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Crown XLS

G

G.smith310

pfm Member
Im having absolutely fantastic results with this amp driving Neat Momentum speakers so thought that some of you might be interested to hear about it.

It has very mixed reviews, but it's absolutely working with these speakers which makes me think it has similar characteristics to Naim as Naim are used to voice Neat speakers.

The Neats are quite a difficult load due to being isobaric and load handling is this amps strong point. The control on the bass is easily the best Ive heard. This bottom-end effortlessness seems to free up the rest of the spectrum and so handles mids and high as well as anything else I've had except perhaps Rega & Yamaha had a slightly more refined top end.

My main concern was how snappy it would sound as it is digital and I was worried it might lose some energy in all the conversions but no, its got the energy to match Naim.

Ive used Naim Nait 5i-2, Naim Nait XS, Rega Elex R, Denon PMA1600ne, Yamaha as1200.

The only downside is it is horribly ugly but is fine to live in a cupboard.... so thats where it will live!
 
Valuable intel.

Which model of CROWN XLS?

Got any pics to share?

Appreciated.
 
SONDEKNZ said:
Valuable intel.

Which model of CROWN XLS?

Got any pics to share?

Appreciated.
Click to expand...
I'm using the XLS 1502 which I found on DV247.

There are a few models but this one was able to provide more power than I could realistically afford using a class a/b amp. The next models up seemed a bit... excessive...

Photos to follow in the next few days
 
Some years ago a very nice pfishy called Serge Auckland used to point out that measured distortion levels in modern amps are well below the threshold of what you can hear, so he argued that it didn't greatly matter which adequate amp you chose.

As a result I compared my Linn 2250 Dynamiks with the derided Behringer A500 and decided that the difference was negligible - I would not be able to judge which amps were in use after walking into my listening room. If anything I felt that the Behringers had a sliver more clarity in the midrange, and were no less 'musical' (enjoyable to listen to). I sold the Linns and have used Behringers ever since.

I gave one to my nephew. He reported back that it was very good, but that he thought your Crown amp had the edge in bass articulation. He is driving Wilson Watt Puppies.

I have used Behringers at audio shows over the last year and feedback about the sound in my rooms has been very positive. I usually hide the amps because that conversation can be a bit of a waste of valuable time at a show, but some people notice after listening and usually express amazement when they find they have been enjoying a system containing an amp which cost £16 on Ebay.

One friendly chap at the Ascot show came to my room after listening in the Absolute Sounds rooms. He seemed to like my room too, and when he asked what amp I was using I showed him and he laughed for quite a while. He was astonished. We both laughed the laugh of pulverised expectations. Fun.

These amps may be cheap, but they have excellent amplification components and they are probably over the ear's threshold of transparency.

For me, using cheap adequate amps liberated money to be spent elsewhere in the system where it is not wasted.

In ten years I've never heard any reason to recant from Serge's wise position, with the possible exception of the Hegel room at Whittlebury this year, but that system was way beyond my budget.

I no longer expect a Naim to sound better than a good cheap pro audio amp like a Crown or a Behringer and, perhaps as a result of that expectation, it usually doesn't.

Obviously this view is anathema to those who have chosen to spend a small fortune on expensive amps, and opposing claims will be made. The best way to test this for yourself is to pick up a cheap but adequate pro audio amp and try it against whatever boutique veblen fad amp you have at hand. Take some time over it. It's quite likely you will find that differences in room treatment, speaker positioning, speaker models, preamps and source components dwarf any infinitessimal differences in the 'sound' of nearly-transparent amplifiers - unless the veblen amp isn't transparent and disappoints, which can happen.

Your experience with the Crown doesn't surprise me. Enjoy it!
 
sonddek said:
Some years ago a very nice pfishy called Serge Auckland used to point out that measured distortion levels in modern amps are well below the threshold of what you can hear, so he argued that it didn't greatly matter which adequate amp you chose.

As a result I compared my Linn 2250 Dynamiks with the derided Behringer A500 and decided that the difference was negligible - I would not be able to judge which amps were in use after walking into my listening room. If anything I felt that the Behringers had a sliver more clarity in the midrange, and were no less 'musical' (enjoyable to listen to). I sold the Linns and have used Behringers ever since.

I gave one to my nephew. He reported back that it was very good, but that he thought your Crown amp had the edge in bass articulation. He is driving Wilson Watt Puppies.

I have used Behringers at audio shows over the last year and feedback about the sound in my rooms has been very positive. I usually hide the amps because that conversation can be a bit of a waste of valuable time at a show, but some people notice after listening and usually express amazement when they find they have been enjoying a system containing an amp which cost £16 on Ebay.

One friendly chap at the Ascot show came to my room after listening in the Absolute Sounds rooms. He seemed to like my room too, and when he asked what amp I was using I showed him and he laughed for quite a while. He was astonished. We both laughed the laugh of pulverised expectations. Fun.

These amps may be cheap, but they have excellent amplification components and they are probably over the ear's threshold of transparency.

