[poseidonsvoice]

Thanks for all the responses. As for features, I'd like at least two inputs. Not interested in DIY. Black face is essential.

The Berning OTL and Van Alstine look interesting, but I don't know much about the Crown. Can't find anything on its input sensitivity / impedance.

The Crown input sensitivity is 1.4v.

Full specs here, as well as the link to the current model, the 1502.

http://www.parts-express.com/crown-xls-1500-power-amplifier-2-x-525w-at-4-ohms--245-502

A preamp for a Crown XLS requires gain, a lot of it!
I use one with my Dspeaker Dual Core and an iFi iTube as buffer with 6db gain. This combo works very well but down the road I hope to get a quality tube preamp. Sorry, I don't have any specific brand to mention in you budget range. 

Chris 

Might be a moot point but here is some math. The Crown specs are 1.4V input sensitivity for 525 watts output at 4 ohms. Apply Ohm's Law. 525 watts at 4 ohms is 45.52V I think. That's about 29-30dB of gain overall. Whether that is enough depends on your listening habits, room size, distance you listen from your speakers and of course your loudspeaker efficiency. It has been my experience that at a listening distance of 8-10 feet,  90dB@2.83V/m speakers and 24-26 dB of overall gain (that includes your preamp and amp) from a 2V source (like digital, CD) is enough for most of my recordings.

Best,

Anand.

[S Clark]

Apparently it is supposed to sound very good.

Many seem to think so.  I know of a few of us that don't agree.

[twitch54]

Many seem to think so.  I know of a few of us that don't agree.

I was thinking the same thing ………..

[Wind Chaser]

Many seem to think so.  I know of a few of us that don't agree.

Could it have something to do with lack of synergy?

[S Clark]

Absolutely.  It might be superb in some systems, just not mine nor the couple of other guys that I talked to that also tried it out.  We all had the observation of a collapsed soundstage... but good detail in mids and lower treble.

[Wind Chaser]

Absolutely.  It might be superb in some systems, just not mine nor the couple of other guys that I talked to that also tried it out.  We all had the observation of a collapsed soundstage... but good detail in mids and lower treble.

That's not something I could live with.

[JLM]

Attended an audio club meeting Sunday where we compared Crown 1500 to Class D Audio.

The Crown had less control of the bass, less dynamic, and seemed less detailed/more forgiving.  But cheaper built and priced.

Most class D of the past few years came across as sterile/midrange thin/etched, but the technology growing pains have produced improvements.

That Rogue Sphinx is well reviewed/built and attractive (marrying tube preamp with Hypex based class D) if 100 wpc and 3 inputs plus phono and headphone (fixed/variable outputs) with simple remote is enough for you. 

[Nick77]

Attended an audio club meeting Sunday where we compared Crown 1500 to Class D Audio.

The Crown had less control of the bass, less dynamic, and seemed less detailed/more forgiving.  But cheaper built and priced.

That Rogue Sphinx is attractive if 100 wpc is enough.

I moved on to Hypex but the "Class D Audio" amps are quite good and very musical especially the SDS series. I am still surprised to see the pro amps mentioned in audiophilla.

[mcgsxr]

I have been positive about the XLS1500 in my own setup since I picked one up last year.

It ain't the best amp in the world, but it delivers quality sound on a very low budget.  For those of us fascinated with that dynamic it is one of the very best.

The OP asked about matching preamps, and has had a few chime in with some decent options.  The OP has also been around a while (here and on other forums I visit) and likely is aware of the varying opinions about the amp. 

Valid posts all, I am following with interest as I will own the amp for a while to come (it works so well with my low efficiency Maggies) and have wondered about a great preamp for it. 

I have never heard one, but that Van Alstine preamp (the basic one) appears to be very good value given the rep of the manufacturer, and I have had excellent experiences with vendors on this site.

[JLM]

I moved on to Hypex but the "Class D Audio" amps are quite good and very musical especially the SDS series. I am still surprised to see the pro amps mentioned in audiophilla.

I've been happily running the original Channel Island Audio D-100 mono-blocks (modded Hypex) for years.

[DaveC113]

I have been positive about the XLS1500 in my own setup since I picked one up last year.

It ain't the best amp in the world, but it delivers quality sound on a very low budget.  For those of us fascinated with that dynamic it is one of the very best.

The OP asked about matching preamps, and has had a few chime in with some decent options.  The OP has also been around a while (here and on other forums I visit) and likely is aware of the varying opinions about the amp. 

Valid posts all, I am following with interest as I will own the amp for a while to come (it works so well with my low efficiency Maggies) and have wondered about a great preamp for it. 

I have never heard one, but that Van Alstine preamp (the basic one) appears to be very good value given the rep of the manufacturer, and I have had excellent experiences with vendors on this site.

That's what it comes down to, I'm not sure what people are expecting for a couple hundred bucks? That it sounds as good as a $2k Odyssey? No Way! But I've tried them with several speakers so far and they are probably the best amp for the price on the planet. My Odyssey Stratos is far more refined and sounds much better overall but it's literally 10x+ the price.

If I were to buy amps right now on a budget, but could afford more than the Crowns, I'd probably get Hypex NC500 amps with replaceable input buffers (link below) or an Odyssey amp.

http://www.iqspeakers.co.uk/#!hypex-amps/avuyk

As far as bass control, I think the Crown XLS has too much of it on some speakers. My Pioneer S-1EX has slightly overdamped bass with the XLS but it's about perfect with the Odyssey Stratos.

