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Crown XLS2502 Stereo Amplifier Review

JohnBooty

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I have to say my Crown amp does a fantastic job. It creates no hiss from my speakers and it will wake up my Martin Logans real quick. But, as always, I just can't get into dinosaur old stereo sound. Whenever I go into surround music mode it just makes a huge difference in sounding live/realistic and much more enjoyable. Stereo just needs to die out like cassette tapes. I am always amazed at so many people listening to stereo music on expensive systems. Now a fully treated room and a very good setup will sound very, very good. But you can get nearly to that point with surround music at about 20% of the cost. The industry has really latched on to the resurgence of stereo. It allows them to make a lot of money fairly easily. If a major manufacturer like Yamaha or Denon came out with a great AVR with a decent SNR number of say 100?, Many people would try the AVR and be happily surprised at the great sound. All you need is a 5.1/5.2 or 7.1/7.2 to get up and running. Atmos? Who cares for music. It really is not that hard. I think the resurgence in stereo has slowed the advancement of surround sound by quite a bit. But, in the end, this is just my opinion.
What music are you listening to in surround mode, exactly?

Music recorded in 5.1/7.1? Or are you just running 2.0 music through something that attempts to upmix it to 5.1/7.1? I've found "surround mode" for 2.0 music on AVRs to be a gimmicky joke at best and it's not for me. But, that's obviously totally subjective and I'm not saying you're wrong to prefer it... I certainly do a lot of things the greybeards on this forum would laugh at.

Setting subjective preferences aside...

The objective problem with surround setups... well, an objective problem... is that for a given budget, you divide your budget among 5 or 7 speakers instead of 2.

Proper surround setups are also a pain in the neck to shoehorn into many/most living situations.
 

Everett T

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It's been switchable for around 6 years now, since the release of the $20 Editor app.
Understood that option was available but was referring to within the AVR without the apps. It did require correction to be applied manually prior and as mentioned, many found the dip unpleasant, I did.

Baby's Continuum was the only speaker I found that didn't sound annoying that was based off of the BBC originals, though I'm not sure why?
 

Spkrdctr

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What music are you listening to in surround mode, exactly?

Music recorded in 5.1/7.1? Or are you just running 2.0 music through something that attempts to upmix it to 5.1/7.1? I've found "surround mode" for 2.0 music on AVRs to be a gimmicky joke at best and it's not for me. But, that's obviously totally subjective and I'm not saying you're wrong to prefer it... I certainly do a lot of things the greybeards on this forum would laugh at.

Setting subjective preferences aside...

The objective problem with surround setups... well, an objective problem... is that for a given budget, you divide your budget among 5 or 7 speakers instead of 2.

Proper surround setups are also a pain in the neck to shoehorn into many/most living situations.
At the moment "most" music is just up mixed from stereo. Another problem is that most people can't take the time to set up the surround receiver so that it sounds good. You have to set them up right and not just turn them on and use it, which is what most people do. I tweak each set up variable to get it to sound how I want. In the end it pays off.
 

Amko

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Hello, new here. How do I connect my JBL 12" A120P subwoofer to my newly acquired Crown XLS 2502? The subwoofer has a single LFE cable (RCA) which currently connects to my Cambridge Audio Topaz stereo receiver, which has a dedicated sub out. Someone here has 4 2502s and connects to 15" DIY subs. How do I do it? Thanks for any response.
 

dlaloum

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Hello, new here. How do I connect my JBL 12" A120P subwoofer to my newly acquired Crown XLS 2502? The subwoofer has a single LFE cable (RCA) which currently connects to my Cambridge Audio Topaz stereo receiver, which has a dedicated sub out. Someone here has 4 2502s and connects to 15" DIY subs. How do I do it? Thanks for any response.
You don't need the Crown, it is a power subwoofer - if you want to use the Crown with it you will need to modify it to bypass its internal amp.

People who use the Crown for subs, are running passive subs rather than active ones.
 

Amko

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Dlaloum, thank you for your prompt clarification. Passive vs active - good point, that said, I was wondering if anyone here knew how to hook up said passive sub to the Crown?

