Lifeinsepia

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Value Rating
 5 of 5

Used product for
More than 1 year

Price Paid:  $2500.00 from used

Summary:
I've had this amp for about 6-7 years. I had the Kav300i before this. My complaints about the 300i were (a) the volume control buttons didn't allow enough degrees of movement, i.e., one push meant too much change, and (b) it didn't sound good enough at high volume. The 500i has alleviated both of those issues and continues to give me great satisfaction year over year. I have commensurate input and speakers. I also have a DarkVoice 332 headphone amp and Senn HD650s. I'm not an "audiophile" in the sense of purchasing often and trying to modify to the Nth degree. I want a system that I can listen to until I'm 6-feet under. This amp is it. I use it every day. Pry it from my cold dead hands.

Strengths:
Linear. Endless power for a home unit. Solid. Dependable.

Weaknesses:
Headphone jack would be nice.

Similar Products Used:
KAV300i

Price Paid:  $2100.00 from SATURDAY AUDIO EXCHA

Summary:
I HAVE TO THANK THE PREVIOUS REVIEWERS. THERE ASSESSMENT OF THIS AMP IS RIGHT ON. I HAVE OWNED A KRELL KAV 300R FOR 3 YEARS AND HAD BEEN CONTEMPLATING AN UPGRADE. I HAVE AUDITIONED SEVERAL AMPS IN THE PAST SEVERAL WEEKS, ARCAM, NAIM, CLASSE TO NAME A FEW. NONE OF THOSE BRANDS HAD THE SOUND THAT I COULD APPRECIATE. I HAVE SEEN A FEW 500I''S COME AND GO ON EBAY AND DECIDED THAT I WAS NOT GOING TO BE HAPPY WITH ANYTHING BUT ANOTHER KRELL. THE UNIT I RECENTLY PURCHASED WAS IN AS NEW CONDITION WITH BOX, MANUAL, AND REMOTE. THE DIFFERENCE IN SOUND IS SIMPLY BREATHTAKING. THE 500I TAKES A GIANT LEEP FORWARD FROM THE 300R. ALL ASPECTS OF THE TONAL RANGE HAVE BEEN REFINED. MORE CLARITY, DEPTH, SOUND STAGE, AND A TIGHTNESS IN THE BOTTOM END THAT I DID NOT THINK WAS POSSIBLE. THE 500I IS POWERING A PAIR OF EPOS ES22 AND THE SOURCE UNIT IS A SONY SACD 333 ES. I AM SHOPPING FOR A HIGH QUALITY SINGLE DISK PLAYER. FROM MY RESEARCH, THIS IS THE MOST POWERFUL INTIGRATED AMP AVAILABLE. I AM NOT ONE TO UPGRADE WITH FREQUENCY. BEFORE THE 300 R I OWNED AN ADCOM STACK(565 MONOS/PREAMP) FOR TEN YEARS. THIS 500I WILL LAST AT LEAST TEN YEARS. BY THAT TIME IT WILL BE A TRUE CLASSIC.

Strengths:
WIDE SOUND STAGE WITH DEPTH, CLARITY, AND OUTSTANDING BASS RESPONSE. TONAL BALANCE IS WONDERFUL.

Weaknesses:
WEIGHS A TON!

Similar Products Used:
KRELL KAV 300R, ADCOM 565 MONS/PREAMP.

Price Paid:  $2900.00 from Ebay

Summary:
After spending years with a Krell 300i I decided to upgrade to a 500i. It's been here for 20 minutes and already I tell you this amp smokes the 300i in every way. Sonically, both the 300i and 500i sound great if you like the Krell sound which is super detailed and accurate... but.. The 500i is CLEARLY better. It's not just more powerful, It has better overall tonal balance and tighter bass. The 300i seems to suffer at times with certain music at higher volumes and tends to sound a bit wiry in the high end. The 500i has no problems what so ever.

The 500i knob style volume control (discrete resistance) is much better than the silly buttons on the 300i.

The 500i has LARGE HARD rubber feet which probabaly cost 2.00 each vs. the 300i which has small hard plastic feet valued at >.01 :)

Someone posted recently about the 300iL, stating its transformer is rated at 700VA vs. the 300i's rating of 400VA
Well.. The 500i is rated at 2KVA that's 2000VA. Im not sure what difference that makes but there ya go!

You can find the brochure of Krell's 500i here:

http://www.krellonline.com/PDF/KAV500i.pdf

My system consists of:

Krell KAV-500i
Krell KAV-300cd
Cardas Neutral Reference
Audioquest Lapis X3 Ballanced IC
B&W Nautilis 802's

Similar Products Used:
Krell 300i

Summary:
I've owned the KAV 500i for about 6 months, and I've never been less than fully satisfied with my purchase. This amp is very detailed and punchy, but to my taste it is never overly analytical or harsh. I've been surprised that it runs a little hotter than I thought it might, but that's probably due to my relatively low impedance speakers.
When I bought the Krell I auditioned somewhat more expensive separates from Conrad Johnson, Bryston, Classe, and a few others. Nothing that I heard matched the performance of the KAV 500i. I have heard significantly more expensive gear that sounds better then this Krell, but considering the punch this amp offers it's tough to beat at anywhere near the price.

Summary:
This is one top notch integrated. The 300i is superb, this one is even better.
Please note that MrB submitted the same negative review to many models of Krell equipment. It is hard to believe that he has owned and/or taken the time to review so many models.