Audio Equipment Isn't MAGIC - Audio Advice with Andrew Robinson 

Thank you Andrew, I have been saying for more years than I can remember that well made PA power amplifiers will outperform ANY HiFi amplifier. I use three Crown PSA-2 amp's in my hifi system, the results are staggering. To the point that when people I invite into my home sit on my sofa with their jaws dropping, comments such as, your system sounds absolutely amazing. So quiet and so powerful. I make no apology for using them. A lot of people have been hoodwinked by their choices. I used to write on a couple of HiFi magazines in the UK, when I started the editor said to me, don't let the cat out of the bag regarding Hi Fi products. His comment says it all.

He is right the difference between high end low end amplifiers these days is very small. Unlike the 1970's / 1980's where there was a very noticeable difference to be had, if anything it highlights how technology has improved over the last 30 years.

Best audiophile vid I have seen in a while. Thank you, Andrew.

I still can't understand why audiophiles eat their young, judge other audiophiles and become 'snobs' over others' equipment. I also dabble in model railroading and don't see this at all. My friends in other hobbies don't encounter it either. Whats the point of calling others in the hobby 'dumb' for their audio choices. Its a real turn-off.

i have two Crown Amps running as mono blocks. I got so much flack on Reddit audiophile, where people were saying that it's Class D trash, but when I told them they were Class A amps, they would say that it didn't matter. A lot of these "audiophiles" are trolls and morons who judge everything based on $.

Hey, I just purchased a pair of Crown 2502s based on your persistent praise of the xls drivecore series. I'm going to use them in bridged mono. I can't wait to see how they sound! My speakers have a peak handling of 600W at 8-4ohms so these should give me plenty of headroom.

As an electrical engineer if I needed an amplifier today the Crown Drive Core is the only one I'd consider. I was familiar with Crown before their first amplifier when they manufactured tape decks. Their tape deck were as good as prosumer decks got. The circuit boards were built to military standards and they were rated to survive a parachute drop in their own case. They were used in many radio stations. Everything they made was ultra reliable. Their first amplifier the DC 300 was the first high powered amplifier offered to the consumer market. That was in 1968. Many are still operating today. Their one dog was the IC150 preamplifier but there's a fix for it by swapping for a better op amp chip. In the pro market when a company like Bryson has to bid against Crown for a contract they take a very sharp pencil.

A few years ago I needed a new power amp for my Magnepan 1.7's. I had read about the Crown XLS 1502, so went to my local Guitar Center shop and bought one. I brought it home and hooked it up to the maggies, though an Outlaw 990 pre amp processor, and let things warm up for a couple minutes while I read through the Crown manual. The specs certainly looked impressive, especially for the price I paid for it. I wanted to like it! Then I started going through my music library, picking out those selections that I knew well, and knew how good they sounded on my Magnepans. I spent an entire day doing that. After hours of listening I knew that Crown amp, through my Magnepans, was not a sound I could live with. The "Maggie Magic" , that I have loved for the 44 years I've owned Magnepan speakers, was just not there when the Crown was driving them. I packed up the Crown, making sure I packed everything up the way it came from the factory, and returned it to the Guitar Center. I then drove across town to the Audio Dealer I bought my first pair of Magnepans from 44 years ago, and listened to other amps driving 1.7's. That dealer was at the time, an Emotiva dealer as well as a Magnepan dealer. I heard the XPA2 gen 3 driving the 1.7's there. The Maggie Magic was back. The XPA 2 and the Crown had about the same power ratings. They did not sound the same driving my Magnepans. I bought the Emotiva and took one home with me. I still use it and am very happy with it's sound. I'm very glad I didn't try to live with the Crown. It didn't work for me in my setup.

crown actually have a great pedigree, they were used in the pro audio world and were one of the standards.

Love this video, but as a car nut, I can't fully accept the analogy. The Ford 427 engine was a truck engine, yes, but Shelby and the Ford engineers made major changes to the crank for sure, and I would venture to guess the valve train to an extent as well to make that engine do what it did in the 24 hours of Le Mans. You just can't take the soft springs on a stock truck engine and get them to operate at 7 or 8,000 RPM with out changing things up. Springs need to be stiffened or they will 'float' causing the engine to choke out and not efficiently allow the air and fuel mixture to be sucked into the combustion chamber. Also, with just a little searching, I was able to find an article that interviews a Ford Engineer who help re design the entire push rod of the FE engine. So while you had the right idea, and I love where you're heart was at, the analogy just wasn't quite there, because in the ICE (Internal Combustion Engine) world, the valvetrain is exactly where the 'magic' happens.

