It's clear someone hasn't switched to "digital" technologies. Solid state giant Krell brought out a virtual army of new gear at CES this year, one of which is the $16500 FBI -- Full Balanced Integrated. 300 watts per side, the Krell FBI doesn't seem to fit into any of their other product lines so it's thrown into a new category called "Unique Model Series." In person, this product looks like a shiny sherman tank...and probably sounds like one. Oh! Drama?

Really, a new integrated from Krell isn't anything terribly interesting other than the fact that, well, it's not from Mark Levinson and, more importantly, what it means for the industry. Really, Krell is a survivor and one of the few companies (along with speaker giant Martin Logan) to actually have real world sales in home theater stores. While their sound is up for debate, their marketing is not -- non-audiophiles are the target. Mark Levinson, one of the vanguards of SS amps and Krell's logical rival (if there is such a thing), has, as some may know, fallen into a world of trouble. So despite being one of the old school, Krell is blazing trails into HT territory and doing big business.

But what the heck does it mean when their new 2-channel int-amp is thrown into the "Unique Model Series" category? Sure Krell has a whole slew of 2-channel high end gear, but their business is in their HEAT series of HT packaged products. Has it become the absolute rule that, to survive, one must embrace big box home theater?