[maty]

Oddissey, AVA... and good professional amps to play very good music recordings.

Good amplification in class D is much more expensive than those Crown it is reality today,
like it or not.

A spanish fiend who lives a few miles from my house has a incredible sound with professional amplifiers (second hand) and speakers (bought and DIY: two open-baffle and two 18" closed subwofers). Orchestral music sounded incredible! Better with DIY open-baffles. In 9.2 system.

-> https://nauscopio.wordpress.com/2011/04/17/sala-de-andreu-campo-cercano-mp3-versus-flac-1644-versus-2496-b2031p-versus-trevisub-campo-lejano-y-multicanal/

To English

-> https://translate.google.com/translate?sl=es&tl=en&js=y&prev=_t&hl=es&ie=UTF-8&u=https%3A%2F%2Fnauscopio.wordpress.com%2F2011%2F04%2F17%2Fsala-de-andreu-campo-cercano-mp3-versus-flac-1644-versus-2496-b2031p-versus-trevisub-campo-lejano-y-multicanal%2F&edit-text=&act=url

More pictures:

-> http://maty.galeon.com/NB-imagenes/andreu/16042011/sala-delante.jpg

-> http://maty.galeon.com/NB-imagenes/andreu/16042011/sala-detras.jpg

-> http://maty.galeon.com/NB-imagenes/andreu/16042011/sala-lado-derecho.jpg

-> http://maty.galeon.com/NB-imagenes/andreu/16042011/sala-lado-izquierdo.jpg

-> http://maty.galeon.com/NB-imagenes/andreu/16042011/sala-lado-izquierdo-cacharros.jpg

but without class D from Crown.

[roscoeiii]

Attended an audio club meeting Sunday where we compared Crown 1500 to Class D Audio.

The Crown had less control of the bass, less dynamic, and seemed less detailed/more forgiving.  But cheaper built and priced.

Most class D of the past few years came across as sterile/midrange thin/etched, but the technology growing pains have produced improvements.

That Rogue Sphinx is well reviewed/built and attractive (marrying tube preamp with Hypex based class D) if 100 wpc and 3 inputs plus phono and headphone (fixed/variable outputs) with simple remote is enough for you.

What were the speakers involved?

As can be seen in my and jackman's impressions of the XLS, speaker synergy can be quite important. We both agreed that the XLS sounded best on my power-hungry SP Tech Revelations, but the ncore amp was a better match for Jack's speakers.

I should also say that I am not a soundstage nut, and my speakers aren't positioned in a room that can achieve a great soundstage. I'm listening more for bass, detail and dynamics.

A great bargain of an amp, but synergy is very important as in all component matching. Both in regard to the other gear, as well as for listeners' preferences. And let's not expect too much for an amp this price in general.

Returning to the original question, I would also agree that these amps benefit from a hotter source (due to pro gear outputs being higher than home audio usually is?). I use the iTube as just a buffer and prefer it in the +6dB mode with the XLS.

[JLM]

What were the speakers involved?

Vintage Polk SDS and Vandy 2C's.  Not my normal cup of tea, but good enough to hear the difference.

[maty]

Maybe speaker synergy = minimum impedance above or near 4 Ohm?

Maybe a speaker with minimum impedance near or below 3 Ohms has problems with Crown XLS, maybe.

sp technology Continuum 2.5 loudspeakers

-> http://www.positive-feedback.com/Issue22/sptech.htm

Impedance: 4-ohms (nominal) - 3.2-ohms (minimum)

More traditional class D amplifiers have problems with low (minimum) impedance. Crown XLS?

But http://www.crownaudio.com/en/products/xls-2000

Load Impedance    2 to 8 ohms per channel in Stereo, 4 to 8 ohms in Bridge Mono

[asliarun]

Audio GD's preamps have very good gain and will usually match most power amps.
I had another model which was a DAC and preamp, and I found the sound to be really good, and exceptional at the price point.

You can consider the NFB1. It is a fully balanced preamp, so you could feed XLR into Crown for a fully balanced setup.

http://www.audio-gd.com/Pro/Headphoneamp/NFB1AMP/NFB1AMPEN.htm

It costs $520 plus 50 for the remote, and shipping extra. There are other models too that integrate a DAC with the preamp. Their DAC sounds really nice as well. The NFB-28 for example retails for $750 and is a fully balanced DAC and preamp. The DAC also supports all high res formats including DSD.

http://www.audio-gd.com/Pro/Headphoneamp/NFB282016/NFB282016EN.htm

They have their more expensive Master series models of preamps and preamps+DAC as well - in the $1.5k ballpark.

[KKM]

I don't recall where I read it, since there are many sites giving positive reviews on the XLS series, that models above the 1500 were better sounding, be interesting to hear from someone who has done comparison.

[mcgsxr]

I do know that people claimed the XLS1000 to be inferior (I think it was signal to noise ratio) than the 1500, 2000 and 2500.

I have only ever owned the 1500, and it ain't going anywhere.  It mates so well with my hungry Maggies.

[Mojo Warrior]

A simple solution would be an Oppo BD-105 feeding the XLS via XLR connectors.

That is if vinyl playback is not a priority.

No preamp necessary.

[Wind Chaser]

Thanks to everyone for their input, but I found a terrific deal on an upgraded Ampino. Had one before, loved it and regretted parting with it.