I tend to listen to bass-heavy music - classic rock, alternative rock, (old school) metal, IDM, western classical.
So, using the Crown for my needs may or may not be optimal, given my preference for bass? I have listened to this new Crown for precisely 72 minutes (Roger Waters - Amused to Death - mastered in Q Sound). I did not notice the lack of bass/sub-bass.

However someone said the Crown is a revealing amp. (What exactly does that mean?) A reviewer on YouTube also said: 1. At the top end, there is a bit of glassiness, 2. It sounds a bit dry and 3. Wish it had more body in the mid-range.

From experience with top-end hi-fi (but not Crown) I do believe in break-in - I know some do not. I'm going to keep the Crown, if for no other reason that I have heard good things about the Crown house-sound. So I'll probably break this one in the old-school way, no 'pink noise' generators for me.

At this point I don't believe I'll tamper with its innards. Will report back in due course. Thanks again!
 

LTig

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I tend to listen to bass-heavy music - classic rock, alternative rock, (old school) metal, IDM, western classical.
So, using the Crown for my needs may or may not be optimal, given my preference for bass? I have listened to this new Crown for precisely 72 minutes (Roger Waters - Amused to Death - mastered in Q Sound). I did not notice the lack of bass/sub-bass.
How did you connect it? To which speaker?
However someone said the Crown is a revealing amp. (What exactly does that mean?) A reviewer on YouTube also said: 1. At the top end, there is a bit of glassiness, 2. It sounds a bit dry and 3. Wish it had more body in the mid-range.
What you read/see on youtube from subjective reviewers is almost always meaningless. Look at the measurements - there is a very minor loss of 0.4 dB at 20 Hz, that's all. Distortion is far from SOTA but I think inaudible for most of us.
From experience with top-end hi-fi (but not Crown) I do believe in break-in - I know some do not. I'm going to keep the Crown, if for no other reason that I have heard good things about the Crown house-sound. So I'll probably break this one in the old-school way, no 'pink noise' generators for me.
Breaking in the old school way just means that you adapt to its sound ;) - if it has a "sound" in the first place what I don't think, and which would be detrimental for a transparent amplifier.
 

Amko

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LTig, hello. Keeping this brief, it's late where I am.

1. My speakers are JBL A190 floorstanders. Prior to the Crown, they are connected to a JBL A120P active subwoofer. And they were bi-wired prior to the Crown (QED Airlocs, banana plugs). The A190s (nominal impedance - 6 Ohm, sensitivity 91 dB) are surprisingly forward/efficient and the attack is great. Manufacturer's recommendation for amps is 25-225 Watts. That said, for my small den, setting the gain to a quarter of the (twin) level/s is adequate.

Thanks for your take on the 20 Hz/0.4dB, and for reminding me to adapt given the transparency of the Crown. It's beginning to grow on me. More later in the AM. Thanks again!
 

Amko

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A question about the Crown XLS 2052.

The operation manual states:

4 Ohms >. 775 Watts

8 Ohms. >. 440 Watts

My JBL speakers are 6 Ohms.
How do you calculate the wattage the Crown would then put out? Simple ratio and proportion? Is it really that simple?
 

Chrispy

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A question about the Crown XLS 2052.

The operation manual states:

4 Ohms >. 775 Watts

8 Ohms. >. 440 Watts

My JBL speakers are 6 Ohms.
How do you calculate the wattage the Crown would then put out? Simple ratio and proportion? Is it really that simple?
Your speakers aren't just 6 ohm, they likely dip to 4, maybe even lower....and impedance will vary a lot with frequency. But calculating a 6 ohm power output you can probably estimate safely in the 600 range. More likely more than enough....
 

Amko

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Wow Chrispy, lightning quick response! Thanks.

Yes I see your point. Anywhere between around 2 to 6 Ohms nominal impedance. 2 Ohms is approx 1000 Watts.

Purely anecdotally, I cannot exceed Mark 5 on the levels without attracting 'attention'. Also, this:


Yes, it's true that the higher the power (watts), the louder and cleaner the speakers will play. Small differences in power, however, don't make much of an audible change. In order to perceptively hear a difference (a 3dB increase), the power would have to double.

