Questions about Crown amplifier?

[Jfs]

I am considering getting the Crown xls1502 amplifier. I will be using this for music.
I have some questions and am hopeful someone will be able to help.

- I have heard that most people don't have problems with the fans, but some have. I am wondering what experiences here are and if there is a modification that will work for this amplifier

- What would I need for a preamp to run this amp?
There is a setting for .775 volts sensitivity, this will lower the S/N to 87 from 103. Do I need a pro preamp or can I use a consumer? I want to keep the price down and will try to find something used.

Thanks

 

[lovinthehd]

I can't remember seeing a fan issue for this particular model but keep in mind XLS also represented a different earlier series from Crown as well, the new ones are XLS Drivecore and by all accounts fan issue is not an issue. I have four 1500s and really have to work at it, like ear right up to the grill, in a quiet room to hear any fan noise at all. I'd think just replacing with stock fan should it ever become an issue would be the way I'd go.

Where did you get the lowered SNR spec when using the lower sensitivity setting? My 1500s have only 1.4V, no switch, no problem using with several avrs altho I do have an old Sony avr that's a bit low on the pre-out level to get full use of the amp.

Are you looking for bass management (crossover and delay adjustments) with the pre? Much of the 2ch stuff has none. Many don't even have a sub pre-out and when they do no filters or very limited....a used avr with pre-outs may be a good way to go.

 

[BoredSysAdmin]

What speakers do you have and how loud do intend to play?
In most cases used AVR would provide better value and have enough power. This does not apply to some very hard to power speakers, maggies for example and few other hi-end speakers

 

[Jfs]

I'd think just replacing with stock fan should it ever become an issue would be the way I'd go.

Where did you get the lowered SNR spec when using the lower sensitivity setting? My 1500s have only 1.4V, no switch, no problem using with several avrs altho I do have an old Sony avr that's a bit low on the pre-out level to get full use of the amp.

What do you mean by a stock fan?

I found the lowered SNR from the specs on the 1502:
https://www.crownaudio.com/en/products/xls-1502
"
Signal to Noise >103dB (at .775Vrms, 6dB lower)

 

[Jfs]

What speakers do you have and how loud do intend to play?
In most cases used AVR would provide better value and have enough power. This does not apply to some very hard to power speakers, maggies for example and few other hi-end speakers

I am looking to get some new speakers the ones I have are worn out. Not sure what I will need. Don't listen to music overly loud. The reason I was looking at the Crown 1502 is it has a fair amount of power into 4 ohms, which I thought would be good for dips and in case I wanted to get 4 ohm speakers.

I am still searching so may try a receiver.

Something I find confusing is the power rating of a lot of amps and receivers. With the Crown 1502 they use a continuous sine wave at 0.5% THD to rate the amplifier and how do I compare that to a HiFi amp that measures at X watts per channel, both channels driven at a low distortion value, 20hz- 20khz. It's hard to find out how much power the amp really puts out and how it will deal with peaks or lower resistance.

 

[lovinthehd]

What do you mean by a stock fan?

I found the lowered SNR from the specs on the 1502:
https://www.crownaudio.com/en/products/xls-1502
"
Signal to Noise >103dB (at .775Vrms, 6dB lower)

You were worried about a fan mod needed and I'm saying they're so quiet you're not going to do better with any mods, so if the fan becomes noisy for some unknown reason then a stock fan is what I'd use to repair it....I seriously doubt you'll find this an issue.

Yes, 6 dB makes sense but not 16, (from 87 as you mentioned in your initial post). They're both very good specs and likely you couldn't hear the difference; you may not even need the lower sensitivity setting in any case.

As far as differences in THD spec it is what it is, so just compare as closely as you can. Not likely to be an audible issue....wasn't for me and many others but YMMV.

Worry about your speakers first, then worry about what you'll drive them with.

 

[everettT]

I've never heard my fans, just happened to see them on thru the mesh front face plate. I'd assume that if the fans come on your cranking it and you wouldn't hear it.

 

[highfigh]

I am considering getting the Crown xls1502 amplifier. I will be using this for music.
I have some questions and am hopeful someone will be able to help.

- I have heard that most people don't have problems with the fans, but some have. I am wondering what experiences here are and if there is a modification that will work for this amplifier

- What would I need for a preamp to run this amp?
There is a setting for .775 volts sensitivity, this will lower the S/N to 87 from 103. Do I need a pro preamp or can I use a consumer? I want to keep the price down and will try to find something used.

Thanks

The .775V setting is, as the manual shows, for consumer equipment that isn't able to provide higher output voltage.

How far will you be from the speakers? If it's over 10', I doubt you'll hear a difference in S/N, even though it's 16dB. If you can hear it from that distance, congratulations on your excellent hearing.

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

For pre-pro, I would use either pro-style or consumer like a Denon X3300 when it's on sale (like $599 new or $484 like-new open box on Amazon).

If I had any pro amp and it had fan noise, I would just remove the fan. And then use a silent $10 120mm external USB fan to pull heat out.

I think all these pro amps have hiss sound to the speakers. So I doubt if anybody could tell the difference in SNR with any of these Crown amps from any distance.

 

[PENG]

I am looking to get some new speakers the ones I have are worn out. Not sure what I will need. Don't listen to music overly loud. The reason I was looking at the Crown 1502 is it has a fair amount of power into 4 ohms, which I thought would be good for dips and in case I wanted to get 4 ohm speakers.

