Don't overlook the Crown XLS Series for powering big SDAs !

2

Comments

  • oldrocker
    oldrocker Posts: 2,590
    edited April 2013
    I have a crown amp and yes its loud, drives my sda's ok. however, I also have a new parasound 2250 and it does loud just the same for me. My only regret is I DON'T have your skills to build myself a custom amp like you have, which would be cool to know how to do!!!!
    nooshinjohn wrote: »
    If you want to start trading insults and jabs back and forth, be my guest but you will do so alone. Do a bit of research yourself about my amps and you will discover they are hand-crafted works of art I built myself. As I said before, I respect your choice but I am not at all going to engage you in snarky comments back and forth.

    For the life of me I cannot understand why people are filled with such venom for those that choose to spend their money time or talent on quality over quantity. I see this thread turning Emo rather quickly...

    Peace-out...
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Toolfan66
    Toolfan66 Posts: 17,243
    edited April 2013
    I don't take threads like this to serious anymore.. Everybody has their own journey in not only this hobby but life itself...

    Enjoy what you got be happy I'm just not buying...


    Peace..
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • evhudsons
    evhudsons Posts: 1,175
    edited April 2013
    I'm still not sure what you meant with the xls being what matt polk intended. I read on one of the links provided that there is some roll off at the lower level being one difference between a pro and a home amp. With a subwoofer I suppose it wouldn't make a bit of difference, or even without a sub. The link with the humour was quite funny indeed, thanks for that one!
    I am curious though what the pros and cons are or the trade offs between the advantage of power, and the advantage of an amp made for the home. All kidding aside, there is enough emo bashing that it makes sense to see if a proamp can be advantageous in some situations. With a limited budget and a noisy room it probably makes sense, but a somewhat dedicated listening room with everything top quality and sound treatments I would assume it would be disadvantageous.
    I think too some of my potential issues with setup now would be cured by simply upgrading my crossovers and upgrading the caps on my old amps.

    These threads pop up from time to time but I still glean good education out of them. The op is a polkie, so I'm listening with an open mind.
    Polk Audio SDA CRS+ crossover 4.1TL by Trey/VR3 (Rings and custom stand by Larry)-Polk Audio SDA SRS2 crossovers by Trey/VR3Parasound HCA1500aYamaha rxa-3070 with musicast-Celestion SL6S presence,- sl9 surround backNHTsuper1's surroundMagnepan SMGParasound 1500pre- Sofia "Baby" tube amp - Monitor Audio Silver RX2 Marantz 2230/B&Kst140Technics 1200mk2 Gamertag: IslandBerserker I am but a infinitesimally small point meeting the line of infinity in the SDA universe
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • EricFromMich
    EricFromMich Posts: 38
    edited April 2013
    I'm newer to all this hi-fi stuff but have been working in 12 volt audio for 15 years my first thought was to buy a crown amp or Cerwin Vega pro amp and drive my rta-12's but would just would hate to ruin my speakers. I've read allot of opinions and still have no clue if its safe, okay or just going to be loud. Even with running it on clean power . Well my first thought was to hook up my 80 amp ac to dc converter and run my old 250 x 2 class a/b car audio amp.
    VR3 wrote: »
    I have owned the XLS and XTI amplifiers multitude of times and to call it a reference amplifier for anything other than a subwoofer is crazy talk...

    VR3 I've got a very nice sub that needs alot of power (600 rms) its a Earthquake super nova ii . Bought it missing the amp. In your or anyone's options would a xls be a okay idea for this.
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • VR3
    VR3 Posts: 28,646
    edited April 2013
    The XLS is cool but the XTI is better - has a lot more useful features, bar none. (Check out the Harmon HIQNET Software) - ridiculous to say the least
    - Not Tom ::::::: Any system can play Diana Krall. Only the best can play Limp Bizkit.
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • BlueFox
    BlueFox Posts: 15,251
    edited April 2013
    Well, at least it isn't Emotiva this time. :biggrin:
    Lumin X1 file player, Westminster Labs interconnect cable
    Sony XA-5400ES SACD; Pass XP-22 pre; X600.5 amps
    Magico S5 MKII Mcast Rose speakers; SPOD spikes

