Using Pro Amp as a home theater amp

mva5580

Can anyone provide any insight to this? I have the opportunity to pick up 1 of 2 for decent prices:

- Yamaha P2500S
- Crown XLS 602

I'd want to use one of these for my Rti 10 fronts....what do you think? From what I've read thus far it sounds like pro amps work just as well as the amps intended for home theather, only thing I tend to see is people always mention the possibility of fan noise. But other than that, they work just fine? It just seems like a pretty big difference in price but if it's comparable, I'm willing to go for it. The aesthetics of these vs. the home amps doesn't bother me.

Monster Jam

IF I'm not mistaken (and I could be), Pro amps are built for quantity (volume) not quality (Signal to Noise ratio). As I understand it, it will work well enough assuming you aren't particularly picky about hiss and whatnot.

BlueFox

I have never heard a pro-amp outside of auditorium settings, so I have no experience with the subject. Since this is the Internet, that makes me an expert.

Based on what has been discussed in the past on this subject, I would guess it depends on what level of quality you want in your system. Obviously, it is better than nothing, and might be great for you in a HT. Personally, I use my HT as an SACD surround sound system, so I want a high level of quality for the sound for both music and movies. Whether a pro-amp can do that or not I do not know, and probably never will.

The impression I get from these threads is some like them, and many feel they have no place in a home system.

ambiophonics

Both those amps, the 2500s and the XLS 602 are pretty low end when it comes to pro audio gear. I know that crown doesn't bother repairing the 602's under warranty... I called them once to get a price on some parts and was told the only replacement part available was a new main Pcb... And it came with a complimentary case. The Yamaha uses a switch mode power supply which I'm not really a big fan of as they haven't proved to be terribly reliable in those amps and can be challenging to troubleshoot when issues do arise.

Interesting note: I once had a 2500s in the shop that would run perfectly with the lid removed but if you moved the lid within an inch or two of the top of the amp (not even touching) it would go into protect. Figure that one out.

fokakis1

Out of curiosity I hooked up a Behringer EPQ-2000 (specs say 500 x 2 RMS @ 8 ohms) to my Rti-A9's. I was rather impressed with the results. The mids and highs sounded identical to my receiver, but the bass was improved at higher levels. Also, there was no end to how loud it would play. I could not stay in the room to tell you about it. What impressed me the most was that there was no pop/thump upon turn on, and there was NO hiss, hum, or noise coming from the speakers when I paused the music and turned the gain and volume knobs both to about 90%. The downside is of course the fan noise. I hope this helps.

philr168

I run a carver pm350 for my surrounds and a bridged pm350 for my subs. I also have a pm175 for the rears. They work well and blend well with my main a m1.5 and center a bridged m200. They are dead quiet. The do produce some fan noise but thats not a problem in my situation because they are in a closet off the listening area.

steveinaz

Pro amp vs "Home" audio amp:

Think of it this way; commercial truck vs Super Duty "consumer" truck. While the commercial truck is a real work horse, and can do some things better than the consumer truck, it's handling, noise level, and ultilitarian "feel" will wear on you. Where the consumer truck is more refined, far better handling, and loaded with features, though it can't do the heaviest lifting it can do most anything a consumer would encounter.

Pro amps are built for reliability, and sturdiness because they endure high outputs for hours on end. This requires cooling fans (usually), and since noise isn't really a worry in these amps, they're not the quietest fans ever made (again, think utilitarian). They are not very refined in sound. There's a different purpose in mind (gobs of power/reliability), and fidelity doesn't rank high on the priorities.

Can pro amps work in a home audio setting? Sure, just don't expect the ultimate refinement; anymore than you would expect refinement out of pro audio horn loaded speakers in your livingroom.

I don't consider (IMO) Carver and Soundcraftsmen "pro" amps, though they have been used this way; they're more geared for the audiophile.

ruckus1027

Sorry to kind of be off topic.


However, I am trying to first dip my toes into external power amps and in search for a great deal, I am running into A LOT of pro amps. I've been trying to really grasp what the difference is and thank you Original Poster and all the people that gave input! This has been quite an enlightening thread!

I think, for my case, I will wait longer for the right deal on a Home power amp.

steveinaz

Like any "which one should I buy" topic, you have to ask yourself "how picky am I?" If you're a picky listener, after the ultimate fidelity--stay with a "home" audio amplifier. If your putting together a killer garage/patio/pool rig, sure grab a pro amp if that blows your skirt up.

I've yet to encounter a pro amp with pure class A output at any wattage range.

michaeljhsda2

I ran bridged Crown XLS 602D's in my home stereo system a couple of years ago. It delivered high SPL's, however, the quality of the sound was not as good as the tube amps that I currently use.

steveinaz

Pro amps tend to be bright/grainy sounding because of the switching topology used to minimize heat, and enhance reliability. They're built for horsepower only.

bklynNupe

BlueFox wrote: »

... so I have no experience with the subject. Since this is the Internet, that makes me an expert.

