KECES S300+ Stereo Amplifier $3499 Review

After we had listened to the SVSs, we then drug out his pair of JBL ES80s and swapped out the SVSs for these for comparison. We were instantly disappointed. Not in the S300+ mind you, but in the ES80s! Just as the S300+ revealed what the SVSs could do, it also revealed what these ES80s couldn’t do. Again, I go back to the word “revealing.” With the S300+, you’ll either fall in love with your speakers, or you’ll want to throw them off a cliff. (Hopefully the former!)

All told, I have only about 20 hours of use so far. I think it’s just starting to break-in, so some of my comments should be considered to be provisional. As is sometimes the case with higher end gear like this, it gets better with continued use. At least that’s what my ears are telling me. (Think “bloom”!) In addition to all the aforementioned titles above, I’ve also been enjoying the remasters of Andre Prévin’s recordings of Shanker, Gershwin, Prokofiev, and Tchaikovsky. It’s a real joy to listen (and re-listen) to these on a better version of my own speakers thanks to the KECES S300+.

Some final thoughts on the KECES S300+

Remember to place this amp in a very well-ventilated area. I have mine sitting on a credenza about a foot away from the DAC. Nothing else nearby. I would advise against putting this into any type of fully or semi enclosed cabinet. If you do plan on putting it somewhere other than out in the open, a small quiet low RPM fan wouldn’t be a bad idea. I’m thinking about placing a spare 140mm PC fan on top of the unit just to assist in the convective airflow for cooling.

If you’re facing a choice to either upgrade your speakers or upgrade your amplifier, choose the latter. Upgrade the amplifier first. As the KECES S300+ shows, you likely have no idea what your current (or new) speakers can do if your amplifier is sub-par compared to the true capabilities of the speakers.