Andrew - this is an absolutely outstanding video! Audiophiles do tend to say those things - "you don't know what you're talking about" - "you obviously can't hear that well" - "your system must not be good enough" and one you forgot is "you must not have the money to...." All of these excuses are typically levied by guys in their 60's and 70's, who are either 1) desperately trying to justify some outrageous cost for some product they purchased or 2) it's said by the guy trying to sell you that obnoxious product. I bring up the age because that's also the general age of writers for audio publication companies. Given their age, many of the live performances they go to, participation in bands, etc, its hard to imagine many of them not having some sort of hearing loss but just generally speaking with age, so goes hearing. Yet, these are the guys telling other people in their 20s and 30s that they must not be able to hear that well! But the bigger issue is the rampant fraud that exists within the mid to high end audio industry. One example was the Lexicon BD-30. Audioholics reviewed it, opened it up, and discovered that it was nothing but an Oppo Blu-ray with a different case. Everything but the chassis and the firmware were identical. The Oppo cost $500, the Lexicon cost $3,000. Yet other reviewers at the time wrote that the Lexicon was superior in both image and sound quality. And the one thing that is so universal among most reviewers and publications, is that the more you spend, the better it is. But, like you state in this video, that's just not always the case. Further problems industry are the price model, price fixing, and retail channel can't sustain itself. The retail cost of these products is generally 400 to 500% higher than the complete BOM, build, support, and shipping. No other industry has such outrageous markups! And the biggest challenge to a disruptive company is that no matter how good it really is, reviewers will be only as excited to the extent of what the product costs. Because "if you spend more, you'll get something better!" They, the reviewer, publication, doesn't want to disrupt the industry the way you are by suggesting Crown amps can hold their own with other amps costing hundreds of times more. Then, my local retailer is forced to sell at their fixed MSRP, instead of being able to offer me any discount. And that isn't on just one particular brand, but EVERY ONE of them in this vertical market. How the entire industry hasn't come under investigation is beyond me, but the only hope for the retail channel, and more boutique shops that sell mid and high end gear, is to allow those brick and mortar guys to sell with discounts. Packages. Etc... But they are forbidden to do that because no brand "wants to be diluted." I'm half tempted to take 100k to my local guy, ask for a 30% discount on it, he's still going to add 20k to his bottom line for that week in profit, and I sell those units at 10% less than MSRP and get 20k! Closing this out, the entire industry is one big circle jerk. A company advertises with a publication in print, and then sends review units to that publication. Not wanting to risk ad dollars, they say the component is really good (Which it might be) but fail to offer options that are similar for potentially far less money. Or worse, they open the unit and god forbid, ask what internals of this unit justifies this outrageous price? The manufacture then sends a unit for a youtuber to review, along with the other glowing review from said publication, and the reviewer, not wanting to anger anyone, or who may be kind of new and unknown, doesn't want to be the outspoken guy and ends up also giving it a glowing review. The manufacture sells more units, buys more ad space, the youtuber gets more views, makes more money, rinse and repeat. I'd love to hear your thoughts on any of these points. I'm really passionate about this, because, like hundreds of millions of other people out there, I'm passionate about music and great sound. Keep up the good work, Andrew! And best of luck to you in the new year!

Just bought the xls 2502 for my Martin Logan motion 60xti speakers and they sound great I demoed the $5k anthem amp with same speakers and I think the crown is just as good if not better imo

I put a Crown with my Magnepans 2 weeks ago. I think it sounds great. Will probably buy another and biamp. No complaints. Put a Marantz receiver in front of the Crown, and the Crown is transparent. I mean, it in no way degraded the sound I wanted from the Marantz.

I use the Crown 1502 . . . in fact, I have two at this point. I replaced two monoblock heavy-duty amps, and the detail, the tonal purity (timbre), the sound staging, a silent background (which the monoblocks never had), and the imaging with 3-D holographic effects immediately sold me on these amps. I had heard them at another audiophile's house, who had and could afford most anything they wanted . . . and he had the first edition of the Crowns . . . and when I heard them I was impressed -- still am; in fact, I may buy two more to turn my speakers into an active speaker system.

Hi Andrew (and Kristi!) Well, after your review of the Crown XLS DriveCore2 amplifier, I rolled the dice and picked one up! As I concentrate on my desktop setup during these isolated times, this amp now powers my work from home system paired with a Schiit Asgard3 with MultiBit DAC though ELAC Debut B6.2 on Soundrise stands. This combo is AMAZING! The ELAC's are relatively inefficient speakers so this REALLY woke them up! Thank you for your pragmatic reviews. Please keep them coming. I especially love your out takes with Kristi.

Own the XLS1502, and just placed an order for the XLS2502. Couldn't be happier.

I have couple of the Crown 2502's. I can max the volume without pushing a signal to the amp... I only hear a slight hiss with my ear almost against the tweeter. Not enough that you could even hear in a dead silent room. I have had vintage audio equipment of pristine status that was on par with the Crowns. My speakers sensitivity are 98db SPL too. I have owned quite a bit of high end gear. The Crown's can hold their own. For the money, they can't be beat for power, efficiency and features. Not yet... The Crowns match very well with the Emotiva PT-100 (which has a decent DAC built in, or use of a different good DAC (Aune X8 Magic DAC, JDS Labs EL DAC II, The ES9038Q2M SABRE32 Reference DAC, AK4490 - AK4499 etc.) and also using tubes as a buffer, if you want a fuller bodied richer sound. I would use good quality JBL or Klipsch speakers at least. People can get Audiophile grade gear on the cheap these days!!! What can be had for $5,000 today, would have cost you $50,000 or more 20yrs ago. Think about it...

I just got an XLS 1002 for $200 and it sounds identical to my Yamaha, but obviously more than twice the power. If you need power I don't think you can buy more reliable and feature rich amps for the money. If you bridge it it's SEVEN HUNDRED watts. Who needs that?

