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Crown XLS 1502.... real life test.

I was at guitar center yesterday cruseing the used pedal case and noticed they had the XLS1502 was on sale. With there 45 day return policy, that i have used with great success in the past, i bought the amp.

  With my Logan’s the crown was very clear and full. 525 watts at hand per channel brought the speakers to life. I adjusted the input to around 3 o’clock seemed to be a good match. I went thru a few cd’s and they all sounded great with Steely Dan winning the show...

  I put the Mac back in the loop and noticed the soundstage was a bit bigger and a good amount more subdude.

This was my first foray in the class D world and I was surprised at how good it sounded. At 329.00 its kinda hard to beat. I have no idea what the current measurements are but the XLS made the Logan’s sing. If i read the article correctly, doesnt the JBL Everest’s come with XLS amps? That’s the way it read... please correct me.

Anyway, it was a fun afternoon and the Crown is going back today. I haven’t bought the 10t’s yet... prob June is when I can pick them up... I will buy another crown then to use when I send the 7100 to a mac repair center to get a checkup... I have a gut feeling something is amiss with her. All in all I really enjoyed the XLS and in a blind test i feel it would hold up to many good amps that cost $$$$$.

  I want a 300 watt Mac but at 3-4 thousand dollars that is a big stretch for this retired chef... lol

BTW... the XLS was DEAD silent ... nothing!
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128x128captbeaver
roberjerman
4,319 posts
 
Does the Crown XLS  1502 sound the death knell for all the overpriced big buck amps? I am curious!
tutetibiimperes
202 posts
 
I've been powering my Infinity Intermezzo 4.1ts with a Crown XLS 1502 and I've been happy with it.  The price can't be beat, it puts out a ton of power, and it barely gets warm even after a spirited listening session.

Are there amps out there with better specs?  Sure, though the specs on the 1502 are very good, and there's nothing else out there I've seen that comes close to matching them with the same kind of output, efficiency, and low price.  

The Everests don't come with amps that I'm aware of.  The JBL M2s can come as a 'system' with the Crown iTech series of amps though, that may be what you're thinking of.  The iTechs aren't the same as the XLS though.  The XLS uses the joint Harman/TI developed 'drivecore' chip amps, the iTech uses something Harman calls 'Class I BCA' which, to my limited understanding of the technical data, reads like a hybrid of Class A and Class D - Class D operation but with constant power delivery to both sides of the output stage.  The iTechs also have much higher power output, much more advanced DSP, considerably higher idle power draw, and a much higher price.
captbeaver's avatar
captbeaver OP
167 posts
 
I guess I should add the preamp I have is a Mac C-41. Bal. out to bal. in on the Crown.

I find it intresting that the majority of hi-fi folks seem to shun the Crown brand. I have a 1967 DC-300 that is a beast and sounds great.

erik_squires
15,805 posts
 
Does the Crown XLS  1502 sound the death knell for all the overpriced big buck amps? I am curious!

The death knell has been sounded every year for the past 30 years, so no.

However, the more inexpensive options audiophiles have, the better a system they can assemble for little cash, which is a great thing. My goal is to listen greatly, not to spend greatly.

Best,

E
roberjerman
4,319 posts
 
For the money this thing is damn impressive! And only 8.6 lbs! 500 + watts at 4 ohms! Too bad that we'll never get John Atkinson to do a test against a big Krell or Levinson! The results would probably offend the advertisers!
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