Is Crown REALLY the answer? A Review of the XLS 2502 power amplifier! 

The rear speaker terminals DO take banana plugs, you just have to take out the little plugs that are in there for European safety standards

When bridged you can use the Crown to go ahead and weld up the frame of your dragster...

I have 5 of these amps, 3 2502's and two 1002's connected to a Yamaha surround receiver. I'm running the 3 2502's in bridged mono mode, L/R - Sub, the 1002 for the center bridged mono mode and one 1002 for the rear in stereo mode. And let me tell you when these thing pound they literally take your breath away. This setup rivals that of many movie theaters. I have no need of going to the movies anymore although my neighbors wish I did, lol. I love these amps. Thank you for the great review.

Back in the 80's-90's I played bass full time on the road. Our PA had 8 Crown DC 300 power amps. They never gave a moments trouble. Clean and knocked drunks off their feet. As far as I'm concerned Crown is the best power amp made.

Interesting review. I'am glad that you are not afraid of comparing pro gear to Hi -fi. As many of us know ZReviews use 2 XLS crowns in his main system. He seams to be pretty happy with them. Thank you for sharing your point of view.

I installed 2 of these in a professional fixed installation in a school gym. One powers 6 JBL AWC129 full range speakers and the other powers (2) double 10” JBL subs. Provides plenty of power and the dynamics are great - the amp doesn’t clip even when driven hard and stays cool as a cucumber. Great value

This amp is *_INCREDIBLY VERSATILE_* and can be used to build anything from a 2-channel stereo to a Tri-amped, Band-passed set of three-way active speakers(via the built-in electronic x-overs!). For me, your review nailed the sound *perfectly.* It doesn't really have one, which is what I want. Sounds great with Magnepans for sure. Outstanding value, very balanced sounding. It will drive anything until either it fails or your ears do. I worked in the high-end audio business from 1980 til about 2000. The best way I can describe these is they give you about 90~95% of the sound of the "real" high-end at about 5~10% of the cost. Very honest review, thanks for that. Oh yeah, like every one else has said: banana plugs work fine. The manual tells you straight outta the gate to remove those little 'pins' so you can use bananas. It also explains the wide array of x-over configurations and different amp modes. Cheers!

I've been running a Crown Com Tech 400 for my push-pull dual-12" Eminence Lab 12 sealed 3cf sub for about 18 years. It's rated 440w bridged and will blow your mind with how tight and musical it is in that application. I'd even say it rivals a servo sub for controlled punch, which is remarkable for an amp designed for retail PA applications.

I have had great results with the Crown XLS1502 powering my ELAC Adante floor standing loudspeakers: they are more dynamic and detailed than with a Class A/B amp - just what the audiophile doctor ordered.

Sean stay tough and keep Zero Fidelity going please.

Thanks for the extensive detailed review. I highly appreciate it. I was always considering the Crown amplifier for my store and wasn't sure if I should keep it in my store to sell. But thanks ,yes you just gave me enough information to definitely sell it in my store. With me sitting in Windhoek Namibia ,Africa.It is always difficult to get access to an audition because my closest distributor sits 2,000 km away in Johannesburg South Africa. It might just be a bit more expensive here , but everything else is more expensive here anyway. Best regards Hermann

I notice the "hiss" only when the gain is turned to its max level. I just keep the dials set at the 3 O'Clock position and there's no hiss or anything to spoil the sound. The XLS 2502 works great for my KEF LS50 Metas. Superb review, ZF!!

Sean I love these kind of reviews, Thanks.

Can we agree that a power amplifier does not need to have a "sound", but just amplifies the signal to drive your speakers? Nothing to add or subtract or change to the sound. Than the Crown is a steal and a no brainer to me. I'v got 2 of them driving my fronts L/R and my sub. Great amplifiers for a fraction of the price you pay for a stereo home (audiophile) amplifier. And... it will last forever, is compact and weights nothing and doesn't need a lot of power in standbye mode and doesn't need a pair of cooling fans, because they're already in it and you will never ever hear them. Absolutely love them

Your reviews are the last bright spot in this hi-end, hi-fi, hi-bs review youtube world! Thank you.

Thanks for a very thorough and thoughtful review! Your advice is much appreciated. Like you said, the ultimate call is mine, but you’ve saved me a lot of time by highlighting what to expect. Awesome review!!

