Audio Equipment Isn't MAGIC - Audio Advice with Andrew Robinson
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- Опубліковано 9 січ 2020
- Audio Equipment Isn't MAGIC - Audio Advice with Andrew Robinson
Audiophile equipment isn't magic. It just isn't. People like to criticize my enthusiasm for Crown Audio's XLS DriveCore 2 amplifiers. They say I'm "dumb" or "deaf", or both for liking and buying Crown and using it in my hi-fi system. I do my best to explain why people may think this, as well as let you in on an a few industry secrets behind many so-called better components compared to the Crown.
► CROWN XLS AMPLIFIERS
XLS 1002: amzn.to/2FEdTz7
XLS 1502: amzn.to/35HpkAT
XLS 2002: amzn.to/2FFG80h
XLS 2502: amzn.to/2QKvUlX
Crown ComTech DriveCore Series Amplifier (Lexicon): amzn.to/2FEZFhy
► MY REFERENCE AUDIO AND HOME THEATER SYSTEM
POWER
Naim Uniti Atom All In One Music System: bit.ly/NaimAtom
Musical Fidelity Integrated Amp: bit.ly/M5si
LOUDSPEAKERS
Q Acoustic Concept 300: bit.ly/C300wsA
Klipsch Heresy IV: bit.ly/heresyiv
Jamo S809: amzn.to/356tnK5
SPEAKER STANDS
Kanto Bookshelf Speaker Stands (budget): bit.ly/Kanto26
SolidSteel Speaker Stands (best): bit.ly/SolidAA
TURNTABLES
Audio Technica LP140XP: amzn.to/33OfgXO
Cambridge Audio Direct Drive Turntable: bit.ly/AlvaCA
RECORD PLAYER CARTRIDGES
Ortofon 2M Blue Cartridge (better): bit.ly/BlueAA
Ortofon 2M Black Cartridge (best): bit.ly/BLKAA
HEADPHONES
Sony WH-1000XM4 Wireless NCX Headphones: bit.ly/WH1000xm4
SOUNDBARS
SENNHEISER AMBEO: bit.ly/35yLQO1
TOP SMART TVs
LG 8K TV: bit.ly/LG8K99TV
Hisense H9G: bit.ly/H9GTV
TCL 6 Series: amzn.to/35Vn9NO
BLUETOOTH / DESKTOP SPEAKERS
Naim Mu-so V2: amzn.to/33ASZxI
Klipsch The Fives: bit.ly/fivesUS
Kanto YU: bit.ly/YUdesk
► SHOP OUR LIVING ROOM
ARTICLE LEATHER CHAIR: bit.ly/NirvanaChr
ARTICLE SOFA: bit.ly/2HI6cMH
ART: bit.ly/howfaryt
TV / MEDIA CABINET: bit.ly/BDIMEDIA
EVERYTHING ELSE: bit.ly/ARdecor
► STAY CONNECTED
SUBSCRIBE & RING THE 🔔 bit.ly/RobinsonYT
JOIN THE CREW: bit.ly/ARobMbr
INSTAGRAM: bit.ly/AndRobIG
BUSINESS INQUIRIES: bit.ly/andrewbiz
FTC: This video is not sponsored. Some links above are affiliate, meaning we make a small percentage if you buy through the link but it won't change the price for you! Thank you for helping to support the channel
#crownaudio #HiFi #Audiophile - Наука та технологія
Thank you Andrew, I have been saying for more years than I can remember that well made PA power amplifiers will outperform ANY HiFi amplifier. I use three Crown PSA-2 amp's in my hifi system, the results are staggering. To the point that when people I invite into my home sit on my sofa with their jaws dropping, comments such as, your system sounds absolutely amazing. So quiet and so powerful. I make no apology for using them. A lot of people have been hoodwinked by their choices. I used to write on a couple of HiFi magazines in the UK, when I started the editor said to me, don't let the cat out of the bag regarding Hi Fi products. His comment says it all.
i have two Crown Amps running as mono blocks. I got so much flack on Reddit audiophile, where people were saying that it's Class D trash, but when I told them they were Class A amps, they would say that it didn't matter. A lot of these "audiophiles" are trolls and morons who judge everything based on $.
Yeah, the whole community has been largely taken over by wealthy types that like to feel the sense of their wealth putting them in a godly position above the perceived peasants. To be honest, the audio industry itself is partly responsible as well for really removing value from the whole scene and whacking sometimes exorbitant prices on stuff that is actually really poorly measuring and sounding but playing to the psychology being used to tell people they need to spend ridiculous money to have any kind of stature in a past-time that once was without such structures.
Truth is, the Crown really is capable of destroying a lot of extremely highly priced gear, same with speakers, some costing more than average Joe would ever be able to afford and are a complete mess.
It's disheartening to know so many who fall prey to being influenced are really missing out on the very thing that makes music and Hi-fi special, in that it used to bring people together.
I was kind of one of those fools to start with, the Crown was a stopgap until I could afford an expensive replacement. Since then I have tried around 10 amplifiers costing between £2000-£3000, and literally A/B'ing against the Crown and literally say 2 of those did things I liked more, but not enough to warrant the amount of cash for the small difference. Even then, neither of those 2 amps came close when it came to ability with dynamic swings and low end control. The other 8, lol, well that was literally knowing within an hour that the Crown just trounced them.
Only issues, and that's really stretching it is with the wrong source upper mids can be dry(ish), but again it's far cheaper to just get a new CD player etc. And secondly the highs can be a touch glassy with poorly recorded music, which really isn't an issue with the Crown, and any amplifier that doesn't show these things is obviously not as true to the source/music.
After trying the last amplifier on test for 30 days, I've realised that it's not going anywhere, was prepared to spend a certain amount, but there's just no need.
Closest contender to replace was the Technics, but it wasn't really better sounding, just looked the part with it's styling, but would have ultimately been a £2500 downgrade really.
@colossusrageblack ...... Hi 👋🏼
I think the XLi range from crown are A/B technology?..... anyways, the "audiophiles" are just jealous because they dont have the sence to try one....
The RCA connectors on the back are just an added bonus for connecting subs to a home cinema amplifier....
Grwat choice, and just ignore them lol, ive seen what "cleeks" can do when they gang up on people....
From U.K 😂👋🏼👍🏻
He is right the difference between high end low end amplifiers these days is very small. Unlike the 1970's / 1980's where there was a very noticeable difference to be had, if anything it highlights how technology has improved over the last 30 years.
I still can't understand why audiophiles eat their young, judge other audiophiles and become 'snobs' over others' equipment. I also dabble in model railroading and don't see this at all. My friends in other hobbies don't encounter it either. Whats the point of calling others in the hobby 'dumb' for their audio choices. Its a real turn-off.
This!!!
Sadly in this life there are always pretentious people around. But don't let the tiny minority put you off. Just ignore them... as there are many many more really nice, like minded and interested folks who are open minded.
The problem with hi-fi is that it can be really confusing, expensive and frustrating affaie, but in reality is our own personal journey into appreciating music. So ultimately there is no right or wrong, nor does it really need to cost a fortune...but I guess the snobs have to keep justifying their egos and positions as they have usually lost themselves down the rabbit hole and so can't be happy and appreciate others and their choices.
