Krell, VTL

Krell KSA-100 power amp. This was Krell's first statement product in 1980 that defined the whole genre of overbuilt Yankee muscle amps. The KSA-100 is more than just a muscle amp though as it runs all the way to full output in pure class A operation and sounds wonderful as a result. Many people prefer the sound of these first generation products to the newer, more sophisticated and supposedly "better" models...
It is rated at 100wpc into 8ohm loads, 200wpc into 4 ohms, 400wpc into 2 ohms and 800 wpc into 1 ohm but measures higher. It is built like a truck with true dual mono internal construction with a 900VA tranny and 80000 uF of power supply per channel. This amp has slam, grunt, bass and sheer grip in abundance.
It is however 28 years old. Condition is very good but not cosmetically perfect. It was serviced in November 2007 by a highly respected and suitably experienced/qualified engineer in Surrey who replaced several internal parts, commented that it was an excellent old thing and that they don't make them like they used to etc etc and then charged me accordingly. Ouch.
This amp is a genuine force of nature, with the rare combination of sublime sound and absolutely effortlessly big and powerful (torquey, in car terminology ) presentation. £1250







VTL IT-85 valve integrated. Eh?! Never heard of it, I hear you say, what's one of those then?

VTL have an interesting history, are now based in California, were the launchpad for Manley Labs and make some formidable amps. The IT-85 is their only integrated amp and is very much their entry level product. However, don't think that it is some sort of stripped out cut-price special. This is a mature and versatile design that really does live up to the company slogan of "making tubes user friendly".

Line inputs: CD, Tape, Tuner, Aux1, Aux 2
Line outputs: Tape

Switchable processor loop input & output
or
Pre out for bi-amping or subwoofer

Headphone socket on front panel, switchable
Mute toggle switch
Remote controlled volume (Alps Blue) and mute functions

Build quality is impressive, even if the styling is a little dumpy. The anodized black front panel is a slab of machined alloy and all the controls are reassuringly sturdy to the touch. There is a removable perforated steel cage which completely encloses the valves, caps & transformers. RCA sockets are quality gold plated items and speaker binding posts are hefty solid metal. It weighs 28kg, dimensions are 40 x 28 x 18cm.

So much for all that. It sounds good too
I've used it most successfully with a pair of Harbeth Compact 7s, a really lush combination.
The natural-sounding midband and treble from the valves worked a treat with the Yamaha NS1000M but the bass drive and control was not up to the same standard (those speakers are a pig to drive). However the sound was sublime when I added a sub to the system, run from the IT-85s pre-out. The neighbours all thought so too.
The VTL sounds lovely with my current Merlins but although it betters my regular amp in some respects (tonality, mainly), overall the current solid-state incumbent is better (I think :? ) and will stay on.
The VTL's sound is not at all olde-worlde soft or safe. It can do attack and gutsy as well as most things whilst maintaining a beguilingly natural sense of acoustic and intimate musical communication.
I wish I knew how to write this sort of stuff without falling into magazine-ish cliches, sorry. In short, it is a good sounding and even-handed valve amplifier that is very easy to live with and will work best with relatively benign speaker loads.

Published reviews are only another person's opinion but these all do seem to concur:
Stereophile 2001
Audioenz 2002
TAS 2002
TAS 2007

I have owned the amp since 2005 and condition is excellent. I have the remote, (very good) owner's manual and original factory packaging. A quad of Svetlana EL-34s, four Mullard CV4024/M8162 (12AT7 equivalents) & a pair of GE JC-5814WA (12AU7 equivalents) were fitted in March 2007. These are all top quality tubes and were only used for three months after that (before upgrade-itis struck) so plenty of life left. The bias was set (absolute doddle, with clear instructions in the manual) at the time but I'm happy to do it again for the buyer before it leaves if requested. I've just put the amp back in my system this week and it is working 100%.

There appears to be no active distribution right now so I can't give a UK price but, FWIW, the new price in the USA is $3250. I'm asking £875.

 

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Price adjustments:

Krell £1150 ono

VTL £795 ono

 

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