Pro amps officially better than consumer amps!

[v_squared123]

Originally Posted by prerich

I'd go for a 2000....lower noise floor

Stay away from the xls 1000 for your main fronts. It's best to use the 1000 for sub amp duties due to the higher floor noise. According to crown if you want a high fidelity music experience go for the 2000 or 2500 = lower floor noise/ less hum or hiss at lower volumes

[prerich]

Originally Posted by v_squared123

Stay away from the xls 1000 for your main fronts. It's best to use the 1000 for sub amp duties due to the higher floor noise. According to crown if you want a high fidelity music experience go for the 2000 or 2500 = lower floor noise/ less hum or hiss at lower volumes

+ 10,000

[cembros]

I didn't get a chance to calibrate tonight but I just want to let everyone know that the panamax 12 volt trigger worked perfectly. That's one issue solved, it now turns on every time I turn the receiver on.

[Nick The Slick]

Originally Posted by v_squared123

Stay away from the xls 1000 for your main fronts. It's best to use the 1000 for sub amp duties due to the higher floor noise. According to crown if you want a high fidelity music experience go for the 2000 or 2500 = lower floor noise/ less hum or hiss at lower volumes

According to the specs the 1500 has the same noise floor as the 2000 and 2500, 103dB S/N I believe? As opposed to 97 on the 1000. So I'd include the 1500 in that as well.

[xanderville]

Out of curiosity....Is any of you Crown XLS owners running the crossover mode on one speaker that has bi-amp connections. The crossover mode takes a single source and runs the low pass filter to channel one and the high pass filter to channel two.

I dont how effective this would be but I am kind of curious to see if anyone has tried this. It does look like some owners are bridging the amp but I have not read anyone using the crossover mode to 'bi-amp' a speaker (if this is even a good idea to try)

Thanks guys

[Nick The Slick]

Originally Posted by xanderville

Out of curiosity....Is any of you Crown XLS owners running the crossover mode on one speaker that has bi-amp connections. The crossover mode takes a single source and runs the low pass filter to channel one and the high pass filter to channel two.

I dont how effective this would be but I am kind of curious to see if anyone has tried this. It does look like some owners are bridging the amp but I have not read anyone using the crossover mode to 'bi-amp' a speaker (if this is even a good idea to try)

Thanks guys

It would be kind of pointless to use it on your conventional speaker that has 'bi-amp' capability since the speaker will still have it's own internal crossover, thus you would be crossing the signal in the amp and in the speaker. Not only redundant but depending on where you set the crossover in the amp, you could risk losing some of the audio spectrum while you're at it. The only way I see the 2 channel crossover mode being of any use is if you have a two way speaker with no internal crossover and need to power the tweeter and mid/woofer separately or maybe you drive a regular speaker with the high pass channel and a sub with the low pass channel. I would not recommend using this feature to "bi-amp" a speaker.

There is however a mono mode I think, in which both channels output the same input signal. This mode would be more appropriate for "bi-amping" a speaker, but honestly I never saw any benefit to bi-amping a speaker with an internal crossover and see it as a waste of a perfectly good channel.

[v_squared123]

Originally Posted by Nick The Slick

According to the specs the 1500 has the same noise floor as the 2000 and 2500, 103dB S/N I believe? As opposed to 97 on the 1000. So I'd include the 1500 in that as well.

+1

[cembros]

Ok so I finally had the chance to play around with the settings and I'm having an issue with the gain. When I run auto calib the only way I can have the ch levels not set at +10 (max setting) is by having the gain at the 2:30 3 o'clock position. Any thoughts? I feel like these settings are way to high on both the receiver and the amp.

[cembros]

Originally Posted by cembros

Ok so I finally had the chance to play around with the settings and I'm having an issue with the gain. When I run auto calib the only way I can have the ch levels not set at +10 (max setting) is by having the gain at the 2:30 3 o'clock position. Any thoughts? I feel like these settings are way to high on both the receiver and the amp.

I will add that there is no humm or hiss with these settings but I don't want to be running hot.

[pentatonic]

Originally Posted by cembros

Ok so I finally had the chance to play around with the settings and I'm having an issue with the gain. When I run auto calib the only way I can have the ch levels not set at +10 (max setting) is by having the gain at the 2:30 3 o'clock position. Any thoughts? I feel like these settings are way to high on both the receiver and the amp.

When you have the gain on your amp at that position, how does your calibration
set them?

[cembros]

Originally Posted by pentatonic

When you have the gain on your amp at that position, how does your calibration
set them?

Around + 8/8.5. If I set the gain any lower it goes to the max

[pentatonic]

Originally Posted by cembros

Around + 8/8.5. If I set the gain any lower it goes to the max

While I have no experience with pro gear in the home environment, that does sound off a bit. Did you try the gain at max?

[cembros]

Originally Posted by pentatonic

While I have no experience with pro gear in the home environment, that does sound off a bit. Did you try the gain at max?