My buddy has this amp connected to his Yamaha reciever running KEF LS50's and we both heard a HUGE difference. This is a beast and a great value.

Thanks for doing this review. I'm always surprised how many people write these amps off due to being pro-amps... It's an affordable option that sounds decent.

I have a 1502 driving Martin Logan ESL speakers. It drives them well and matches the look of the speakers.

Class D forever!! Maybe I should try this amp too.

Thanks for the review! FYI - this works with banana plugs but you have to remove the small removable plastic covers at the end of the terminals (they were designed to come off). I connect my REL Subs to the bare wire connection points and then banana plugs for my KEF LS50 speakers connect to the ends of the terminals if you've removed the plastic plugs.

Sean, you are the most authoritative reviewer out there. I too bought a pair of the Crown XLS 1502 to run bridged for powering my LSiM 707's. Couldn't be happier! Maybe you could do an item on how to properly set gain controls for us who are electronically challenged.

Sean I own this exact same amp and I can say that you absolutely nailed it on every aspect. Great review! I feed it from Allo Boss directly using Roon, no preamp. I use the gain controls to cap the volume so I don’t blow my Wharfedale speakers by mistake. I was not too keen on the aesthetics so I put it inside a cabinet and I was worried about the heat but this thing runs absolutely cool the fan hardly ever comes on. I don’t hear any noise floor but my speakers are not that efficient. Now you have me curious, I’m going to have to hook it up to my Tekton DI’s and listen for hiss. If it sounds great on the DI’s, my Stellar stack might get booted out and the Crown promoted to the living room LOL

These amps ARE definitely giant killers. These amps DO accept spade and banana connectors. Simply get 2 and connect to a pair of bi amp capable speakers, adjust the gains to your liking and listen with a smile. Ignore negative any comments.

I own a Crown XLi2500 and really love it. It's an AB design, runs quiet and cool. It's a straight up amp, just 2 gain knobs 2 signal/clip indicators and a way too bright blue power light. It allows you to set the input voltage to match consumer equipment, the XLS has that same option. My XLi is rated at 500wpc 2 channel 8ohms. Great amp for the money, less than $500. And yes you can use banana plugs, you can on XLS too I'm pretty sure.🤘💀🤘

Correction it does accept banana speaker plugs I own two XLS 1502 amps they stick right in the middle of the speaker terminals.

Thank you for the awesome review. Hope you can review more class D amps like Apollon, Nord, etc.

You put the banana plugs right down in that speaker wire hole. Fits like a glove. These amps are pretty good. I had no issue using these in a 2.1ch stereo.

I know you address the wiring issue in your pinned comment, but since the use of Banana plugs and low gauge wiring is very important to me (and many folks), I feel the need to set the record straight. You CAN USE BANANA PLUGS on the Crown XLS amplifiers. You can use 10 gauge, or even lower gauge wiring with plugs. Since these amplifiers are sold world-wide, they ship with European-style protection plugs installed. You can easily remove the plugs (as I did) with a small screw and a pair of needle-nose pliers. You also did not mention that the amp has a normal/high sensitivity setting (1.4V vs .775V) to help deal with the hiss you might encounter when using high sensitivity speakers, and/or low consumer level pre-outs voltage. Yes, it IS a giant -killer, but I understand why you and other reviewers can't actually say that. In all other respects, a fine and fair assessment of the Crown XLS 2502.

this is probably the 3rd time I click the subscribe button. being an honest reviewer must be hard. keep up the good work !

Terrific video! Looks like a great piece, pairing it with some Maggie LRS would be dynamite for someone beginning the audiophile journey.

I have an older Crown class AB amplifier that has speaker terminals that look like those on the reviewed amplifier. Upon reading the user manual I discovered that the speaker terminals have small plugs in the end that can be removed to allow the user to plug in banana plugs. You may want to look closely at the speaker terminals.

These are very good sounding amplifiers for hi fidelity use and the power makes them sound effortless. I have other amplifiers with slightly different sound characteristics but frankly if you don't do direct AB comparisons, looking for differences, the Crowns really do a superb job.

Such an awesome presentation. Thanks Zero Fidelity! Really good comparison as well. It really helps me think about my future purchase.

I just got a XLS 2502 yesterday, and it sounds GREAT!