    Shunyata Triton v3/Typhon QR on source, Denali 2000 (2) on amps
    Shunyata Sigma XLR analog ICs, Sigma speaker cables
    Shunyata Sigma HC (2), Sigma Analog, Sigma Digital, Z Anaconda (3) power cables

    Mapleshade Samson V.3 four shelf solid maple rack, Micropoint brass footers
    Three 20 amp circuits.
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • cobramatteo
    cobramatteo Posts: 43
    edited April 2013
    VR3 wrote: »
    The XLS is cool but the XTI is better - has a lot more useful features, bar none. (Check out the Harmon HIQNET Software) - ridiculous to say the least

    The XTI only has a 100db SN in all versions except the 6000 series VS 103db with the most of the XLS series. For home use, that extra 3db will make a difference.

    The XLS series also has RCA inputs where as the ZTI does not.

    The XTI cost more than the XLS and though they might offer some extra features and software, the only plus I can see is that you can buy models with a higher power rating.

    From what I have researched, even Crown employees use the XLS series for home audio, and its the amp they recommend for home use from their lineup.
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Face
    Face Posts: 14,340
    edited April 2013
    The XTi's DSP software is powerful. But if you don't need it, you may as well look elsewhere.
    "He who fights with monsters should look to it that he himself does not become a monster. And when you gaze long into an abyss the abyss also gazes into you." Friedrich Nietzsche
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • gdb
    gdb Posts: 6,012
    edited April 2013
    The thread that the link below will take you to, has a former Harman Inc. employee posting on it with some interesting things to say. :wink:

    http://www.hometheaterequipment.com/...l-thread-1319/
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • motorstereo
    motorstereo Posts: 2,133
    edited April 2013
    Oh oh.......good luck to you in coming here and trying to tout the benefits of pro amps to be used on the big polks. I'm wondering if you may have masochistic tendencys:biggrin:
    In all honesty though I'm thinking it would take more than a pro amp with lots of wpc to better those beastly looking Nak's that you have right now.
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Face
    Face Posts: 14,340
    edited April 2013
    BlueFox wrote: »
    Well, at least it isn't Emotiva this time. :biggrin:
    I'd take one of the newer Crown amps over Emo, at least they have nice soundstage width and depth.
    gdb wrote: »
    The thread that the link below will take you to, has a former Harman Inc. employee posting on it with some interesting things to say. :wink:

    http://www.hometheaterequipment.com/...l-thread-1319/
    Your link doesn't work.
    "He who fights with monsters should look to it that he himself does not become a monster. And when you gaze long into an abyss the abyss also gazes into you." Friedrich Nietzsche
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • naturallight
    naturallight Posts: 689
    edited April 2013
    Now not to start a war or any thing else. I do have a QSC Gx5 power amp. I did "try" it on my speakers..not for long and did NO critical listening on it. IT dose have a Class H power supply in it which i don't have a clue if thats good or bad to be honest. I have it, it was sitting there so i tried it out..thats about it. My normal amp is the Onkyo M-504.



    I tried the RTi12's on it..the first thing that hit me is they were brighter...so this is not a "warm" amp per say. I plugged in the SDA 1C's...for some reason they did not come across as brighter.

    I did not find that the amp sounded like junk...BUT....I did not play it long, did no critical listening,

    plus probably had too many beers to boot. Then just went back to the Onkyo..so no real statement can be made except it didn't sound like complete junk....LOL NOT a glowing report..but it does work.

    Maybe at some time i will get behind the rig again....and make some kind of useful comparison on the 2 amps
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • gdb
    gdb Posts: 6,012
    edited April 2013
    Face wrote: »
    Your link doesn't work.

    Odd, I just copied and pasted the link that the OP posted in Post #1. Oh well, try this one. :biggrin:

    http://www.hometheaterequipment.com/mono-stereo-amps-59/crown-audio-xls-drivecore-series-amplifier-official-thread-1319/
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • gdb
    gdb Posts: 6,012
    edited April 2013
    Face wrote: »
    I'd take one of the newer Crown amps over Emo, at least they have nice soundstage width and depth.

    .