Because I took his advice and bought two of these amps...just disappointed. I have modest gear.
@@golferadam12 Me too!
I think it's because it's ultimately a subjective experience and matter of taste, so it becomes ultra tribal and personal. It's like someone who likes pizza arguing with someone who likes burgers - pointless
crown actually have a great pedigree, they were used in the pro audio world and were one of the standards.
Best audiophile vid I have seen in a while. Thank you, Andrew.
Thank you for watching.
Awesome video!! I blew a carver up being used for Subs and hooked up my 1502 and have and will never look back.
As an electrical engineer if I needed an amplifier today the Crown Drive Core is the only one I'd consider. I was familiar with Crown before their first amplifier when they manufactured tape decks. Their tape deck were as good as prosumer decks got. The circuit boards were built to military standards and they were rated to survive a parachute drop in their own case. They were used in many radio stations. Everything they made was ultra reliable. Their first amplifier the DC 300 was the first high powered amplifier offered to the consumer market. That was in 1968. Many are still operating today. Their one dog was the IC150 preamplifier but there's a fix for it by swapping for a better op amp chip. In the pro market when a company like Bryson has to bid against Crown for a contract they take a very sharp pencil.
A few years ago I needed a new power amp for my Magnepan 1.7's. I had read about the Crown XLS 1502, so went to my local Guitar Center shop and bought one. I brought it home and hooked it up to the maggies, though an Outlaw 990 pre amp processor, and let things warm up for a couple minutes while I read through the Crown manual. The specs certainly looked impressive, especially for the price I paid for it. I wanted to like it!
Then I started going through my music library, picking out those selections that I knew well, and knew how good they sounded on my Magnepans. I spent an entire day doing that. After hours of listening I knew that Crown amp, through my Magnepans, was not a sound I could live with. The "Maggie Magic" , that I have loved for the 44 years I've owned Magnepan speakers, was just not there when the Crown was driving them. I packed up the Crown, making sure I packed everything up the way it came from the factory, and returned it to the Guitar Center. I then drove across town to the Audio Dealer I bought my first pair of Magnepans from 44 years ago, and listened to other amps driving 1.7's. That dealer was at the time, an Emotiva dealer as well as a Magnepan dealer. I heard the XPA2 gen 3 driving the 1.7's there. The Maggie Magic was back. The XPA 2 and the Crown had about the same power ratings. They did not sound the same driving my Magnepans. I bought the Emotiva and took one home with me. I still use it and am very happy with it's sound. I'm very glad I didn't try to live with the Crown. It didn't work for me in my setup.
Hey, I just purchased a pair of Crown 2502s based on your persistent praise of the xls drivecore series. I'm going to use them in bridged mono. I can't wait to see how they sound! My speakers have a peak handling of 600W at 8-4ohms so these should give me plenty of headroom.
You will have MORE than enough headroom for sure. If you're worried about noise floor, just remember to turn the front gain down a click or two and you'll be good to go (that is if you hear any hiss from your speakers at all). Cheers!
I just got an XLS 1002 for $200 and it sounds identical to my Yamaha, but obviously more than twice the power. If you need power I don't think you can buy more reliable and feature rich amps for the money. If you bridge it it's SEVEN HUNDRED watts. Who needs that?
I do..... 😍😍😍😍😍😍😍 and .... so much, very much more....
2 x XLs 3500 bridged for 2 x 24 inch subs that wake the dead up...... (many complaints from local cemeteries)....
😉👍🏻❤️💥
Love this video, but as a car nut, I can't fully accept the analogy. The Ford 427 engine was a truck engine, yes, but Shelby and the Ford engineers made major changes to the crank for sure, and I would venture to guess the valve train to an extent as well to make that engine do what it did in the 24 hours of Le Mans. You just can't take the soft springs on a stock truck engine and get them to operate at 7 or 8,000 RPM with out changing things up. Springs need to be stiffened or they will 'float' causing the engine to choke out and not efficiently allow the air and fuel mixture to be sucked into the combustion chamber. Also, with just a little searching, I was able to find an article that interviews a Ford Engineer who help re design the entire push rod of the FE engine. So while you had the right idea, and I love where you're heart was at, the analogy just wasn't quite there, because in the ICE (Internal Combustion Engine) world, the valvetrain is exactly where the 'magic' happens.
He was not talking about the original GT40, he was talking about the GT.
I put a Crown with my Magnepans 2 weeks ago. I think it sounds great. Will probably buy another and biamp. No complaints. Put a Marantz receiver in front of the Crown, and the Crown is transparent. I mean, it in no way degraded the sound I wanted from the Marantz.
That's exactly what a good amp is supposed to do. Be well and enjoy!
Own the XLS1502, and just placed an order for the XLS2502. Couldn't be happier.
I use the Crown 1502 . . . in fact, I have two at this point. I replaced two monoblock heavy-duty amps, and the detail, the tonal purity (timbre), the sound staging, a silent background (which the monoblocks never had), and the imaging with 3-D holographic effects immediately sold me on these amps. I had heard them at another audiophile's house, who had and could afford most anything they wanted . . . and he had the first edition of the Crowns . . . and when I heard them I was impressed -- still am; in fact, I may buy two more to turn my speakers into an active speaker system.
Just bought the xls 2502 for my Martin Logan motion 60xti speakers and they sound great I demoed the $5k anthem amp with same speakers and I think the crown is just as good if not better imo
I was thinking about buying the same amp! I love the look of it - and I like the preamp with room correction for two channel listening as well, but after this video and your comment here, I've decided to go ahead and buy the crowns and see what I think. (I own the P2 currently.) Did you hear any hiss from the crown vs the Anthem?
@@joshpeters7392 the anthem is a great looking and sounding amp I tested some focal 1028b and revel speakers on it also I like to listen to my music and movies pretty loud and the anthem made the speakers clip and distort at higher volume for the money the crown is great it really makes the speakers come alive it drives my speakers at really loud volume without any distortion or clipping it sounds clear crisp and punchy as for the hiss it's not too common from what I understand but there is a faint hum coming from the speakers if I get about 2 feet away from the tweeter its most likely ground feedback that can be fixed by a 3 to 2 prong adapter or pulling the ground pin out of the chord or turning the gain knob on the amp down a few clicks either way I have the gain control knob all the way up and I can't hear anything but clean powerful sound from my listening position so I have yet to get the prong adapter as far as the amp itself it's really quiet doesn't make any noise
@@bobzealand5692 - thank you for the reply! I'm really going to have to check out the Crowns considering your remarks and Andrew's comments about them. I still have a hard time believing that a product costing a 10th of what I'm looking at would give similar/ better performance, but I'm totally down for it if it works. I have an Anthem P2 now along with some Def Tech 8080's, but by the end of the month, I think I'm going to pull the trigger and buy the Golden Ear Reference speakers. I love that they have a built in, 1800 watt powered sub with adjustable volume, they image incredibly well, the sound stage is AMAZING, and they have far more detail than my def techs. I'll get the crowns to test them against my P2 shortly after and will report back what I find. I hate giving up the look of the STR and preamp together.... and might still go that route if it's close sound wise, but if the crowns are better, there is no way I'm going to spend that much more for something that isn't as good. Thanks again and good luck there!
