Review and Measurements of Crown XLS 1502 Amp

[Chrispy]

There was a guy on avsforum who had a Crown XLS and very sensitive horns (mfr claims of 109-110 dB IIRC) and a very quiet room and he reported hiss, he had no problem with the sq particularly otherwise, tho. He also had issues with some pre-amps, believe he ended up with Benchmark for both.

 

[Panelhead]

There was a guy on avsforum who had a Crown XLS and very sensitive horns (mfr claims of 109-110 dB IIRC) and a very quiet room and he reported hiss, he had no problem with the sq particularly otherwise, tho. He also had issues with some pre-amps, believe he ended up with Benchmark for both.

I had hum with Thiel CS3.5 speakers. That was using the RCA inputs. Dead silent with the XLR. Both with a XLS-1500 and 2000.

 

[snickers]

Ok, thank you for the responses. I already thought at this way. Actually I tried a Harman Signature 2.1 and I get with him also a bit more hiss than with only hooked my AVR without power amp.

So I think for this speakers I need a more quiet amp, but can accept to have a little bit less power.

 

[kevon27]

300. It is a real power rating. Crown is an established pro audio company. They don't lie about their power ratings. The spec says 300wpc at 1khz with less than .5% THD. The 4 ohm rating is 525. Amir's test graph, he hit that .5% mark into 4 ohms at a bit under 500. Hard to see exactly where as the graph lacks resolution. I would say that's within the limits of measurement error and production variation. It's not really possible to take his power measurement at .008% THD into 4 ohms and come up with an 8 ohm number. Your question is missing important parameters. How much power at what distortion at what frequency? Full spectrum at under .01%, less than 300, 200 maybe? It's immaterial. If you connect this amp to a pair of 8 ohm speakers and crank it up to 300 watts with a continuous test tone you will not only not hear the distortion, you won't hear anything else for a couple of days until the ringing stops. This amp has gobs of clean power to drive just about any speaker. It's cheap because pro amps are mass produced and they don't spend thousands on fancy casework. Audiophiles don't want to believe it can sound good. OK, spend more. For me, if this thing ever blows up I will be buying another one or whatever Crown replaces it with.

I just don't understand this 1khz rating business. What's the point of it other than to inflate the power spec? FTC rates power from 20hz - 20khz.

 

[Panelhead]

I am busy now. But will dig my XLS-1500 out and hook up. Speakers are Klipsch La Scala II. They are rated 105 dB, but reviewers measure 101.5 dB. Still high.
Suspect they will be quiet. But maybe not. Quiet to me is ear against front of the speaker, not listening position.
Currently have a very quiet 30 watt amplifier on them.
I considered trying on of the Low noise feedforward feedback headphone amps. But connecting a bi-wired loom of speakers cables stopped me. Getting eight speaker cable leads inside a XLR plug was daunting. Plus the jacks are on the front of the headphone amps, not the rear.

 

[diablo900t]

Has anybody experience with hiss on this amp with high sensitivity speakers like 98db?

I have the XLS1002 and there is a noticeable hiss on my JBL Studio 590s (92db sensitivity). It's enough that I am likely going to sell it and use a different amp, the 1502 may not have the same issue as its SNR is higher.

 

[Chrispy]

I just don't understand this 1khz rating business. What's the point of it other than to inflate the power spec? FTC rates power from 20hz - 20khz.

Just typical of the pro market specs usually used rather than consumer "audiophile" spec. It doesn't inflate anything, it just is what it is. If they're exempt from FTC due the way they're marketed I don't know. Not that the FTC does much about anything audio any more....

 

[AnderS52]

Neither my son nor I use high sensitivity speakers ( we do not need to with this much power) but the measurements do not suggest a problem.

Some of what is regarded good loudspeakers have low sensitivity, but as a general reflection, high sensitivity is preferable.
I do not mean PA systems, which sacrifice everything to get loud (typical 106-120db)
High sensitivity produce less heat and more sound, moving systems tend to be lighter and thereby can react faster than heavier systems.
You can choose smaller amps (and expand your budget on the sources), or drive your big amp less hard.
High sensitivity means less complicated and less expensive crossovers,
giving a speaker behaviour more similar to active crossovers.
Yes, it can represent a more reactive load, and amp noise is more likely to be heard, it is likely to take up more space,
but in general, having a light car with a medium engine, gets you faster to the target than a heavy car with a big engine.

And, if you want to play loud....

 

[rwortman]

I just don't understand this 1khz rating business. What's the point of it other than to inflate the power spec? FTC rates power from 20hz - 20khz.

It's just an easy test to do and its right smack in the midrange where distortion is most audible. Unless the amp is a poor design, something that is true of quite a few audiophile amps) the distortion isn't going to change a whole lot throughout the audible spectrum. Amir did not do a full spectrum distortion measurement here either. All the graphs I see are at 1khz.

