Crown Amplifiers (Or PA Amp in general)

[rockman85]

Hello everyone, I am super new to the hifi world and I have already gotten a lot of good info from this forum, so just saying thanks in advance.

Just curious what everyone thinks of using a PA amp in a hi-fi system. I know that gear makes a difference but I never really thought an amp would make any difference at all until I started reading about it on the internet. I am currently running a pair of Tekton Pendragons  - 4ohm (which were recommended on this forum) with a Crown XTI 1002.  I find the sound to be good but after a lot of reading I am wondering if I am missing out on something. I got the amp basically because the Tekton guy recommended Crown as decent budget amp if money was an issue.

Current Setup

Preamp / Dac: Emotiva Stealth DC-1
Speakers: Tekton Pendragons (4 ohm)
Amplifier: Crown XTI 1002
Source: Sonos Connect

[novisnick]

May 24, 2017 14:03:44 GMT -5 rockman85 said:

Hello everyone, I am super new to the hifi world and I have already gotten a lot of good info from this forum, so just saying thanks in advance.

Just curious what everyone thinks of using a PA amp in a hi-fi system. I know that gear makes a difference but I never really thought an amp would make any difference at all until I started reading about it on the internet. I am currently running a pair of Tekton Pendragons  - 4ohm (which were recommended on this forum) with a Crown XTI 1002.  I find the sound to be good but after a lot of reading I am wondering if I am missing out on something. I got the amp basically because the Tekton guy recommended Crown as decent budget amp if money was an issue.

Current Setup

Preamp / Dac: Emotiva Stealth DC-1
Speakers: Tekton Pendragons (4 ohm)
Amplifier: Crown XTI 1002
Source: Sonos Connect

IMHO any Emotiva amp will sound more refined then the Crown amp. Crown IMO are designed to reach the back of the hall with volume and not necessarily with quality.

                                    

Edit; Love your Tekton and DC-1 pairing. 😀🎶🎶🎶

[brubacca]

I have a crown drivecore xls1501 amp ( in the basement) which I stopped using when I got my xpa-100 amps. The crown was more sterile and Emotiva more musical.

It's not that the crown is awful, just the Emotiva is more enjoyable.

[garbulky]

The Emotiva amps sound better imo than the Crowns. I did hear the Crown PSA-2 which wasn't bad for what it is - a powerful class AB amp with large torroids and I do believe fully balanced. However, it is slightly lacking in refinement. The Drivecores XLS amps I've heard were wimpy and couldn't handle my Axiom speakers making them audibly "shouty".

[Boomzilla]

I'd agree with the previous posts. The XLS Crowns (of which I've had most models) just didn't sound as good as the Emotiva amps. I've been pleased with the Emotiva BASX A-300 stereo amp with my (8 ohm) Pendragons.

[beardedalbatross]

For all intents and purposes, stick to the crown if you have it. The only difference *may be noise floor but outside of that nothing else would be audible.

[Mark]

I would put a mini 100 on the Pendragons if money is tight. $229 and 80 watts (4 ohms) will sound great!

Yes I tried this with a mini 100 (50 watt) on my 8 ohm dragons, that little amp does way more than people think it can do.

[LuisV]

Umm... Andrew really liked Crown XLS amps.



I use a pair of the 2502 amps in bridged mode to drive my subs.  

[brubacca]

Andrew did that review before he has heard the Emotiva amps I beleive. The amps are fine for what they are. Probably really good in the HT environment. For a music system I'll beleive my ears. Emotiva better all day long with my gear.

Speaking of Andrew, what ever happened to him? I know he left Emotiva a couple of years ago, but what did he end up doing?

[LuisV]

Certainly not saying the Emotiva amps aren't great, I use them for my mains and surrounds, but the video above is from 2015 and this one is from 2014 and he likes the older Crowns as well.   I'm just saying not to discount them... that's all. 



Here's his video on the Pendragons

[knucklehead]

I can't believe the amount of ignorance spewed out as gospel truth concerning pro amps. As if every pro has a tin ear! And their audience must also have tin ears. I'd love to DBX a few of you guys!

[garbulky]

May 24, 2017 17:50:23 GMT -5 knucklehead said:

I can't believe the amount of ignorance spewed out as gospel truth concerning pro amps. As if every pro has a tin ear! And their audience must also have tin ears. I'd love to DBX a few of you guys!

I've been to some pros. It's pretty dismaying the kind of equipment they think sounds good! I do wonder sometimes.

[fattykidd]

May 24, 2017 17:02:43 GMT -5 LuisV said:

Umm... Andrew really liked Crown XLS amps.



I use a pair of the 2502 amps in bridged mode to drive my subs.  

Andrew also promised firmware updates for the pt7030... He did a great job of building it up and selling off a ton of those.. Grain of salt needed for any reviewer.

Back to topic at hand, 5 of us did a back to back with an xpa2 and an xls1500 couple years back.. no difference, not one of us could hear a difference on my jtr triple 8's and xmc1. 
My favorite amps I've used to date are the dsi1000 amps from crown, super low noise floor and power for all but the biggest of head bangers. And I've owned my share of emo amps as well.. stick with what ya got rockstar.. spend the money on room treatments instead.

[pedrocols]

May 24, 2017 17:50:23 GMT -5 knucklehead said:

I can't believe the amount of ignorance spewed out as gospel truth concerning pro amps. As if every pro has a tin ear! And their audience must also have tin ears. I'd love to DBX a few of you guys!

