Tawnos said:
Lets start off with some basic logic, the high end producers use the same DAC's the same DSP's the same decoding boards and the same design. When I took apart my Mcintosh MX135 there was nothing inside that would require that high of a price, hell the chips did not even have any heat sinks on them!
Krell is the laughing stock of the high end.
Finally something we both agree with Tawnos.
Krell is a fairly well marketed High-End audio manufacturer. It is well known and many beginners hear they are one of the best in the business. They make very nice looking products, and very functional products. But the price makes it a very difficult thing to justify purchasing. I have heard Krell products before and they do not inspire me to spend thousands of dollars. If you compared say an Anthem processor to the Krell processors I would venture to say the differences, audible differences, would be very small. And as far as features Krell isn't the cream of the crop either.
Krell cators to audiophiles that don't know much about their hobby. They would be one of those companies that support direct path crap. They don't have the same amount of flexibility as many other pre-pros either.
http://www.krellonline.com/krell_component.php?id=48&page=kavhts71
You can see in this link that they are limited in connectivity, and where is HDMI, component video, I don't see video switching at all here.
More functional pre-pros with minimal difference in sound quaulity can be had for less.
If the HTS 5.1 was in the $2000 or less range it may be worth it, but for $7000 there is no way in hell.