I want to second your thoughts and opinions about the Crown XLS amps. I recently had the opportunity to do an a/b comparison with the XLS 1002 and a pair of Trio L0-7M mono-blocks which used go for about 2x the price of the Crown new. Speakers were B&W 604S2 and preamp was a Yamaha CX A5100 controller. The Crown was almost impossible to distinguish from the Trios…. the bass was perhaps a bit more punchy… but only a smidge.. the mid range was identical… the highs were a tad more forward… just barely… I had to really concentrate to successfully differentiate between them… and when I could… it was hard to say which was better… I opted to keep the Crown in my system… cheaper, more efficient, more flexible, and easier to hook up than a pair of mono-blocks. The Trios are in the closet… they are fine amps… but so is the Crown… my only complaint is that they crowns are not beautiful… but then neither are the Trios…

Andrew was correct. Nothing can beat Crown XLS in term of incredible value. I just purchased a pair of XLS 2002 for Monoblock pairing with a tube preamp, Triangle Signature Delta and Denon reference DAC. The end result was simply AMAZING. Immediate improvement was heard from my previous power amplifier Denon reference 2500. In term of 1) Sound stage is huge 2) Very neutral sound with complete silent in background. The instrument separation was crystal clear 3) Reduced crosstalk due to Monoblock setting at fraction of cost 4) Powerful, fast and dynamic bass due to 1200 watt per channel in Monoblock 5) High power efficiency with no heating issue In summary, it is simply AMAZING what a sub $500 amplifier could do. The sound signature produced was on par if not better with any high end amplifier that cost a fortune. I believe that Class D is the future of amplifier technology.

Hi, New here. I just picked up a XLS 1502. - system: Keces power conditioner - Audioquest power cords - Questyle CMA 400i as Dac/preamp - Cambridge CD transport - Kef Q1 bookshelves. Audio perfection. NO HISS AT ALL. No Fan. Thank you Andrew. I don't like too much base - so this is perfect. Getting better as it's playing. I'm glad that it fits well with my system. This is audio's best kept secret. ...........The fan just came on for a short while - can't hear it - I was looking for it.

Buy a Crown xls 1002 and coupled to muy Martantz NR1200, Klopsch RP 600M. Just FANTASTIC TY very much. Sr your honesty is all we need

I've been using a 1502 to power KEFs for about 5 years now, input from a decent DAC/pre-amp over XLR. I haven't done any A-B comparisons but I'm extremely happy with it.

I have a crown XLI800 in my system powering a pair of PSB stratus gold i’s. The amp sounds phenomenal. Yes, I get a VERY faint hiss from the noise floor but it isn’t noticeable at all in use. I’ve set two other people up with a few. For the money, the drive core and xli series can’t be beat. The only other better value options out there would be a used Adcom. Had a few over the years that ran so long the led lights went out and they are true performers too. Either way, great products.

I just purchase my Crown amp, An experienced listening fatigue at 1st, And what I Found out there's no mid bass hump that most consumer Amps have. A very clean amp And fast Amp So you have to listen in to the music. And the listening fatigue went away. So farm very happy Thank you

Hello Andrew. My dad gave me a Crown DC-300a Amp and IC-150 Pre-amp years ago. I used the DC-300a for years; I personally did not like the IC-150. I actually was honored to give the Crown gear to an audiophile friend of my dad. Based upon your review and one on ASR, I bought a crown xls 1002. I hook to my Maranatz pre-out. I have pair of Bozak B305 and pair of Klipsch RF-II speakers. This tiny little best drives both and I'm really enjoying, I swap on and off both with my BK ST2140. I'm enjoying the sound of the Crown XLS 1002 - incredible performance from the Crown and I've not warmed it up yet, literally.

I use Crown XLS 2502 amps in two different KEF LS50 2 channel systems in my home and love the pairing, but I disagree with you on the “magic” comment. There are some audio products that do offer something highly unique or “magical” that are hard to find in other products. I think I understand your point though and appreciate your reviews. Thumbs up by the way😊

I have one and love it! It replaced a pair or Trio L07M amps in my system. No complaints!

The Crown XLS is awesome. I recently trialled a Technics SU G700 m2, really nice looking thing, but wasn't really able to better the Crown, especially with the sheer amount of power for music with large dynamic swings. The Technics got returned, Crown is staying, and after trying a few other amps I've come to the conclusion it's staying permanently from here on out.

I'm listening to you right now on a Crown XLS 1502. I TRULY believe that they have the ABSOLUTE best bang for the buck in the audio world. I've tried a BUNCH of amps in the sub $2K range (My budget for an office amp). You have to go all the way to the top of that range to find something with lower noise and better dynamic range, and WILL have less power to boot. Pair a decent tube preamp with a Crown XLS and you have a VERY respectable front end.

Well my friend. I wish I could get inside your head and understand all this hifi , stereo equipment. I’m 54 just getting back into listening and enjoying my music again. I thought I did pretty good just finding a 200 watt Stereo from Yamaha. By watching your channel and several others I feel that I might have made a mistake. But , I do understand that you have to start somewhere. But on my end listening to all the reviews on Amos , pre amps , speakers , turntables blah blah blah. I do feel like I am learning. Which is the point of watching your reviews. But , Like I said I may have started on the wrong foot. I mean who knows I may not be able to bye anything else n the future. Who knows. I just may be stuck with what I have. I know you do say the only one that needs to like your system , is me. So far it’s okay. I wish I would have started watching more shows like yours. Oh well. Keep doing what you do. LOVE THE SHOW

To be honest put the shoe on the other foot... If you buy a $5k+ tube amp or a $10k+ class A or AB hybrid.. Then some buy comes along and tells you the $650 Class D pro audio XLS 2502 can power any speaker they have up to $100k Wilson's and do it well and cleanly. Something that has a balanced sound signature with clean power and not harsh high end. They feel ripped off and inadequate thus their default response is to bark back. It's human emotion!