I am a bass player and have recently bought the crown 1502 XLS and use it as a 2 channel power amp for my bass rig with 2 different preamp pedals on the floor. It's quoted as 300w per channel at 8ohms and 550 at 4 ohms. I was running through 2 8 ohm cabs. It's not 300w.....maybe peak but definitely not RMS... The unit was running at 9 on both channels in order to keep up with 2 guitarists in a heavy rock band ... Now that's not to say it didn't sound good.....oh it sounded just fine and dandy and I couldn't be happier...but I nearly bought the smaller 1002 and that would have been a disaster. So if you are looking for real volume make sure your into 4ohm cabs or better still buy 2 and bridge them. In this day and age where every bass player and guitarist seems to have at least one preamp pedal this is a brilliantly economical , and incredibly light, solution. The 2 bass heads it is replacing weigh 40kgs for the pair...this thing is just under 5... So result. Lastly...before moving it to my bass rig I had it as my power amp running with a HK citation 11....Heavily modded Sansui sr222 mk 2....into monitor audio bronze 5s and playing eat to the beat by blondie had my wife shout....god that sounds lovely..... She has literally, in 40 years that I have known her ever commented on how music sounds....so there you go.....properly good and super versatile. Genuinely thinking of buying another....

You can also adjust input sensitivity which can impact noise floor as well.

Sean I agree 100% that these are a monster value. The bass was very taught and full and the control of the 6.5” drivers on my JBL 580’s was excellent. My beef was the lack of a good center image and soundstage. Also with my JBL’s I found the highs a touch bright. I loved the power and the look, but in the end I swapped them out for Outlaw 2200 Monoblocks which are about the same cost. I love the outlaws they have the powerful feel and sound of the crown, yet the soundstage is great the highs are clear yet not harsh like the crown for me in my set up. Great review and Thanks for your contribution to the hi fit community!

So about those speaker terminals. Yes. I heard you all the first 100 times. Apparently they are EU plugs that can be removed via: a screw. So why didn't I catch that? Because I've yet to encounter anything like this. When I attempted to remove the caps via: a dental tool that's worked for me on literally every speaker and amp I've used it on, the plastic terminal posts began to crack. I then tried tweezers and got nowhere. Naturally, this led me to believe that the caps were never meant to pop off in the first place. Should I have dug around for more info? Sure. But I didn't, as my focus is more on the performance of this amp than on the speaker terminals. As for the noise floor: As mentioned in the review, this will be heavily influenced by the included gain controls. If you do encounter noise, that means you either run highly sensitive speakers or that you tilted gain beyond the half-way point. Otherwise, most of you won't hear any audible hiss coming from average efficiency speakers, especially at a distance between 4ft from the drivers.

Got the amp from Amazon. Thanks for your recommendations. You are accurate on all fronts! You are also right about the background noise that is controllable by keeping the gain at 50%. BTW, my DIs have never sounded the way they do with this amp. More bass and well controlled too. Also, the sound stage is eerily enveloping. Thanks again Sean for spotting these gems.

I use a Crown 2502 with my Wharfedale Jade 7s. I must say that it's the best amp that I've ever heard on them. Yes, I've had high-quality, vintage, expensive, class A amps before. Actually, the amp that I was using before this Crown was the Quad 405-2. The Crown beats the brakes off of the Quad in every way including finesse and resolution. The bass opened right up on my Wharfedales; tons of headroom. I use it with a variety of sources but my main source is balanced xlr out of my Emotiva XDA Differential Reference dac. I must say that this is pretty damn close to endgame for me. I'm thinking of picking up a Schiit Freya tube pre and calling it quits. Or maybe I'll spring for an Aesthetix Calypso. The only gripe I have with the Crown is a bit of tweeter hiss but that is standard fare in an amp this powerful and is not at all perceivable at the listening position. P.S. It does have banana plug inputs, you need to unscrew the terminals.

Just want to add a note here, you can also use speakon to banana, speakon to spade, and speakon to speakon cables for the speakon out (circle connectors next to the banana plugs)

Thanks for the review, Sean! Another peach, of course. Been wanting to see Crown's reviewed a la YT. You rule! Anyone checked out their XLI's? The Class A/B? Heard only so much about it.

