Power Amplifier, 650-Watts (XLS2002)

Connecting my Pioneer VSX821 or my Yamaha HTR-5980 or my Denon AVR 1907 to this Crown XLS1002 requires me to turn the LFE out to max + XLS1002 gain knob to 3 O'clock or higher to get sufficient bass.I happen to have a Rolls Pro Match 15b ($55 Amazon Sept 2020) in use upstairs on an old 3db class AB amp (Garage sale $75) that I am using to power (1) 12" Infinity 1262W ($60 on Amazon like 5 years ago) in a 4.25cu ft vented box tuned to 19hz. I yanked that Rolls Pro Match 15b off that setup and connected it to the Crown XLS1002. What a HUGE difference. I was hoping the newer series like the XLS1002 with its new higher sensitivity setting of .75V might work, but NOPE.I am using this XLS1002 as a sub amp for a single 10" infinity 1062W in a carpeted 1.25 cu ft box vented, placed under my desk that doubles as my foot rest. This sub box we made years ago to custom fit our Hyundai Elantra spare tire well area.We sold that car and had the sub box just sitting around. I paired this Infinity 1062W 10" sub box with a pair of NHT Superzeros. Without adding a pre-amp driver like the Rolls Pro Match 15b the amp just doesn't get a big enough input signal to reach decent power output even when the .75v setting is used.Using the gain knob on the XLS1002 + maxing out the LFE channel on the receiver risks added distortion and early clipping. With the Rolls Pro Match 15b ($56 here on Amazon) the bass blows my mind! A little 10" low end Infinity woofer (was like $55 5 years ago here on Amazon) is making the spoon in my glass of juice rattle like crazy! Everything on the desk sets into motion when some bass comes along.I also have a Crown XLS2000 + Roll Pro Match 15b (bought like 4 or 5 years ago from Amazon) in a 5.1 Home Theater setup pushing (1) 12" Infinity 1262W (bought on Amazon like 4 years ago for like $60) in a 4.25cu ft vented box tuned to 19hz and (1) Alpine R series 12" (Crutchfield in 2020 for about $280) in another 4.25cu ft vented box tuned to 19hz. I fed the Rolls Pro Match 15b with RCAs from the dual subwoofer outputs of a Sony STRDH550. From the Rolls Pro Match 15b I used XLR cables to feed the XLS2000. It seemed like using XLR made the amp put out more power earlier on the gain knob, but it could be placebo effect.Summary: Add a pre-amp line driver that is built well and built to last, like the Rolls Pro Match 15b.Additional info: Years ago I used a car audio 1/2 Din Clarion equalizer that had (1) RCA input and (3) sets of RCA outputs: Front, rear, and Sub for a Crown XLS1000 ($379? Guitar Center like 7 years ago). The Clarion EQ subwoofer output had it owns gain knob and crossover frequency selection. I used a cheap $10 12v power adapter to power it. That setup also worked just as good, but I let a battle buddy buy my setup at cost for his setup (that was a Polk 15" MM series in a 5 cu ft vented box tuned to like 17hz). Now there are so many negative reviews for the Clarion 1/2 Din equalizer, I didn't want to risk it and went with what I know for a fact works and is built like a tank: ROLLS PRO MATCH 15b.If you are comparing the Crown XLS series to some other brands like Behringer or some of the copy cat amps out of asia, the reason I went with Crown XLS series is because it's fan is not loud. I can't even hear it when it comes on! Also, the Crown does NOT have a loud pop on turn on or turn off like some of the other brands. I waited months for the XLS 1002 to be back in stock. When I finally saw a few were available from a trusted source like Crutchfield I jumped on it!

