@boomzilla , BINGO!
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?
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?
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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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@peterbatah I think they're made in Mexico. |
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