There is a distinct difference between my Cambridge Audio 100 Watts per channel and the Crown. The Crown does play louder and cleaner. I hope it's not the Placebo Effect.
 

jhaider

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A question about the Crown XLS 2052.

The operation manual states:

4 Ohms >. 775 Watts

8 Ohms. >. 440 Watts

My JBL speakers are 6 Ohms.
How do you calculate the wattage the Crown would then put out?

Look at it like old Royce/Bentley/Jaguar engine power specs: “adequate.”
 

Amko

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@jhaider: Indeed.

I do so feel the need to go higher than Mark 5. (My use of the term is purely arbitrary - I just noticed that the twin levels have 18 marks...)

I don't want to go melt my speaker cores.
 

Amko

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How to use the Crown's crossover feature exactly? I am already using a Behringer Graphic EQ with my Cambridge Audio amp, have 31 channels (Channels 1 and 2) nicely set for rock. Since both the Cambridge and Behringer have been temporarily jettisoned in favor of the Crown (and my amateurish tinkering), considering setting Crossovers as follows:
Channel 1: LP (Low Pass) 30 Hz;
Channel 2: HP (High Pass) 3 kHz.

The idea is to get a more-bass heavy sound.

Thanks.
 

Amko

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Next question:

See YT video above, chap in the comments section said:

" I like this Crown XLS 2502 so much, I am going to get another one and bridge them for L and R channels for 1550w @ 8ohm per amp. "

How does one 'bridge them' exactly. The Crown operation manual explains, but I'm still not sure. Do you run a cable between the two amps?

Thanks.
 

maverickronin

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The idea is to get a more-bass heavy sound.

You can't do that with a crossover. It's supposed to split the signal between different drivers/speakers, like splitting up the signal between a sub and the mains.

How does one 'bridge them' exactly. The Crown operation manual explains, but I'm still not sure. Do you run a cable between the two amps?

Bridging combines both channels on a single amp to to a single channel.
 

MediumRare

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Next question:

See YT video above, chap in the comments section said:

" I like this Crown XLS 2502 so much, I am going to get another one and bridge them for L and R channels for 1550w @ 8ohm per amp. "

How does one 'bridge them' exactly. The Crown operation manual explains, but I'm still not sure. Do you run a cable between the two amps?

Thanks.
Bridging means connecting only one speaker to the amp in a way that combines the internal left and right channels (electronics) into amplification for just one speaker. You do that by connecting the speaker cable using the diagram in the manual. So you need two amps but they are not connected to each other: one is dedicated for left and one is for right.
 

Amko

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MaverickRonin, MediumRare, thank you for weighing in.

Here's a question about the Crown XLS 2502.

I notice it doesn't have a grounding screw (please correct me if this is the wrong term) and I'm unsure if I would be able to connect my turntable to it (RCA l/r) to it. (Phono stage?)

What do you think? Thanks.
 

MediumRare

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MaverickRonin, MediumRare, thank you for weighing in.

Here's a question about the Crown XLS 2502.

I notice it doesn't have a grounding screw (please correct me if this is the wrong term) and I'm unsure if I would be able to connect my turntable to it (RCA l/r) to it. (Phono stage?)

What do you think? Thanks.
Since it is a power amplifier, not a preamp or integrated amplifier, you’ll need a device that can take the very weak signal from a turntable. Amir has reviewed several phono preamps that are not expensive but still very good. Be careful to match it to your preferred phono cartridge. Or you can get a preamp that can handle multiple sources/inputs, including a turntable. I’d recommend that. Cost is not that different and there are several reviewed excellent ones for small money.
 

Amko

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Thanks MediumRare.

I have an audiophile grade turntable (with a matched stylus and cartridge) and a rare vinyl collection painstakingly accumulated over three decades and as per manufacturer's recommendations have always used an amplifier with a phono stage and a grounding system. It would certainly be great to incorporate the turntable into the power amplifier chain using the pre-amp as you say.

Question: regardless of pre-amp brand/model, how would one hook up the pre-amp to the Crown? Thanks.
 
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