I bought a XLS 1002 about a year ago because you liked Crown. First tried a homemade passive preamp, not loud enough. Then a Schiit SYS, impressive. Recently tried a FX-Audio Tube-01, OMG perfection! I'm driving Ohm Walsh 2's and have zero noise problem. TY AR.

Good story. Class A, A/B reached design perfection about 30 years ago. All you need outside of a good design is a massive power supply. That's where the money goes, (and the weight) and you've got good sound.

Sorry, no. The Ford GT motor did _not_ come straight from or indirectly from a F-150 pickup truck. Where did you ever get that idea? The F-150 came with a 4L V-6 motor, a 2-valve 4.6L V-8, a 3-valve 4.6L V-8 and a 5.4L V-8. They all had iron blocks. The Ford GT's supercharged, all-aluminum, 4-valve dry sump engine had absolutely no parts in common with a Ford truck. Now the *Mustang* GT had a 2-valve, iron block V-8 _similar_ to the one in the F-150, but the cam and intake were different. Needless to say there's a massive difference between the Mustang and the GT.

If someone told me I'd spend this much time watching some guy talking about audio equipment I'd say they were out of their mind. You've ignited the beginning of my new hobby. I hope I can afford it! Your channel is an invaluable tool and a super interesting viewing experience. Thanks for all you do.

Waiting for any reviews on these three amplifiers....Behringer Professional A800 800-Watt Reference-Class Class D Power Amplifier Behringer NX4-6000 4-Channel Class-D Power Amplifier and Behringer NX6000D 6000-Watt Class-D Power Amplifier with DSP Control and SmartSense Loudspeaker Impedance Compensation I hope you review these in the near future....Thank you Andrew for the video. Would love to see weekly reviews, or more reviews on D class amps or other videos on the newest DAC's that can be implemented in systems....I am a 40+ yr long audiophile. I had chased the Audiophile dream all my life...always to feel I need something better. Well, to make a long story short. I gave away in 2012 my Yamaha RX-V3900 A/V receiver that I purchased around 2009. It was heavy and felt I needed a couple fans cooling it down. I only had about 40hrs total on the receiver and was in new/mint condition. I purchased a cheapo Lepai D class amp 20w x 20w @4ohm (I think) soon after I gave away my Yamaha. I was so impressed with what this tiny class D was delivering. It sparked my audiophile flame again. I am will get either the Crown XLS 2502 or the Behringer Pro A800 reference class, D Class amplifier. Getting the Emotiva BasX PT-100 Pre-Amplifier as well Now to me it is all about performance for $. Now days you no longer have to purchase every year for the best....Now you can make a wise choice and be satisfied for years. When you do decide to upgrade it will be easier and a heck of a lot cheaper. Now if we can only get $200 speakers that can rival $20,000 speakers.. It can be done....the Crown XLS line proves that. Amplifiers don't have to weigh so freaking much. Give me clean and light over brute force that is so darn inefficient any day. P.S. with the Coronavirus crises, this has paused any purchases until everything is safe and close to normal.

Wow, you hit on two of my passions at once. I'm a drag racing engine builder and a music fan (not an audiophile). I like the Crown amps very much, you get a lot for very little money. A minor correction about the Ford GT40, which is the original car from the mid- late 60's, the GT is the modern super car. The 427 side oiler high riser from the GT40 is technically in the FE family of engines, 352, 360, 390, 406, 427, and 428. The 427 uses a completely different stroke to bore ratio, a vastly different oiling system, and very different induction than the 352-390 truck engines. Consequently the GT40 engine used a different block, crank, rods, pistons, heads, intake, practically everything. I'm certainly no expert on audio equipment, I am a professional in respect to race engine history. Love your videos, and thank you for your consistent honesty, its truly refreshing.

I have four Crown XLS Drive Core 2 amps in my home theater and are simply amazing. Plenty of power and very clean audio quality! I would put them up to some of the higher end audiophile amps on an a-b test.

I've got a pair of XLS amps (1002 & 1502) in my setup. My Magnepans sound as good as ever.

Around 2 years ago I bought the entry level floor speakers from pioneer, as I had really liked their entry level bookshelf speakers. However, my cheap RadioShack reciever couldn't push them well enough so they didn't sound very good. I was 18 and my birthday was coming up and I wanted a new reciever, so I start shopping. I go look at pioneers integrated amps, yamaha, and a lot of other "hifi" amps. They were all like 1000$ for like 150w or less. Then I start looking at used pa amplifiers at guitar center. They're cheap, like really cheap and are high wattage. I go on RU-vid and find Andrew's video. Andrew says, yeah that'll work, get the drivecore. I go buy a drivecore and it made such a huge difference in sound for my cheap speakers. Last moth I got a used rack and now everything is nice and rack mounted. If you ask me, most of that hifi stuff is bs.

Wow. I ordered one of these from Amazon to hear for myself. In my system, a Rotel 1520 integrated driving Swan Diva 4.1s, it was night and day. They dynamics are incredibly better and I'm hearing parts of the music that I've never heard, particularly in the low and mid bass. Sometimes acoustic bass solos in jazz used to sort of disappear, now I can hear every note. It really is like lifting a veil in my case. Just to confirm when my wife walked in, I just had her sit down and play a track (she choose a Bob Marley song off Kaya I think). She immediately said oh my god. This sounds amazing. Then when I explained what was happening, she was like, so you've been under powering the speakers for 12 years? And I had to say, yeah I guess so. It keeps getting better. I'm looking for excuses to just sit down and listen to music just to see how it sounds. One of the tracks she choose, Brubeck's Take Five, I've heard literally hundreds of times, on lots of different equipment and I've never, ever heard it sound so good. It's a dynamic track and man it was just riveting. If you think you might need some extra power, give it a try. Unfortunately, this ruins my argument to buy some new speakers...