@@joshpeters7392 So how’d it go?
Andrew was correct. Nothing can beat Crown XLS in term of incredible value. I just purchased a pair of XLS 2002 for Monoblock pairing with a tube preamp, Triangle Signature Delta and Denon reference DAC.
The end result was simply AMAZING. Immediate improvement was heard from my previous power amplifier Denon reference 2500. In term of
1) Sound stage is huge
2) Very neutral sound with complete silent in background. The instrument separation was crystal clear
3) Reduced crosstalk due to Monoblock setting at fraction of cost
4) Powerful, fast and dynamic bass due to 1200 watt per channel in Monoblock
5) High power efficiency with no heating issue
In summary, it is simply AMAZING what a sub $500 amplifier could do. The sound signature produced was on par if not better with any high end amplifier that cost a fortune.
I believe that Class D is the future of amplifier technology.
I want to second your thoughts and opinions about the Crown XLS amps. I recently had the opportunity to do an a/b comparison with the XLS 1002 and a pair of Trio L0-7M mono-blocks which used go for about 2x the price of the Crown new. Speakers were B&W 604S2 and preamp was a Yamaha CX A5100 controller. The Crown was almost impossible to distinguish from the Trios…. the bass was perhaps a bit more punchy… but only a smidge.. the mid range was identical… the highs were a tad more forward… just barely… I had to really concentrate to successfully differentiate between them… and when I could… it was hard to say which was better… I opted to keep the Crown in my system… cheaper, more efficient, more flexible, and easier to hook up than a pair of mono-blocks. The Trios are in the closet… they are fine amps… but so is the Crown… my only complaint is that they crowns are not beautiful… but then neither are the Trios…
Hi, New here. I just picked up a XLS 1502. - system: Keces power conditioner - Audioquest power cords - Questyle CMA 400i as Dac/preamp - Cambridge CD transport - Kef Q1 bookshelves. Audio perfection. NO HISS AT ALL. No Fan. Thank you Andrew.
I don't like too much base - so this is perfect. Getting better as it's playing. I'm glad that it fits well with my system.
This is audio's best kept secret.
...........The fan just came on for a short while - can't hear it - I was looking for it.
I have a crown XLI800 in my system powering a pair of PSB stratus gold i’s. The amp sounds phenomenal. Yes, I get a VERY faint hiss from the noise floor but it isn’t noticeable at all in use. I’ve set two other people up with a few. For the money, the drive core and xli series can’t be beat. The only other better value options out there would be a used Adcom. Had a few over the years that ran so long the led lights went out and they are true performers too. Either way, great products.
I have couple of the Crown 2502's. I can max the volume without pushing a signal to the amp... I only hear a slight hiss with my ear almost against the tweeter. Not enough that you could even hear in a dead silent room. I have had vintage audio equipment of pristine status that was on par with the Crowns. My speakers sensitivity are 98db SPL too. I have owned quite a bit of high end gear. The Crown's can hold their own. For the money, they can't be beat for power, efficiency and features. Not yet... The Crowns match very well with the Emotiva PT-100 (which has a decent DAC built in, or use of a different good DAC (Aune X8 Magic DAC, JDS Labs EL DAC II, The ES9038Q2M SABRE32 Reference DAC, AK4490 - AK4499 etc.) and also using tubes as a buffer, if you want a fuller bodied richer sound. I would use good quality JBL or Klipsch speakers at least. People can get Audiophile grade gear on the cheap these days!!! What can be had for $5,000 today, would have cost you $50,000 or more 20yrs ago. Think about it...
Hi Andrew (and Kristi!) Well, after your review of the Crown XLS DriveCore2 amplifier, I rolled the dice and picked one up! As I concentrate on my desktop setup during these isolated times, this amp now powers my work from home system paired with a Schiit Asgard3 with MultiBit DAC though ELAC Debut B6.2 on Soundrise stands. This combo is AMAZING! The ELAC's are relatively inefficient speakers so this REALLY woke them up! Thank you for your pragmatic reviews. Please keep them coming. I especially love your out takes with Kristi.
Hello Andrew. My dad gave me a Crown DC-300a Amp and IC-150 Pre-amp years ago. I used the DC-300a for years; I personally did not like the IC-150. I actually was honored to give the Crown gear to an audiophile friend of my dad. Based upon your review and one on ASR, I bought a crown xls 1002. I hook to my Maranatz pre-out. I have pair of Bozak B305 and pair of Klipsch RF-II speakers. This tiny little best drives both and I'm really enjoying, I swap on and off both with my BK ST2140. I'm enjoying the sound of the Crown XLS 1002 - incredible performance from the Crown and I've not warmed it up yet, literally.
Buy a Crown xls 1002 and coupled to muy Martantz NR1200, Klopsch RP 600M. Just FANTASTIC TY very much. Sr your honesty is all we need
I've been using a 1502 to power KEFs for about 5 years now, input from a decent DAC/pre-amp over XLR. I haven't done any A-B comparisons but I'm extremely happy with it.
Maybe you should ?...... you might get a plesent surprise ??????
I have an old Crown XTi 2000 that I used in my DJ setup back in the day. It is still in immaculate condition and ALL the clubs had racks of Crown and QSC Amplifiers back then. And those clubs hit so hard it would take your breathe away and the sound was clean clean clean LOL. Personally I have never thought about using it in my Home Stereo system until now LOL. So is there enough of a difference between the XTi series to upgrade to the new XLS series?
Wow. I ordered one of these from Amazon to hear for myself. In my system, a Rotel 1520 integrated driving Swan Diva 4.1s, it was night and day. They dynamics are incredibly better and I'm hearing parts of the music that I've never heard, particularly in the low and mid bass. Sometimes acoustic bass solos in jazz used to sort of disappear, now I can hear every note. It really is like lifting a veil in my case. Just to confirm when my wife walked in, I just had her sit down and play a track (she choose a Bob Marley song off Kaya I think). She immediately said oh my god. This sounds amazing. Then when I explained what was happening, she was like, so you've been under powering the speakers for 12 years? And I had to say, yeah I guess so. It keeps getting better. I'm looking for excuses to just sit down and listen to music just to see how it sounds. One of the tracks she choose, Brubeck's Take Five, I've heard literally hundreds of times, on lots of different equipment and I've never, ever heard it sound so good. It's a dynamic track and man it was just riveting. If you think you might need some extra power, give it a try. Unfortunately, this ruins my argument to buy some new speakers...
Glad to hear you've had a positive experience! Enjoy!
How does the XTi differ from XLS? Would love to know if there is a reason to upgrade
I bought a XLS 1002 about a year ago because you liked Crown. First tried a homemade passive preamp, not loud enough. Then a Schiit SYS, impressive. Recently tried a FX-Audio Tube-01, OMG perfection! I'm driving Ohm Walsh 2's and have zero noise problem. TY AR.
