Amp for stereo subs


My open baffle speakers have 2, 12" subs on each side, powered by your basic chinese plate amps. They are not mounted on the baffle due to lack of room. I have each one in a separate wooden box a friend built. In an effort to cut back on the equipment clutter and outlet demand, I'm thinking of going to a stereo amp. Looking for recommendations for a modestly priced ss amp in the 100-250 wpc range for that use. I have an outboard crossover to use (oops, there goes the outlet I just got back!) so I really just need the power. No prejudice against Class D if that's what makes sense.
128x128swampwalker
George- thanks for thinking of me.  I wasn't planning on spending that much anyways.

Mesch- I'm using an NHT X-1 active crossover ahead of the Crown so no need to try the LP filter in the Crown.
Bgpowell asked about the integrated crossover in the crown.

Swamp or Rlwainwright, does this amp have this function and if so have either of you used/tested this option? I am considering building a couple passive subs. Thanks.

swampwalker

Get this s/h ClassD only $550, bass is what they do best. I wanted it for my bass, but shipping to Australia is too much.

https://app.audiogon.com/listings/solid-state-wyred-4-sound-st-250-stereo-power-amplifier-2015-12-22-amplifiers-93110-santa-barbara-ca--2

PS: Oops you already bought the Crowns sorry.

Cheers George

rl-the crown is working out just fine.  I don't usually push my system too hard and the music I mostly listen to is not very bass heavy, but I've never heard the fan kick on, either.  The only complaint I have is if I forget to turn if off at the unit, and instead shut it down by powerig down the switched outlet it's plugged in to, when I flip that back down  I get a massive thump.  But that/s my faultso no biggie.  If I power up and down correctly, no noise at all. 
Swamp, how is it going with your Crown amps?  I've had mine in place for several months and I'm *very* satisfied.  As for fan noise?  What fan?  I have yet to ever hear the fans kick on, and I've pushed some serious db's thru this system on occasion.

The low end on my system is very authoritative, not boomy.  And I do believe Ivan's reckoning of the "real" power output is flawed, these amps have each and every bit of 500+ watts per channel into 4 ohms and I've yet to hear even a hint of strain when the system is boogeying. 

The only thing I can (barely) hear is someone in the background screaming "TURN IT DOWN!!" but that could just be my imagination....(smile)
The Crowns sound like an interesting option, especially at the price.

Good plate amps could be had from Hypex in The Netherlands. They make the NCores, which would be overkill for this application as their strength is on how refined they are for a Class-D. I recently assembled a pair of UcD400 (first time I assemble an amp) and it was straight forward and allows me to build the midbass amp into the speaker cabinets in an active setup.

A more involved alternative as it requires assembly, but allows for customization to avoid clutter. I'm on the same vein, BTW. Oh, and they sound really good. And no fans to worry about.
Swampwalker, the Crowns could well be a nice solution here, but you will have to take into account some things - including whether your dual 12-inchers on each side will be seen by the amp(s) as a 8- or 4-ohm load and what their sensitivity is and how loud on occasion you want to go. Let me point out if I may, that all that is especially important since you're considering pro amps here. There is an old rule-of-thumb that says you should divide the pro power spec by 4 to get the equivalent RMS figure we're used to with hifi. That's because the pro spec is always into 1kHz, not 20-20k. Some folks feel it is ok to substitute dividing by 3 instead, but personally I'd resist that...dividing by 4 will at least give you a more reliable Minimum power figure. The 1500 is rated at 525w/ch into 4 ohms and 300w/ch into 8. So, into 4 ohms you'd have at least around 130w/ch RMS...IF you have 8-ohm woofers wired in series per channel, which would allow you to provide stereo power to both woofers per side with only one amp. But, I leave it to you to whether or not that will be enough juice for your listening levels. Stepping up the Crown XLS line to more power is always an option. If your woofers are already 4-ohm, then it may in fact be more recommendable to use 2 amps, one for each pair of woofers. The Crowns can indeed be bridged, and in stereo mode they can safely handle a 2-ohm load, but, while bridged, the low limit is 4 ohms. Keep in mind also that these amps have fans. Normally, they do not, I believe, come on (they are rather audible) all the time or anything, or even at all - under normal conditions, that is. But, buying an underpowered amp to try to save yourself a few bucks will likely not be "normal" conditions. You will want to give the amp the opportunity to do its job, even in the summer, without being taxed often enough for the fan to annoy you, of course, so you must plan accordingly before you buy. As always, erring on the side of a little too much power never hurts! Hope this helps.
The sale on the Crown amps is interesting as it would be an inexpensive solution for subwoofer duty. Has anyone tried the integrated crossover function for the sub duty? Does it work well? I would like to avoid the outboard crossover as I would have to purchase that.
Ben
Take a good look at the Crown XLS1500. Crown is changing their lineup and the XLS series is now on good discount. I picked up an XLS1500 to drive the 2nd voice coils on my Gallo Ref. 3.1s and the Crown is doing a *terrific* job, the lows just roll out into the room, very authoritative!

And for $199 delivered I don't think you'll find a better value...