The Crown XLS DriveCore Thread

[slipperybidness]

Personally, I prefer to run my amp gains at 100% and control it through the preamp. That typically effectively removes the gain knobs from the circuit path.

In some situations, running them at 100% doesn't work out, so that is the only time I adjust them down.

Of course, I am speaking in general terms, not about the crowns in particular. Many amps don't even have input gain control, so consider that an option/upgrade. It definitely adds flexibility to an amp.

 

[jcunwired]

Yes, the Denon will work fine. This will be an upgrade from an Onkyo TX-8050, I just found a demo unit of the 2113 from Electronics Expo for $312, couldn't pass it up.

My main source is ripped library, mostly FLAC and a few 192kbps+ MP3, other sources are streaming via Spotify, Google Music and Pandora. The receiver is directly connected to my computer via Asus Xonar Essence STX analog RCA, so I won't have any source limitations to deal with. My office nearfield system is Emp Tek E41-B and SVS SB-1000 subwoofer. The only reason for moving from the 2 channel Onkyo to the Denon is to gain bass management. The living room system is zone 2 from Onkyo to Anthem, powering Kef Q300 (soon to be replaced). Other than a lot of new gear (receiver, amp and speakers), all functionality will remain the same.

 

[jcunwired]

Having gain control with consumer setups is new to me. While I've done a good bit of sound engineering with live events where that control is beneficial my guess would be that for our use its only value is to control noise and to better match with the source equipment. This is the part that eludes me.

 

[ahblaza]

Yes, the Denon will work fine. This will be an upgrade from an Onkyo TX-8050, I just found a demo unit of the 2113 from Electronics Expo for $312, couldn't pass it up.

My main source is ripped library, mostly FLAC and a few 192kbps+ MP3, other sources are streaming via Spotify, Google Music and Pandora. The receiver is directly connected to my computer via Asus Xonar Essence STX analog RCA, so I won't have any source limitations to deal with. My office nearfield system is Emp Tek E41-B and SVS SB-1000 subwoofer. The only reason for moving from the 2 channel Onkyo to the Denon is to gain bass management. The living room system is zone 2 from Onkyo to Anthem, powering Kef Q300 (soon to be replaced). Other than a lot of new gear (receiver, amp and speakers), all functionality will remain the same.

What amp or amps are you running off the Denon and how do you do this, seriously without pre-outs unless you're using the zone 2 outs, I didn't know you could do that.

 

[jcunwired]

OK, just for grins, lets pretend that instead of the 2113CI I will be using a Denon AVR-4520CI

 

[slipperybidness]

Having gain control with consumer setups is new to me. While I've done a good bit of sound engineering with live events where that control is beneficial my guess would be that for our use its only value is to control noise and to better match with the source equipment. This is the part that eludes me.

That's it. Mostly it isn't needed in consumer level gear, but you might run into a problem if you have super-sensitive speakers or a preamp that has unusually high gain, something along those lines.

As an example, my Dynaco ST-70 build had the stepped attenuator (input gain) as a $50 option, and I think it was worth it. I may not need it with every combination of gear that I would use, but it makes it more likely that I can get it to play nice with any piece of gear.

 

[jinjuku]

OK, just for grins, lets pretend that instead of the 2113CI I will be using a Denon AVR-4520CI

How long have you owned the Anthem amp?

 

[jcunwired]

^^^ I'm not quite certain. This could be the one I bought a couple of years ago, it could be the one I've had for about 15 years. I'm not sure why this is relevant though.

 

[canelli]

I bought an XLS just to see if I could tell any difference between a Pioneer Elite ICE amplifier section and the Crown. What started off as a buy on a whim has changed my mind about the XLS amplifiers. It is installed within a cabinet and so far there has been no fan noise. I would say there is a slight difference in sound, but I would attribute that to the copious amounts of power on reserve compared to the ICE section that has been reviewed at AH and found to have issues when ohms drop below 6 - or a placebo effect. (At higher levels of listening and above, I find the ICE amplifier to sound slightly different and not in a good way.)

When I was searching for an amplifier quite a while ago, I acted like an audio snobbery when a dealer suggested purchasing a Denon along with Crown amplifiers. How things how changed. I have a Denon and a Crown but used in different rooms, and I couldn't be happier. I don't have a way to properly A/B the Halo and Crown that I own so I have no comment about their relative sonic differences.

Without a direct comparison it is hard to say if I would replace the Halo amp with 3 XLSs. If I were to start over 3 XLSs would allow more money to be spent on speakers or another subs and that is something worth considering.