I have a Crown Straight Line Two preamp and a pair of Crown Power Line Three power amps that I bought new and am still thrilled with their performance. And they're about 35 to 40 years old. And they're still going strong and still making me very happy.

I've just bought an XLS 1002 to power my recently acquired NS10s for my mix room. The amount of snobs on forums who suggested buying vintage amps like Brystons or Yamahas that cost thousands (more than the NS10s themselves) like it's a viable option was exhausting. From what I've heard, the Crown is clean, and it'll deliver ample power for my NS10s, that's all I need.

Crown has been making amplifiers for years, amplifiers that musicians have depended on for decades, and an Amplifier is a fairly straightforward piece of electronics. They must be doing something right. I have Carver and there are lots of people that would thumb their noses up at that name. I have owned Carver for years and have always had good results with them. My current 5 channel amp is a Carver av705x. It is a beast, quiet, runs cool has very credible sound for both movies and music. I can play at theater levels and somewhat concert levels 115 db for hours and the amp is barely warm. I have owned this amplifier for 17years, and I bought it used on Ebay. And I have no desire to change it. Theirs my opinion on brand snobbery. Way to go Andrew

Hey Andrew, here's something to chew on. I called up John Strohbeen of OHM Speakers, he straight up TOLD me Crown Amps are a very viable, inexpensive option to go when driving his speakers. In fact, he said that that was pretty much the rig they had in their lab for a long while. So there you have it.

I used Crown amplifiers in the past for studios that wanted accurate and loud playback. Those were class A/B amps. I'm going to really commit hearsay. I bought a Radio Shack MPA-200 on a lark. I saw the circuit design and thought, this is a solid A/B amplifier. The bottom line. It sounds great. I have a much more expensive Denon amp, but this one (rated at the same power), has more "perceived power". At least more headroom. I said perceived, because I haven't benched it and made comparitive measurements. I haven't heard Schitt audio yet, but it seems that using their preamp, I might find the two a good match. Right now I simply have a phono preamp with it's volume control to front end the Radio Shack stereo PA.

I use a crown xls 1002 to power my dads old la Scalas that i got from my dad when he passed away with a adcom pre-amplifier holy moly to me they sound down right good nice highs very good lows dont need much to drive them

I'm using a Crown XLS 1002 to replace my broken McIntosh 2105. All I can tell is I'm happy with the sound and if my Macintosh gets fixed I will be able to compare them. I can foretell there won't be so much difference

I agree with Andrew. Don’t knock down cheap Crown Amps unless you’ve actually tried them in your rig. I have an immediately noticed a difference over the sound quality of my AVR’s built-in amps. Where I disagree is that there’s no “magic” or “Synergy” when it comes to Amp/Speaker Combo’s. I’m a big proponent of Class D amplification and when done correctly, sounds as good if not better that Class A/B or dare I say, Class A. I’d rented a Crown XLII amp from Guitar Center to test my 5.1 channel “hacked” True Balanced outputs while awaiting the arrival of my PS Audio M700/SGCD. The Crown amp was good but I immediately noticed a quieter noise floor (less hiss/tiny hum cause by my source at the time). Sound quality without going into Audiophile adjectives was noticeably better on the PS Audio vs The Crown. Keep up the great work. You ain’t “Stupid” but people who say you, are themselves “Stupid”. Cheers

Andrew, spot on video!! I have been curious about Crown Amps since Zeos reviewed one and he even talked it up. I am in a few different HIFI forums and when ever Crown Amps are mentioned, it is like you say, there is a group of folks that go "office space" on it.. My next Amp purchase will most likely be a Crown..

Fantastic video, great to see someone of authority in the industry coming out on this. This year I built my own amp, do a search for "modulus 86", the amp was designed with one thing in mind, lowest distortion. The designer included extensive test measurements on the site and it beats pretty much every expensive amplifier you can think of. Have a look at it, I think it will appeal to you ethos. I'm not the designer of this amp, I don't make any money for recommending it, I'm simply a very satisfied customer and audio enthusiast

🤣🤣🤣🤣 Bruh, you just broke so many people's hearts, and I love it. The people to whom you are referring to, must not know your audiophile reviewer pedigree, or maybe they are taken aback at how young you look, to wrongly assume that you have not been at this a long time. Since discovering you at hometheaterreview.com, and taking a chance on some of your recommendations/reviews/and direct correspondence (thank again btw), o feel that I've become more knowledgeable in a hobby that I love, gotten to experience some great gear, and reconnected with familiar and discovered new music that I love. My Crown XLR 2502's; my Emotiva XPR 5; my Tekton design Double Impacts, are all rewarding purchases that you helped influence, and I can't thank you enough. Keep up the great work and get well soon!