 

[Todd74]

thanks for this report. I will probably go ahead and buy the xls 2002 to power my Dynaudio Special fortys

I picked up a pair of Excite X18’s. Would you recommend the 2002 [or 1502] for them after hearing the 2002 on the Special 40’s?

Or would something like a pair of Outlaw 2200 be better suited if I want to do more 2-channel music? I’m having a tough time figuring out whether I want to go the integrated route with HT bypass... or a beefier 2-channel power amp [or monoblocks].

 

[yodog]

I picked up a pair of Excite X18’s. Would you recommend the 2002 [or 1502] for them after hearing the 2002 on the Special 40’s?

Or would something like a pair of Outlaw 2200 be better suited if I want to do more 2-channel music? I’m having a tough time figuring out whether I want to go the integrated route with HT bypass... or a beefier 2-channel power amp [or monoblocks].

I’d skip and opt for a class AB power amp... something like a Schiit Vidar or even a pro amp like the Avantone CLA200 would work well and sound better than the Crown. If you want loud though, the 2002 won’t disappoint.

 

[drazha]

So I have a Marantz PM4400 amplifier with multiple input channels, etc... I have been using it purely as an amp for my TV in the past decade or so, and thought I'd upgrade.

I saw the reviews for the Crown XPS line and thought I'd get a 1002 cause I really do not need more power then that.

Thoughts? Ideas? Suggestions?

Thanks in advance.

 

[Swtoby]

So I have a Marantz PM4400 amplifier with multiple input channels, etc... I have been using it purely as an amp for my TV in the past decade or so, and thought I'd upgrade.

I saw the reviews for the Crown XPS line and thought I'd get a 1002 cause I really do not need more power then that.

Thoughts? Ideas? Suggestions?

Thanks in advance.

I had a similar debate, and went for the 1502. Depending on where you look, the difference in price between the 1002 and 1502 isn't too bad, and the signal to noise ratio per the manufacturer is a bit better with the 1502. That and more power gives more wiggle room for future speaker choices.

 

[kevon27]

Last night I brought out my Xls 1500 and hooked them up to my Klipsch RP 280s. Running each amp Bridged. MY WORD, I HAVE NEW SPEAKERS. There is something about more power that does wonders for the sound of speakers.
Sometimes, measurements alone don't tell you everything.
I'm going to bring out my 3rd Xls 1500 and run that bridged to my RP 450C center channel.
POWER!!!!!.

 

[grobalt]

Confirmed So happy with them

 

[peng]

Last night I brought out my Xls 1500 and hooked them up to my Klipsch RP 280s. Running each amp Bridged. MY WORD, I HAVE NEW SPEAKERS. There is something about more power that does wonders for the sound of speakers.
Sometimes, measurements alone don't tell you everything.
I'm going to bring out my 3rd Xls 1500 and run that bridged to my RP 450C center channel.
POWER!!!!!.

If your speakers actually need more current that you amp cannot deliver, then of course an amp that can deliver the needed current with ease, will do some wonders. So in this sense, measurements, if done properly and the right things are measured, can in fact tell you enough, if not everything.

 

[kevon27]

Confirmed So happy with them

What the heck, LOL... Please explain your setup and give more pics. Do you have a youtube channel or on FB, IG???

 

[snickers]

Last night I brought out my Xls 1500 and hooked them up to my Klipsch RP 280s. Running each amp Bridged. MY WORD, I HAVE NEW SPEAKERS. There is something about more power that does wonders for the sound of speakers.
Sometimes, measurements alone don't tell you everything.
I'm going to bring out my 3rd Xls 1500 and run that bridged to my RP 450C center channel.
POWER!!!!!.

Hi, have you heard any hiss from the speakers? I'm wondering, because I had hiss with the Crown CT8150 and my Klipsch RP-280F and was always watching on the Crown XLS1502 Amp's

 

[kevon27]

Hi, have you heard any hiss from the speakers? I'm wondering, because I had hiss with the Crown CT8150 and my Klipsch RP-280F and was always watching on the Crown XLS1502 Amp's

Ha, ha... I was using (2) CT 4150 to power my speakers. The CT amps do have less hiss compared to the XLS. With the CT's, I have to put my ear right up to the tweeter to hear the hiss. With the XLS I can be a few inches away and hear the hiss.
I cannot hear hiss at my MLP or even a good foot away from the tweeter. The extra power from the XLS seems to control my RP280/450c much better.
Driving the RP 280s with the XLS 1500 bridged is just wonderful.

CT 4150 - Now being used only to power the ATMOS speakers.

Two Xls 1500 Bridged behind the rat nest, they are powering the L/R RP280s

3rd Xls 1500 powering the center - RP450c

 

[LumbermanSVO]

One thing that has held true over the years is that I've never been disappointed by adding more power.