Is there any reason to choose the 1502 over the 1002 for the lower distortion numbers or is it for all practical purposes a non-issue? Don't need the extra power but for another $100, it's not a real stretch. I do hear a slight hiss with my 1002 if I put my ear up to the speaker or in quiet sections with vinyl (sort of combines with surface noise to be a little more pronounced) but when I flipped back to just my Rotel (which is now serving as a preamp), I get the same thing but softer. I assume it's always been there pre-1002 but the extra amplification makes it slightly more pronounced even with no signal coming from the pre-amp. Might try a Furman surge protector now that I'm seeing the world of rack mount stuff.
Where does it say it has lower distortion numbers, when I compare them, everything is the same, except for the power.
I just purchase my Crown amp, An experienced listening fatigue at 1st, And what I Found out there's no mid bass hump that most consumer Amps have. A very clean amp And fast Amp So you have to listen in to the music. And the listening fatigue went away. So farm very happy
Thank you
Hey Andrew, please let me know your thoughts on Behringer KM750, Im bit confused should i go for crown xli or behringer Km series. Thanks
Wow, you hit on two of my passions at once. I'm a drag racing engine builder and a music fan (not an audiophile). I like the Crown amps very much, you get a lot for very little money. A minor correction about the Ford GT40, which is the original car from the mid- late 60's, the GT is the modern super car. The 427 side oiler high riser from the GT40 is technically in the FE family of engines, 352, 360, 390, 406, 427, and 428. The 427 uses a completely different stroke to bore ratio, a vastly different oiling system, and very different induction than the 352-390 truck engines. Consequently the GT40 engine used a different block, crank, rods, pistons, heads, intake, practically everything. I'm certainly no expert on audio equipment, I am a professional in respect to race engine history. Love your videos, and thank you for your consistent honesty, its truly refreshing.
Good story. Class A, A/B reached design perfection about 30 years ago. All you need outside of a good design is a massive power supply. That's where the money goes, (and the weight) and you've got good sound.
You are correct.
But even class A/AB are now virtually obsolete now that class D just achieved transparency with Purifi modules. All while being light weight and power efficient.
(they're still very expensive tough).
Waiting for any reviews on these three amplifiers....Behringer Professional A800 800-Watt Reference-Class Class D Power Amplifier
Behringer NX4-6000 4-Channel Class-D Power Amplifier and Behringer NX6000D 6000-Watt Class-D Power Amplifier with DSP Control and SmartSense Loudspeaker Impedance Compensation
I hope you review these in the near future....Thank you Andrew for the video. Would love to see weekly reviews, or more reviews on D class amps or other videos on the newest DAC's that can be implemented in systems....I am a 40+ yr long audiophile. I had chased the Audiophile dream all my life...always to feel I need something better. Well, to make a long story short. I gave away in 2012 my Yamaha RX-V3900 A/V receiver that I purchased around 2009. It was heavy and felt I needed a couple fans cooling it down. I only had about 40hrs total on the receiver and was in new/mint condition. I purchased a cheapo Lepai D class amp 20w x 20w @4ohm (I think) soon after I gave away my Yamaha. I was so impressed with what this tiny class D was delivering. It sparked my audiophile flame again. I am will get either the Crown XLS 2502 or the Behringer Pro A800 reference class, D Class amplifier. Getting the Emotiva BasX PT-100 Pre-Amplifier as well Now to me it is all about performance for $. Now days you no longer have to purchase every year for the best....Now you can make a wise choice and be satisfied for years. When you do decide to upgrade it will be easier and a heck of a lot cheaper. Now if we can only get $200 speakers that can rival $20,000 speakers.. It can be done....the Crown XLS line proves that. Amplifiers don't have to weigh so freaking much. Give me clean and light over brute force that is so darn inefficient any day. P.S. with the Coronavirus crises, this has paused any purchases until everything is safe and close to normal.
The Crown XLS is awesome. I recently trialled a Technics SU G700 m2, really nice looking thing, but wasn't really able to better the Crown, especially with the sheer amount of power for music with large dynamic swings. The Technics got returned, Crown is staying, and after trying a few other amps I've come to the conclusion it's staying permanently from here on out.
👏👏👏😎
I have one and love it! It replaced a pair or Trio L07M amps in my system. No complaints!
Great update I want to buy an xls1502 and use my peachtree Nova integrated as a pre-amp amp RCA to RCA . But I am a little concerned as the old has voltage input sensitivity options and I can't find the peachtree RCA voltage output therefore wonder if it is critical which setting to use
Oops...prodictive text error... I meant xls not old
Thx so much for the video. I have been looking at these amps for home theather but was skeptical as it sounds too good to be true for the price. Very informative videos. Is the XLI series inferior to the XLS for HT?
Fantastic video, great to see someone of authority in the industry coming out on this.
This year I built my own amp, do a search for "modulus 86", the amp was designed with one thing in mind, lowest distortion. The designer included extensive test measurements on the site and it beats pretty much every expensive amplifier you can think of.
Have a look at it, I think it will appeal to you ethos.
I'm not the designer of this amp, I don't make any money for recommending it, I'm simply a very satisfied customer and audio enthusiast
I used Crown amplifiers in the past for studios that wanted accurate and loud playback. Those were class A/B amps.
I'm going to really commit hearsay. I bought a Radio Shack MPA-200 on a lark. I saw the circuit design and thought, this is a solid A/B amplifier. The bottom line. It sounds great. I have a much more expensive Denon amp, but this one (rated at the same power), has more "perceived power". At least more headroom. I said perceived, because I haven't benched it and made comparitive measurements. I haven't heard Schitt audio yet, but it seems that using their preamp, I might find the two a good match.
Right now I simply have a phono preamp with it's volume control to front end the Radio Shack stereo PA.
Hi Andrew long time listener love your shows man learned so much by watching your topics but I have a question on the crown drive core 2 2502 thinking of buying a marantz 7706 pre amp processor would this pre amp let the crown reach its max potential on performance due to the amp its a pro amp not a regular consumer product? I do also have 3 more crown drive core in my system but I have it rigged up with a Onkyo RZ 820 receiver pre out hooked up to Rolls Promatch converts to convert the consumer 1.0v signal to over 1.4v to run my amps to its max potential. My old Onkyo sounds good but I heard good things about the Marantz 7706 let's face it its a much better system hands down . So my question is would I get a better cleaner sound on movie theater experience As on listener to music and I love my music loud! Any advice would help bud truly appreciate you brother.
To be honest put the shoe on the other foot... If you buy a $5k+ tube amp or a $10k+ class A or AB hybrid.. Then some buy comes along and tells you the $650 Class D pro audio XLS 2502 can power any speaker they have up to $100k Wilson's and do it well and cleanly. Something that has a balanced sound signature with clean power and not harsh high end. They feel ripped off and inadequate thus their default response is to bark back. It's human emotion!
