This is my system right now. I am back into having a system at home for the first time in 22 years. The system sounds great in the living room and integrates well. It is very easy to get into any kind of music especially with the addition of the subwoofer. The sound is musical and easy to listen to. The room is medium large and well damped into an open house layout. An upgraded amp is on my list. Recommendations are welcome. I would be buying an amp from Audiogon most likely. Power cords are also by Siltech.
You have a great system, I had mini utopias before. You do need a better amp, try to stick with Krell, I would strongly recomend FPB 200 C, and also you should try Transparent Audio cables cause they match well with Krell and JM labs. I hope this would help.
I'm very familiar with your system have had all but the Siltech in my system. It all depends on your listening preference but if you can get rid of the Krell and replace with the Gamut you will be in heaven with the speakers and the KPS 25sc. Or, if your budget is unlimited, the Krell 750mcx is just about the best thing out there.
The CD/Preamp sits on top of the three shelf unit that houses the Krell amp and conditioner. To tell the truth, I don't know the model of the conditioner. When I took it in and out of the system I did hear a difference and it sounded better. It was subtle but there. I plugged the amp directly into the socket and the CD/Pre-amp into the conditioner. I don't think it was psycho-acoustic subjectivity on the part of the conditioner.
Thanks for the idea about Plinius. I am going to try and audition a Pass Labs x-250 at home as well as an Edge NL-10.
Yeah, I like maybe a good higher powered VTL tube amp to replace your krell amp with those speakers. Krell and JM Utopia's are going to be a bit on the cold and analytical sound for me. Good components, need better match I think for amp/speakers. have fun...
When the YBA Passion Integre was released late last year at an audio show (don't remember which one), the Integre was used on a set of Utopia... The comments that I got was that people couldn't beleive their ears. Such a small unit giving such a big sound (musical, detailled, wide soundstage...) The setup was amazing...
The Passion line from YBA is very interesting. The only drawback is that you can't find them on the used market (they sell most of their gear in Europe and Japan)... If you're looking to buy such gears, you will probably have to buy brand new.
Note: I would note be surprised if you auditionned the Passion Integre and prefered it to your Krell gear. The only downside is that the Integre may sound a bit lean (but less grainy) compared to your Krell (which would not be the case if you auditionned for Amp/Preamp Passion Combo).
YBA will play your JM very well, as Jacques Mahule (sp? i.e., Mr JM) voices his speakers with YBA, among others. These "others" being, among yet others, Symphonic Line -- of which a pair of monos are (were) on sale here @ A'gon. My experience with JM Utopia & mini, led me to choose between these two for ss. I *personally* (pls note) choose YBA OR CAT Ultimate OR S-Line pre & S-Line power. But the Passion stereo with its own pre, OR YBA 1 pre, OR CAT Ultimate OR S-Line Klanquelle, was a difficult proposition to beat -- even at its price. That's my limited experience and I listen mainly to classical & blues.
Please make yourself a favor before buying. Audition the YBA Passion Amp ($9,600) and Preamp (8,640.00). You will get a sound that is less grainy and a lot more musical than the Krell (you may think that I'm crazy but I urge you to audition).
The Passion is rated at 250W into 8 ohms and 500W into 4 ohms. You can get the mono amps for around $14,000 if you need more power. I made the audition of a Passion amp/preamp against a Krell 300c/AR LS-25 kit on a pair of Martin Logan Statement E2 (these babies are HUGE and expensive). The cabling was all Siltech G5.
I personnaly bought the Integrated model since the amp/preamp combo is way out of my budget. But If I could afford such gear, the Passion amp/preamp would be a definite choice.
The store I bought my gear sells Krell, YBA, audio Research, Theta, etc and a good portion of their Krell clients switched to some YBA gear or Audio Research gear (the AR gear sound warmer than YBA Passion).
YBA is not well known in the states (it's a french brand) but any store that carries the line will agree that their gear is VERY musical while being very detailled sounding. You should try finding a store that carries both YBA and Krell. A/B testing is easier and more accurate that way...
