Krell Home Theater Standard

Krell HTS A/V Pre Amp. This unit was removed for an upgrade. Item works 100 percent and is in very good condition. Comes with box and remote.

The Krell HTS2 is impressively built. Its Architech construction means lots of luxe anodized-aluminum panels bolted together to increase structural rigidity. It’s definitely a component that screams for attention. If it could walk down a runway in New York, I have no doubt it would -- and heads would turn. In addition, the component is built in modules like a computer, with individual cards containing entire circuits rising vertically from the unit's base. This modular construction means upgradeability is designed in from the beginning.

The front panel is lined with small silver-colored buttons that control all the basic functions. The credit-card-sized remote control that duplicates these commands, will, in all probability, see more use than the front panel. It is uncluttered, intuitive, and easy to use -- a pleasant change from the norm. Centrally located in the faceplate is a large display whose green readout can be read without much effort from about 12 feet across the room.

The back panel, too, is clean and well thought out. Its slew of high-quality connectors includes a set of balanced inputs and outputs for all sources and channels. These use a lot of space, but Krell considers them necessary for long runs and for the numerous top-flight amplifiers that operate in differential mode. Yet, the rear panel is laid out intelligently -- I had no problem connecting even my beefiest RCAs, due, in no small part, to the increased height dictated by the unit's vertical-card construction.

With its new KAV line, Krell has reduced chassis width to make for easier rack mounting, while increasing the chassis height to keep quarters from being too cramped. This aids installation in the real world, an area where many of the A/V receivers on the market today fall short -- cramped rear panels effectively limit the cabling you can use to zip cord. The unit is also as solid as a brick. When inserting the seemingly endless array of cables necessary to link up all the components of a home-theater system, I never got the impression that the HTS2's back panel was in danger of caving into its innards, the way I have with the flimsy sheet metal of less robust components.

The Krell also offers "broadcast quality" video switching for consumers with multiple video sources, in addition to a feature many audiophiles will find most impressive: the Krell Current Mode system used in the company’s preamps, such as the KCT and KRC-3, is employed in all six channels! There’s no question that Krell has spared no expense to live up to the sound quality of their two-channel gear.