Best sounding "Pro" amps (Pre-Class-D)

[boomzilla]

Assuming speakers with an 86dB / 1W / 1M sensitivity and a slightly sub-4 ohm impedance, in a big room, the "audiophile" amplifier choices narrow quickly due to price (The Emotiva X-series mono-blocks excluded). So an audio amigo suggested I go trolling for pre-Class-D "Pro" amps, some of which sound pretty good.

The early Class-D pro amps, typified by the Crown XLS series were definitely capable of cranking out the power, but sounded hard and glassy compared to amps intended for home use. Their sound got even worse with 4-ohm or lower loads. So I'm arbitrarily throwing all Class-D pro amps out of consideration (again, excepting the Emotiva class D mono-blocks).

One "pro" amp I've heard that vies with the Emotiva amps is the old Crown PSA-2.



Also, maybe the Yamaha P2100:




What others might be inexpensively available that could compete?

[vcautokid]

We have to remember what pro amps are for especially the XLS and their kin. Sound reinforcement and other venue like work where they are on 24/7. They were not really meant as an "audiophile". Whatever Audiophile is supposed to mean. Keith could probably define that in Nauseam so I won't get started with that. It almost gets to a blind partisanship because what most would think would not work for them because they never tried it, or that others discourage them from trying it, leaving an Avenue that just might work better than you might think. Or not. Depends on many factors. For the record, I use an XLS-1002 Crown amp in my bedroom with an Anthem AVM30 ahead it, with Elac 6.2 speakers ahead of them. Works a treat. In fact I may even get another for my living room, I enjoy it that much. Andrew Robinson uses an XLS-2502 in his setups too. The recovering Audiophile as he calls himself. There is really nothing wrong with the XLS products for home listening that partisanship false news and opinion may indicate. They work fine. Proven stable easily to 2 ohms. Runs cool as a cucumber, priced to sell and buy easily, light and easy to place anywhere. What, 12 pounds maybe. So with so much going for these more efficient and effective designs, what's not to like. I am not saying this series of amp will change the curmudgeons of audiophile land like Micheal Fremer, or John Atkinson, and so on. Who really cares if they like it or not? Anything that is made is not for everyone. May not even be for you. But maybe it would do fine. I initially wanted an XPA whatever, or Aragon, or Acurus, Rotel whatever, but turns out they are logistics nightmares for my system at least for more money. I can run bridged Crown XLS-1002s and pay less than the conventional class AB linear power supply amplifiers. Get way more power too. Like 750 watts or so if that power floats my boat. Bottom line is to me at least, the XLS-1002 Crown amplifier has done very well. I couldn't ask for better given the price and also unbalanced RCA or balanced TRS, or XLR if you prefer. I use balanced XLR out to 1/4 inch TRS from my Soundcraft mixer to my Crown XLS-1002 or from my Anthem AVM30 pre/pro. Got that for a song too. How about $175.00? Audiophile quality for peanuts. Could care less about HDMI. I hate HDMI for the record and I use that connection sparingly when I need too. Listening to music, doing my up coming Podcast (The Sensible Sound will be the name for my channel), and other things, the Crown XLS-1002 has been super good for me. An audio guy for 50 years plus and musician and music lover, I walked away from smoke and mirror and snake oil placebo audio stuff years ago, and over paying for so called high end audio that really didn't float my boat for too much money. I have gone back to my roots. Great music, without the national debt price. I am loving it too. Getting new and used for a fraction of the stupid level of money I used to spend. I help more people today, then I did doing high end audio. I do sensible audio, and I and my friends couldn't be happier. Use you head, and listen with your heart, and leave the audiophile partanship in the box and get ready for some neat stuff that change the way you listen forever. As always, do what you want. As I say and Andrew Robinson says. "The only person who needs to be impressed with your system is you!". Happy listening.

[boomzilla]

I've owned every single model of the Crown XLS series. Not one of them impressed me. Not a single one. If you like their sound, I'm happy for you - you've found a sound you like for a dirt cheap price. Me, I think Andrew Robinson is dead wrong. Not only did the XLS series fail to impress me, but everyone who heard an XLS at my home commented that my system had sounded much better with other amps. I'd have expected that at least some one would have preferred the Crowns - not.

So I'm not impressed with my system with any of the new Crown amps. But as I said, I've heard the old PSA-2 sound pretty snazzy. You pays your money, you takes your choice.

I've also heard a number of other "pro" amps with class D circuitry, including QSC and other brands. None of them even sounded as good as the Crown XLS series, to my ears. But as you say, there's no accounting for taste.

Amps I've owned that didn't impress me:

Crown XLS series
Every other Class D Pro amp
Crown PS series
Emotiva XPA Generation 3
McIntosh units without transformers
Quicksilver tube amps
Jolida hybrid amps
Rogue audio tube integrated
Hegel integrated
Optoma NuForce

Amps I've owned that did impress me:

Emotiva XPA Generations 1 & 2
Emotiva A300
Emotiva PA-1
McIntosh units with output transformers
Dynaco Mk III tube units
VTL tube amps (but despite their good sound, their reliability was poor)
Yamaha P2100
Nakamichi
PASS

YMMV

[klinemj]

Not a "pro" amp and not new but worth looking for...the old Rotel 980BX sounded quite good and puts out reasonable power at 4 ohms (220 IIRC). I still have one and it powers my speakers by the pool.

The last time I used it indoor it still sounded great (using a DC-1 as DAC and preamp and playing through my old B&W 202's). I compared it to Adcoms of the day, I liked the Rotel better. The Hafler amps of that era were also quite nice.

Last I looked, there were several to be found on the market. I was considering at one point getting a 2nd and running each bridged mono.

Mark

[boomzilla]

Bridged mono at 8 ohms - maybe OK, but bridged mono into 4 ohms is usually a no-no.

[klinemj]

Mar 1, 2020 7:49:07 GMT -5 boomzilla said:

Bridged mono at 8 ohms - maybe OK, but bridged mono into 4 ohms is usually a no-no.

For what I was doing, it would have been with 8 ohm speakers. I ended up not doing it because the amp was good enough without it.

Mark

[cwmcobra]

Glenn, check you email please...

Chuck

[DYohn]

The best pro amps I've ever owned were from Crest and BGW.

[vcautokid]

Matching is critical. If you have a thinner sounding speaker the XLS will tell you all about it. But hey, you go with what works for you and that what counts. No one is right or wrong, it either works for you, or it doesn't. This isn't about a creditably thing. It is what works and what you like. And no audiophile or claimed expert will ever change that, nor should they. Rock on!

[boomzilla]

You're absolutely right, vcautokid - Synergy is EVERYTHING. Some components have it; most don't.