I said that it happened on a plugs you don't have to take anything out you plug them in the top knot in the back plug life is so common. I just corrected the guy on his comment on this unit because he didn't know a lot about what he was talking about it is a professional piece of equipment. But you can use it for a stereo system this amplifier has everything you need to do to EQ inside of it crossover whatever you want to do with it it is one of the most flexible lamps on the market homewyse or professional. And it is relatively smooth sounding not brutal. Pyle talks about how much power there a have but they are terrible and they hum. And the technology of crown is different truly get a lot of watts and it is smooth like butter so to speak.

Hi Zero, Just an FYI you can use banana plug you just have to pull out the plug in the center of the speaker cap. I use 12gauge with banana plugs.

I have a little Denon AVR feeding this 2502... I use an Art Cleanbox pro between the AVR and Crown to convert unbalanced to balanced... This amp gives me plenty of power to push my 10" subs... Love this amp so far!

I hope Gene at Audioholics gets one of these to use his test equipment on.I would really want to see the true RMS output and THD.

Love what you did from 19:40. Relative comparisons like that may offend vendors but it's pretty much exactly what the in-the-market-consumer needs to hear.

This amp accepts banan plugs just fine. You need to remove the small plastic cap in the back of the terminals, but that's no problem. I use banan plugs myself.

With the way modern music is mastered and EQ'd (compressed sound, exaggerated bass) I think it's becoming more and more important that equipment remains relatively neutral. I'm curious to try this amp through the pre-out of one of my integrated amps. Crank the gain on the pre-amp and keep the gain low on the Crown to keep the noise floor down. Thanks for the review.

Thanks for a great review! You have to consider it if it doesn’t sound like a typical pro amp.

Hello there, thanks for the review, I have a rack system and am going to purchase one, I asked about pro audio on your live feed, you just answered it, thanks buddy for your expertise.👍

Pretty darn impressive clean/neutral sounding and crazy powerful amp for the money. Good thing I did not have one of these in college, would probably be deaf now - LOL

An XLS1000 has been in my main system for over 12 years and it's never given a lick of trouble, while providing clean, listenable sound. It honestly conveys the signal my Audio Research SP9II sends it. And new it cost only $250. So long as you're feeding it a pro level signal, it's all that you would need.

I am using a different model: the Crown 1502. With my DBX DriveRack PA2, I am able to make my speakers work with my room and adjust the sound of my speakers to MY TASTE which to me, is ultimately the goal -- not to suit an audio expert's bias, etc. In other words, my money, my time, my choice!

I've gone through insane amounts of equipment. If you buy any of these crown xls amps... 10000% buy a Geshelli Lab J2 Dac. I didn't like this amp with almost a dozen different pre amps and DaCs. I almost sold it but I decided to try the Geshelli j2 and holy cow. It takes all the things I don't care for and corrected it perfectly. I have spent way too much on the quest of figuring out what makes the best Synergy with different components and the Geshelli j2 is no BS the answer to this amp series. I went from a little dry and still sounded like class D to me to holy cow this legit sounds like a traditional AB with insane Soundstage.

Great detailled review, Zero. I wonder if sound can be influenced in a positive way by hooking up a warm sounding pre-amp (tubes) ?

Great job dude! Happy you reviewed this product 👍🏼 Thanks

For a moment there, I wasn't sure if I was watching a wine tasting/review.

Hey Sean, someone may have pointed this out already but you can connect banana plugs. I was kind of bummed when I tried putting my compression fitting banana plugs in and there is no where for them to go. The reason is their are these plastic plugs. What you have to do is screw the terminals all the way in and you will see it. Take a tiny screwdriver and pull and lift it the plastic pins will come out. This will then allow you to use banana plugs. Enjoy!

Thoughts on pairing this with something like the Maggie LRS & .7 s ? The Maggies are inefficient 86db so the noise floor shouldn't be a problem. Maggies love power so it should be a decent pairing.

I use banana plugs in my crown XLS 2502 into my KEF r300...you just need to take the blockers out! using a smsl su v2 to run balanced into 1 crown for kefs and the rca into another crown for my DIY Dayton 15" ultimax, I challenge anyone to have a better system for the price. Got the kef 300s for 600£ brand new as old stock. Thanks for the review!

Put the gaim controls at max volume. Dramatically lower your pre amp volume.. See the quality increase. Your welcome

1/ Jacks can be used as inputs! 2/ Fan turns on mostly due to dust on radiators inside. 3/ Bananas you know already :)

Very accurate review. I have the xls2002. Absolutely kills my 5x price Parasound Halo Integrated. One thing you didn’t mention is it’s neutrality regardless of volume. Others amps usually have a sweet spot in volume, Crown stays refined low or high volume. It is a bit lean on bass though! Luckily I have a separate Sub. Only amp I have that can make any speaker sound great.

