Krell takes a dive...

[Dreamer]

So I finally got the Sequels out and set up today. Everything is all wired up, and I'm ready to test the Airport connection. I walk over to my computer and just as I'm coming around the couch to sit at the laptop, I hear a HUGE crash from the rack.

I spin around, and see, in slow-motion, the Krell and the H-9AV falling on top of one of my M-500t's, which also proceeds to fall from it's shelf...

All I can think of is "oh shit, that was almost 30lbs of Krell gear falling on top of my M-500t from almost 2 feet, and then another 2 feet to the floor. I'll bet the Carver is toast."...

Well, I dove for the power strip and hit the main switch, then proceeded to carefully sort through the carnage. All the cables seemed to be OK, none of the cases were bent or even scratched on any of the 3 components. Everything seems to light up...

Then I see the one bad thing that DID happen. The locking RCAs on my cables between the DAC and the Krell just didn't let go soon enough, and the RCA inputs (input 3) on the Krell are pretty badly bent out of alignment. Well, I hook them up anyway, and turn everything on, and sure enough, there is no sound from the left channel. Amazingly enough, even with the jack bent almost 20 degrees, there is still solid sound from the right channel!!!

It's not the cables (swapped them out), it's not the amp (swapped that out too), it's definitely the bent jack. Switched the DAC inputs to #2, and it sounds GREAT.

So this little story is a true testament to Krell and Carver build quality. Both survived a pancake-stack collapse of the shelves, for a total plummet of almost 4ft, and pretty much lived to tell the tale. The only damage to ANY component was caused by a set of locking RCA plugs that did their job a little TOO well.

I guess I'll need to put a little more support under that shelf after all....

Right now, all the components are stacked on top of each other, on the floor, safe and sound. I guess now I have to decide if I want to send this unit off to Krell to have the jacks fixed/replaced. I've still got the pre-outs, the tape loop set, and 2 inputs, and since all my digital sources are routed through the DAC, if the music is coming from the CD player, the Airport, or directly from the Mac via USB, it only takes one set of inputs on the pre, an I can use the second set for my TT, because I'm using the Carver C-4000t as a phono preamp...

Man, I think I lost about 2 years of my lifespan when I hear that crash...

--Richard

 

[chris03053]

Sorry to hear about that

Oh man, that would scare the sh*t out of anybody.

It's a good thing nobody was near that spot. Ouch in a big way.


Hope everything will work out for you.

Good luck.

Chris

 

[sleepysurf]

Bummer. Sounds like you really dodged a bullet, coulda been a lot worse! Hope the RCA repairs are a simple fix.

 

[paulo m]

Hope the RCA repairs are a simple fix.

Same here. Next time, put the heavy stuff closer to the floor --I shudder just to think of my 60 lbs of amp and 50 lbs of CDP crashing to the floor one on top of the other (and that's why I have them on floor-level platforms).

 

[amey01]

Go buy yourself a lottery ticket!

What happened? The shelf just couldn't take the weight?

 

[Dreamer]

Go buy yourself a lottery ticket!

What happened? The shelf just couldn't take the weight?

No, just had it balanced incorrectly I guess. They are 12" deep shelves, and the Krell is about 16" deep. I am going to make bogger shelves and extend the support cleats, but in the haste to get everything set up, I just pulled the shelf out a few inches and set the Krell on it that way. It had been there for the better part of a week with no problems. Th Krell (like most components) is rear-heavy, so I figured it would be OK. I don't know what happened. It probably shouldnever have been put up that way but I wanted to have my system as close to "up and running" as it could be.

Haste makes waste, indeed....

Considering the relatively minor damage, I really dodged a bullet. I'm going to call Krell tomorrow and get an estimate on getting the RCA jacks replaced. If its going to be more than a few hundred clams, I'll probably just open the case and try and fix or replace them myself. It's out of warranty anyway...

--Richard

 

[eknuds01]

So I finally got the Sequels out and set up today. Everything is all wired up, and I'm ready to test the Airport connection. I walk over to my computer and just as I'm coming around the couch to sit at the laptop, I hear a HUGE crash from the rack.

I spin around, and see, in slow-motion, the Krell and the H-9AV falling on top of one of my M-500t's, which also proceeds to fall from it's shelf...

All I can think of is "oh shit, that was almost 30lbs of Krell gear falling on top of my M-500t from almost 2 feet, and then another 2 feet to the floor. I'll bet the Carver is toast."...

Well, I dove for the power strip and hit the main switch, then proceeded to carefully sort through the carnage. All the cables seemed to be OK, none of the cases were bent or even scratched on any of the 3 components. Everything seems to light up...

Then I see the one bad thing that DID happen. The locking RCAs on my cables between the DAC and the Krell just didn't let go soon enough, and the RCA inputs (input 3) on the Krell are pretty badly bent out of alignment. Well, I hook them up anyway, and turn everything on, and sure enough, there is no sound from the left channel. Amazingly enough, even with the jack bent almost 20 degrees, there is still solid sound from the right channel!!!