Hi Andrew! I m a subscriber of your channel from your very first review of the crown amps years ago and was impressed by your way of telling that these amps are big bang for the bucks you have to spend for them. They are not perfect if your are looking to the specs an measurements (look at audio science review forum) but for 200 to 400 euro (i live in germany) you can‘t get no better amps. Maybe the IMG stageline 1000-d and 2000-d amps are perfect competitors (class d driven by pascal s-pro2 amps, 1000-d is a stereo amp, 2000-d is a 4-channel amp) and i would be very happy to hear your thoughs about these amps. And for the point of „magic“ in audio video industry or community: sometime people act like „i’ve paid 5 grand for these pair of speakers cables so they MUST be better then anything which costs less!“ and then they think: „a less expansive cable can not be better or equal then my expensive cable because the ist not allowed to be!!!“ and then they are acting on a very lets say emotional level. Thank for your videos and happy new year!
Thank you and happy New Year to you as well.
Well my friend. I wish I could get inside your head and understand all this hifi , stereo equipment. I’m 54 just getting back into listening and enjoying my music again. I thought I did pretty good just finding a 200 watt Stereo from Yamaha. By watching your channel and several others I feel that I might have made a mistake. But , I do understand that you have to start somewhere. But on my end listening to all the reviews on Amos , pre amps , speakers , turntables blah blah blah. I do feel like I am learning. Which is the point of watching your reviews. But , Like I said I may have started on the wrong foot. I mean who knows I may not be able to bye anything else n the future. Who knows. I just may be stuck with what I have. I know you do say the only one that needs to like your system , is me. So far it’s okay. I wish I would have started watching more shows like yours. Oh well. Keep doing what you do. LOVE THE SHOW
Andrew - this is an absolutely outstanding video! Audiophiles do tend to say those things - "you don't know what you're talking about" - "you obviously can't hear that well" - "your system must not be good enough" and one you forgot is "you must not have the money to...." All of these excuses are typically levied by guys in their 60's and 70's, who are either 1) desperately trying to justify some outrageous cost for some product they purchased or 2) it's said by the guy trying to sell you that obnoxious product. I bring up the age because that's also the general age of writers for audio publication companies. Given their age, many of the live performances they go to, participation in bands, etc, its hard to imagine many of them not having some sort of hearing loss but just generally speaking with age, so goes hearing. Yet, these are the guys telling other people in their 20s and 30s that they must not be able to hear that well!
But the bigger issue is the rampant fraud that exists within the mid to high end audio industry. One example was the Lexicon BD-30. Audioholics reviewed it, opened it up, and discovered that it was nothing but an Oppo Blu-ray with a different case. Everything but the chassis and the firmware were identical. The Oppo cost $500, the Lexicon cost $3,000. Yet other reviewers at the time wrote that the Lexicon was superior in both image and sound quality. And the one thing that is so universal among most reviewers and publications, is that the more you spend, the better it is. But, like you state in this video, that's just not always the case.
Further problems industry are the price model, price fixing, and retail channel can't sustain itself. The retail cost of these products is generally 400 to 500% higher than the complete BOM, build, support, and shipping. No other industry has such outrageous markups! And the biggest challenge to a disruptive company is that no matter how good it really is, reviewers will be only as excited to the extent of what the product costs. Because "if you spend more, you'll get something better!" They, the reviewer, publication, doesn't want to disrupt the industry the way you are by suggesting Crown amps can hold their own with other amps costing hundreds of times more.
Then, my local retailer is forced to sell at their fixed MSRP, instead of being able to offer me any discount. And that isn't on just one particular brand, but EVERY ONE of them in this vertical market. How the entire industry hasn't come under investigation is beyond me, but the only hope for the retail channel, and more boutique shops that sell mid and high end gear, is to allow those brick and mortar guys to sell with discounts. Packages. Etc... But they are forbidden to do that because no brand "wants to be diluted." I'm half tempted to take 100k to my local guy, ask for a 30% discount on it, he's still going to add 20k to his bottom line for that week in profit, and I sell those units at 10% less than MSRP and get 20k!
Closing this out, the entire industry is one big circle jerk. A company advertises with a publication in print, and then sends review units to that publication. Not wanting to risk ad dollars, they say the component is really good (Which it might be) but fail to offer options that are similar for potentially far less money. Or worse, they open the unit and god forbid, ask what internals of this unit justifies this outrageous price? The manufacture then sends a unit for a youtuber to review, along with the other glowing review from said publication, and the reviewer, not wanting to anger anyone, or who may be kind of new and unknown, doesn't want to be the outspoken guy and ends up also giving it a glowing review. The manufacture sells more units, buys more ad space, the youtuber gets more views, makes more money, rinse and repeat.
I'd love to hear your thoughts on any of these points. I'm really passionate about this, because, like hundreds of millions of other people out there, I'm passionate about music and great sound. Keep up the good work, Andrew! And best of luck to you in the new year!
You're absolutely spot on Josh and you share the exact same views as my own. For years I've been trying to warn off people from some "high end" hi-fi because it's a total scam. You're also very right about hi-fi dealerships price fixing. They are operating as a cartel, which is illegal in the UK ! So likewise, I am also amazed they haven't yet been brought to task over this. However, the dealerships know it's a money spinner with most getting away with a 75%+ mark up, set by the manufacturers, on what they sell and therefore won't dare to discount, for fear of the manufacturers threatening to stop supplying !
So after hearing you and another UA-camr who is a user of the Crown amps, I was able to pick up a pair of XLS 2502 that I’m running in bridged mode. Got a great deal on them at Black Friday prices. I have class A 90 watt mono block tube amps that I wanted to do some a/b listening to. With what I paid for the crown amps I’ll easily be able to get my money back. Funny thing is I have gone back to the tube amps yet and don’t feel like I’ve lost anything. The rest of the rig is well regarded speakers, preamp, dac, streamer and turntable. Very happy camper right now. It’s magical😀
I have a Crown Straight Line Two preamp and a pair of Crown Power Line Three power amps that I bought new and am still thrilled with their performance. And they're about 35 to 40 years old. And they're still going strong and still making me very happy.
Yes, the poor mans Mcintosh used to be Crowns nickname back in the day. Those amps are fetching a good brice on Ebay today.
I'm listening to you right now on a Crown XLS 1502. I TRULY believe that they have the ABSOLUTE best bang for the buck in the audio world. I've tried a BUNCH of amps in the sub $2K range (My budget for an office amp). You have to go all the way to the top of that range to find something with lower noise and better dynamic range, and WILL have less power to boot. Pair a decent tube preamp with a Crown XLS and you have a VERY respectable front end.
Your absolutely right because I am an audio enthusiast I did a similar experience with crown power amplifier xLi series which is class AB amplifier. I have removed the passive crossover from my svs ultra tower speakers and triamplified these with 3 individual crown XLi amplifiers and used a DBX driverack 360 as an external crossover.i have tweaked the slopes the results were phenomenal. The detail and authority of sound was really good. First time when I saw your video about the drive core series I was able understand what your trying to explain. Don't take it to heart about people making negative comments your doing a great work.
You still recommend these Amps? I have a marantz sr6013 av reciever and im thinking to going separate AMP to My main left and right. You think a crown xls 1502 would sound better than My marantz sr6013?