For even lower budget, get the Behringer A800. I bought 3 of them in Europe for 151 euro each. Incredible value. It can be compared to my XLS1502, only doesn't have DSP.

I'd love to know how their class AB XLi 800 amplifier sounds compared to this?

Nice review. I was wondering how this one was going to go. Good to know it's not all just hype.

Crown has better AMPs. Correction - The Crown can use banana plugs. I own the XLS amps. Crown XLS review and measurements XLS 1502 www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/review-and-measurements-of-crown-xls-1502-amp.6062/ XLS 2502 www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/crown-xls2502-stereo-amplifier-review.10627/

I used one of these for a velodyne sub after the plate amp blew. The original amp was lower wattage and way more expensive to have repaired. This is way better than the original amp. Ended up upgrading the woofer too after I blew the original woofer. Now it’s a total animal. I have no idea about using as an “audio file” amp, but the built in crossover is key to use with a sub.

Great review! The 1502 is cheaper and has plenty of power for nearly all speakers as well.

As always, really appreciate your thoroughness and trying so hard to address the product from multiple taste and setup angle....meaning..always have the audience's welfare in mind..

You can totally use banana plugs. Theres a plug in the center of the binding post heads. Pull those out and banana plug goes there. I have a Crown amp and use banana plugs.

These are VERY good amps!! I had an XLS-1502 that was amazing!! Power and clarity!! And....the banana plugs are accessible by removing the small plugs in the center of the wire terminals. Just take something small like a pocket knife and pry them right out. Easy peasy!!

A few things about your review (and I have 2 of these ampl9ifiers..and have had many more of their other lower powered amps) first YES you can use banana plugs. There is a small plastic insert that is easily removed if you feed in a small screw and then pull it out. Second, the "hiss" is because you have the gain too high. Gain is NOT volume control. Third, you really should mention that you can adjust the input sensitivity from 1.4v to 0.775v to match up better with home audio gear. 1.4v is standard "pro" gear. This is a BIG improvement over the xls2500 where you would need something like an ART CleanBox Pro to adust the output power to match up with a pro amplifier to make it work properly. Yes...it will work without one BUT....the volume won't be there because home gear just doesn't put out enough volts to drive a pro amp normally. As for looks...well that's subjective. I think they look amazing especially in a rack system. The sound...well that's easy enough to EQ to adjust to a person's preferences. I'm very happy you reviewed this amplifier and I wish more reviewers would. It is absolutely in my opinion a "giant killer" and if set up correctly will blow your mind. I would suggest, and this is not meant to be negative at all, but I suggest you do a little more research on the product before doing a review so you truly know the in's and out's of the amplifier and all it's capable of. Thanks for the review!

Peavey is Me,vee. Worked n Nashvegas years ago with Vacation Productions. The full rig that we had at that time would do 200,000 watts per side mostly Peavey! Football stadium kind of thing. This would be found in a rack for the keyboard or in a rack for a guitar man..... Really nice and CLEAN so important! I would have one for the system in my theater room, you just have to know where to use it best, I would use it where I wanted to drive the speakers that needed the most power. For a rack mount amp that is only two inches tall this is impressive.

You can use banana plugs. I had a hum with the one I had. Had to send it back.

Hi Sean, in my DJ days, I only used crown amps because of the power, warranty and sound quality along with Peavy Speakers. I never had problems during my gigs with either clipping or sound quality. As you go up in Crown gear you get crazy amounts of power.

10:51 “smooth treble”, so does this mean it’ll be a good match for the KEF LS50s, whose metal tweeter can sound harsh with the wrong gear?

I’ve Been Living with a Crown DC300A for over forty years driving my Infinity QLS-1 Speakers !! I absolutely Love the performance !! Never tires me. Years ago, the issue with driving my Infinities was that they are nominally 4 Ohm speakers and most amps would overheat, especially when driving them hard. To turn on my speakers, it takes about 65 watts RMS

it does take banana plugs at the tip of the connector.

