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Crown XLS 2500 - the best amp value per dollar?

I just purchased a Crown XLS 2500 for $419 with free shipping, available to anyone who does a Google search. The 2500’s are discounted now because Crown is releasing the XLS 2502 very soon and the 2500's will be discontinued. One can pre-order the XLS 2502 for $599.

The XLS 2500 amp is rated at 440w @ 8ohms, 775 @ 4ohms, and 1200w at 2 ohms. I purchased this amp to bi-amp it on the lower end of my Infinity Kappa 9’s and use my Adcom 565SE on the mid-high end. I ordered Y cable connections for the two amps but haven’t received them yet so in the mean time I have been listening to the XLS 2500 powering the Kappa 9’s and I am blown away by how well this amp handles the Kappa 9 speakers.
The Crown XLS is a Class D amp. The sound / value proposition of this amp has to be nothing short of a paradigm shift in amplification value. Will it satisfy the ultra high-end audiophile willing to spend any amount to achieve that final percentage of improvement? I don’t know as I am not one of those. But can someone who is and has listened to both a Crown XLS and a high-end Class A amplifier in their system tell me how much of a difference there really is?
128x1281extreme
1extreme's avatar
1extreme OP
161 posts
 
So just over a year and a half since I started this thread. Cracks me up reading my personal evolution over that time.

@bombaywalla - you are so right. I almost sold the XLS 2500 but had put it away in a closet instead. I just pulled it out and connected it to the bass / low end of my Infinity Kappa 9’s and they really do well pushing the bottom end. It does very well at 3/4 gain. I wish all amps had a gain control per channel. It is so useful when bi-amping. The XLS 2500 also has a built in low pass active crossover setting so I can tailor it to just pass the low frequencies needed by the woofers.

I have tube amps (CAD 805AE’s) pushing the top ends of the Kappa 9’s and the combo is great. Seems kind of silly pairing amps on the top end that cost me a factor of over 15 times the amp on the low end but hey, if it sound good it sounds good.

The XLS 2500 is awful as a high fidelity amp for the upper end. But as a bass cranker bi-amped with a higher end amp on the top end it does just fine.
1extreme's avatar
1extreme OP
161 posts
 
@boomzilla , BINGO!
gmardinly's avatar
gmardinly
6 posts
 
I’m running An XLS 1500 on Martin Logan CLS 2 and it’s pretty damn good. Impressive amp. 
peterbatah's avatar
peterbatah
2 posts
 

Hello all. First time post. Would someone kindly tell me where the XLS 2500 is manufactured. Thank you in advance for your time and assistance.

retrocrownfan's avatar
retrocrownfan
134 posts
 

Fun thread. As with many hobbies there are nooks and crannies in HiFi. I’ve built three systems over years using old Crown PS-200s purchased for around $100 out of commercial audio applications - little churches, schools and even pre-THX movie theaters. Their legendary robust high current stability holds them in good stead driving low frequencies in difficult speakers. Even though they are quite fairly dissed as having a high end that sounds like crashing glass compared to audiophile quality amps, I’ve dealt with in different ways in each of the three 6U rack builds, working with preamps, attention to the gain stacking of inputs and, in one case, a good TASCAM pro audio rack mount EQ.

 

My current fave is minimal “rat rod” set up in my 1924 bungalow home office/master bed room. Just a PS-200 recapped by AE Techron (the vintage Crown mother ship), an unpowered Shitt two input switch with a pot and an Auris BluMe Pro Bluetooth receiver. Good SNR, good Sabre DAC in the digital receiver, and 135 watts into a pair of sweet 4 ohm Wharfedale Linton Heritage big baffle 3 ways. The company calls them 6 ohm speakers, but there’s a dip down under 4.

 

The knowledge here has helped me shape my affection toward these old Crowns into enjoyable sound in two rooms in my home…and the 1867 mansion down the  street where our historical society works and hosts numerous community events.

 

The best of Audiogon chat is the non-judgmental info. Attitudes are inevitable on the Internet but I follow here because of the good advice that floats to the surface in the cast majority of threads :)

 

 

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