Review and Measurements of Crown XLS 1502 Amp

[amirm]

On a more serious note: Did you listen to it? Are the unnwanted byproducts easily audible?

Not to this one. But in the past I have performed informal AB tests of Crown 5000 Xti series against other amplifiers such as my Mark Levinson 523 (400 watts/channel, $20,000). Driving Revel Salon 2 in a very large space, I thought the Crown actually did better in bass but maybe the highs were slightly less clear. In a similar swap in M2 speakers in our theater, I could not detect any difference but this included a long switchover time.

So nothing too conclusive here but there is no replacement for tons and tons of power for bass and class-D amplifiers seem to be able to do that better than other configurations due to their high efficiency and copious amount of power.

 

[mitchco]

Not to this one. But in the past I have performed informal AB tests of Crown 5000 Xti series against other amplifiers such as my Mark Levinson 523 (400 watts/channel, $20,000). Driving Revel Salon 2 in a very large space, I thought the Crown actually did better in bass but maybe the highs were slightly less clear. In a similar swap in M2 speakers in our theater, I could not detect any difference but this included a long switchover time.

So nothing too conclusive here but there is no replacement for tons and tons of power for bass and class-D amplifiers seem to be able to do that better than other configurations due to their high efficiency and copious amount of power.

I would add that damping factor is also a contributor to tight and articulate bass... Would be great if you could include that in the measurements...

 

[Ron Texas]

Not to this one. But in the past I have performed informal AB tests of Crown 5000 Xti series against other amplifiers such as my Mark Levinson 523 (400 watts/channel, $20,000). Driving Revel Salon 2 in a very large space, I thought the Crown actually did better in bass but maybe the highs were slightly less clear. In a similar swap in M2 speakers in our theater, I could not detect any difference but this included a long switchover time.

So nothing too conclusive here but there is no replacement for tons and tons of power for bass and class-D amplifiers seem to be able to do that better than other configurations due to their high efficiency and copious amount of power.

If the highs are less clear to someone with good ears, I might not notice. As for tons of power, it's like money. You never seem to have too much. There are some inexpensive 600 wpc Icepower amps available...

 

[Sal1950]

So nothing too conclusive here but there is no replacement for tons and tons of power for bass and class-D amplifiers seem to be able to do that better than other configurations due to their high efficiency and copious amount of power.

It might be we just need more efficient woofers. .

 

[amirm]

It might be we just need more efficient woofers. .

You need to be single for that.

 

[Sal1950]

You need to be single for that.

You act like you don't want to listen
When I'm talking to you
You think you outta do baby
Anything you want to do
You must be crazy baby
You just gotta be outta your mind
As long as i'm payin' the bills woman
I'm payin' the cost to be the boss

 

[Ron Texas]

@Sal1950 That second photo looks like a door to another dimension...

 

[andyc56]

@Sal1950 That second photo looks like a door to another dimension...

The Time Tunnel?

 

[Sancus]

It might be we just need more efficient woofers. .

Is that thing in the middle a giant horn...?

 

[Sal1950]

Is that thing in the middle a giant horn...?

Yes

 

[dc655321]

Is that thing in the middle a giant horn...?

They're subwoofers

Another pic from the Axpona show last year.

 

[Frank Dernie]

They're subwoofers

Another pic from the Axpona show last year.

I wouldn't call them subwoofers, they are the biggest horn bass section compared to the "smaller" box woofer and mid sized bass horn alternatives. The biggest horn in the trio array goes down to 100Hz on its own, where it crosses over to one of their woofers, you pays your money and takes your choice. It may well be that the least expensive active box woofer goes lowest simply because of the mouth size of a bass horn required, a 30Hz horn needs about a 12 foot diameter mouth I believe.
I have horn speakers and the bass horn uses the corner of the room to get down to 40 Hz with still useful output (9dB down) at 30Hz but not much below that (-15dB at 25Hz).
My (big but not as big as my horns) box speakers go much lower.

 

[Frank Dernie]

You need to be single for that.

The only things in my hifi my wife has ever liked the look of are my Tune Audio Anima horns
They are veneered in burr Myrtle, rather than their demo ones which tend to be painted bright colours, and look old fashioned and quirky.
She hates "monkey coffin" type speakers.

 

[dc655321]

I wouldn't call them subwoofers

You may not call them that, but the company producing them does - https://www.avantgarde-acoustic.de/en/products/subwoofer/basshorn-xd.html

Referring to the "boxes" (?) in the middle of the images, above...

 

[Frank Dernie]

You may not call them that, but the company producing them does - https://www.avantgarde-acoustic.de/en/products/subwoofer/basshorn-xd.html

Referring to the "boxes" (?) in the middle of the images, above...

I am very familiar with them and this nomenclature. I like the speakers and have a friend who uses Avant Garde Duos but I think they are the only hifi company on earth which describe the section of a 4 way speaker which covers 100Hz down to around 30Hz a subwoofer!
IMO a speaker that doesn't go below 20Hz is not a subwoofer.

 

[nefilim]

I thought people only used these for sub amps, maybe I was mistaken...

 

[andreasmaaan]

I am very familiar with them and this nomenclature. I like the speakers and have a friend who uses Avant Garde Duos but I think they are the only hifi company on earth which describe the section of a 4 way speaker which covers 100Hz down to around 30Hz a subwoofer!
IMO a speaker that doesn't go below 20Hz is not a subwoofer.

Depends on the context I guess

30 or 35 to 100Hz is the dead typical range for "subwoofers" in PA applications.

 

[Frank Dernie]

Depends on the context I guess

30 or 35 to 100Hz is the dead typical range for "subwoofers" in PA applications.

I know nothing about PAs, I’m afraid. My sub extends my main speakers from 30 Hz to 16 Hz, quite noticeable on music with a pipe organ, it makes a big difference on the recording I have of Elgar’s Dream of Gerontius, for example.

 

[Ron Texas]

Just to put things in perspective:

https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...view-and-measurements-of-denon-avr-4306.5087/

I guess this is also in the "good enough" range.

 

[amirm]

I thought people only used these for sub amps, maybe I was mistaken...

I did some research prior to review and ran into at least one instance of someone using it for the main system. But many more wanted to and were looking for measurement data to justify it.....