I have to be honest..... this amp is not perfect, but it has really surprised me. I bought this amp to run a Dayton Ultimax 15" sub in a sealed enclosure that I built for HT use. The sub is running at 4 ohms which will let the Crown XLS2002 deliver it's full power. It does plenty good once I added the Rolls Match RCA->Balanced converter to increase the output voltage to the Crown. Before I did that, even with setting the Crown to high sensitivity and increasing the output gain on my Marantz receiver to +10, I had to turn the amp to almost full gain in order to get solid output. With the Rolls in the chain I have MORE than enough headroom. It seems like these amps really need a LOT of input voltage to get their max output. I also have two QSC amps, the GX5 and RMX1450a, and they are easier to work with for input voltage. They have louder fans but they really are brutes.So, on to my surprise. This thing sounds great in full range! While I was testing the afore mentioned QSC amps on the sub, I though I would disconnect my B&K ST2140 stereo amp from my listening room system to see how the Crown sounded. I was pretty surprised! My Vienna Acoustics Mozart speakers are VERY clean and very revealing of the upstream equipment used. Even my wife and 15yr old daughter can hear differences in cables I've used, and they could really care less :) This amp is very neutral and clean sounding. No bass humps that make some other amps sound more full or ballsy, it just sounds natural. Okay, I might argue that it ... could.... be a bit light on the bass reproduction, but there are so many other room variables and other amps that enhance the bass artificially too..... so it's hard to say exactly where neutral lies in my system. This thing just sounds extremely clean... period! Its not laid back, it sounds really fast on transients like percussion instruments. The dynamics sound very realistic and uncompressed on GOOD recordings. My only complaint with sound quality is the noise floor with this amp. It creates a constant hiss from the speakers at less than 12" away. I cannot hear it while seated about 8 feet away, but I know it's there. The QSC's have some too but less for sure.After I heard this little 10 lb amp I ended up buying another one for a DIY speaker build ...... and it STILL blows me away when I listen to it. If you're wondering like I did, the QSC amps also sound good, but they seem to have some bass bloat around 60-120 hz if I'm guessing. The GX5 has less than the 1450a but it's there. They are POWERFUL and HEAVY with their big transformers but their sound just wasn't as sweet as the XLS Drivecore 2 amps. The RMX 1450a will drive the HELL out of my subwoofer, but the fan will have to be modded if I keep the QSCs... especially on the RMX 1450a. It sounds like a loud PC fan, and it's impossible to ignore. The GX5 is about 1/3 the fan volume, but t's not bridgeable so it may not hang around much longer. At normal listening distances (living room) you might hear the GX5 in REALLY quiet parts but it's more like the whir of a PS3 or Wii. The XLS is silent... period, at normal operating volumes for a house in full range mode.Overall, I couldn't be happier. I think I'll get A TON of mileage from these little amps. I've been a self proclaimed audiophile for 20 years and have worked in the industry. I've also listened to systems WELL beyond $250,000. One of my best friends has one of those systems that I've listened to a lot, so I'd like to think that I know what I'm hearing. The only downside I can think of with these amps is that you would really need to leave them powered on all the time if they were in a system that was used often, because there is no way to easily trigger them on with a consumer surround receiver/preamp. On the plus side though, they are class D and consume way less energy while idling. Maybe I'll measure that later to get an exact number. When I finally build my full home theater you can bet it will have a handful of these amps in it!

Exceptional value for the price, clean sound, easy to install and setup.

I have several Hifi equipment at home, bowers, and Wilkins, focal, Polk Hi-end series, Klipsch, Rotel, Marantz, Yamaha, Denon, emotiva!!!! You need to tune it up using eq and tone controls and this little beast will fight against any hi end brand........In the beginning, I was not getting what I was expecting, but after trying different setups and configurations I am extremely surprised by what I am hearing for the money ...... I am using a DAC SMSL with a Marantz pre amp ...2 bowers and Wilkins towers of 200 watts RMS each via bi-amp using a bit amp cable ..... I must say I am surprised 😯😯😯 I am hearing stuff in my music I was not hearing with my Marantz and Rotel Amps ..... This little amp is a hidden gem of HiFi music ..... Don't try connecting a DAC directly to it .... You need a good pre-amp...a tube preamp or a Marantz pre-amp...something of good quality .... The bad reviews and other people saying this amp isn't good ... They probably tried it with crappy configuration or bad combinations of equipment ...... This thing is the real deal