If you get two Crown amps and run them in mono-block using your Marantz as a preamp, I don't know if it will sound "better", but whatever your driving will definitely have more oomph behind it.
Hey Andrew. Is it normal for the XLS 1502 to need a warm up time? Usually it sounds a bit flat when you first turn it on... I've read that you should never turn it off too. Thoughts?
Yes. it sounds better warm. No you do not need to leave it on all the time.
Thats with any electronics and not just amps. 5-10mins in and you should be good. I power ON/OFF my XLS2500 with a DIY 12v trigger that installed years ago and works great with my Emotiva DAC/Pre-amp.
I use Crown XLS 2502 amps in two different KEF LS50 2 channel systems in my home and love the pairing, but I disagree with you on the “magic” comment. There are some audio products that do offer something highly unique or “magical” that are hard to find in other products. I think I understand your point though and appreciate your reviews. Thumbs up by the way😊
If someone told me I'd spend this much time watching some guy talking about audio equipment I'd say they were out of their mind. You've ignited the beginning of my new hobby. I hope I can afford it! Your channel is an invaluable tool and a super interesting viewing experience. Thanks for all you do.
Great to see you man, a great to know you are on the mend. FYI I am going to pick up a Crown XLS- 1502 this week. It will be used for music, and home theater. Another awesome episode, thank you much man!
Hi! Thanks for discussing on the Crown , I am setting up my first HiFi set, can you advise if Dac is needed to pair if I buy the crown power amplifier? If need, which should I get for music like classical? What item do I need to get too for setting up? Ty
Check out AudioScienceReview for detailed measurements of many DACs. There are some great budget options that outperform DACs that are much more costly. The UMC204HD for example. It measures better than the Crown amplifier is capable of reproducing
ASR reviewed the Crown XLS 1502 and discovered that the SINAD (signal over distortion and noise) is just 75 dB. Fine for PA use, but rather poor for HiFi
Recently i plug in my crown xti 2002 to my front left and right..before i used crown for my subs.. Amazing audio quality and outstanding power...i can hear more detailed low.. mid.. frequency and the highs also clear.. The only problem i noticed the hiss noice coming from the tweeters. . That is also when i go near to the speakers..now i will connect my 2 xti 2002 to LCR.. And remaing 1 channel connect to my rear sub.. Also i am going to buy another xti 4002 for my 4 infinity kappa 12 inch subs..
Good video. I had to be convinced to buy the crown amps I have. I needed more power to run my power hungry speakers. So I was looking on the used market for an older parasound, or Rotel, but I seen a few guys using these crown amps, and spoke to couple of them. I went with the 1502 and the 1002 for my front three, the thing I wish I would've done differently is, I would have bought two of the 1502's because the 3 speakers are the same... good video again. First video I've seen from you, and now I'm a subscriber..
So I have watched a lot of your videos in the past and I somehow missed this one. Your analogy about the Ford GT is spot on. And I have one for you, just like the Ford GT, Dodge had the Viper, had a killer V-10, killer styling and performance. The car best the Corvette ZR1 on track times, but unlike the Ford fans, there was always the grumblings from the exotic crowd...it's a truck engine. As if that had anything to do with performance. They, being the so called pure sports car enthusiast, whom I like to the home audio audiophile snobs, where despite the performance, the brand name seems to outweigh common sense. Also I find it funny that these same people assume that you can't hear despite your background, because you gave high praise for a product that delivers, but is sold at guitar center, yet they forget is the same company that makes high-end speakers and amps under a different brand is crazy. Also I can tell you who is ahead of this brand name curve more so than the home audio guys, the Sq can audio guys. We all have know. For a long time that a lot of tech is shared and amps designs aren't that much different and unless that brand has their own engineers you are paying for a name. So a lot of us purchase based on internals, same board design, but the use of high-end filter caps or better op-amps and larger superior mosfets make the added price worth it. As you say, no magic, just science.
I was glued to this video as it was so interesting to hear your story about your experience with the Crown amp and the analogy with the Ford GT. Brilliant!
Hi Andrew, I would like to know if you have a 20hz to 20khz power rating for the xls series.
Hello Andrew, I’ve run across your video of the crown amps, may I ask what are your thoughts today regarding the idea of running a HIFI system in the home. I’m currently using the Onkyo TX NR 1030 9.2 set up, and I have to tell you it sounds pretty darn good w/my Klipsch RP-280FA L/R RC-64 Center SUB RP-1600SW and (6) Pro 8000-L THX which purchased in pairs over time. My TX NR 1030 sound very nice however, it’s time That I upgrade to maybe the latest Onkyo TX-R70, I’ve always thought that Crown or the QSC commercial amp could possibly do a much better job at least on the 3 fronts. It’s sure would be nice to see your take on this kind of set up in today’s music world. and I sure don’t want to spend 50k for an amp when my good old behind the time TX NR1030 which is under powered still to this day sound crisp and clean running my Klipsch’s I would love to run a Pre-Amp Receiver with all the bells & whistles that would carry me into the next century and not have to worry about power.
I am also interested in pro amplifiers for audio systems in my home. Have you ever tried other brands, such as Ecler, Qsc, Toa or others. Is there anything better than crown? My speaker is B&W matrix 801 s3 who need big amp
Hi Andrew, I could not figure out how to submit a question thru your website. My question is that I don't have a ton of money to spend on speakers at the moment; would it be a good idea to get the YU6 and forgo the Sub for now and grab one later on? Are they good enough by themselves. I am not an audiophile, but do love music. These would be for my desk since I did just upgrade my monitor and it does not have speakers. My current headset is the Steelseries Arctis Pro Wireless. Previously I would use my headset for music and games but if I was just watching videos on youtube or movies, I would use my monitor speakers and now don't have the ability to do so. Now I am using my headset all of the time, and while they are great and comfortable, sometimes it can get fatiguing to wear them all of the time.
I think the YU6 speakers are a great choice, especially for desktop use.
Did you notice any burn-in time changing the sound? I just got a 1502 and right out of the box it was an ear burner, fairly bright. It seemed to have settled down after playing for about 20 hours. I’ll have to listen to it for a while to see how it compares to my refurbished McIntosh MC2200. Right now comparing the two, the XLS doesn’t roll the highs off as much and the low-lows are tighter, but the mid bass doesn’t seem as fleshed out. Time will tell.
What source do you use? Which speakers?
@@guyboisvert66 Tidal streaming through PS Audio Gain Cell DAC/TT with Hana SL MC cartridge, Cambridge Audio CXC transport, Buchardt S400 speakers.
🤣🤣🤣🤣 Bruh, you just broke so many people's hearts, and I love it. The people to whom you are referring to, must not know your audiophile reviewer pedigree, or maybe they are taken aback at how young you look, to wrongly assume that you have not been at this a long time. Since discovering you at hometheaterreview.com, and taking a chance on some of your recommendations/reviews/and direct correspondence (thank again btw), o feel that I've become more knowledgeable in a hobby that I love, gotten to experience some great gear, and reconnected with familiar and discovered new music that I love. My Crown XLR 2502's; my Emotiva XPR 5; my Tekton design Double Impacts, are all rewarding purchases that you helped influence, and I can't thank you enough. Keep up the great work and get well soon!
