Krell KSA 5 Clone (China)

[sunneebear]

On second thoughts , i think i should check if it's safe to do this or not , it sounds a bit risky and my headphones are nowhere near he-6 level of toughness .
Have you ever tried plugging your headphones to the speaker ports?

I have used headphones on speaker outputs many times. They don't always sound good. The KSA is only 6 watts but that will still be very loud for some headphones. Just take it easy with volume knob.

 

[ScubadudeSA]

I picked up this one on a trip to China last year ... https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32829483819.html

I had none of the major or minor problems the OP raised. The only issue I have is that the casework is made from a relatively soft grade of ali, and thus prone to scratches. And plugging in headphones doesn't switch off the speaker outs. Apart from that, it is a substantially solid and aesthetically pleasing build. It worked straight form the box without any issue and has been used on and off to drive headphone and 6 ohm AR Classic 5 speakers for a year now. I don't know if it really sounds like the original KSA5, but if it does the signature is probably tuned to offset light bass and strident treble of headphones at the time. An old-world sound as it has been described, it is warm and rich, with bass a little too loose for my liking. Treble is rolled off by modern standards, but the midrange is velvety smooth. Not a match for the best SS amps out there today (Phonitor is my personal reference) but better by a mile than other $200 amps I've heard. I like having a "Krell" on my rack even if it is a knock off, and the fact that it makes very pleasing music is a real bonus. Recommended for people who trust their ears more than FOTM reviews, looking for smooth and rich SS sound.

 

[Hooster]

I picked up this one on a trip to China last year ... https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32829483819.html
Recommended for people who trust their ears more than FOTM reviews, looking for smooth and rich SS sound.

Thanks for sharing. It seems like there is a variety of these clones being produced and they probably all sound different in one way or another.

It is very nicely built https://tinyurl.com/y7au9qvf. There are photos of my unit farther back in this thread. It functions perfectly but I didn't really like the sound. Mine did not have speaker taps so I did not use it to drive speakers. My impressions apply both when using this as a preamp and for driving headphones. It was too laid back for my taste, the bass seemed soft, the treble diffuse and it did not seem to have a well defined sound stage.

I have been through a few headphone amps recently, a HA5000 clone, JDS Labs Atom, Rupert Neve and now finally a Lehmann Linear. The Rupert Neve was really the one that introduced me to how important headphone amplifiers are and how much they can affect the sound. It opened up that world to me, more than anything I tried previously could. It was so good that it inspired me to take another step forwards and splurge on the Lehmann Linear which is a much copied work of art. Why the Lehmann? It is very well reviewed, widely copied and it is compact with a great form factor. The workmanship is first class. I considered Violectric and Phonitor but I could not get past the price and the looks.

One conundrum that I have no satisfactory explanation for is that while the Lehmann sounds outstanding as a headphone amplifier it is not a very good preamp for driving a power amplifier. I wish I knew why, but is is what it is.

 

[ginetto61]

... Changing of the pot fixed lows of both the frequencies. The rewiring improved the clarity, separation and headroom to have a slight edge over Emotiva. ...

Hi ! thanks for the very interesting review. I do not understand clearly what mods have you performed. Could you tell me something more ?
i can only say that in my little DIY experience i have never found a time where a nice stepped attenuator has not improved sound in a very evident way.
The Alps blue are fine ... but stepped attenuator are like a window cleaner ... i have been always impressed by the increase in transparency.
Thanks a lot, gino

 

[ginetto61]

I have been through a few headphone amps recently, a HA5000 clone, ...

Hi ! i have one myself as well now stored away ... at the time i bought it i did not have enough time to evaluate it properly. Could you give me your opinion compared to your other units ... maybe a ranking ?
I have still to check if there is a dedicated thread on this forum. I doubt.
thanks a lot, gino

 

[Hooster]

Hi ! i have one myself as well now stored away ... at the time i bought it i did not have enough time to evaluate it properly. Could you give me your opinion compared to your other units ... maybe a ranking ?
I have still to check if there is a dedicated thread on this forum. I doubt.
thanks a lot, gino

Better than the Krell clone for sure. Probably not as good as JDS. As far as I remember it was nice to listen to but not overly detailed.

 

[ginetto61]

Better than the Krell clone for sure. Probably not as good as JDS. As far as I remember it was nice to listen to but not overly detailed.

Hi thanks a lot for the very kind and helpful reply I will keep it then I was impressed by its weight and i remember a r-core mains transformer maybe? Thanks again Regards gino

 

[headphonesaddict123]

Better than the Krell clone for sure. Probably not as good as JDS. As far as I remember it was nice to listen to but not overly detailed.

It's weird that the Krell you paid for looks way better than the usual <200$ ksa5 on aliexpress ... i think mine was similar to the 200$ version although it was probably built by third party in my country , instead of buying straight from china. i didn't experience any issues mentioned in #1 post , i think the amp is not very clean as i can feel it somehow distorts on high volume when matched with a low ohm headphones... but it ain't a problem with harder-to-drive cans.

Anyhow , i used to have Atom last year and while it was not a very impressive amp , it is very worth it. Not sure what Rupert Neve did you get but if it is RNHP then i can reflect on my own experience too ,i think it's a great amp .

 

[Hooster]

Anyhow , i used to have Atom last year and while it was not a very impressive amp , it is very worth it. Not sure what Rupert Neve did you get but if it is RNHP then i can reflect on my own experience too ,i think it's a great amp .

Yes, thats is the RN amp I got and I agree, it is excellent.

 

[headphonesaddict123]

haha , i wonder if there are any clones good enough to create a cult , ksa5 is nice but i suppose for the original price (<300$) you can get something nicer either buying brand new or used.