 

[ahblaza]

OK, just for grins, lets pretend that instead of the 2113CI I will be using a Denon AVR-4520CI

You talking a whole new animal here, there is a full array of pre-outs and very robust amp sections, Sonny at HTS sold his XPA-1, monos and is driving his difficult load mains with the 4520. I don't know if this means anything to you but I thought I would put it out there, I think you can get it for around $1800.

 

[jcunwired]

Thank you sir, but this is way overkill for my needs. The 2113CI is the entry point to accomplish all of my requirements -

One preamp output for zone 2 (my great room)
Better bass integration for zone 1 (my office)
Network capable with onboard streaming services (to keep my ladies happy)

The great room is the third and least important listening area in my home, and this is where the Crown will be applied. There are of course better solutions (aren't there always?), this one the most economical. I found a very helpful article (I think, but have no idea how many inaccuracies might be there), so no further thoughts are necessary but will surely be appreciated - it's the folks who contributed to this thread who convinced me to smarten up and consider Crown.

Cheers.

 

[ahblaza]

You can't go wrong with the Crown Drive Core series amps, tons of power in reserve and mine never has any heat issues, I've never heard the fan turn on. Also Wayne can provide a wealth of knowledge with Pro gear.

 

[ahblaza]

That's a surefire way to reduce its lifespan.

Can you expand on your quote: surefire to reduce it's lifespan

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

I've been following Crown pro amp posts for awhile now, and an email sale announcement from Musician's Friend and the heat of summer forced me to make a decision. After some finagling I got Guitar Center down to $288.20 for an XLS1500. Out goes the very nice heater/amp Anthem MCA 20. The Crown will power a pair of Ascend CMT-340SE that are going in my living room (just ordered), the preamp will be a Denon 2113CI that serves both my desktop speakers and the main part of the house (zone 2).

Then I had an "oh snap" moment and realized there was one other thing I needed to check on, and fortunately found this thread again relatively quickly. Forgive my ignorance, but will the voltage difference between the Denon (I have no idea what its preamp voltage output is) and the Crown be cause for concern? Is there a specific point on the gain knob that I should set the Crown to? Or should I just set it at 12 o'clock like the big boys do and stop over-thinking it?

Based on EV's review and others, I'm seriously considering an XLS2500 for my own Philharmonic 2's, but that bright LED is definitely a deterrent. They have no problems in front of the Denon 4311 but jeez the dude paints a good picture. Will have to think about this one.

I thank you in advance for your wisdom.

I had absolutely no issues with my XLS2500 + Denon 3312.

I set the gain on my XLS to 100% to make it simple and just used the Denon Speaker Channel Level to match all speakers.

 

[jcunwired]

^^^ Man I hate it when it's easy

Thank you ADTG!

 

[GranteedEV]

Based on EV's review and others, I'm seriously considering an XLS2500 for my own Philharmonic 2's, but that bright LED is definitely a deterrent. They have no problems in front of the Denon 4311 but jeez the dude paints a good picture. Will have to think about this one.

I've got them on my bottom-most shelf, and I barely ever notice the LEDs anymore. It was only a distraction for like 2 days.

As far as gain, I normally set it to about 5-6 ticks below 100% from the pre-outs on my Marantz SR6004. Most pro amps are made to be driven to full power with very little voltage, even though they can take a lot of voltage.

 

[jcunwired]

^^ Thanks!

P.S. Some of you were right, the 2113 didn't cut it. It turns out zone 2 pre-outs are line level, I had to jump up to the 2313CI for independent volume control.

Jeez, all this just so my wife can listen to her Incubus station on Pandora.

 

[jcunwired]

Update: the XLS1500 is a great addition. At full gain and volume from the AVR no noise whatsoever from 2' in front of the speakers, Ascend CMT-340 SE. I've purchased a Xantech AC1 to automate power, this was about the cheapest solution I could find. I've had mixed results with switched power strips so I didn't want to deal with the frustration. New receiver, amp and speakers, I'm loving the new setup. I hate to see the Kefs go, but the Ascends work much better in this room.

Thanks to you all for bringing Crown to my attention. Hard to beat at about $1 per watt.

 

[Darkwing_duck]

That's one amp that I want to see measurements for in Stereophile or Home Theater. The only red flag is that it doesn't increase power from 8Ω to 4Ω. (Well, it may, but it's not rated to do so.) If driving three biamped mains and possibly two surrounds, that's probably not an issue. Hmm...a miniDSP 10x10HD for processing (mine should be on its way to me as I type )

Hey
I just looked at the minidsp thing you mentioned and I still couldn't understand why you would need this....You mention processing, what type of processing? HD audio for Blu-rays? Would this serve as a pre-pro? Or strictly for 2 channel listening?

 

[jinjuku]

He means EQ, Delay, Phase, Polarity, X-Over (Low/High/Bandpass) filters, distance.