Crown Amp Setup

Talon_Sr

The Halo 23 looks nice but at $1k, it's way out of price range.

rooftop59

Used with a squaretrade warranty is the way to go. If for whatever reason you are against used gear and on a budget, dare I say this is about your only option:

https://emotiva.com/products/amplifiers/xpa-200

oldrocker

Go to swee****er.com, talk to the tech's very nice and they know crown amps. I tried a xl1500 then took the advise of those here smarter than me and went with parasound. The crown can get loud and has certain capabilities but does not compare to the parasound driving my sda's at least to my ears.

oldrocker

swee****er, no affiliation.

Talon_Sr

rooftop59 wrote: »

Used with a squaretrade warranty is the way to go. If for whatever reason you are against used gear and on a budget, dare I say this is about your only option:

https://emotiva.com/products/amplifiers/xpa-200

Can't go with this if it doesn't have 12V trigger or auto-on. My whole systems is remote and I won't install something that isn't compatible with Harmony remote.


Edit: Ok I see it has remote capabilities. So, If I see this on eBay or CL, then I should look at it.

Talon_Sr

So if a unit has 12V trigger on, does that mean I would leave it on all the time? Would it go into standby mode after a period of inactivity by itself? If it uses a trigger cable, is that a simple TRS 1/4 inch interconnect jack cable?

ZLTFUL

Trigger means when your pre/pro is on, the amp is on and when it is off, then the amp is off.
The cable is typically a mono 1/8in cable.

Talon_Sr

Is there much delay from going standby to on for the power amp? And would I use both input and out put triggers? So I would need two cables?

Talon_Sr

XPA-200 is about the only Emo I would dare get. I saw some nice XPA-2 and 3s for sale but I would be afraid their weight would break the shelf they'd sit on.

Talon_Sr

Ok, it's down to either the UPA-200 or the XPA_200 as far as the Emotiva line goes. The first is $350 new and the latter is $500. The former is rated 125WPC both channels and latter , 200WPC. Neither one is bridgeable. Both have triggers. And that's about it. Is there anything anyone knows of note about the differences of these two besides their 75WPC? I never play it louder than let's say -15dB (about two-thirds up from lowest setting), would I really notice a significant difference in quality with those extra 75 watts?

cnh

Speaking for Cathy, one of our members, I have to say that Polk towers really NEED 200+ watts x 2 to sound their best even if you do not play them loud!

cnh

rooftop59

On the one hand I am honestly not sure if I would throw that kind of cash into a pair of what are essentially entry level speakers. I mean don't get me wrong, my buddy has them and loves them, I think they are a great deal and very enjoyable. Just my two cents.

As far as choosing an amp goes, I think that this thread (especially the last post about emotiva amps) will be enlightening: http://www.polkaudio.com/forums/showthread.php?161853-Polk-Audio-Monitor-70-Series-II

Talon_Sr

I now have the two spec sheets side-by-side and it is showing that the UPA amp is actually cleaner at rated output showing THD at <.05% whereas the XPA has THD < 1% ??? Yeah, I would hope it is less than a full one percent. S/N is 92dB 1W and 106dB at rated for the UPA and the XPA is 89dB at 1W and 110dB at rated. Both have same damping factors for 8 ohm and the UPA uses slightly less power 350 VA than the XPA200 at 360 VA. Oh and the rated bandwidth is better on the UPA (10Hz to 20KHz) vs (20Hz to 20KHz) as well as Frequency response. The UPA wins again at (5Hz to 80KHz) vs. the XPA's (10Hz to 80KHz). So considering this, is the extra 75WPC worth $150? I've already been semi-castrated for buying the SC-1523 and Polk 75Ts. So if you think it's worth it, then I guess I could live without the other one. Anyone want a lamb-fry?

Talon_Sr

rooftop59 wrote: »

On the one hand I am honestly not sure if I would throw that kind of cash into a pair of what are essentially entry level speakers. I mean don't get me wrong, my buddy has them and loves them, I think they are a great deal and very enjoyable. Just my two cents.

As far as choosing an amp goes, I think that this thread (especially the last post about emotiva amps) will be enlightening: http://www.polkaudio.com/forums/showthread.php?161853-Polk-Audio-Monitor-70-Series-II

Wow. Nice read on that thread about the XPA-2. I was looking at that but it weighs far too much for the shelf it would sit in. And it's way more expensive.

Talon_Sr

rooftop59 wrote: »

On the one hand I am honestly not sure if I would throw that kind of cash into a pair of what are essentially entry level speakers. I mean don't get me wrong, my buddy has them and loves them, I think they are a great deal and very enjoyable. Just my two cents.