I am currently using the Crown XLS 1502 running my Ambiance 1800+ SuperSlim Ribbon Speaker for nearly a year now. The Ambiance speaker is highly sensitive so, yes this amp is overkill in power for a highly sensitive speaker. But the Ambiance is not an easy load, it is a 4 ohm load at the very least. I used to run it with a Quicksilver tube amp or a PS Audio Digital Amplifier using a CAL Labs tube dac, a SOTA turntable and VTL pre-amp for the front. Decided to change everything for convenience (sometimes I do regret it, then after a few hours... nah) and go with an all digital stream. Life happens and I no longer have the resources I used to have so I looked for the best bang for the buck I could find. Now, my front end is an SMSL SU-8 dac/preamp (love its tube modulators, it works and there's 3 of them) with the Crown XLS 1502. I was surprised by how musical the combination came out. It's not perfect, but neither was it before the changes, but it still brings me to music heaven. Thanks for the review and as you may know by now, I agree with you. It is surprisingly musical, plus it will drive just about any speaker out there. Thanks for the review...

Nice to see some Audiophile that (tries) keeps beeing objective (as good as he can) and don't fall just for Brands. That's really not easy. Awesome Video Andrew👌

Crown amps are a super value for most folks. Tons of power (if one needs it) cheap and great for a nice surround sound system or A/V setup. Good for all around Hi-Fi too. I I disagree when it comes to a highend high resolution system. Paul McGowan stated that he thought that Class D amps will NEVER be quite as good as A highend Class A or AB setup. Lots of class D amps heve a frontend or ''gaincell'' that is class A, AB and or has tubes. It seems to add that bit of ''life'' that is missing in pure class D. Class D has improved by leaps and bounds over the years and they continue to improve. They are also a good value but I'm not sure they will ever match a Highend Class A, or AB system. Oh and BTW Paul sells Class D produces (ICE) also.

I have auditioned the crown xls1002 over the weekend in my home. Some tunes where just great, I was hearing things deeper into the music than before, however on others it seemed to lose some soul for lack of a better explanation.

Hi Andrew! I m a subscriber of your channel from your very first review of the crown amps years ago and was impressed by your way of telling that these amps are big bang for the bucks you have to spend for them. They are not perfect if your are looking to the specs an measurements (look at audio science review forum) but for 200 to 400 euro (i live in germany) you can‘t get no better amps. Maybe the IMG stageline 1000-d and 2000-d amps are perfect competitors (class d driven by pascal s-pro2 amps, 1000-d is a stereo amp, 2000-d is a 4-channel amp) and i would be very happy to hear your thoughs about these amps. And for the point of „magic“ in audio video industry or community: sometime people act like „i’ve paid 5 grand for these pair of speakers cables so they MUST be better then anything which costs less!“ and then they think: „a less expansive cable can not be better or equal then my expensive cable because the ist not allowed to be!!!“ and then they are acting on a very lets say emotional level. Thank for your videos and happy new year!

I have been running the same Crown Amps exclusively for the past 40 years. The Crown Straight Line 2 pre amp and twin Crown Power Line 3 power amps and have never had one iota of a problem with them. They sound great going into my four ESS AMT1a loudspeakers. No complaints!! They come highly recommended by me. I must say though that I am curious about the new XLS Drive Cores.

Awesome, great analogy and down to earth!

I have a pair of old crown D-75's in mono running some JBL 4301'S.... amazing for used/cheap! I've always loved crown and qsc amps. Best bang for the buck hands down!

Always bringing new perspective. Thanks for letting us know about the science of it. Sadely there are too many subjective views on Audio. The trust is lost because of snake oils and amateurs. But from a season veteran the wisdom is always appreciated. That's why you have to let us know upfront where you got the knowledge from. Some of us have "faith" in good people like you but many like to speak without knowing. We need a compain of education on the science of audio because once you go read a cable manufacturer description of his product you loose faith in humanity. The same with speakers and amps.

your honesty is fantastic, much appreciated!

My top system is Prima Luna tube gear running JBL 4425 monitors, Magic City. I have a Crown XLS 1502 which powered a pr of Focals and it was not good. The Crown has come back out to drive the JBL's with a Schiit Lokius EQ. The Crown will drive the woofers like a servo unlike the tube amp. Anxious to try this new combination. Thanks for the overview.

I love your language we need many more people like you in the HIFI World it really is cutting through the C.R.A.P so refreshing thank you and thank you again Andrew. I will probably buy a crown now. What Pre-amp????

I studied electronics and the funtion of an ampliefier is to amplify the signal that came from a pream, the only thing that afeccted is the load of the speakers. So if the amp sound full or thin its has to be how well manage the load.

So after hearing you and another RU-vidr who is a user of the Crown amps, I was able to pick up a pair of XLS 2502 that I’m running in bridged mode. Got a great deal on them at Black Friday prices. I have class A 90 watt mono block tube amps that I wanted to do some a/b listening to. With what I paid for the crown amps I’ll easily be able to get my money back. Funny thing is I have gone back to the tube amps yet and don’t feel like I’ve lost anything. The rest of the rig is well regarded speakers, preamp, dac, streamer and turntable. Very happy camper right now. It’s magical😀

I do not know about this Magic thing. The Hagrid amp, Hemione Pre amp, Dumbledore speakers with Snape cables. All by Harry Potter Audio Wizards Inc. That might have some magic.

