain in performance compared with similarly specified
separates. Within its modest frame, the '300i did show this advantage, allowing it to
rival more costly two-box combinations. For readers familiar with my personal
numbering system, the KAV-300i scored 22 points (25-30 points defines top amplifier
sound). For reference, Krell's pre-1992 power amplifiers, which cost 3-4 times the price
of the little '300i, when partnered with a suitable preamplifier, also scored ratings in the
low 20s.

The KAV-300i delivered a very well-balanced sound, with no obvious errors of tone or
timbre. The Krell's midrange sounded quite rich, and if not quite to the best tube
standard, it didn't glare or shout even when operated flat-out. Overall, the midrange was
relatively clear, low in grain, and fine-textured. It's not as liquid or as transparent as a
Conrad-Johnson Premier 8, an Audio Research VT150, or a Krell KAS-2, but then, very
little is! (Spend a little more on your system's cables and some of this difference can be
made up.)

The soundstage had fine depth with surprisingly good transparency. The natural timbre
and equally natural-sounding, well-layered perspectives were as convincing on classical
music as they were on rock material. Focus was very good, stable over the entire
dynamic range, and was allied to good image width. Reproduction of low-level detail
and ambience were fine.

Like the mid, the KAV-300i's treble was neutral and self-effacing, with little grain
evident. It sounded unforced, with clean vocal sibilants, while cymbals were rendered
both open and unexaggerated.

In the bass, the little Krell went satisfactorily deep with fine control and above-average
slam. While the all-or-nothing low-frequency grip of a big KSA wasn't present, the bass
was entertaining—punchy, fast and articulate. Although it did sound slightly soft—
though not tending to boominess—the amplifier's bass timed well. It was nicely
rhythmic with a foot-tapping beat. Here, the littlest Krell amplifier may just have the
measure of its bigger brothers.
While the '300i could kick the Wilson WATT/Puppy System 5 around pretty well, this
speaker really needs to be driven by bigger amplifiers like the KSA-300S or, better,
Krell's delightful KAS-2. However, you could have real fun with the '300i driving Wilson
WITTs. Genuinely high sound levels were possible—the KAV-300i with the WITTs gave a
performance which, in context, sounded surprisingly close to a KSA-200S partnering the
System 5, a combination costing more than twice as much.

Dynamics were well-rendered and, in conjunction with the good rhythm and timing,
gave good listener involvement. Aural fatigue was low even after prolonged listening
sessions. Many times I forgot completely that my costly high-end amplification was out
of the circuit! In fact, later on, when the review system was in a state of flux, it proved
convenient and acceptable to throw in the '300i, so well did it perform in more
expensive company.

Conclusion
I feel that Krell has a winner in the KAV-300i. At $2350, it may be designed to be cost-
effective, but it's a Krell thoroughbred, nonetheless, able to punch way above its weight.
Not least, there is its ability on music signal to dump well over 200W per channel into
an 8 ohm speaker and 300W into "kinder" 4 ohm speakers.

The versatile input facilities, the satisfactorily high-resolution volume control, and the
fine infra-red remote command system are all definite pluses. Remember also the
preamp output terminals—if the '300i is a good-sounding integrated amplifier it must
also be a pretty good-sounding preamplifier!

All in all, the Krell KAV-300i offers very good dollar value and is a seriously good
amplifier into the bargain. For me, it is a likely Class B contender, knocking on the door
of Class A in Stereophile's "Recommended Components" listing. I firmly recommend it.

Description: Solid-state, remote-controlled, stereo integrated amplifier with five line-

level inputs including one tape loop. Power output: 150Wpc into 8 ohms (21.8dBW),
300Wpc into 4 ohms (21.8dBW). THD: <0.06%, midband, rising to 0.3% at 20kHz. Input
impedance: 210k ohms. Input overload: 9V RMS. Maximum voltage gain: 36.1dB. Input
sensitivity: 55mV unbalanced, 28mV balanced, for full power, volume control maximum.
Output impedance: 0.16 ohms. Power consumption at idle/standby: 50W.
Dimensions: 19" W by 15.5" D by 3.7" H.
Serial number of unit reviewed: not noted.
Price: $2350. Approximate number of dealers: 45. Warranty: five years, transferable.
Manufacturer: Krell Industries, 45 Connair Rd., P.O. Box 0533, Orange, CT 06477-0533.
Tel: (203) 799-9954. Fax: (203) 799-9796. Web: www.krellonline.com.

