Krell SOLO 575 XD

Description

The Krell Duo 575 XD is a 575 watt mono-power amp with their unique iBias Technology. Krell’s history is rich with breakthrough Class A amplifiers that have helped build the Krell legacy of offering the best sounding amplifiers available. Audiophiles have always considered Class A technology to be the best sounding operating state for amplifiers. However, despite Class A’s unrivaled sound quality, it has fallen out of fashion because of recent demands to reduce power consumption and heat in home electronics products. Krell engineering took this challenge and redefined the meaning of high performance power amplifier.

Krell’s “XD” (Xtended Dynamics, Xtended Dimensionality, Xtended Detail) upgrade for the iBias amplifiers takes an already great sounding amplifier and raises its performance to the next level. “XD” is a classic example of Krell’s continuous R&D efforts reaping benefits across multiple product lines. During the development of the K-300i Integrated Amplifier we discovered substantial sonic improvements by lowering the output impedance below traditional norms. So they applied this technique to their existing line of amplifiers and the improvement was so substantial that it required a unique designation, hence, “XD.”

Krell’s history is rich with breakthrough Class A amplifiers that have helped build the Krell legacy of offering the best sounding amplifiers available. Audiophiles have always considered Class A technology to be the best sounding operating state for amplifiers. However, despite Class A’s unrivaled sound quality, it has fallen out of fashion because of recent demands to reduce power consumption and heat in home electronics products. Krell engineering took this challenge and redefined the meaning of high performance power amplifier. Our goal – unmatched performance, elegant design, and a compelling array of features. The breakthrough – a patent pending circuit delivering Class A operation without the excessive heat and wasted energy of conventional designs, housed in a striking new form factor, with network connectivity for advanced access and monitoring. The sound is open and unconstrained, in a manner that rivals live performance and the true sound of voices and instruments. Music and dialogue are reproduced with a richness, detail, and startling dynamics that fill a room.

Power supply technology has always been an important contributor to the Krell sound. The power supplies of the Krell iBias Class A amplifiers have been optimized for use with the iBias circuit. Depending on the model, up to four toroidal transformers feed amplifier modules that include the audio circuitry, rectifier, and power supply filtering mounted to an individual heat sink. This design shortens the electrical path from the power supply to the output transistors, reducing the overall impedance and allowing the circuit to respond faster and control the speakers even better and more accurately.

The Duo 375 amplifier includes RJ 45 Ethernet connectivity and an internal web page that is accessible from any smartphone, tablet, or laptop. Network connectivity brings convenience, monitoring, and reporting to end users. Amplifier configuration options include display brightness and timeout. For energy conservation, the amplifiers can be programmed to power off at a preset time of inactivity. Individual channels can be muted and firmware updates can be initiated from the web server.

The new iBias circuitry is built on a foundation of core Krell circuit technologies. All signal gain is realized in the current domain using proprietary multiple-output current mirrors with extraordinary open loop linearity. Each amplifier channel uses all discrete components. There are no generic integrated circuits or op amps used anywhere. Gain is distributed among several stages, allowing each to have a large linear operating area.

Reserved for the Solo 375 and Solo 575 is Krell’s CAST inputs and circuitry. Current Audio Signal Transmission, termed CAST, is a revolutionary method of connecting analog audio components for unparalleled sonic performance. In traditional audio systems, each component is a discrete entity with unique characteristics that act upon the musical signal independently. Each component is unaware of the other components in the system. The cables that connect the components also have their own electrical characteristics, which affect the sonic presentation of the entire system. Krell CAST™ unifies individual components and interconnects them into an electrically linked whole. The original signal remains unaltered from source to speaker. Still equipped with standard connections for use with other components, the full expression of Krell technology is realized when the system is connected using Krell CAST MMF interconnects. Krell CAST connected systems offer significant improvements in every performance area: speed, precision, dynamic range, depth and width of the sound stage, transient impact, and tonal balance.

Krell iBias Class A amplifiers are the first to deliver the rich musicality of Class A amplifiers, the uncompromised dynamics of classic Krell amplifiers, and the efficiency and low power consumption of Class G and H amplifiers.

Because the iBias circuit eliminates crossover distortion, the amplifier is able to resolve more of the detail and microdynamics in even the best analog recordings. Simply put, the music breathes. Whether an iBias amplifier is called on to reproduce the extreme dynamic range of high-resolution digital files, the minute intricacies of a 45-rpm, 180-gram vinyl record, or the complexity of today’s latest blockbuster action film, it does so without altering or abating the music in any way.

The iBias amplifiers’ unprecedented ability to retrieve the subtlest details gives their sound an incredible dimensionality, with an ambient, broad and extraordinarily deep soundstage. As spacious as the sound is, though, the amplifiers are still able to produce pinpoint stereo imaging if the recording calls for it.

It’s all the power and control for which Krell has always been famous, with a level of resolution and musicality in the midrange and treble that has simply never been heard before.

In short, the new patent pending iBias Class A Krell amplifers give today’s audiophiles and home theater fans everything they could possibly want in an amplifier.