So I have watched a lot of your videos in the past and I somehow missed this one. Your analogy about the Ford GT is spot on. And I have one for you, just like the Ford GT, Dodge had the Viper, had a killer V-10, killer styling and performance. The car best the Corvette ZR1 on track times, but unlike the Ford fans, there was always the grumblings from the exotic crowd...it's a truck engine. As if that had anything to do with performance. They, being the so called pure sports car enthusiast, whom I like to the home audio audiophile snobs, where despite the performance, the brand name seems to outweigh common sense. Also I find it funny that these same people assume that you can't hear despite your background, because you gave high praise for a product that delivers, but is sold at guitar center, yet they forget is the same company that makes high-end speakers and amps under a different brand is crazy. Also I can tell you who is ahead of this brand name curve more so than the home audio guys, the Sq can audio guys. We all have know. For a long time that a lot of tech is shared and amps designs aren't that much different and unless that brand has their own engineers you are paying for a name. So a lot of us purchase based on internals, same board design, but the use of high-end filter caps or better op-amps and larger superior mosfets make the added price worth it. As you say, no magic, just science.

Andrew, this was absolutely my favorite video from you! Superbly well done!

Great to see you man, a great to know you are on the mend. FYI I am going to pick up a Crown XLS- 1502 this week. It will be used for music, and home theater. Another awesome episode, thank you much man!

Listening through a pair of JBL Studio 530s powered by a Crown XLS 1502. It's like the Maxell blown away of desk tops. I think you would like it.

I have an old Crown XTi 2000 that I used in my DJ setup back in the day. It is still in immaculate condition and ALL the clubs had racks of Crown and QSC Amplifiers back then. And those clubs hit so hard it would take your breathe away and the sound was clean clean clean LOL. Personally I have never thought about using it in my Home Stereo system until now LOL. So is there enough of a difference between the XTi series to upgrade to the new XLS series?

I have a Crown XLI2500. Love it. Simple AB with a gain adjustment and a couple signal and fault lights. Rated at 500 wpc at 8 ohms, I have seen another amp from this series tested and it surpassed Crowns ratings. Signal to noise on paper don't look great, but I get a clean neutral sound all the way up the volume. No audible noise and I can power any speaker I throw at it. With this amp I think I have got as much as I can sonically, so I am considering a new set of monoblocs. Price is a factor, but I am willing to spend a couple grand if it is worth it. Diminishing returns and all. I am looking at the Emotiva XPA DR1s or the HC1s. Really like the extra power in the DR1s. Also, I have a shot at a nice set of PS Audio Delta 250s, which I'm sure are splendid. Are any of those really going to change things? I have multiple speakers that I like to switch up, some are better than others, but I am talking about pairing them with quality speakers. I was also considering drive cores or even another XLI. I really like the idea of mono blocs. Your videos are great. I have always liked Crown, great amps from what I know. The XLI, for a "low end" amp it is great.

How does the XTi differ from XLS? Would love to know if there is a reason to upgrade

I still own both a passlabs XA350.5 and an old Crown K1. My ears struggle to hear a difference. My brain tells me the pass is more refined, has cleaner highs, images better with better instrument separation. But I’m aware it a combination of external factors such as the high end badge of passlabs, the bias against switching amplifier circuits and the need for the passlabs to be a better amp considering how much it costs. What a confusing state!

Pro Musician since the 70's and have a Crown XLI 1500 purchased new in the 90's. This is an A/B amp with 450W @4ohms THD under 1%. Loud and clear sound with locked center and placement of instruments. Funny how the $50k arm-chair audio "fools" seem to know more about sonics, image, resolution, and sound stage. etc. having never been a member of the "band in the room" or worked in a recording studio. Trust me...Neal Peart's drum kit would never fit between your speakers.

All this takes me back to the days I was doing sound. Stacks of Crown MacroTechs and Crest amps. These were all touring rated amps, Class AB, and weighed more than one MAN could carry. I miss those days. I wish that the circuits in my house were rated enough to plug some of these monsters in. In those days iron was what it was all about.

I use a XLS 1502 on my ELAC Adante floorstanding and I really appreciate the sound. I originally bought it for my rear surrounds, but, with the 'ears' it wouldn't fit into the cabinet so I swapped to the front with the ELAC Class D amp, and everything has more detail, clarity and dynamics. If only some reviewers had used the Crown instead of their limited (current and power) 'audiophile' amps with the Adantes then would have loved them. Idiots!

If you want the science, go check out AudioScienceReview. You can find detailed measurements of tons of DACs and amps, the XLS 1502 included. It's pretty solid, especially at the price, but the SINAD (signal over distortion and noise) is 75 dB. Not terrible for PA use, but not great. Maybe that just means most people can't tell an appreciative difference between 100dB SINAD and 75dB

Hi Andrew just got my xls1502 today - based on you and Zeos and your approaches and reviews. I just took the chance as it was discounted to £305 on Amazon so worth a try. Wow I'm shocked, surprised and ultimately very happy - as it's just an amazing and special amp (magical even..pun intended lol)...so quiet, musical, spacial and controlled. I don't want to bash all the other hi-fi producers - as I know many make great sounding gear that I simply can't afford. But having listened to many sub £1500 power amps, although not the elusive hypex ncore products this xls is in its own league. So thanks and keep doing what your doing

In '77 Crown was audiophile and professional. I didn't like it but they sold amps at a premium.

Your absolutely right because I am an audio enthusiast I did a similar experience with crown power amplifier xLi series which is class AB amplifier. I have removed the passive crossover from my svs ultra tower speakers and triamplified these with 3 individual crown XLi amplifiers and used a DBX driverack 360 as an external crossover.i have tweaked the slopes the results were phenomenal. The detail and authority of sound was really good. First time when I saw your video about the drive core series I was able understand what your trying to explain. Don't take it to heart about people making negative comments your doing a great work.