You'd be surprised! My uncle is a DJ and when he visited me and audition my Magnepan speakers he said he liked them. However, he was not impressed. His ears are tin ears to say the least. He likes better his $50 pro self powered speakers he got on craigs list.

[Boomzilla]

Let's put Andrew Robinson's review (and the rest of the rah-rah-pro-amps crowd's reviews) to rest. You CAN hear the difference between Crown XLS series amps and Emotiva's amps. I'd guess (based on both personal experience and that of my audio amigos) that 90% plus of listeners would prefer the sound of the Emotivas. The remaining 10% either don't care or can't hear the differences. And power to you - if you're in the 10% that thinks that pro class D amps are peachy, then go forth and be happy.

I could agree that maybe for surround sound use, the Crown amps might be adequate, but for stereo listening, alas - no. The Crown XLS series sounds glassy, and has a midrange/treble that lacks detail compared to the Emotiva amplifiers. That's what I hear, and it was true of every single Crown XLS model that I've owned (and they were cheap enough that I've owned most all of the models). I kept rereading Mr. Robinson's review & trying to convince myself that this cheap Crown amp was what Andrew claimed. But in the end, I just had to admit - Andrew was wrong. Plain and simple - the Crown XLS series amps are just not that good.

As a bridged amplifier for subs, yes, the Crowns might be OK. As a full-range stereo amp, they are not OK. I've also tried conventional AB-class Crown amps including the PSA-2, DC-300A, and PS-400. They weren't bad, but again, they still weren't as good as ANY of the Emotiva amps. And it's saying something that the least expensive of the Emotivas can sound better than the most expensive of the Crowns.

Crown amps are built for physical durability, electrical fault-tolerance, and power per dollar - not for sound quality. From what I've heard, the other "pro-amps," are the same or worse. So I've learned my lesson - No "pro" amps for me, thanks. YMMV

Boomzilla

[bolle]

Well I switched from a PA 7-350 to my current PA amps because they sound better for me - go figure... Don´t know the crown personally - just don´t generalize!

[cgolf]

I'm using an XPA-2 for my fronts so that includes 2 channel music as well as HT. I'm using a QSC-GX5 amp for the center speaker and a Carvin amp for the surrounds. I can't tell any difference between these 2 pro amps and my former Emotiva amps. What I currently have gives me a lot more power than what I had, for quite a few $$ less.

Is there any difference? Maybe, but I can't tell it if there is.

[monkumonku]

Seeing as how I have 4 Crown XLS1500 amps, I thought I'd chime in with my two cents here.

I've owned the XPA-3, XPA-5, XPA-2 (both gen 1 and gen 2), a pair of XPA-1's and the UPA-2 in addition to the Crowns and the Bob Latino ST-120 tube amp I currently have.

I was skeptical about pro amps and D-class amps myself but after doing some research and also trading PM's with Knucklehead on his experience with the amps, I decided to try them out. While I did not do any A/B comparisons, from just general listening I did not detect any difference in sound. Blindfolded, I couldn't tell one amp from the other when operated within their spec range. They all sounded good to me. I was expecting to hear a more sterile sort of sound from the Crowns but they sound just fine to my ears.

I use the Crowns for HT and the ST-120 for stereo listening. Now I do prefer the ST-120 for music, but for all around purposes the Crowns lack only in the looks department. I think they are ugly in appearance but sound-wise, no complaints whatsoever.

My advice is let your own ears be the judge. You're going to get all kinds of opinions in the Lounge and personally, in my opinion some are more credible than others but regardless, let your own opinion be the most important.

[cgolf]

AND while I know this may not be 100% true or at least, even if it is, it will still get debated, the reality is that an amp should only AMPLIFY the sound, not color or change it. Right?

Yes they all have their signature, or at least that is what the debaters will tell you, so to me, that means they are not purely an amplifier!! Receivers, pre-pros, speakers all have sound signatures but a pure amp should only amplify, not color!!

And more so, I believe most of the debate is in the head anyway!!

Gotta love audio!!

[I am the OP]

May 25, 2017 9:09:20 GMT -5 monkumonku said:

Seeing as how I have 4 Crown XLS1500 amps, I thought I'd chime in with my two cents here.

I've owned the XPA-3, XPA-5, XPA-2 (both gen 1 and gen 2), a pair of XPA-1's and the UPA-2 in addition to the Crowns and the Bob Latino ST-120 tube amp I currently have.

I was skeptical about pro amps and D-class amps myself but after doing some research and also trading PM's with Knucklehead on his experience with the amps, I decided to try them out. While I did not do any A/B comparisons, from just general listening I did not detect any difference in sound. Blindfolded, I couldn't tell one amp from the other when operated within their spec range. They all sounded good to me. I was expecting to hear a more sterile sort of sound from the Crowns but they sound just fine to my ears.

I use the Crowns for HT and the ST-120 for stereo listening. Now I do prefer the ST-120 for music, but for all around purposes the Crowns lack only in the looks department. I think they are ugly in appearance but sound-wise, no complaints whatsoever.

My advice is let your own ears be the judge. You're going to get all kinds of opinions in the Lounge and personally, in my opinion some are more credible than others but regardless, let your own opinion be the most important.

Oh yes I totally agree, unfortunately I have to fork out some dough to do a comparison. I might try the Red Dragon Monoblocks due to their 45 day free trial. I am honestly hoping there is no difference...