Hi I am new to the forum. I have browsed for a while and the info here is super interesting. I have a subjective opinion to share, even though this site is scientific. I like the science of this site and was curious how something that measure poorly compares to something that measures OK. Again all of this is subjective and certainly influenced by my room, my past experiences and other factors.
Current system is Emotiva PT-100 preamp, Nuforce STA 200 power amp, JBL Studio 580 speakers and Klipsch Gate as my streamer from Spotify Premium or my Sony ES CD player from the 90's. I'm young, married for less than a few years and two little daughters so my budget is tight.
Based on this forum I purchased a Crown XLS 1502 to swap into my system. Just purchased it last night from Guitar Center, only have about 2 hours on it. I know the STA200 measured poorly, but I really enjoy it. It replaced a Harman Kardon HK3490 stereo receiver, Marantz PM6005 integrated amp, an Emotiva Basx A300 stereo power amp, and a NAD D7050. To my ears the STA200 sounded better than all those other amps.
1.) Even with nothing hooked into the RCA inputs on the Crown there is a hiss from the JBL's. I tired plugging it into a different outlet on a different circuit, hiss was exact same. Not sure if this hiss matters or not. The Nuforce STA200 by comparison is silent at idle, even with the preamp on. Again, the hiss might not matter at idle and might be "drown out" once the music starts playing.
2.) WOW, power! The bass response of the JBL's is much improved with the XLS 1502. Tighter, deeper, more, better
3.) Soundstage and separation of instruments seems to compare well to the STA200. I don't really notice too much difference between the two.
4.) At louder listening levels the XLS 1502 separates itself IMHO from the STA200. The XLS 1502 stays completely composed and doesn't sounds compressed compared to the STA200 which runs out of gas.
5.) The XLS 1502 is a lot "brighter" than the STA200. I have the treble on the PT100 down -3 for the 1502. I have to tweak my speaker position and maybe the XLS 1502 will benefit from some break-in, but initial impression is a little bright and fatiguing.
6.) The STA200 being class AB and using Exicon Mosfets in the output certainly measures a lot worse than the Crown, but so my ears prefer the sound of the STA200. I will be giving the XLS 1502 more time, and tweak my speaker position.
I posted some Youtube videos on my channel if anyone wants to see my set up.