It's not the cables (swapped them out), it's not the amp (swapped that out too), it's definitely the bent jack. Switched the DAC inputs to #2, and it sounds GREAT.

So this little story is a true testament to Krell and Carver build quality. Both survived a pancake-stack collapse of the shelves, for a total plummet of almost 4ft, and pretty much lived to tell the tale. The only damage to ANY component was caused by a set of locking RCA plugs that did their job a little TOO well.

I guess I'll need to put a little more support under that shelf after all....

Right now, all the components are stacked on top of each other, on the floor, safe and sound. I guess now I have to decide if I want to send this unit off to Krell to have the jacks fixed/replaced. I've still got the pre-outs, the tape loop set, and 2 inputs, and since all my digital sources are routed through the DAC, if the music is coming from the CD player, the Airport, or directly from the Mac via USB, it only takes one set of inputs on the pre, an I can use the second set for my TT, because I'm using the Carver C-4000t as a phono preamp...

Man, I think I lost about 2 years of my lifespan when I hear that crash...

--Richard

Oh no!!!! Let us know how the repairs go.

Hey, what's with you and Krell? I thought you said Krell was 'dry and analytical.'

;-p

 

[tonyc]

Richard, you certainly dodged a bullet! Hopefully the Krell can be easily fixed. I recently purchased a fairly expensive custom made record cabinet to stow my records in. In the middle of the night we heard this very loud crashing sound in the living room. I got up to look but at 1st glance didn't notice anything awry. The next morning I got a good look and realized that the top shelf had given way leading to a cascade all the way down. The records are fine but not my cabinet. So much for "satisfaction guaranteed"!

 

[Spike]

Score a point for solid-state gear

I cringe when I read this thread, all the while thinking what would happen if that was a tube amplifier (Cary, McIntosh, ARC, name your favorite tube amp) instead of your Krell. Now, come to think of it, I don't know which scenario is worse... A tube amplifier falling onto a solid-state amp or visa-versa? Either way, you would be in a world of hurt! Good choice staying with solid-state gear :rocker:

Spike

 

[Dreamer]

Oh no!!!! Let us know how the repairs go.

Hey, what's with you and Krell? I thought you said Krell was 'dry and analytical.'

;-p

I put a call into Krell (ANd emailed a "service request") and I'm waiting to hear from them for an estimate...

As far as my personal issues with Krell gear, I hold by them. When I first got this KAV-300i, I hooked it's amplifier outputs directly to the Sequels, and listened for about a week that way. It is VERY fast and authoritative--no denying that--but it DOES have that Krell sound--clinical, dry, and analytical.

There is where the beauty of Carver amps shines. Using the KAV-300i as a preamp to drive the Carver M-500t (which has a wonderfully "tubey" sound, but is 100% solid state), I get the best of both worlds. I get the detail and resolution, incredibly low noise floor, and astounding impact that Krell components are known for, AND I get that delightfully warm, alive, "tubey" sound of the Carver "Transfer function series" amps. And as much as I love tube sound, the Carvers are, in many ways, better than "real" tubes, because of their astounding build quality and low voltage load on the transistors. Carvers sound great in my system, and they just last forever. Can't say that about all those 150°+ class-A amps (Plinius sounds FANTASTIC, don't get me wrong, but those output components will start failing in about 5 years), and "bottle amps" are like owning a boat--they are a glass-lined hole in you rfloor that you throw money into.

So, yeah, I'll probably NEVER own Krell amps. And this Krell pre is just a temporary thing in my main system (I bought it specifically for a "secondary system"). But there is no denying that Krell gear IS very clean and precise-sounding, and it is virtually INDESTRUCTABLE...

--Richard

 

[Tj Bassi]

[QUOTE .........those output components will start failing in about 5 years.
--Richard[/QUOTE]


C'mon now!

T-

 

[DTB300]

.........those output components will start failing in about 5 years. --Richard

C'mon now!

TJ - Agreed.

You have to love these excessive and ridiculous blanket statements. I guess my friends with their 8-10 year old Class-A components should expect a failure at any time now....I better warn them

 

[risabet]

I put a call into Krell (and emailed a "service request") Can't say that about all those 150°+ class-A amps (Plinius sounds FANTASTIC, don't get me wrong, but those output components will start failing in about 5 years), and "bottle amps" are like owning a boat--they are a glass-lined hole in you floor that you throw money into.

--Richard

Oh come on. I know guys with Levinson ML2 (25/50/100 wpc 8/4/2 ohms pure class-A) that have been running perfectly for 25+ years. It's not the topology but the parts quality that counts. Regarding tube amps, if $3-500 (a small investment for a "new" amp) every other year is a "glass-lined" hole then you're in the wrong hobby. Most of us could spend that on tweaks in a year and not bat an eye.