For me, using cheap adequate amps liberated money to be spent elsewhere in the system where it is not wasted.

In ten years I've never heard any reason to recant from Serge's wise position, with the possible exception of the Hegel room at Whittlebury this year, but that system was way beyond my budget.

I no longer expect a Naim to sound better than a good cheap pro audio amp like a Crown or a Behringer and, perhaps as a result of that expectation, it usually doesn't.

Obviously this view is anathema to those who have chosen to spend a small fortune on expensive amps, and opposing claims will be made. The best way to test this for yourself is to pick up a cheap but adequate pro audio amp and try it against whatever boutique veblen fad amp you have at hand. Take some time over it. It's quite likely you will find that differences in room treatment, speaker positioning, speaker models, preamps and source components dwarf any infinitessimal differences in the 'sound' of nearly-transparent amplifiers - unless the veblen amp isn't transparent and disappoints, which can happen.

Your experience with the Crown doesn't surprise me. Enjoy it!
Click to expand...
Those are some great stories.

I was absolutely expecting to hate the crown as I’d actually tried some other class D amps that didn’t do it at all for me and to be honest, I’m a bit of a purist. I am always thinking what if.

I found so many conflicting opinions online that like you said, the only way for me was to hear it for my self in my room that I know with my speakers that I know.

I don’t have crazy expensive gear but certainly many times more expensive than this amp and I can quite confidently say I’m finding music more enjoyable coming from it.
 
An update to this.

An unexpected benefit of being able to put the amp in a cupboard has been the biggest win here for me.

Out of sight and out of mind. I hardly ever remember it exists and that is amazing. Every time I looked at my other amps, I’d always look at them thinking about how I could upgrade. Or what’s wrong with it or even what I like about it. But now I just turn the music on and enjoy.
 
I haven't used one of these crown amps. But I have used a couple of pro use power amps in the past both of which were freaking excellent for the money.
Until recently I used a Yamaha studio amplifier which was faultless. I swapped it out for a pair of Roksan Caspian M1 monoblocs.
Are they better?
Umm.... Yea.... A bit. Maybe.
 
G.smith310 said:
An update to this.

An unexpected benefit of being able to put the amp in a cupboard has been the biggest win here for me.

Out of sight and out of mind. I hardly ever remember it exists and that is amazing. Every time I looked at my other amps, I’d always look at them thinking about how I could upgrade. Or what’s wrong with it or even what I like about it. But now I just turn the music on and enjoy.
Click to expand...
Be careful of ventilation. I have an Alesis RA500 that would overheat in a cabinet even with a fan but out in the open, all's good.
 
My son has just bought a Crown amp to try with his Fyne 502SP. I don't know which model it is and he's not listened to it yet as he wants to test it before he plugs his speakers into it.

One thing that worries me about digital amps is stories I hear suggesting that if they fail they are more likely to damage your speakers. Any truth to this?
 
What is a digital amplifier? I was under the impression these were just class D analogue amplifiers, w
 
I use a apart champ 2 amp with my 2nd system into Dynaudio audience 42s and it's a match made in heaven..it's a class G amp?
It's not as good as my Quad 909 but it's in the same ball park..not entirely sure about the build quality? But it sounds very good and not expensive..
 
I think when people say 'digital' amp they usually mean amps which deliver output using some kind of high frequency (ultrasonic) pulse modulation, since that kind of technology has become feasible due to economies of scale in the run-away digital electronics industry. Hopefully someone more informed than me will correct me.
 
I read a review of the Crown amp as the OP had piqued my interest.
Apparently the analogue is digitised at 48kHz, amplified, and then converted back to analogue (something to do with
DSP in PA applications). Maybe it's perfectly OK, the reviewer seemed to like it, BUT if you're playing a high resolution file
recorded at 96kHz, say, it's effectively being downsampled. If fact the reviewer said such recordings sounded 'weird'.
 
I’m running an active Isobarik system with three XLS1502s using the amps digital crossover. Ive had Isobariks active with 6 mono-blocks together through a fully serviced Linn Aktiv Crossover with bingo board and Dirak PSU for years.

The XLS1502s are clearly better and have total control of the Isobarisk no matter what problem tracks i play.
 
Interesting. I run active 242s with Klimax Tuneboxes. Very tempting to try filtering in the digital domain in this very affordable way.
 
Drumhead said:
Be careful of ventilation. I have an Alesis RA500 that would overheat in a cabinet even with a fan but out in the open, all's good.
Click to expand...
I’ve been checking ita temp regularly but it runs very cool. Still hardly warm to the touch after hours of listening.
 
I made a mistake. The amp my son bought is not a Crown, it is a Cloud VTX 4120 which is a four channel PA amp. He's using it to bi-amp Fyne F502SP. He's got it hooked up and says it 'wipes the floor' with anything he's tried up to now.

I looked at this amp on line and the connections on the back don't look very conducive to easy domestic use.
 
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