I am still searching so may try a receiver.

Something I find confusing is the power rating of a lot of amps and receivers. With the Crown 1502 they use a continuous sine wave at 0.5% THD to rate the amplifier and how do I compare that to a HiFi amp that measures at X watts per channel, both channels driven at a low distortion value, 20hz- 20khz. It's hard to find out how much power the amp really puts out and how it will deal with peaks or lower resistance.

It is tougher to compare the specs and bench test results of class D amps to class AB amps to begin with, and there seem to be very few bench tests done on the Crown amps. The only review with some minimal bench test data I could find (by Googling) for the class D XLS1502 is the one linked below and there isn't much data at all. The SNR seemed low compared to the specified -97/-106 dB, but we have no idea how it was measured in the review. The measured distortion looked great, but again, we don't know how it was measured.

https://translate.google.ca/translate?hl=en&sl=de&u=https://www.hifitest.de/test/endstufen/crown-xls-1502_11942&prev=search

Based on user reviews, I think the XLS drivecore amps are a safe bet.

 

[PENG]

The .775V setting is, as the manual shows, for consumer equipment that isn't able to provide higher output voltage.

How far will you be from the speakers? If it's over 10', I doubt you'll hear a difference in S/N, even though it's 16dB. If you can hear it from that distance, congratulations on your excellent hearing.

He made a typo, it's 6 dB difference, not 16.

 

[BoredSysAdmin]

Worry about your speakers first, then worry about what you'll drive them with.

+1000

 

[highfigh]

He made a typo, it's 6 dB difference, not 16.

For pre-pro, I would use either pro-style or consumer like a Denon X3300 when it's on sale (like $599 new or $484 like-new open box on Amazon).

If I had any pro amp and it had fan noise, I would just remove the fan. And then use a silent $10 120mm external USB fan to pull heat out.

I think all these pro amps have hiss sound to the speakers. So I doubt if anybody could tell the difference in SNR with any of these Crown amps from any distance.

Fans can be slowed with a voltage divider- it requires two resistors.

 

[NINaudio]

I doubt you'll have any issue with the fans. The fan in mine almost never turns on, and when it does I can only hear it if my ear is right up by the amp. I wouldn't concern yourself with modding it.

 

[Jfs]

Thanks for the replies.
I think this amp should be OK.
I made a mistake on the S/N or the 1502. It should have been 97 and 103.
One question about class D. I am listening to some of the videos of Gene DellaSala. He said that a switch mode power supply if not designed well can react to speaker loads. Has anyone found this a probelm with this amp?

Worry about your speakers first, then worry about what you'll drive them with.

I thought of that, but I don't know how I will audition the speakers when I bring them home to see if they will work in my environment. How do most people work this out?

I guess I am still trying to figure out how much power I need. I haven't had a lot of experience with a component setup. I always though more power would be better, so it would put enough into lower resistance and also enough headroom. I plan to setup the speakers about 6'-8' from listening position.

 

[lovinthehd]

No problems for me with this amp driving a variety of speakers/subs...and have not read of any issues in this regard. Gene's info was somewhat a valid concern a while back but seems most class D amps have dealt with such issue now...or with poorly designed gear I suppose it still could be.

My first good speaker purchases I had my dad's hand-me-down receiver....so for the last 45 years I've always had something at home to run speakers on....I have at least 6 different rigs I can hook up speakers to now. I'd still at least narrow the field down somewhat....what speakers are you considering?

 

[ski2xblack]

Even with fairly insensitive speakers, if the listening distance is 8' or less, you probably don't even need an external amp, much less a deep breather like the Crown. For such a small room, it may make more sense to allocate the amp funds towards better speakers, rather than for power you may never actually tap into.

But they're inexpensive, and when it comes to power, too much is just enough (to avoid any clipping whatsoever). Just use caution; speakers have limits, and the Crown is powerful enough to take most to (or past) theirs.

The speakers you choose will dictate how much power you need, so as lovinthehd pointed out, worry about the speaker choice first.

 

[panteragstk]

IMHO the crown will be overkill unless you have VERY difficult speakers.

I do have an XLS1500 (previous version) and if the fan has ever turned on, I've never heard it.

 

[MrBoat]

The fan saga may be an issue for theater but it doesn't bother me for music, and I have the much noisier Behringer amp. Although, I have other things going on usually that make noise too, like a fan on me keeping me cool, appliance noises, cars going down the street etc.

The internet obsessives, like to make mountains out of these molehills. Since it has been complained about ad nauseam, you will hear it and be bothered by it. Of course, the guy who whines about it, probably never STFU during a movie anyway and just hates the competition.

What is noisier/more annoying than an amp fan? Cell phone users. Not to mention the light popping on and off in your peripheral. That's right. The fan of an audio amp is like the music of angels compared to cell users. By the time I hear my amp fan, I know I am finally away from all that other rot.

 

[lovinthehd]

I think this pro-amp fan noise issue is partly based in fact, as many do have fairly loud fans as it isn't particularly important in their usual applications. I think part of it is rumor out of hand from fans/sellers of consumer amps....in any case if you want to hear a fan, it is much easier with the Behringer MrBoat has and that model is often modded for use in a living room or bedroom (rather than an equipment closet/rack that's not readily heard).