This was an eye opener, Andrew! What a great and relevant comparison. You vlog well, your content and format differs from the others. In a way, you're pioneering a different path. Kicked out of Frozen? I wouldn't go anywhere near the ride. That whole franchise irritates me to no end.

Thank you -- the very last statement sums up everything for me . . . the only person that hast to like your system is you! This is the bottom line because considering the price tag and so much more . . . if you can't afford $52,000 monoblock amps, but you want the best YOUR money can afford . . . then why fester with envy and be disgruntled with what you have IF you enjoy it. No one else has to listen to it. The term AUDIOPHILE is a snobbish term . . . but if someone labels themselves as one -- why should their taste, their budget, their opinions upstage or dominate yours? It comes down to how you think, how you are manipulated by the opinions of others, and how much you do your own research and come to your OWN opinions. Now, if many people come to the same conclusion and can back it with evidence . . . you are going to be hard pressed swaying such individuals to all immediately come over to your side just to appease you. People don't like REALISM and TRUTH getting in the way of their infallible opinions . . . do they? By the way, I own two Crown 1502's, which replaced B&K Monoblocks . . . and I like them a lot -- might be getting two more and changing my speakers to primarily active crossovers. But, regardless, to each his own.

You’re getting your ford GT’s mixed up. The new GT shares the pick up trucks eco boost engine! The 2005 GT used a revised mustang cobra SVT engine with a super charger attached (sorry to be that guy)

Hi Andrew , I totally share your opinion. A few months ago I tried a Yamaha PX5 PRO amplifier for my JBL S3900 and I was totally impressed. Such was the impression that the McIntosh MA252 I had until then was never heard again. I took advantage of the money saved for a good preview and a better DAC. Surely all those people who criticize the PRO is because they have never heard it or because it is hard to recognize that you have spent $ 6,000 on something that with $ 600 sounds better. Have you ever tried the Yamaha? If so, how would you compare it to the Crown?

Recently i plug in my crown xti 2002 to my front left and right..before i used crown for my subs.. Amazing audio quality and outstanding power...i can hear more detailed low.. mid.. frequency and the highs also clear.. The only problem i noticed the hiss noice coming from the tweeters. . That is also when i go near to the speakers..now i will connect my 2 xti 2002 to LCR.. And remaing 1 channel connect to my rear sub.. Also i am going to buy another xti 4002 for my 4 infinity kappa 12 inch subs..

I think this is one of your best videos!

This was an amazing video and has given me the answer to my DIY speaker troubles. I dont have the money to buy the multi thousand dollar "magic" amplifiers and this down to earth review was one of the most helpful I have seen. So big thanks and keep up the great work!

Best vid in while I wired my car audio up in my garage and it sounds almost good as my b&w speaker set up with marantz amp all high end Been embarrassed to tell any of my friends that they will laugh at me I think will will give them listen see what they think

Crown poweramps are great devices, but some people just don't like linear frequency responses. Instead of accuracy, they want coloring of sound. And branding is also important to them of course. Been using an XTi 2002 for about 5 years now, never been disappointed.

A bit of one-up-manship: Some say that the XLS 2502 is the amp that the Bose 901 has been conceived for in 1967/68.... it just took nearly 5 decades, before somebody caught up with he speaker. :-D ;-)

Andrew, I have been an audiophile for 40yrs. Sound is subjective. I have heard some great sounding systems and real bad system setups. I would have to agree with at MINIMUM 98% of what your saying and explaining. Class D is the most efficient type of amplification that works well. The amplifier should be as passive to the shape of the sound as possible. All you want an amplifier to do, is to amplify the sound without adding or removing anything from the sound. I know you are saying the same thing....just not as crude as I just said. All components for what they are either reproduce a sound as close to the original sound or, it adds or removes things to the sound. We just have to analyze the information for what we have, what the product is designed to do, and what it actually does. Great sound comes from awesome implementation of a great design, and shitty sound comes from poor implementation of a poor design. To all....Be smart, be educated....and never, never, let anyone tell you what sounds good and what does not. You are the only judge of what you hear. If it sound like a million dollar system to you, then you have a million dollar system....just don't count on anyone to buy it! CHEERS!

Hey Andrew. Is it normal for the XLS 1502 to need a warm up time? Usually it sounds a bit flat when you first turn it on... I've read that you should never turn it off too. Thoughts?

Crown has the only real magic, Harmon's industry leading research budget.

I looked at your original crown review... as I am into class D power amps. But it seems the crown gets mixed reviews I was wondering if you have heard or might consider reviewing a nord acoustic ncore product - as hypex seem to be generating a lot of interest and great performance for reasonable-ish money... all be it much more than the crowns. But I would like to hear your opinion on them

So simple and so true. Thank you for your clarity of thoughts and words.

Years ago Crown was described as the poor mans Mcintosh when they made home amps etc and for good reason. That gear is now legendary. Crown decided to hang up the home audio gear and go pro only. I use a Crown pro amp in my home system and have been doing so for years, the only fault is the very small amount of fan noise whch is usulally not even audible. I seriously question those who claim they can hear the difference in a pro amp vs. a 'home' amp. Lots of ears make claims they cant verify in blind testing.

hi Andrew, this video was good ! It would be nice seeing you review more pro audio amps. I'm sure there must be some more hidden gems