I will post a summary of my time with these amps later, but here are my pros and cons. Sound-wise, my ears never told me that one sounded “better” than the others. The biggest issue was headroom, and how bass notes would suck all the Yamaha’s power away at volume. Both the Crown and the dual Outlaws solved that problem easily. You’ll notice the majority of my notes are aesthetic (except for power and thermals). The higher input sensitivity of the Crown and Outlaw weren’t an issue with the Xonar sound card, and I’m sure most preamps would do fine as well. I’ve read negative buyer reviews of people complaining that they “could barely hear” the XLS1000’s, and I’m certain in those cases they weren’t matching it with the right source. Always something to consider.
Yamaha AX-596
Pros:
Beautiful, “traditional” look
Solid build, long-term reliability
Allows bypassing tone controls
The best speaker wire terminals I’ve ever used
100wpc into 8 ohms is more than enough power for most situations
Cons:
100wpc is not enough power for
my situation
Gets a bit warm after extended listening sessions at volume
Pricey when new
Crown XLS-1000
Pros:
Power, power, POWER!
Handles current peaks with aplomb
Never ran warm at all
Extremely impressive array of configuration options
Easy to follow, no-nonsense owner’s manual
Gain Level knobs have detents for precise balancing
Level and clipping indicators
Lightweight (you pay dollars per watt instead of dollars per pound)
Balanced and unbalanced inputs
Unreal value compared to “hi-fi” amplifiers
Cons:
The temptation is great to buy a second one and biamp with XOVER mode!
I keep staring at the level indicators (SQUIRREL!)
(All these below are attributed to its intended PA purpose, but still should be mentioned)
I have dust concerns with the fan and back-to-front airflow design
Function over form: it’s not a looker; “Plasticy” faceplate and controls may wrongfully imply cheapness to some
High input sensitivity may have to be taken into consideration if used with home audio sources (fixed with the gen 2 XLS series)
Outlaw 2200 dual monoblocks
Pros:
P.O.W.E.R. for days
Slim and unobtrusive; their looks hide their beastliness from the unwary
Soft, pleasant LED power/standby indicators
Run cooler than the Yamaha under extended load, even with more power
XLR and RCA inputs
Cons:
Power switch on rear of unit (would be a total pain with a large stack)
No
gain level controls
Form over function: compared to the Crown, lacking the value quotient
Can’t match the Crown’s power efficiency; I can dim the lights in the room if I play loud enough
