[Tomy2Tone]

Since I guess I started a make shift tour of one of these amps I figured I'll dedicate a thread to it and all things Crown XLS. Whether you want to cryo it, mono it, feed it to sharks, throw it off a cliff and see if it's still ticking(not the tour amp  ).... whatever floats your boat.

Tour as of now...

Jackman/Roscoeiii- Chicago

rodge827- Jersey

mjosef- Brooklyn

SteveFord- PA

jtsnead- MD

Freo-1- MA

zapper7- NV

Peter J- ID

S Clark- TX


Pm me if you want to be added.

Carry on chaps! 

[OzarkTom]

Since I am going to have three 1500's, I will keep one stock, one will be cryo'ed, then one modded by Salis Audio and then cryo'd. I will see which one is the best and by how much. It might just be worth keeping these Crowns stock. I need to send my well broken-in one to the cryoman, he said if the unit is not broken-in, it could take up to 500 hours to burn in.

It will be interesting in what Salis Audio finds. One of the main secrets is that drivecore chip in the Crown amp. The one chip replaces 500 parts in the amp. No doubt, that keeps the prices way down.

[Tomy2Tone]

Since I am going to have three 1500's, I will keep one stock, one will be cryo'ed, then one modded by Salis Audio and then cryo'd. I will see which one is the best and by how much. It might just be worth keeping these Crowns stock. I need to send my well broken-in one to the cryoman, he said if the unit is not broken-in, it could take up to 500 hours to burn in.

Have you read anywhere how long it takes one of these Crowns to finally settle in? I know in general it seems class d takes quite a while. ICE amps I've got took about 300 hrs and I've read D-sonic can take 800 or so to really reach its peak.

Very much looking forward to what everybody thinks and finds out.  I've never heard an Ncore amp so I like that there's a few on the tour that have them and can compare...not so much if it's definitively better but can it be close enough. I know this hobby is usually about extracting that last little bit of sound quality so I'm not expecting this amp to be the end all be all but can it for the price do well enough.

[OzarkTom]

I would say about 200 hours for a new one. It might improve even up to 400, but very marginal after 200 hours.

[Quiet Earth]

Why would you cryo a complete amplifier? That can't be good for the electrolytic capacitors can it? I'll bet it sure screens out the bad solder joints though.....  . (I'm probably the only guy here on Audio Circle who thinks its a terrible waste to cryo vaccuum tubes, so don't let me get to you. Carry on men! )

[ZAKski288]

I have a question about break in time . I have two XLS1500  but have only been used in LowPass Mode  for subwoofers and let me tell you they ROCK.
Does the time used in lowpass hours do anything if I switch to Stereo Mode (Full Range)? Thanks Ken

[DaveC113]

ZAK, it's probably good to go.

I look forward to see if anyone ends up modding the Crown, I'm considering doing the connectors but they're all PCB mount which makes it more work.

[Tomy2Tone]

I have a question about break in time . I have two XLS1500  but have only been used in LowPass Mode  for subwoofers and let me tell you they ROCK.
Does the time used in lowpass hours do anything if I switch to Stereo Mode (Full Range)? Thanks Ken

Hey ZAKski288,

I noticed in your gallery pics you have "crown vs Ncore" labeled under their pic. Are you in the midst of comparing them with your full range speakers? Or just getting started?

[dlaloum]

Having purchased both of mine (well) used, I assume they were thoroughly broken in...

The shipping company ensured that the rack mount ears were "broken in" too....

Luckily it was still useable... although cosmetically not so hot.

I look forward to results of mods and cryo...

I looked at their guts, and it really is a single monolithic surface mount PCB for EVERYTHING - so no obvious mods "jump out" for me!

But the comments about the Neutrik connectors providing a better connection point is interesting.... I will have to make up a set of speaker cables, but that has been on the books for when i get "a round tuit".... so maybe I will find that tuit now!

bye for now

David

[ZAKski288]

Yes I do own Ncores and used the XLS1500  for 2 subwoofers .  Earlier this evening I did hook up the Crown in full range and was kind of impressed but need to do some more comparing of the two.   ZAK

[OzarkTom]

Yes I do own Ncores and used the XLS1500  for 2 subwoofers .  Earlier this evening I did hook up the Crown in full range and was kind of impressed but need to do some more comparing of the two.   ZAK

Zak, no matter what, even if you have to lie, make sure you say that the Ncores sounds the best and by a huge margin. And that goes for all of the Ncore owners on this tour. We don't want any riots to start here.

