Crown XLS 1500 question

[fernalfer]

Ok, i bought 2 Crown xls 1500 first gen amps because they are a great deal right now. I have a Yamaha reciever which i know does not supply the proper voltage required by the crown amp to run at full potential. So i ordered a ART Cleanbox Pro. Will go AVR-->RCA-->Cleanbox-->XLR-->Crown XLS. Now hear is the question. 1 amp will power my front left and right fronts and the other will power my Center. Do i have to buy 2 ART Cleanboxes. 1 for the first amp powering my mains and another for the second powering my Center?

Or is there a way to get one and link the first crown connected with cleanbox to the second via 1/4 link out on the crown and just feed the Center channel amp straight from AVR with RCA cable. Will this work, or do i have no choice but to get 2 ART Cleanboxes to insure both amps are getting proper voltage. Just not sure if linking one to the other will carryover that voltage increase from the cleanbox pro.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

[lsiberian]

The Crown Xls 1500 is supposed to have RCA inputs? I'd just use those. Either way I see no need for a clean box unless you are really having issues. My receiver gives plenty of voltage to my pro amps. They sell RCA to XLR cables at guitar center for about 10 bucks. You don't need the fancy one. FWIW the amp actually has a gain control on it so you can always use that to increase the gain on the amp.

 

[fernalfer]

Well i already bought the Cleanbox it has arrived today just waiting on amps. I bought because from reading around people are saying without the cleanbox you will not get the full potential of the amp.

 

[slipperybidness]

Well i already bought the Cleanbox it has arrived today just waiting on amps. I bought because from reading around people are saying without the cleanbox you will not get the full potential of the amp.

LOL!

Do you NEED the full potential of that amp? Likely not.

If it can drive your speakers to the listening levels that you want, then you are good!

 

[tcarcio]

Did you check your receiver to see what the pre-out voltage is?

 

[fernalfer]

Did you check your receiver to see what the pre-out voltage is?

Which is true. But i hear alot say that having the power when it is needed during movie scenes that provide a strong sound effect. That having enough watts doesn't hurt because it will provide that thump needed to help immerse yourself into the movie better.

 

[TLS Guy]

Which is true. But i hear alot say that having the power when it is needed during movie scenes that provide a strong sound effect. That having enough watts doesn't hurt because it will provide that thump needed to help immerse yourself into the movie better.

There is a lot of nonsense out there on the Internet. You have fallen for a good dose of it. Just go RCA to RCA from receiver to the Crowns. I have never heard of an amp not being powered properly from the RCA 1 volt line of a receiver especially one with variable gain.

There is no advantage of unbalanced RCA over balanced TSR or XLR. However the sensitivities of the RCA unbalanced and the balanced inputs are different. You will only encounter a problem if you float the unbalanced RCA to the balanced input.

And yes you will need two Clearboxes if you want to do what you intend.

You should have posted here where you get the straight scoop before falling victim to nonsense on the NET.

You can get all the power you require out of your Crown amp unbalanced RCA to RCA. That is the truth the whole truth and nothing but the truth.

As you can see your amp has unbalanced RCA and balanced XLR.

The Clear Audio unit would only have an advantage of you had wire runs longer than you would see in any home listening room. Otherwise the unit will only add noise and distortion and NO benefit.

 

[fernalfer]

This is exactly why i am here asking questions. So what you are saying is i should return the cleanbox because it will make not an absolute difference?

 

[slipperybidness]

What we are saying is to hook it up without the Cleanbox and see if it gets you where you want to be. If it does, then ship the Cleanbox back. My $ says that you will likely be sending that thing back.

If it does not, then install the Cleanbox and see if that gets you where you want to be.

 

[TLS Guy]

This is exactly why i am here asking questions. So what you are saying is i should return the cleanbox because it will make not an absolute difference?

That is what I'm saying. Yamaha receivers have been measured at 1 volt RMS output at the preouts with an HDMI input 20 db below full input. Your Crown provides full power with in input of 1.4 volts RMS.

That means that your receiver can only drive your Crown to full power, but well into clipping.

 

[WaynePflughaupt]

Well i already bought the Cleanbox it has arrived today just waiting on amps. I bought because from reading around people are saying without the cleanbox you will not get the full potential of the amp.

You must be seeing some really old information. That stuff pretty much came to a dead stop in 2011, after I published my dissertation on gain structure and mixing pro and consumer gear in home theaters, or at least at the major U.S. forums. You can find a link to it in my signature.

Regards,
Wayne A. Pflughaupt

 

[fernalfer]

You must be seeing some really old information. That stuff pretty much came to a dead stop in 2011, after I published my dissertation on gain structure and mixing pro and consumer gear in home theaters, or at least at the major U.S. forums. You can find a link to it in my signature.

Regards,
Wayne A. Pflughaupt

Thanks i started reading and looked their was a lot of material. I will read in a little while after the kids cool down. Thanks, your article looks like a wealth of information.

 

[fernalfer]

Thanks all for your comments. Just an update. I have hooked both crowns to my Yamaha Reciever. Now my reciever only puts out 1.0V and the crowns require 1.4V. But a big but, i have hooked the crowns up via RCA cables from my reciever and WOW i can hear a difference in clarity and it gets loud. I'm thinking i do not need to add the 2 ART cleanboxes i but to boost the signal from the receiver because i can put it up so loud with room to spare. I mean listening levels that i would never want to listen at for long periods of time. So i'm thinking adding the cleanboxes will not add any type of difference for the better. Any thoughts?

 

[lsiberian]

You are fine 1.0v is plenty to drive your amp to the power levels you need. That amp has enough gain to drive pro audio speakers.

 

[slipperybidness]

Thanks all for your comments. Just an update. I have hooked both crowns to my Yamaha Reciever. Now my reciever only puts out 1.0V and the crowns require 1.4V. But a big but, i have hooked the crowns up via RCA cables from my reciever and WOW i can hear a difference in clarity and it gets loud. I'm thinking i do not need to add the 2 ART cleanboxes i but to boost the signal from the receiver because i can put it up so loud with room to spare. I mean listening levels that i would never want to listen at for long periods of time. So i'm thinking adding the cleanboxes will not add any type of difference for the better. Any thoughts?

That's exactly the outcome that we predicted!

Send the Cleanboxes back and use that $ for something useful! Treat yoself