No, but I'm not sure if that's a good thing. I've read that if the gain is to high it can make the sound harsh.

[pentatonic]

Originally Posted by cembros

No, but I'm not sure if that's a good thing. I've read that if the gain is to high it can make the sound harsh.

I wouldn't know, but what seems to be happening is that your receiver is not sending a powerful enough signal to the amp. You might want to check what voltage the amp requires and what voltage your avr is putting out. I'm sure users of this amp will respond with their experience but for me that seems to be the problem.

[Nick The Slick]

Originally Posted by cembros

No, but I'm not sure if that's a good thing. I've read that if the gain is to high it can make the sound harsh.

Don't worry about setting the gain to max, that's what I have to do. It won't affect the sound at all. Unless you're using balanced connections or have pre-outs giving you like 2 Vrms output then you're most likely going to have to max the gain.

[pentatonic]

Originally Posted by Nick The Slick

Don't worry about setting the gain to max, that's what I have to do. It won't affect the sound at all. Unless you're using balanced connections or have pre-outs giving you like 2 Vrms output then you're most likely going to have to max the gain.

But that's really not ideal as your basically eliminating your headroom. I see that on Crown's site they ask for 1.4 Vrms input. If your Pio isn't giving this you'll have to max it out but the end result will not be optimal. Try and contact Pio about it (you do have to realize that preouts on receivers are closer to an after thought than on a pre-pro)

If your Pio is giving out let's say 0.75 Vrms than you are underdriving your amp. If this is the case you can still use it but you would need a bump up stage to bring it to the desired Vrms needed.

[Nick The Slick]

Originally Posted by pentatonic

But that's really not ideal as your basically eliminating your headroom. I see that on Crown's site they ask for 1.4 Vrms input. If your Pio isn't giving this you'll have to max it out but the end result will not be optimal. Try and contact Pio about it (you do have to realize that preouts on receivers are closer to an after thought than on a pre-pro)

If your Pio is giving out let's say 0.75 Vrms than you are underdriving your amp. If this is the case you can still use it but you would need a bump up stage to bring it to the desired Vrms needed.

Eh, I don't think it affects the headroom at all. Think of the Emotiva amps that are locked at max gain of +32dB (I think that what it is?). It's just like doing that. I used to drive my Crown with a CleanBox in the signal path adding that extra gain and letting me set the amp gain about half way, but it actually sounds a lot better with the CleanBox removed and the gain at max. Like I've said before I can crank my music up to 0dB without a hiccup. I say max the gain and let the calibration do it's thing. It's not like it will hurt anything to at least give it a try and see if you think it has a negative affect. Cembros also mentioned something about worrying it will get hot with the gain at max. Again, my gain is maxed and I've yet to ever get this thing to show any signs of heat.

[pentatonic]

Originally Posted by Nick The Slick

Eh, I don't think it affects the headroom at all. Think of the Emotiva amps that are locked at max gain of +32dB (I think that what it is?). It's just like doing that. I used to drive my Crown with a CleanBox in the signal path adding that extra gain and letting me set the amp gain about half way, but it actually sounds a lot better with the CleanBox removed and the gain at max. Like I've said before I can crank my music up to 0dB without a hiccup. I say max the gain and let the calibration do it's thing. It's not like it will hurt anything to at least give it a try and see if you think it has a negative affect. Cembros also mentioned something about worrying it will get hot with the gain at max. Again, my gain is maxed and I've yet to ever get this thing to show any signs of heat.

I agree that maxing it out is not a problem, many if not most higher end pro amps don't have gain controls anyways. But I still believe it should perform better with the appropriate input gain.

[cembros]

Originally Posted by pentatonic

But that's really not ideal as your basically eliminating your headroom. I see that on Crown's site they ask for 1.4 Vrms input. If your Pio isn't giving this you'll have to max it out but the end result will not be optimal. Try and contact Pio about it (you do have to realize that preouts on receivers are closer to an after thought than on a pre-pro)

If your Pio is giving out let's say 0.75 Vrms than you are underdriving your amp. If this is the case you can still use it but you would need a bump up stage to bring it to the desired Vrms needed.

I've read mixed things regarding the output of the Pioneer, some say (with confirmation from pio reps) that output is rated sufficiently and others say they need a signal booster. I plan on buying a pre pro this yr and using balanced inputs so I'm not looking to buy an additional device. I may just leave the settings as they are and revisit the issue when the Logans arrive.

[pentatonic]

Originally Posted by cembros

I've read mixed things regarding the output of the Pioneer, some say (with confirmation from pio reps) that output is rated sufficiently and others say they need a signal booster. I plan on buying a pre pro this yr and using balanced inputs so I'm not looking to buy an additional device. I may just leave the settings as they are and revisit the issue when the Logans arrive.

Well then, max out your amp (no danger as it will only give what's asked for) and when you do get the pre-pro, you'll be in audio heaven.