[rodge827]

Beauty and the Beast!

[dlaloum]

Which one is which? 

[jackman]

Zak,
I look forward to your comments. If the Crown comes up short, get ready to explain:

- why you chose not to cryo treat the Crown...even though there is no proof this is safe or improves the performance in any way.

- why you didn't have thousands of hours break in on the Crown. If it doesn't sound good, no matter how many hours you have used it, the reason it came up short is because it needs a couple hundred more hours to fully break in.

-  why you didn't use those magic wood pucks (and cushy pads underneath for bonus points). The Crown cognoscenti can't live without their magic pucks and I can imagine people attributing the outcome of your evaluation to the use of these pucks, or lack thereof.

I'm looking forward to comparing the Crown to the NCore and will post my honest opinion. If I feel extra ambitious I'll even compare it to the older Crown K1 currently powering my subs. That will be a PITA because I'll have to mess with the level of the subs and everything is dialed in perfectly at the moment.

My intention is to play some of my favorite tracks, ones I'm very familiar with, jazz, rock, lots of vocals, some good recordings, etc. I'll make sure levels are comparable for both amps and turn off my subs. Everything will be plugged directly into the wall and all of my current year is fully broken in. I'll also leave the crown plugged in overnight before doing any critical listening. It's probably not necessary but I'll do it anyway.

Roscoe, I'll contact you offline to see if you want to swing by and give your opinion or if you want to hear the crown on your system. It's very lightweight and easy to move around.

Thanks

Jack

[cab]

You forgot to mention the need for that trick power cord/conditioning/fuse which will all raise the Crown to such heights that you may get a nose bleed just thinking about it....

[OzarkTom]

I am sure Tomy2's goal of this amp tour is not to see how it stacks up to the Ncores, he is being generous to see how you like these Crown amps. I am sure if you already have decided the Crown is not worthy, it won't matter how you hook the amp up. In your mind, the Ncores stomps this Crown amp that sells for $325, Ncores $1900.

I just know what works the best at my house with the dirty AC.

[cab]

I just know what works the best at my house with the dirty AC.

Really? Or are you taking your own advice and lying?

[guest61169]

Zak,
I look forward to your comments. If the Crown comes up short, get ready to explain:

- why you chose not to cryo treat the Crown...even though there is no proof this is safe or improves the performance in any way.

- why you didn't have thousands of hours break in on the Crown. If it doesn't sound good, no matter how many hours you have used it, the reason it came up short is because it needs a couple hundred more hours to fully break in.

-  why you didn't use those magic wood pucks (and cushy pads underneath for bonus points). The Crown cognoscenti can't live without their magic pucks and I can imagine people attributing the outcome of your evaluation to the use of these pucks, or lack thereof.

Don't forget to use balanced inputs, Speakon outputs, a preamp with pro level gain and low output impedance, proper gain matching and yes...proper feet under the amp instead of just resting the bare chassis flat on a concrete floor, plugged directly into the wall with all DSP filters disabled, in a properly treated listening room with immaculate source material and a great set of ears!   Also, factor in that some people prefer the second amp in a level-matched comparison... just because it's not the first one!    A lot of variables here, this might be a long tour!

P.S. Don't forget to include a pic of the listening room and list of associated equipment.   I've seen hundreds of user system pics and it is rare to find a room properly set up.

[playntheblues]

OK, you guys have my attention 

[Tomy2Tone]

I am sure Tomy2's goal of this amp tour is not to see how it stacks up to the Ncores, he is being generous to see how you like these Crown amps.

Yep, was just curious what people think of this $300 amp compared to what they have now. I'm not expecting this amp to be better than an Ncore or any other amp for that matter. Would be interesting to see how close this amp competes with highly regarded amps such as the Ncores and other class d as well as class a/b. Ozarktom and DaveC113 have given the crown some nice comments, what say you?

And remember, it's just a pro amp...dats all!