Krell KPS-20i CD Player, Complete and Perfect (Krell Playback System)

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Replicating a CD player of this quality and construction today would cost close to $30k from what I have seen.

This beast is an absolute tour de force and one of my all time favorites. When we posted pictures on Instagram we got tons of inquiries about selling it. At the time we weren't ready since we were assembling a reference Krell system and this was the icing on the cake. We've now split up the system so it's time for it to go to a new home...

This KPS CD player is working perfectly. Plays, tracks, and responds immediately. All functions, inputs, and outputs work as they should.

Only quirk is that for the drawer to operate the unit has to be at operating temperature. You can power off the unit via the front power switch, it just can't be dead cold like out of the box. It was recently serviced by the previous owner and that's what the service center stated.

This is a complete collector set including the Krell remote, manual, and original box plus power cord. 

$9000 in 1995! Over $16k in today's dollars.

From a Stereophile review written by Robert Harley in 1995:
The Krell KPS-20i (KPS stands for "Krell Playback System") is essentially a CD transport and digital processor in one chassis. What make the KPS-20i different from a CD player are the unit's five digital inputs, which allow the KPS-20i to function as a digital/analog converter for external digital sources.

Inside, the KPS-20i is packed with electronics, with a heavy emphasis on the power supply and analog output stage. The supply is fed from a large (100VA) transformer, and features 11 separate regulation stages. Of these, the ±18V analog supply and the DAC supplies use cascaded regulation (the output of one regulator is re-regulated by another regulator). These circuits use a combination of discrete devices and three-pin chips. The heatsinks for this massive supply are bolted to the chassis, thereby converting the entire unit into a huge heat dissipator. As with other Krell components, the KPS-20i runs very hot—particularly the left-hand side, where the heatsinks are bolted to the chassis. The main filter caps are very large electrolytics, and many small distributed electrolytics (which are bypassed with film types) are located next to the circuits they supply.

The digital input receiver, the ubiquitous Crystal CS8412, is used only when the KPS-20i is decoding the signal from an external digital source. When used as a CD player, the KPS-20i needs no input receiver, and doesn't suffer from S/PDIF interface-induced jitter.

The digital-filter output is converted to an analog audio signal by four Burr-Brown PCM63 DAC chips. Four DACs are used for true differential operation: the digital signal is split into positive and negative phases in the digital domain, then converted separately by the four DACs (+L, –L, +R, –R). This method of using four DACs for balanced operation is much better (and more expensive) than simply putting a phase splitter in the analog output stage to create the balanced signal.

Conclusion - The KPS-20i's build quality is outstanding. The thick, beautiful metalwork, motorized disc-chamber door, transport-isolation mechanisms, and custom-machined disc clamp suggest a high degree of mechanical refinement. The KPS-20i has the look and feel of a product that will last forever.

Click below to add our recommended matching cables from Kimber Kable, all brand new as SkyFi is an official Kimber dealer.

Kimber Kable - RCA Interconnects

Kimber Kable - XLR Interconnects

Kimber Kable - Power Cords

Kimber Kable - Coaxial Digital Interconnect

Kimber Kable - Optical Digital Interconnect

Kimber Kable - Digital AES/EBU (XLR Connector) Interconnect

Specifications:
CD player with remote control, optional HDCD decoding, and digital inputs/outputs (preamplifier version has remote volume control)

Analog Outputs:
Balanced on XLR jacks
Unbalanced on RCA jacks

Digital Inputs:
Two S/PDIF on RCA jacks
One TosLink optical
One AT&T ST-Type optical
One AES/EBU on XLR jack

Digital Outputs:
S/PDIF on RCA jack
(TosLink and ST-Type optical outputs optional)

Analog Output Impedance:
12 ohms

Dimensions:
19" H by 5" H by 15" D.

Shipping Weight:
54 lbs.