NOTE: This CROWN amp series DOES accept banana plugs in the back besides bare wire. But banana plugs work best unless you have Speakon connectors. The latter being best as they're screwed in tight to the amp. You can get Speakon connectors on 25 gauge insulated wire that has banana plugs onn the other end to connect to your speakers. I have this and it's wonderful

Next review - Crown I-Tech 5000 - The amp JBL pairs with the M2

wow seems like a great amp. thanks for another quality review

You can use bananaplugs you need simply to remove the plastic the binding posts

I have the LXi 1500 and it's been smooth and loud.Great amp!

Would be interesting to hear your opinion of QSC amplifiers, particularly the CX series. Many of us find them to be superior to Crown's offerings.

worth checking out the prior version Crown 2500 which can be found closer to $450. Fantastic option to driving subwoofers instead of plate amps. My only issue is fan noise. Great job on the review. 14 gauge works fine for me.

I love my xls 1002. Have it hooked up to a pair of CST-1 towers and it sounds amazing. Enough power to drive them. I also have a pair of KEF reference 102/2's re-engineered by Danny at GR Research and they sound great. FYI, take out the plugs in the speaker binding terminals and banana plugs will work. Overall good review.

14:30. The fact that you brought up about the binding post connections on the back of that amplifier saying that you are not able to use spades or banana plugs for your speaker is inaccurate. I own four of these amplifiers and I have been able to use banana post speaker connections for my speaker wires before I decided to switch over to the NL4 Speakon connections. There are plugs inside the posts that are removable and after they are removed, one can use spade or banana plug connectors on their speaker wires allowing to use thicker gauge speaker wires to deliver the fullest potential out of this amp as far as wattage. Everything else that you have mentioned about this amplifier I am in pretty much full agreement with as far as your review is concerned.

I have the Crown XLS 2502 along with the 1502 and the 1002 to run various different speaker components within my home theater and I will tell you this... The sound quality is way better than what I expected and these amps can deliver the goods. My custom built speakers handle them very well and these amps makes it much more easier to fine tune the details of the signal to the different speakers that I have to get the absolute best potential within my theater. What I am trying to say is... I AM VERY PLEASED WITH MY CROWN AMPS!

That is the most interesting reviews ever posted! - Little reviewed aspirational top value gear for 'real world' budgets in direct comparison. Top banana ;-) Bet there are some meaningful refinement mods for the 2502 given it's 'workhorse' nature...

Sean you forgot to mention that you can change the input sensitivity on these amps.

I'm active in many audiophile communities and I don't see people saying it's the end all be all. It's a solid amp for the price and has spec's that exceed the distortion levels of many speakers. NCore is where it's at as far as linearity and low distortion. The XLS series is in one word: Transparent.

There are many high-powered D power amplifiers at this price point

With the right pre-amp that dryness goes away. Still rocking mine, was only meant to be a stop gap but really haven't found anything that betters it enough to warrant the extra spend to be honest. Can be a bit glassy with some poor recordings with issues in the high ranges, but for the most part it's really quite something.

Crown has been making some of the best amps for more than 35 years so I'm not surprised if it is a great amp.

I use the 1502 to power my Focal Aria 926's in stereo, I think it sounds fantastic. I have even tried it in bridged mode on one speaker and let me tell you it sounds even better. In comparison to my Rotel A11 Tribute it's hard to decide which I prefer and that's saying something. I can happily listen to the crown for hours as it's so smooth. I will no doubt buy another so I can run one per speaker. I know 1050wpc at 8ohm and 1550wpc at 4ohm sounds crazy overkill at 70-75db listening but trust me it sounds fantastic. Update two was overkill I noticed too much hiss from the tweeters, one is plenty.

I'd love to hear your take on the Schiit Vidar and Aegir. Or is there a reason you're not reviewing Schiit products? Thanks for all you do Sean!

As with all audio components, it’s more of a matter of taste when you’re comparing competent devices. I tried the 1502 and it sounded very good in my system, but not good enough to replace my refurbished McIntosh ss amp. I did notice the hiss up close when the gain was maxed, but backing it off a quarter got rid of it for my 88 dB sensitivity Buchardts, and if music is playing you don’t hear it at all. The cooling fan never came on for the time I used it. The 1502 puts out 525w dual at 4 ohms, and you can get one for around $300 or less. Be aware though of dealers who make you pay for returns, because they will try to charge you 1/3 of the cost of the purchase price if you send back a new one. Guitar Centers have these, if you want to check it out in person.