I'm planning on using the 2502 to power some JL 13W7s in my home theater setup. Do you know if the Crowns have a hard high pass at 20 hz? They'll mostly be used for music so it doesn't matter too much I guess but I'll still need them to go under that for movies sometimes
J.Cub look up the specifications
they have adjustible crossover and DSP
Do you need to use a passive Pre amp? I currently have a Rotel rc9808x. What type of speaker conections can be used with the Crown?
Bare wire or banana terminated ends.
@@andrewrobinsonreviews Thank you, Do you need to use a passive Pre amp? My current Pre amp has 1.0 sensitivity,100 ohms impedence.
I have a pair of old crown D-75's in mono running some JBL 4301'S.... amazing for used/cheap! I've always loved crown and qsc amps. Best bang for the buck hands down!
Hi Andrew ,
I totally share your opinion. A few months ago I tried a Yamaha PX5 PRO amplifier for my JBL S3900 and I was totally impressed. Such was the impression that the McIntosh MA252 I had until then was never heard again. I took advantage of the money saved for a good preview and a better DAC. Surely all those people who criticize the PRO is because they have never heard it or because it is hard to recognize that you have spent $ 6,000 on something that with $ 600 sounds better. Have you ever tried the Yamaha? If so, how would you compare it to the Crown?
Theres some top end missing, some quickness and agility loss
In prosound amps.
Is My Halfler Diablo better than my Marantz digital ?
Absolutely, but
Say vs a Kenwood LO7 II , pilinius 9200 ,
Sony TA-N7B (For example)
It doesn't sound as good as those
It just has way more power
Well put, it’s engineering and a willingness to listen to each creation because the choice of parts can change the sound. It’s amazing that the name has just power when it should be the performance. I really liked your analogy of the Ford GT using the 5.4 motor vs V12s or high strung 6 bangers, like the AC/Shelby 427 S/C stomped the competition and is now recognized as one of the all time greatest sports cars ever made
Would love to hear your opinion on pairing one of these with the rp-8000fs
your honesty is fantastic, much appreciated!
I'm using a Crown XLS 1002 to replace my broken McIntosh 2105. All I can tell is I'm happy with the sound and if my Macintosh gets fixed I will be able to compare them. I can foretell there won't be so much difference
Amazing review. I accidentally ran across your site looking for reviews on davone speakers. May I ask what you are using to feed your crown amp? Im looking for thing really nice but price conscious to feed a crown amp feeding a pair of davone studio. Thanks :)
Tom Ohle i think he is using a marantz 150x whatever avr as processor for his system
Crown has been making amplifiers for years, amplifiers that musicians have depended on for decades, and an Amplifier is a fairly straightforward piece of electronics. They must be doing something right. I have Carver and there are lots of people that would thumb their noses up at that name. I have owned Carver for years and have always had good results with them. My current 5 channel amp is a Carver av705x. It is a beast, quiet, runs cool has very credible sound for both movies and music. I can play at theater levels and somewhat concert levels 115 db for hours and the amp is barely warm. I have owned this amplifier for 17years, and I bought it used on Ebay. And I have no desire to change it. Theirs my opinion on brand snobbery. Way to go Andrew
Andrew I appreciated your advice on this subject and I took the plunge about 2 months ago. I have a denon avr x3300h reciever with the XLS 1502 now powering my 2 front Canton Chrono sl 586DC speakers. Sound is nice amp is quite my only concern is that the speaker is only rated for 200 watts and the amp can put out 300 watts. Could you give me your thoughts on amp to speaker compatability. If you don't know that is fine I will still enjoy all my Tidal tracks that I enjoy listening to like Sade Smooth Operator.
Doesnt matter that theres the extra power (extra transient headroom) aslong as you set the crown and denon up to properly work together.
It's wise to use the -10dB or -20dB volume limiter setting (if you don't exceed those limits during your regular use) just to ensure someone can't accidently overload your system.
Put on a dynamic speaker testing song something your familar with.
Now with the crown knobs all the way down/off you want to begin with the Denon AVR volume set to the max it can go (someone can accidently go up to) and then you slowly begin to turn the crown knobs up/on increasing the volume to the max level that you want your system to be able to achieve when being used at its max and then you back it down a notch or two and never touch them again and use your AVR to control the volume levels and you wont have to worry about the amp blowing out your equipment.
The Crown amp knobs are not for volume control management, there for setting the amps limits. and in a home environment in most cases they shouldn't be set any higher then 1/2 way (12 o'clock)
Dont turn the crown or denon too loud, otherwise your speakers will blow......
Things like a ratterling or knocking noise on bass sounds will let you know your amps are too high.....
@stevenschultz878 good luck
Around 2 years ago I bought the entry level floor speakers from pioneer, as I had really liked their entry level bookshelf speakers. However, my cheap RadioShack reciever couldn't push them well enough so they didn't sound very good. I was 18 and my birthday was coming up and I wanted a new reciever, so I start shopping. I go look at pioneers integrated amps, yamaha, and a lot of other "hifi" amps. They were all like 1000$ for like 150w or less. Then I start looking at used pa amplifiers at guitar center. They're cheap, like really cheap and are high wattage. I go on UA-cam and find Andrew's video. Andrew says, yeah that'll work, get the drivecore. I go buy a drivecore and it made such a huge difference in sound for my cheap speakers. Last moth I got a used rack and now everything is nice and rack mounted. If you ask me, most of that hifi stuff is bs.
I agree with Andrew. Don’t knock down cheap Crown Amps unless you’ve actually tried them in your rig. I have an immediately noticed a difference over the sound quality of my AVR’s built-in amps.
Where I disagree is that there’s no “magic” or “Synergy” when it comes to Amp/Speaker Combo’s. I’m a big proponent of Class D amplification and when done correctly, sounds as good if not better that Class A/B or dare I say, Class A. I’d rented a Crown XLII amp from Guitar Center to test my 5.1 channel “hacked” True Balanced outputs while awaiting the arrival of my PS Audio M700/SGCD.
The Crown amp was good but I immediately noticed a quieter noise floor (less hiss/tiny hum cause by my source at the time). Sound quality without going into Audiophile adjectives was noticeably better on the PS Audio vs The Crown.
Keep up the great work. You ain’t “Stupid” but people who say you, are themselves “Stupid”.
Cheers
I’m currently in love with my new MC2 and Hypex amps. Can’t place exactly what it is that I’m liking more so than other offerings but really like both.
That's all that matters. Thanks for watching!
Great video 👍 I own a crown, use it in my HiFi. Works incredible, you can also use the extra RCA IN,on the crown as a line out/sub out!
Hi...this Crown or Emotiva Basx 2 as pwer amp for stereo music with Marantz sr 5011 as pre amp?..Ty
Any opinion on emotiva amps, specifically the a 300, looking at picking one up. Would I be better served by a crown 2ch amp?
