Mc 225 or Krell kst 100

lordgarth

lordgarth

Active Member
Hello all Mc fanatics,
I know this might sound sacreligious, but would any of you sell a mc 225 to buy a krell amp. My reason is because the Krell amp runs in class A for the first 50 watts then switches to class A/B for the next 50. Supposedly class A brings out more music from cd's & vinyl-any truth to this?


stereo #1 mc225-dual mono, c-11, mr-71,musical fidelity cd player, dali ikon 2
stereo #2 mc2100-dual mono, c-32,mr-77,tascam cd-recorder, dali ikon6
 
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Nearly all modern solid state amps operate in that fashion although the crossover point from A to B may be at a lower point. Trade a '225 for an ss Krell amp? No way.

Murray
 
Keep it. I doubt over time you'd prefer the Krell and I'm certain you'd regret selling the 225.
 
I'm a Krell fan, for what it is worth. Just wanted you to know we are out here. For me, Krell really excels at digital sources (although I'm not getting rid of my TT).

That being said, you asked the question in the Mc forum, so I'd expect a slight, and inherently justifiable, bias.

Ken
 
Listen to both and go for whichever you like better. I've heard some Krells I really liked and some I'd not give a farthing for but, usually these were poorly set up or playing painfully loud so suspect they may have been better than what I heard. I think the MC22 was thebest sounding of the classic Mc tube amps and have had a few but sold each. I actually liked the 1st gen Mc ss better than their tube amps.
 
I've considered the myriad reasons not to do this. As background, I myself have bought and enjoyed (and stored, and sold, and subsequently repurchased) many fine McIntosh pieces over the decades. I had a near mint Mc-225 I should never have cut loose. :boring:

So let me cut to the chase and see if this solution would work for you.

Is there any way you could afford to keep the Mc-225, have your flirtation with the Krell -- subsequently sell the Krell, which you will inevitably do -- and be in a position to rekindle your relationship with the Mc-225?

I'll keep this short, but the reality is you will lose money on the Krell transaction; and you will forfeit the opportunity cost of owning the Mc-225 as it continues to appreciate in value. To my mind it's a bad trade. If at all possible, keep the Mc-225 because it's money in the bank even in storage. That's what I'd do.

P.S. If you simply must have a fling, an affair, characterize it how you will, you might consider putting a Telefunken ECC803s in the number one tube slot. That would give you something new to listen to -- maybe that would sate your wanderlust. Those tubes are money in the bank, too. Just don't sell the Mc-225.
 
McIntosh amps are classified as a/a/b/. They operate in class a for the first 12-15 watts and then switch over to class a/b. McIntosh has found this approach to be optimum.
 
The Mc amps do not need a lot of bias due to the output transformer/autoformer and the conservative design. McIntosh use enough bias so there is no crossover distortion which is not a big deal for any properly operated amp. Class A claims to reduce crossover distortion that has not been an issue for a long time.
Driver stages may be class A in some models but the output sections are not but are very low in distortion. Cool operation is a goal for long life.

Thanks,
Ron-C
 
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