Introduction In America, we love things big. We buy big houses, big vehicles and when we eat, we “super-size” our meals. We like monster trucks and enjoy watching big athletes play in the “Super Bowl” on our big-screen TVs. Therefore it’s no wonder that there is a market for huge audio amplifiers. For over 20 years, Krell Industries has been famous for making some of the biggest, baddest and most powerful amplifiers in the world. The Krell FPB (Full Power Balanced) 700cx is Krell’s latest top-of-the-line amplifier in the FPB stereo amplifier line-up. The amplifier retails for $14,000 and is rated at 700 watts per channel into eight ohms, 1400 watts into four ohms and a whopping 2800 watts into two ohms. Having recently reviewed the Krell FPB 400cx, I was reminded of the Krell’s top build quality. Weighing in at 180 pounds and measuring 19 inches wide, 10.3 inches tall and 25.5 inches deep, makes ...

Introduction When investing in a new receiver, your should look for a unit that not only has all of the features and inputs that you need today, but should also be thinking about where you think your system will be in several years. New sound formats come along faster than “Police Academy” movies did in the ‘80s. The best way to protect your investment is to assure that you have as much of the future features that you can afford. As the story goes, you rarely regret over-purchasing, but always regret under-purchasing. Enter the $1,850 Kenwood Sovereign VR-5700 Audio/Video Receiver. This THX Ultra certified receiver features 5 x 120 watts of power, a Universal Video HD video format transcoder, HDCD decoding and supports Dolby Digital, DTS, Dolby Pro Logic II, THX Surround EX, DTS ES (matrix and discrete), and DTS Neo 6 decoding audio formats – in other words, in nearly every current decoding ...

Introduction Movie buffs may remember the name Krell from the movie "Forbidden Planet," where the Krell were the most powerful race of an alien civilization. Krell Industries, manufacturer of some the world’s most exotic AV equipment, named its company after this superior species. Like Morbius, another “Forbidden Planet” character who sat in front of the Krell’s computer terminal trying to understand their science, I sit in front of Krell’s amplifier, learning about its science. The amplifier I’m talking about is the Krell FPB (Full Power Balanced) 400cx, Krell’s latest “mid-priced” offering in the FPB stereo amplifier line-up, priced at $10,500. The 400cx is rated at 400 watts per channel into eight ohms, 800 watts in four ohms and 1600 watts into two ohms. Upon unboxing the Krell FPB 400cx, I was immediately struck by its build quality. Weighing in at 110 pounds and measuring 19 inches wide, 10.3 inches tall and 19.7 inches deep, this ...

Introduction If you have been into high-performance audio for more than a couple of months, there has been at least one point when you lusted for Krell gear in your system. Dan D’Agostino’s passion and joie de vivre for everything else he does in life (exotic cars, motorcycles, cooking and more) doesn’t even compare with his enthusiasm for the high art form of musical reproduction. Ask anyone who knows the subject about great sound and you are likely to hear Krell brought into the conversation. Krell does nothing better than make amplifiers. The Krell Full Power Balanced 350Mcx, as it is formally known, is a 350 watts per channel (into eight ohm impedances) mono amplifier priced at $6,000 each or (more frequently) at $12,000 per pair. The amp is based on Class A circuitry, which is expensive to design and manufacture but results in a very clean sound that directly addresses the main knock the ...

Introduction Specialty audio/video manufacturers come and go, leaving a rare few who last long enough to see their tenth birthday. Loudspeaker manufacturer Klipsch has survived more than five decades. They have done so with products designed and manufactured with an unwavering design philosophy - reproducing the live event. Klipsch provided me with a review package consisting of their largest components in the Reference line: the RF-7 floor-standing speakers at $2,200 per pair, the RC-7 center speaker at $800, the RSW-15 powered subwoofer costing $1,800, and the RS-7 wall-mounted surround speakers at $900 per pair. The center channel, front main loudspeakers are video-shielded and are available in three handcrafted furniture-grade veneers: jet ash, medium cherry or blond maple. The surrounds speakers are only available with black or white vinyl finishes. The RSW-15 powered subwoofer measures 19.25 inches tall, 18.5 inches wide, 24.5 inches deep and weighs 85 pounds. Its bass reflex design uses a rear-firing 15-inch Cerametallic (specially treated anodized ...