    Over at the site/thread that's linked, they throw a few jeers at Emo for their refusal to provide any demo pieces for purposes of comparison shoot-outs ! :lol:
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Habanero Monk
    Habanero Monk Posts: 715
    edited April 2013
    nooshinjohn wrote: »
    Sound like your room was the proble to begin with, so rather than solve this problem by getting the proper SDA's for the given space, you used a sledgehammer of sorts to force them into place. Good luck with that...

    My bet is that you start blowing tweeters and drivers in short order.

    ?? I thought the SDA's required some current?
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Habanero Monk
    Habanero Monk Posts: 715
    edited April 2013
    nooshinjohn wrote: »
    But they were also designed for concert arrays, not home use. I am not disparaging your choice, just saying that trying to encourage others to trod down your path is not going to be an easy task.

    They were designed to amplify. I'm using a Yamaha PS2500 over the Crown due to Aesthetics and over my old Marantz mono-blocks the Yammy certainly delivers the goods.

    Not sure how an Adcom, Rotel, Crown etc know what kind of speaker it's hooked up to. So how does one design an amp to work with concert arrays?
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Habanero Monk
    Habanero Monk Posts: 715
    edited April 2013
    EndersShadow wrote: »

    Pro audio gear isnt designed with home theater in mind, its more for being throw around and beat to hell and to keep on kicking. Also they aren't the best with heat hence why most of them have fans (that can be annoying when/if they kick on). Again another way in which a home theater minded amp is different. That doesnt mean you cant repurpose a pro audio amp, however as stated repurposing isnt for everyone.

    Can you substantively back this up? My Yamaha has a fan and it never comes on. Same with what I have read about the Crown. I picked up mine new for $369 from Guitar Center.

    All the reading I did on my Amp and the Crown is no one at AVS/AH/HTE have ever complained about fan noise. Not all pro-audio amps are meant for road use. Some are specifically made for installed sound: studios, H.O.W and other F.O.H applications.

    I was just referred about a week ago to a thread at Parts Express Tech Talk were a long time member there picked up a Crown on suggestion and is now offloading his Adcom and Rotel gear.
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • gdb
    gdb Posts: 6,012
    edited April 2013
    Maybe the best reason to check out that site/thread is an Outlaw Audio RR2150 Receiver Sweepstakes ! I just entered, oh yes I did !:wink:
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Habanero Monk
    Habanero Monk Posts: 715
    edited April 2013
    From the HTE thread:

    Application(s)
    I was turned on to Crown amps, or should I say professional amplifiers on a whole, by a friend of mine Ray Coronado of SoCalHT. Ray is a professional systems calibrator holding certifications from both ISF and THX as well as Denon and Audyssey. He and I were chatting one day about amplifiers, he knew I was in the market and looking for something for my new studio, and asked if I’d considered pro amplifiers. I had not, so I quickly ventured to my local Guitar Center for a listen, where, I was completely bowled over. I was so impressed that

    Ray seems to make the rounds as he is featured in the 2nd most recent AVS interview with Scott Wilkinson. I sat through it and Ray seems to know what he is talking about.
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KkINh_Y-1uk

    Also I bumped into Wolf from Parts Express Forums at the Dayton Tent Festival. Not expecting anyone to know who he is but he is one of the prevalent speaker designers there and he runs Crown.
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • F1nut
    F1nut Posts: 50,557
    edited April 2013
    So how does one design an amp to work with concert arrays?

    Like most pro amps, raw power with no finesse.
    Political Correctness'.........defined

    "A doctrine fostered by a delusional, illogical minority and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a t-u-r-d by the clean end."

    President of Club Polk

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Habanero Monk
    Habanero Monk Posts: 715
    edited April 2013
    F1nut wrote: »
    Like most pro amps, raw power with no finesse.

    Ok, so how do you know the XLS has no finesse? I've read from other posters on other forums where they would disagree. One that I already mentioned seems to have quite the set of ears and experience designing speakers.
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • nooshinjohn
    nooshinjohn Posts: 25,416
    edited April 2013
    Habanero Monk wrote: »
    Ok, so how do you know the XLS has no finesse? I've read from other posters on other forums where they would disagree. One that I already mentioned seems to have quite the set of ears and experience designing speakers.