Sidebar 3: Measurements

In line with Krell's design practice of recent years the KAV-300i is a low-feedback
design, which means that we shouldn't expect extravagant results for damping factor
or its more practical equivalent, output impedance. Nor is exceptionally low distortion
likely. Nevertheless, Krell amplifiers aim to deliver clean, neutral power to a range of
loudspeaker loads and while this base-level design isn't rated for 1 or 2 ohm duty, it
does crack the whip powerfully into 4 and 8 ohm loadings.

Noting that my test sample was a European model with a nominal 230V, 50Hz supply
specification, I powered it from the typical UK voltage of 242V, a well-within-tolerance
5% lift. Output readings for this unregulated supply amplifier will therefore have
benefited by around 8%, depending on transformer quality and its regulation.

With that proviso, this is undoubtedly a powerful amplifier, especially considering that it
is a compact, integrated type. Into a nominal 8 ohm load, single-channel driven, it
delivered close on 200W continuous (23dBW) from 20Hz to 20kHz. The good 20Hz
figure was a surprise in view of the modest power supply. The peak-program output
approached 250Wpc—this is some little powerhouse!

A more demanding power test comprised firing up both channels with a tougher 4 ohm
loading. Under these conditions, the output level fell by 2dB, rather more than is seen
for the big Krell power amplifiers. Nevertheless, the KAV-300i was still putting out
250Wpc into 4 ohms; this is actually a greater amount of power than the power
transformer's specified 400VA. This seeming impossibility is explained when the
transformer regulation is taken into account. If you are prepared to push a transformer
really hard, it will go on delivering more power, but at poorer regulation. For this
design's total continuous output of 500W, the transformer must actually be supplying
something like 750W.

Both this behavior and the relatively small internal heatsinks indicate that the KAV-300i
will not be the amplifier of choice for continuous, flat-out duty into 4 ohms or lower
loadings (footnote 1). This isn't a Krell dreadnought, but it is more powerful than many
other amplifiers, particularly in its dynamic capability. There's certainly no shortage of
peak current. That 250W peak program, 8 ohms, grew to 400W peak into 4 ohms with
620W peak available into 2 ohms. These figures are backed by ample peak current,
measured at approximately ±45A.

It may be compact but there's nothing downsized about the very good load tolerance
shown by the '300i. The output impedance measured a moderate 0.3 ohms—this
somewhat dependent on the amplifier's thermal history, and higher than the
specification—and was virtually constant over the audio frequency range. This is
equivalent to an 8 ohm damping factor of 27. Mild changes in bass damping and
impact may be noticed when comparing this amplifier with bigger amplifiers of lower
output impedance. With source impedances below 0.2 ohms, however, these
differences tend toward inaudibility.

DC offset was respectably low at the speaker terminals, 10mV left channel and 8mV
right channel. I inadvertently tested the protection with momentary full drive into a short
circuit. This abuse blew the 20mm supply fuse in the 3-pin IEC power input socket.
Conveniently there was a spare already clipped in the little inbuilt sliding drawer.

I made distortion measurements both after a modest warm-up and after some full-
power operation had heated up the amplifier, to an estimated 60 degreesC on the
internal heatsinks. Bias levels had clearly altered at the higher temperature, and
midband 1W distortion had increased from 0.035% (-70dB) to 0.07% (-63dB). This
behavior is partly related to the low negative feedback, but neither distortion figure
would be considered audible.