Too funny!

onebadchad

I have a peavey 1.3k running 2 18" subs in my house, and have for years, works just fine, its ugly and the cords are huge. but its bullet proof and never had a problem, the amp itself is kinda noisy but the music is just fine.. my 2 cents

EndersShadow

onebadchad wrote: »

I have a peavey 1.3k running 2 18" subs in my house, and have for years, works just fine, its ugly and the cords are huge. but its bullet proof and never had a problem, the amp itself is kinda noisy but the music is just fine.. my 2 cents

Many here would say that for use with subs a pro amp is fine, but not for mains due to differences in the frequencys they normally handle.

steveinaz

Exactly, pro amps for sub use is fine.

rtart

I own a Yamaha PD2500 (250wpc x 2) that I bought to drive a pair of 4 x 12" sub arrays. (This was Hoosier's DIY project.) The subs didn't give me the bottom end I wanted, but I played with the amp for a while. I used it to drive my RT3000p's in my HT setup and was not unhappy with the sound. It has cooling fans, which when they kicked on, were noticable. I had to crank it up for a good while to get them to kick in, however. I ran a set of RT55's with them as well, and had no issues either. No hum, buzz, etc. and the dynamic range and performance seemed comparable to my Sherbourn amp and an ATI amp I had at the time.

So to summarize, I agree with others. They aren't as pretty or as quiet (ref fans) than 'home' gear, but the sound is as good in many cases. Can't beat the price vs. performance, in many cases.

naturallight

Interesting post. I have a QSC G5 amp sitting around doing nothing. It's basically brand new. I bought it for a PA upgrade, that i never did, so i have a $450+ amp sitting around doing nothing. It's 500watts @8ohms.
It might be interesting hooking this up to my RTi 12's..just to see what it sounds like, as it's a music only system.

Maybe if i just play heavy rock, and stuff on it....may work. But there is the fan noise..so to play something soft probably not going to work too well. But my Onkyo M504 will play this stuff so loud anyway..and you get blasted with bass on some of this stuff.....Not sure if it would do much of anything...maybe make it louder, but, that would be to the point you could not be in the room anyway...LOL

But an interesting thought.

rtart

Worth a try.

naturallight

OK..not so good an idea. I forgot how loud those fans are. I guess it would depend on were your equipment rack is. Mine, is just an open rack and i'm sitting directly in front of it. As soon as you turn the amp on, all you hear is the fan, in a dead quite room. I put on counting crows (probably not the best choice) but i didn't get half way thru it. All i was doing was listening for the fan noise...didn't even pay much attention to how it sounded. It just became a real pain, so i just shut it down.

I would depend on were you could put the amp. Like most said, for a sub..probably works great, if you can stick the amp in a corner, or someplace out of direct earshot. But you can't have this sitting directly in front of you ,,,,

Not a great test...LOL

Toolfan66

Right Tool/Right Job ??

naturallight

Well my test was really a lark..I had the amp sitting there. But as soon as i plugged it in i could not get past the fan noise...so It could work fine for HT..even the mains...but I'm for sure not going to state that as fact...LOL

DarkHorror

Most people who buy a pro-amp for home use mod the fan or have them in a different room so you don't hear them. You can look online for how to mod the fan so you can use a quiet fan. And as usual some pro amps are great others are not good for home use. The big plus is the amount of power you get for the money.

naturallight

Yeah i agree..the QSC is one of the better pro amps out there...and may well work for HT use....may even work well for 2 channel...
depending on what your looking for. But for sure, you do have to change out the fan...LOL

rtart

Sorry it didn't work out.

My HT rack is totally enclosed, so fan noise is not an issue.

I built it when I built my HT and it has full access to the back via a walk-in closet. I installed forced air fans for cooling coming in the bottom and out the top. The shelves have cut-outs to allow airflow.

The front panels are covered in black Formica laminate bonded to 1/4" hardboard. I use a router and a 1/4" straight bit in a router table to make the cutouts nice and clean. Takes a little time and careful measuring, but I've done it many times as gear goes in and out of my stack.

It's a built-in rack. I used 3/4" MDF for the frame and shelves and 1/4" MDF for the back panels. Two Rat Shack fans at the bottom and one in the top. They run off 110VAC and I use a port on my power center to turn them on. I looked at a thermostatic control system, but didn't need it. They run pretty much silently and I'd rather move too much air than not enough.

Here are some photos: (Sorry, they aren't the greatest.)

You can see the back side with and without the back in place. Panels are held on by a groove in the bottom 3/4" horizontal support and a pair of 1/4-20 studs with wing nuts at the top. Simple, but works great, and back side access makes cabling a breeze.

naturallight

LOL nothing to be sorry about. I don't run an HT system...i just thought, because i had the amp sitting around, i could do a test of the QSC VS a High-Fi amp...but was not to be..as i said..could not get past the fan noise....LOL

zingo

There are starting to be very good alternatives to pro amps if you want that level of power at that price. Many of the new class D amps have great SQ, good power, and are very reasonably priced; plus, no fan!

drmar

Not much love here for pro amps in home systems. My experience, though limited, is different.

A few years ago my NAD power amp died and I substituted a Sansui integrated, sticking my ARC SP9II in the closet. The speakers are a custom satellite/sub system by David Markle. In Feb. '11 I started hunting for an inexpensive power amp and decided to give the Crown XLS 1000 a shot. It's a Class D amp, light as a feather, runs super cool. It cost $259 on sale at Guitar Center.

Now I'm no golden-ear audiophile, but this thing sounds every bit as good as the old NAD, if not better. The only hiss I can hear is if I stick my ear right up to a tweeter with no music playing. The fan has never come on, so far as I'm aware. I mostly listen to jazz, classical, and some rock and blues. Except for the scrawny sound of massed strings, I have no complaints. (That might be the fault of the elderly tubes in my SP9II.) Also, the thing isn't exactly pretty and the bright blue crossover display is a pain to look at. Anyway, just my 2 cents...