I have a friend who was using a Crown D150 on some Vandersteens. I was really surprised at how good the combination sounded compared to his old Counterpoint. |
The K-1 is decent, but overpriced... Definatly do not buy a FAN type of any pro gear they are loud, and 99% of the time have a slight ground hum even if you lift the ground, and really only sound decent with Subwoofers. The other problem I had with my stint into pro audio amps is that you will need a Rolls line convertor as pro audio amps are designed for a 4 volt input source and if you run a commercial preamp or most Cd players which are only 2 volt into it you will not get full range of output as you will be underdriving the input by half, also the Rolls convertor piece gives you RCA input and XLR output which is what you need for many of the cases converting commercial gear to hook into pro gear. These devices cost about 50 bucks on a deal online, but I suggest against any of it unless you can go to a Local guitar center or something and try out the K series for yourself, It might be the ticket, but I still think very overpriced in comparison to some of the better used gear you can grab of higher end manufactures. |
I think littlemanjoe is getting a Crown for his theater, if ya dont care about looks its a great deal I hear. |
I have a K2 and, although it makes an excellent bass amp, in full range duty it yields a very slightly strident sound in the midrange through treble areas. it's not a bad sounding amp full range but, it just doesn't exhude the transparency and purity in these critical areas that I would expect. Notes just don't have the natural decay that other amplifiers provide.
Speaking of transparency and purity, I also have an Innersound ESL-300, a Bel Canto evo-4 Mk 2, and a lowly NAD 320BEE . The Bel Canto is a standout in regards to purity and transparency. It's image placement and overall definition is also first rate. And it's totally grainless. Today it's my overall favorite solid state amplifier. The Innersound is every so slightly warmer sounding - a good thing with some music - and maybe deeper sounding. But, it is slightly mutted or muddier in direct comparison. I mean very slight so don't misconstrue my meaning here. I still like it a lot. The NAD is surprising on lower volumes. It is just as good to my ears as the Innersound - until things get louder and demanding, or complex.
I like the K2 the least of these amps when running my speakers full range. However, I also like the K2 the best when used as a bass amplifier. It's impact, control and definition in this area are very good. |
In a revealing system, it will sound pretty dreadful -- one-dimensional because of all the feedback used in the circuit, low transparency and grainy -- in short, solid-state at its worst. Those things are for P.A. systems, not high-end, two-channel home systems.
If you want cheap, powerful and reliable, but something that won't drive you from the room, just buy a Bryston. |
I was Crown's tech rep many years ago and unfortunately the previous posters comments are absolutely correct.
It's not the kind amp you want for a home hi fi system. The Crown is tough, can take a beating on the road without failing, and price effective for the power delivered. However, delicacy, musicality and beauty are not words that come to mind when describing its sound.
You did not mention what associated equipment you've chosen. It might help other Audiogon members guide you, especially if they've already been down that road. |
hi huck,what a funny time for this thread,im waiting on my new mcintosh mc1201 monoblocks to arrive & my rig was down until they come so just this morning i went to the guitar center & bought 2 different pro amps to use as temps until my new reference amps come in next week.
i bought the crown ce1000 & the qsc 1450,of the 2 different amps the qsc is superior & even though it has a fan its super quiet, ive often wondered about using pro amps so this seemed like as good a time as any to try them out hell you cant loose if you dont like them simply return them & get your cash back,try that at a high end shop.
ive been listening all day & here is what ive come up with,im not too good at using audiophile ebonics so ill use english instead.
the bass is as good as any high end amp ive ever used including krell,fast,tight & full & i really like the bass response with these amps.
the mids seem a little reserved at this point but not to a point they are bad or harsh or even weak,just a little on the dry side.
the highs are there in great quanity & they are detailed too but they seem a little overly bright to me,if your using a preamp with tone controls this can be corrected very easily if not i think it would be extremly bright & harsh.
are these amps solid state at its worst as raquel says,no they are not in fact the qsc blows away anything ive ever used in a midfi amp like adcom & rotel,are they reference amps,no but they are as good as a lot of amps that are passed off as as high end & better than some too.
if your really thinking about trying these types of amps why not do it,its risk free,i tried it & in doing so i realized that most midfi gear ive tried was truly junk & over rated.
mike. |
i posted a response but there musta been somthing in it that the moderators didnt want people to hear,who knows,i just tried a few pro amps one being a crown & the other being a qsc.
ill keep it short so this may get posted,you cant loose trying one of thease amps for your self,if you dont like it simply return it & get your money back.
one thing i will say is that the qsc is as good as alot of mid fi gear ive tried at 1 tenth the price.
mike. |
Hey Joe, I got your name muffed...my bad |
Hi,
My outdoor system is
a yamaha 4/10 cabinet, with 4 scan speak poly 8's, and 4 LPG 1 inch titanium tweeters; per side.
I can't speak on Crown, but can tell you that a 1200 watt Mackie had me
somewhat impressed.
It had a flavor like McIntosh.
Indoors I have had Audio Magic, Pass Labs, Krell, McIntosh, Nakamichi.
If you *had to, it's something you can live with. |
Thanks everyone! I appreciate all the comments! Huck |
I also must comment on how good a qsc amp sounds. I bought one to drive subwoofers, but, out of curiosity, tried it full range. What a surprise! Come to think about it, why should a prosound amp sound inferior? The same circuits and electronics components are available for all to use in their products. I am sure that no designer or manufacturer goes out of his way to sound lousy.
One valid objection is cooling fan noise. This is no problem if the amp can be remotely located, for example in the cellar.
I have no experience with Crown amps, but I do note that they market one model, at much greater price, which is intended for studio use, and incorporates various high end features.
I am presently using prosound amps...Carver ZR1600. But these are digital, and that's another topic. |
I had a Ce1000 myself, very noisey, I have not tried QSC so who knows it will come down to system synergy in the end, if you can save a lot of money and make it work go for it, but I still go against Fan type even if they are quiet enough, all kinds of build up will get stuck on it and ultimatly could fail and you would not no about it until it overheats, not saying it will but more moving parts in the signal and drawing power for devices that can contaminate your AC line without being involved in the music the worse it is in my opinion. |
its been 2 days now with the qsc rmx 1450 & i realy like it in fact im keeping it for a spare,i paid $330 out the door for this amp & IMO it easily compares to alot of amps i paid $1,500 or better for & neither of the pro amps i tried required any special stuff to hook em up,as long as you can run balanced cables to your pre your ok.
this amp is 260 wpc @ 8ohms & 450 wpc @ 4 ohms & it blows away the adcom 300 wpc gfa 565 monoblocks i used to own,i dont know what qsc does different from crown but the qsc is 10 times better sounding than the crown ce-1000 i tried yesterday & the fan is not loud at all.
all in all i think you get alot of power & some nice features for the cash to be spent not to mention a decent sounding amplifier. |
Matrix...The amp includes overtemperature protection, so fan failure would not be a disaster. By the way, at least for the digital CarverPro ZR1600, it's said that for home audio use, where you aren't pulling 600 watts/channel all the time, the fan can be disconnected. The fans typically are DC, and speed-controlled based on temperature.
Bigjoe...My amp is also a rmx 1450. I think that the fan is too noisy to have in the listening room, but mine is in the cellar so it's OK. |
eldartford,i had the qsc inside an enclosed rack & with the door open i could barely hear the fan at all but i took the amp out while i was installing some other new gear & just for shits & giggels i turned the qsc on & it is pretty loud when its not enclosed.
all in all i still think that for $330 out the door the qsc is an outstanding value.
mike. |
