Ascent i and Krell KAV 300i

[vanlobe]

Hi,

I'm new to this group and would like to introduce myself...and at the same time throw in an amp question.

I'm a music lover from Belgian, living near Antwerp. I've owned a pair of CLS I and after that (panels went dead) I bought the Aerius i. It was a big mistake to sell these about 3 years ago to go for boxed speakers. I bought the JMLab Mini Utopia's. Excellent speakers but when you're used to listening to panels it is very difficult to adjust to tweeters again.
Now I've sold the Utopia's and bought a 1 year old pair of Ascent i's on Ebay. I have to pick them up still but in the meantime my question would be: will my Krell KAV 300i be up to the job to drive the Ascent i's? I'm interested in your opinions and if not, which amp would do better forf the same money.

Benny

 

[Reverb2009]

First, Welcome to the club Benny.



Krell KAV 300i
Integrated Amplifier - 150W at 8 ohms, 300W at 4 ohms - Class AB


I think the Krell should be able to handle the Ascents just fine. Krell products are known for their conservative ratings and high current power; it should be a grate match.


Take Care

 

[cmos]

Hi,

I 've had no problem driving my Sequel II's with a KAV 300i for almost 8 years by now.I suppose it will make it with ascents!

 

[revah]

Hi Benny.

I just recently bought a new amp to go along with my SL3s. One of the models I auditioned was the Krell 400i integrated amp, which I guess is the successor to the 300i. The dealer had it driving a pair of Ascent is. The Krell drove the Ascents just fine, but it did get very hot. I'd make sure you have plenty of ventilation for the amp, because as you know, the MLs are a difficult load for any amp.

Other than that, I'm sure it's fine, although I understand there's a big difference in sound between the 300i and the 400i, so I can't really comment on how they will sound together.

Happy listening, and welcome back to the ES world.

 

[as350_b3]

I use Krell to power a set of Odysseys and am very happy. I don't think you can go wrong with a Krell/ML combination, since the Krell gear has no problem at all with the high current/low impedance characteristics of MLs in general.
The Krell amp will be able to substitute as a backup room heater if your furnace should ever give up its ghost...
Some seasoned listeners don't care much for the component combination, since the Krell sound is known to be very "mechanical" or "machinistic" for lack of better words. However, once you properly break-in your speakers, the sound does warm up dramatically and the soundstage opens up substantially. Sound imaging is razor sharp and I end up in sonic nirvana, as Robin calls it I think, if I'm not careful.
Once again it will all depend on your personal preference, but I don't think you will be disapointed. As a great contributor to this site used to say: trust your ears.

 

[vanlobe]

Thanks for your replies.

Once the speakers arrive I'll let you know how the Ascents sound in combination with the 'small' Krell.

Benny