Want better sound from Crown's XLS series amps? Pair them with an airy-sounding tube preamp (CJ ET3).
Crown XLS 2500 - the best amp value per dollar?
I just purchased a Crown XLS 2500 for $419 with free shipping, available to anyone who does a Google search. The 2500’s are discounted now because Crown is releasing the XLS 2502 very soon and the 2500's will be discontinued. One can pre-order the XLS 2502 for $599.
The XLS 2500 amp is rated at 440w @ 8ohms, 775 @ 4ohms, and 1200w at 2 ohms. I purchased this amp to bi-amp it on the lower end of my Infinity Kappa 9’s and use my Adcom 565SE on the mid-high end. I ordered Y cable connections for the two amps but haven’t received them yet so in the mean time I have been listening to the XLS 2500 powering the Kappa 9’s and I am blown away by how well this amp handles the Kappa 9 speakers.
The Crown XLS is a Class D amp. The sound / value proposition of this amp has to be nothing short of a paradigm shift in amplification value. Will it satisfy the ultra high-end audiophile willing to spend any amount to achieve that final percentage of improvement? I don’t know as I am not one of those. But can someone who is and has listened to both a Crown XLS and a high-end Class A amplifier in their system tell me how much of a difference there really is?
The XLS 2500 amp is rated at 440w @ 8ohms, 775 @ 4ohms, and 1200w at 2 ohms. I purchased this amp to bi-amp it on the lower end of my Infinity Kappa 9’s and use my Adcom 565SE on the mid-high end. I ordered Y cable connections for the two amps but haven’t received them yet so in the mean time I have been listening to the XLS 2500 powering the Kappa 9’s and I am blown away by how well this amp handles the Kappa 9 speakers.
The Crown XLS is a Class D amp. The sound / value proposition of this amp has to be nothing short of a paradigm shift in amplification value. Will it satisfy the ultra high-end audiophile willing to spend any amount to achieve that final percentage of improvement? I don’t know as I am not one of those. But can someone who is and has listened to both a Crown XLS and a high-end Class A amplifier in their system tell me how much of a difference there really is?