    I don't trust his ears, your ears, nor anyone else's ears but my own. I don't care about anyone elses opinion but my own.

    My money, my house, my gear. If my choices coinside with yours, great... If not, you are entitled to your opinion as I am to mine. Tell me I am wrong and need do do it your way because you are right and I am wrong and I will tell you to blow it out your ****....

    I am tired of this childish bs. Does a cheap amp work? Yes, but it is still a cheap amp and as such, there will always be something better. Krell exists for a reason...
    The Gear... Carver "Statement" Mono-blocks, Mcintosh C2300 Arcam AVR20, Oppo UDP-203 4K Blu-ray player, Sony XBR70x850B 4k, Polk Audio Legend L800 with height modules, L400 Center Channel Polk audio AB800 "in-wall" surrounds. Marantz MM7025 stereo amp. Simaudio Moon 680d DSD

    “When once a Republic is corrupted, there is no possibility of remedying any of the growing evils but by removing the corruption and restoring its lost principles; every other correction is either useless or a new evil.”— Thomas Jefferson
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • cobramatteo
    cobramatteo Posts: 43
    edited April 2013
    nooshinjohn wrote: »
    I don't trust his ears, your ears, nor anyone else's ears but my own. I don't care about anyone elses opinion but my own.

    My money, my house, my gear. If my choices coinside with yours, great... If not, you are entitled to your opinion as I am to mine. Tell me I am wrong and need do do it your way because you are right and I am wrong and I will tell you to blow it out your ****....

    I am tired of this childish bs. Does a cheap amp work? Yes, but it is still a cheap amp and as such, there will always be something better. Krell exists for a reason...

    I can afford Krell or just about any other brand. I bought my first Crown to do my own in home auditioning. I am buying more, not because they are all I can afford, but because I am very impressed by the sound.

    The whole point I am trying to get across is these amps sound pretty impressive. They sound better in my setup than my PA7s or any of my Adcom's did. Are they the best amp I have ever heard, no but easily in the top 1% of everything I've ever heard.


    I simply wish before condemning them, you go to a Guitar Center and give them a listen. Heck you could even buy one, listen and return it if you are not impressed.

    If you already have a set of amazing amps, and it sounds like your hand built amps are very nice - why even bother perusing this thread ? Not trying to be rude by stating that.

    I love my big Polk's and to hear fine home audio equipment - also enjoy reading these forum's with an open mind.
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • halo71
    halo71 Posts: 4,603
    edited April 2013
    John you are getting all bent out of shape over this thread? The OP, or anyone else in this thread for that matter, have not said a thing about that pro amp being "THE" amp to have. You say "my money, my house, my gear" etc etc. Same with the OP. He is simply stating his experience and opinion of this amp. Your comment about the OP trying to get people to "troud down that path", "turning EMO" etc.....where has he done that? You even said that you had no experience with this amp! Your "childish bs" comment, I actually did laugh a little on that. Considering your other comments in this thread.

    Be happy the OP is happy I say.
    --Gary--
    Onkyo Integra M504, Bottlehead Foreplay III, Denon SACD, Thiel CS2.3, NHT VT-2, VT-3 and Evolution T6, Infinity RSIIIa, SDA1C and a few dozen other speakers around the house I change in and out.
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Mr. Bubbles
    Mr. Bubbles Posts: 736
    edited April 2013
    man some of the posts here seem to be very strongly opinionated. Which is great because that's how things develop. I have not used pro gear in my 2 ch rig and have no plans to do so. however, I can see that for some it may be a viable option. Everyone does not have the same budget, or ears for that matter. By reading up on the Crown XLS it seem they have addressed a very major issue with the Class D power supplies (at least they claim to have). If this is the case these amps could very well sound better than many other pro class D amps. They also incorporate PWM circuitry (can anyone say Carver). Class D has been around a while and has improved tremendously over the years. Hell Polk used to make them for car audio (not sure what they make for 12V now). A class D amp with a rugged case and optional XLR inputs doesn't make it worse than other class D's. Most audiophiles are well aware that Class D hardly ever comes close to class A/ AB when it comes to distortion and invisibility in the signal. But for someone with a tighter budget that what a Krell will allow may do very well with them. Especially if they are improved designs. To each his own. For those who wish to use them, enjoy.For those who don't, enjoy as well. That's what this hobby is all about
    If con is the opposite of pro, is Congress the opposite of Progress?!