Well, lets just say I wanted to build a "poor man's" audiophile system. Best bang for buck? XPA-200 or UPA-200?

rooftop59

Well it sounds like I want the beefiest amp you can afford to get them to sound their best. Personally if I was gonna spent that kind of coin I would get the parasound hca 1500 in the flea market. Check out this thread: http://www.polkaudio.com/forums/showthread.php?109593-Polk-M70s-Parasound-HCA-1500a-impressions

george daniel

Get the Parasound,,it will surprise you.

Talon_Sr

Yeah I'm looking at a couple of very clean para 1500s. They look nice. 205WPC looks good, but the trigger is raw wire terminals instead of 1/8 interconnect jack. I'd rather have a plug-in wire. It's about ten pounds heavier than XPA-200. Probably gets hotter too. Would most of the guys here say a Para 200WPC is better than a Emo 200WPC?

george daniel

heck yes,,go for the Parasound.

Talon_Sr

george daniel wrote: »

heck yes,,go for the Parasound.

Ok, George. How do I use the trigger? I've never had to do this before. Do I use solid copper wire or stranded, or what? Could I use heavy gauge speaker wire, for instance? And then there's the other end. The receiver I have only has 1/8 inch jacks. Are there interconnect cables out there with mono male phono plug (3.5mm) at one end and bare wire at the other?

rooftop59

http://www.polkaudio.com/forums/showthread.php?162162-Parasound-HCA-1500A

I am sure it is not a problem to connect. Many others use the same kind of setup

Talon_Sr

nbrowser wrote: »

How to use a 1/8th mono audio cable to trigger a screw terminal amp.

Get cheap Radio Shack 1/8th mono cable with plugs at either end, get cable home, take out of package and cut one connector off one end...then strip the outer jacket off, then strip a bit of insulation off the single inner conductor, attach that wire to the + post on the amp, attach the ground (other copper in that cable) to the - terminal of the amp, plug the other end into your AVR...turn on AVR and watch the magic. Total cost, shouldn't be over $5 and this is one area where you don't need a fancy esoteric cable!...besides, I have NO issues manually flipping my HCA-1200II on and off....only takes a second.

Absolutely not! I'm not jury-rigging anything. I'd probably get the wires mixed up. Is there an interconnect cable with phono plug on one end and bare wires at the other or not?

Talon_Sr

Don't get me wrong. I really appreciate the help and tips I get here and really respect the knowledge base you guys have. I'm gonna think about it for a bit. But you have to admit, I really couldn't go wrong with either one of these amps, right?

george daniel

The 1500 sounds very good with a tubed pre,, I had mine paired with a Dodd ELP

Hermitism

nbrowser wrote: »

The Parasound HCA-1500A...hell if I had the scratch I'd pick it up myself, put it into my HT rig, create the custom trigger cable and move the 1200II into the bedroom to juice the living hell out of the Onkyos...I know what Parasound power can do first hand to a pair of larger Polk towers and the improvement is breathtaking.

Oh dear. I think there is a limit to how long one's signature can be. :cheesygrin:

Talon_Sr

nbrowser wrote: »

The Parasound HCA-1500A...hell if I had the scratch I'd pick it up myself, put it into my HT rig, create the custom trigger cable and move the 1200II into the bedroom to juice the living hell out of the Onkyos...I know what Parasound power can do first hand to a pair of larger Polk towers and the improvement is breathtaking.

Well, isn't it always a question of "If I had the scratch""? If I had enough, I'm positive that there would be many other small niche brands that would put the Parasound to shame. But for me it boils down to what price will not destroy my family and will the product last long enough until the next level tech(better) has a value higher than what I could get for my old tech. I see myself as an audiophile not an audio fanatic. There is a difference. The latter are those who must pursue the latest and greatest even if they cannot hear the difference. Their systems may technically sound better to a machine, but they couldn't tell the difference in a blind test. And yet, they must possess it. That's not me. I may have "entry" level speakers, but they sure as hell sound very good. I want to reach their optimum level of performance and then be content with that for a decade or so. Now, if I can get my 75Ts to reach that level with just a 200WPC amp running them separately, then the cleanest, newest, and least expensive unit that can do it, is what I'm looking for.

Talon_Sr

Regardless of what I do or buy, I'm already thanking them. You are a great group of passionate idealists here. I am honored to be able to discuss things with you and read your posts. Looking forward to many more.