Time was when 'Class A' automatically meant 'Krell' and now, some 34 years after those original power amps hit the high-end, the company has returned to its roots, albeit with a twist. Claiming to combine the 'musicality of Class A operation with vastly improved energy efficiency' its new iBias amplifiers continuously monitor the power through their output transistors, instantly adjusting the standing current (or bias) to suit demands. Quite how this sliding bias technology differs from Technics' 'New Class A' and JVC's 'Super-A' regimes promoted through the 1980s is unclear, but the essential premise of eliminating NPN/PNP transistor crossover distortion while minimising waste heat is broadly the same. The proprietorial nature of iBias resides in Krell's monitoring of dynamic signals and the load-sharing of its multiple Motorola 'PowerBase' output transistors.
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