    Monitor 5Jr, Monitor 5, RTA12, RTA 15TL, SDA 2A, 1c, SRS 2, 1.2TL, CRS, Atrium.
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • cobramatteo
    cobramatteo Posts: 43
    edited April 2013
    halo71 wrote: »
    John you are getting all bent out of shape over this thread? The OP, or anyone else in this thread for that matter, have not said a thing about that pro amp being "THE" amp to have. You say "my money, my house, my gear" etc etc. Same with the OP. He is simply stating his experience and opinion of this amp. Your comment about the OP trying to get people to "troud down that path", "turning EMO" etc.....where has he done that? You even said that you had no experience with this amp! Your "childish bs" comment, I actually did laugh a little on that. Considering your other comments in this thread.

    Be happy the OP is happy I say.

    Thanks ! Not trying to ruffle feathers. Just thought there might be another forum member who would be happy to know that there are amps out there that sound great, have huge power reserves, and are compatible with big Polks at a very reasonable price.
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Habanero Monk
    Habanero Monk Posts: 715
    edited April 2013
    Face wrote: »
    How will the Crown amp blow tweeters easier?
    westmassguy wrote: »
    I'd like to know too. My Carver PM-350, also a Pro Amp, does an amazing job with my 2As

    Still curious about this...
    cobramatteo wrote: »
    Thanks ! Not trying to ruffle feathers. Just thought there might be another forum member who would be happy to know that there are amps out there that sound great, have huge power reserves, and are compatible with big Polks at a very reasonable price.

    No good deed goes unpunished. For my budget I like my Yamaha. It's quiet. It lit up my LSi 9's. I have zero complaints. It's component that can let me see several speaker upgrades. My tweeters still work :)
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Face
    Face Posts: 14,340
    edited April 2013
    nooshinjohn wrote: »
    I don't trust his ears, your ears, nor anyone else's ears but my own. I don't care about anyone elses opinion but my own.

    My money, my house, my gear. If my choices coinside with yours, great... If not, you are entitled to your opinion as I am to mine. Tell me I am wrong and need do do it your way because you are right and I am wrong and I will tell you to blow it out your ****....

    I am tired of this childish bs. Does a cheap amp work? Yes, but it is still a cheap amp and as such, there will always be something better. Krell exists for a reason...
    There's also plenty of expensive amps that sound poor. As for Krell, really? That's one hifi brand that sounds brighter than the amps mentioned here...
    "He who fights with monsters should look to it that he himself does not become a monster. And when you gaze long into an abyss the abyss also gazes into you." Friedrich Nietzsche
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Mystery
    Mystery Posts: 2,546
    edited April 2013
    I love to read replies from those who have tried the mentioned amp or at least owned a model and compared with other home stereo amplifiers.
    Those users add value to original topic and many have done that here.
    OP tried different amps and liked XDA's so at least he has some perspective.

    However, I also see some useless replies from those who just go by a whim and say whatever OP is using is crap (just because he used a PA amp) which may be true but let the ones who actually did a comparison post and it'll be a valuable thread for others to decide.

    Watching...

    Klipsch RB81, KG3.5, B&W DM602.5, Polk.
    Subwoofers: Klipsch RW10, Triad ProSub Bronze.
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Mr. Bubbles
    Mr. Bubbles Posts: 736
    edited April 2013
    F1nut wrote: »
    Hey, who deleted my last post? All I did was answer monk's direct question and asked him what his favorite flavor of Kool-Aid was. Geesh!

    Yeah I must have saw it before it was deleted. Got a little chuckle, then started thinking about grape Kool Aid. I'm going to have make some for the kids when I get home. Yeah; for the kids.
    If con is the opposite of pro, is Congress the opposite of Progress?!


    Monitor 5Jr, Monitor 5, RTA12, RTA 15TL, SDA 2A, 1c, SRS 2, 1.2TL, CRS, Atrium.
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
This discussion has been closed.