At full power, the harmonic distortion level was typically 0.07% at low and mid
frequencies, rising to 0.56% by 20kHz. Again, I don't consider this rise to be aurally
significant, and at lower powers, the 20kHz distortion level improved, to -57dB (0.14%)
at 1W into 8 ohms, for example. The twin-tone intermodulation results—these are more
important in subjective terms as a measure of high-frequency quality—were good, the
1kHz difference tone lying at -70dB (0.033%) at full power (fig.1), rising to -67dB at 1W
into 8 ohms. However, some higher-order products can be seen clustered around the
19kHz and 20kHz fundamental tones, which might just take the edge off upper treble
clarity.
Fig.1 Krell KAV-300i, HF intermodulation spectrum, DC-25kHz, 19+20kHz at 150W into 8
ohms (linear frequency scale).

Fig.2 shows the distortion harmonic spectrum for a 200Hz tone at 1W into 8 ohms
(0dBW). This shows odd-order harmonics to predominate, mainly the third and fifth,
with a rapid decay in level for higher orders. The second harmonic spectrum (fig.3)
concerns the breakthrough of power supply ripple under a stressed power condition
with a low-frequency tone (37Hz). The amplifier was driven to two-thirds the rated
power into 4 ohms. The dotted vertical markers in this graph are aligned with the
harmonics of the UK's 50Hz supply. Thus spectral lines that don't coincide with the
markers are simply due to distortion of the 37Hz fundamental. There is one 100Hz
supply harmonic present, but this is at a mild -80dB relative to full level.

Fig.2 Krell KAV-300i, spectrum of 200Hz sinewave, DC-2kHz, at 1W into 8 ohms (linear
frequency scale). Note that the third harmonic at 150Hz is the highest in level.
Fig.3 Krell KAV-300i, spectrum of 37Hz sinewave, DC-200Hz, at 200W into 4 ohms
(linear frequency scale).

Squarewave testing for stability showed a clean risetime, barely affected by adverse
loading, even a pure 2µF of capacitance. This is one stable, tolerant amplifier.

Though the KAV-300i is capacitor-coupled at the input, the frequency response (fig.4)
was flat and wide. I measured +0dB, -0.5dB, from 8Hz to 31kHz, while the benchmark -
3dB or "half-power" points were at 0.6Hz and 90kHz. Channel separation was fine, if
neither state-of-the-art nor to modern CD or digital standards. I recorded crosstalk at -
68dB at 20Hz, -86dB at 2kHz, and -70dB by 20kHz. (These figures were somewhat
dependant on input termination and whether I was using the balanced or single-ended
inputs.)

Fig.4 Krell KAV-300i, frequency response at 1W into 8 ohms (5dB/vertical div.).

The KAV-300i was quiet both physically and electrically, the latter measuring better
than -110dB for background noise relative to full power. Channel balance was better
than ±0.015dB at high volume-control settings, with ±0.02dB accuracy even at a -60dB
setting!

I won't elaborate too much on the behavior of the 256-step volume control except to
point out that there was a deep -93dB of maximum attenuation while the next few
settings ran -72, -68, -66, -62, -60, -58, -55dB etc., and that above -50dB, a more critical
region, the resolution improved to 1dB or better. I checked a stack of settings from 0dB
(full level) to -20dB and noted a fine resolution of either 0.5 or 0.75dB according to the
position in the code. There was an almost irrelevant 0.2dB of backlash according to
whether you were ascending or descending the volume scale. The backlash increased
below -60dB, which initially confused me. The microprocessor appears to respond too
rapidly to volume setting inputs—to access fine-level steps, a very quick action on the
remote handset button is needed. I feel the internal volume-setting rate could be
usefully slowed, though it should be noted that I only noticed this behavior on the test
bench.

The '300i's input impedance was confirmed as being a desirably high 210k ohms, while
the input also showed a wide dynamic range, accepting up to 9 volts before the onset
of mild distortion. At full volume, 55mV input gave the IHF-standard 1W output, while
580mV produced full output into 8 ohms, This is medium sensitivity and is well-
matched to modern source components.

The preamplifier section's output impedance was moderate, at 120 ohms. The preamp
wasn't as powerful as a separate, fully specified Krell preamplifier, but it will drive a
range of normal amplifier loads, putting out up to 8.5V of level. It performed equally
well for both balanced and normal inputs.—Martin Colloms