2. amps-preamps
  3. 135700-110055

Crown XLS 1502.... real life test.

I was at guitar center yesterday cruseing the used pedal case and noticed they had the XLS1502 was on sale. With there 45 day return policy, that i have used with great success in the past, i bought the amp.

  With my Logan’s the crown was very clear and full. 525 watts at hand per channel brought the speakers to life. I adjusted the input to around 3 o’clock seemed to be a good match. I went thru a few cd’s and they all sounded great with Steely Dan winning the show...

  I put the Mac back in the loop and noticed the soundstage was a bit bigger and a good amount more subdude.

This was my first foray in the class D world and I was surprised at how good it sounded. At 329.00 its kinda hard to beat. I have no idea what the current measurements are but the XLS made the Logan’s sing. If i read the article correctly, doesnt the JBL Everest’s come with XLS amps? That’s the way it read... please correct me.

Anyway, it was a fun afternoon and the Crown is going back today. I haven’t bought the 10t’s yet... prob June is when I can pick them up... I will buy another crown then to use when I send the 7100 to a mac repair center to get a checkup... I have a gut feeling something is amiss with her. All in all I really enjoyed the XLS and in a blind test i feel it would hold up to many good amps that cost $$$$$.

  I want a 300 watt Mac but at 3-4 thousand dollars that is a big stretch for this retired chef... lol

BTW... the XLS was DEAD silent ... nothing!
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Showing 2 responses by guyboisvert

guyboisvert
42 posts
 
@speceroo You put the Crown at the right usage / place!  The Mivera Purepower seems to use Audio Bricks (B&O before) ICEPower modules.  Sure it'll sound better than the Pro Crown, it targets HiFi home systems.
https://img.canuckaudiomart.com/uploads/large/2057154-mivera-audio-purepower-amp-takachi-case.jpg 
See inside, the ICEPower module, Mivera is just a packager.
guyboisvert
42 posts
 
@roxy54
This Crown amp is a low budget pro amplifier.  It comes with full protection, pro in / out connect, fan, remote start, DSP, etc.  It packs many mandatory features and power for the money.  And it's Crown, a pro audio leader company that's been there for a long time.

So this amp is a typical low power DJ amp.  Soundwise, it's commercial pro stuff.  Don't expect to get marvelous and clean sound out of this.  As a retired DJ (and now electrical engineer), i'd say that it's in the right spot for the money and use.  We typically use those amps at high volume with DSP in front: EQ, multiband compression, etc.

If you expect to get more HiFi sound, this is not the right product.  Then for higher sound fidelity Class D, go Peachtree, ICEPower, etc.  Soundwise, any decent HiFi amp will beat the Crown hands down.
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