Not knowing what you're powering or what you have as a preamp I cannot advise you one way or another. Suffice to say they're both EXCELLENT choices in my humble opinion.
I've got a denon 3600 I'm using to power the other 9 channels for an atmos setup, my fronts are a pair of pioneer elite efs73's. I expect to upgrade down the road, but I like them for now.
Andrew, don't mean to go off topic but I have to ask your opinion and reason why (outside of space) 3 identical bookshelf speakers aren't sold as a trio? I have a pair of Elac Unifi's in another room and I'm tempted to get another pair just to try one as a center channel. Would they sound more uniform in this set up? What's the pros and cons? Thanks. Btw I enjoy all your reviews even though I'm not into vinyl lol
I use two Elac speakers in parallel for my center.
@@ranbymonkeys2384 yeah that's true but it wouldn't be in Dolby Digital HD
I run a JBL Urei 6260 for my stereo mains, and I LOVE it. It's just a big ol lump of PA amp and it's just fine for hi-fi.
Nice to see some Audiophile that (tries) keeps beeing objective (as good as he can) and don't fall just for Brands. That's really not easy. Awesome Video Andrew👌
I appreciate that!
great vid. Do you think a good old integrated amplifier (accuphase e-202) is still good in this era?
Heck why not...
Absolutely.
e202 is one of the best sounding amps there is out there. The problem is to find one in good condition...
I have been running the same Crown Amps exclusively for the past 40 years. The Crown Straight Line 2 pre amp and twin Crown Power Line 3 power amps and have never had one iota of a problem with them. They sound great going into my four ESS AMT1a loudspeakers. No complaints!! They come highly recommended by me. I must say though that I am curious about the new XLS Drive Cores.
I've just bought an XLS 1002 to power my recently acquired NS10s for my mix room. The amount of snobs on forums who suggested buying vintage amps like Brystons or Yamahas that cost thousands (more than the NS10s themselves) like it's a viable option was exhausting. From what I've heard, the Crown is clean, and it'll deliver ample power for my NS10s, that's all I need.
Good luck with that..... you will soon be looki g for a etter amp, once your "mixes" sound "different" on other peoples equipement..... so sorry you fell for the hype.....
So simple and so true. Thank you for your clarity of thoughts and words.
Andrew, spot on video!! I have been curious about Crown Amps since Zeos reviewed one and he even talked it up. I am in a few different HIFI forums and when ever Crown Amps are mentioned, it is like you say, there is a group of folks that go "office space" on it.. My next Amp purchase will most likely be a Crown..
I love your language we need many more people like you in the HIFI World it really is cutting through the C.R.A.P so refreshing thank you and thank you again Andrew. I will probably buy a crown now. What Pre-amp????
Andrew, this was absolutely my favorite video from you! Superbly well done!
Glad to have you back! I'm wondering if you could do a short next time of your opinion on amps and what their sole purpose really is. I recall many many years ago reading a review on a Balanced Audio Technology amp and the reviewer best described it as " Pure Gain". After all isn't that what all power amps are meant to do?
Just found your channel and really like your approach and delivery. I'm very interested in the Crown amps you've been talking about. I'm wondering how you know when you're speakers would benefit from more power. I've got some Swan 4.1's (early 2000's B&W knock offs) which are 4 ohm 87db efficiency speakers. I'm powering them with a Rotel 1520 rated (conservatively they say) at 60wpc. I've always felt that something is missing in these speakers, the highs are very nice and the bass is there if not especially prominent but there's some mid bass that feels like it's sort of missing. Was wondering if giving the Crown a try before seeking other speakers might be a good idea.
I would try the Crown in your case to see if it doesn’t breathe a little life into your speakers.
@@andrewrobinsonreviews Going to do just that. Got one on the way. If not, I just need to know how you talked your wife into the JBLs.
@@andrewrobinsonreviews Hooked up the Crown using the Rotel as a preamp and damn it really does pump some life into my speakers. Just listened to a little vinyl (Bill Evans) and some Spotify streaming into a Raspberry Pi with HIFiberry DAC+ Pro and it does sound like it lifted a veil and brought out more sound from the speakers. The best indicator is that I have some work to do but I didn't want to stop listening.
I still may want to eventually get new speakers with larger, more high efficiency woofers similar to your JBLs but there is an audible difference. Will see how it feels to live with for awhile but thanks for bringing this to my attention. In the process of switching amps I broke a banana plug and was thinking another advantage of the pro equipment is that you can make (or buy) some speaker cables with Neutrik connectors on the amp side which are more robust. Another place where the home audio market seems to be behind the pro market.
I looked at your original crown review... as I am into class D power amps. But it seems the crown gets mixed reviews I was wondering if you have heard or might consider reviewing a nord acoustic ncore product - as hypex seem to be generating a lot of interest and great performance for reasonable-ish money... all be it much more than the crowns. But I would like to hear your opinion on them
I was thinking about using an XLS to power my Magnepans. I hear comments about them having a high noise floor thru the speakers when no music is playing. Is this true? I have other Class D amps I love in my other system but not sure it makes much of a difference like you said.
++ same question.
Want to power Magnepans .7
Would the power be sufficient for these speakers?
Yes when nothing is playing there is noise, while playing nothing
Resolved lots by adding a cleanbox pro
Unless you're sitting a foot away from the speaker I doubt you'll notice anything. Use XLR inputs from a clean source and it will be quieter still.
Last Sunday I purchased my XLS1002 to give it a try. I paired it with my Moon P-3 pre-amplifier and I was amazed, and still am, about what this combination offers. I will enjoy this amp for a long time.I will consider getting a second XLS1002 and bridge them. This has to be the best kept secret in the audio industry.
I enjoyed this video immensely. I am an audio enthusiast as well as an automobile enthusiast. Your analogy was quite spot on. I will certainly be trying a Crown amp for a subwoofer application soon.
I'm a little confused about what a Class D or digital amplifier actually does. Does it convert any signal it receives to ones and zeros and somehow alter that bitstream to make it louder?
it's not digital at all , purely analogue
@@gerritgovaerts8443 That's cool, so why then are they called digital amplifiers? I've looked it up before but for some reason I'm just not grokking how they work.
With XLS1502 connected to X3700H AVR, what should be XLS's exact input sensitivity and Gain knob settings to drive my 8ohm JBL (ES100) L+R Front stand speakers?
I tend to listen to high volume at times ..
Kindly advise me the best possible settings required..
Thanks in advance
You need to see what the preamp voltage of the Denon is as I don’t know it off the top of my head. If it’s low or lower than (I believe) 1.4v then put the Crown in its .7 setting. If it’s strong enough leave the Crown in its default setting. But consult the manual please.
@@andrewrobinsonreviews thank you so much for taking your time out to reply.
(As per audioholic forum) The output signal from the 3700 in preamp mode is optimal at 1.1 volts and clips at 1.4 volts.
This concludes that 0.75VRMS is where I can get the most out of my performance given the limitations to pre-amp mode ..
How do you like Denon as pre amp with Crown as power amp? Is big difference running speakers with Crown, or just with Denon?..Ty