2. amps-preamps
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Crown XLS 1502.... real life test.

I was at guitar center yesterday cruseing the used pedal case and noticed they had the XLS1502 was on sale. With there 45 day return policy, that i have used with great success in the past, i bought the amp.

  With my Logan’s the crown was very clear and full. 525 watts at hand per channel brought the speakers to life. I adjusted the input to around 3 o’clock seemed to be a good match. I went thru a few cd’s and they all sounded great with Steely Dan winning the show...

  I put the Mac back in the loop and noticed the soundstage was a bit bigger and a good amount more subdude.

This was my first foray in the class D world and I was surprised at how good it sounded. At 329.00 its kinda hard to beat. I have no idea what the current measurements are but the XLS made the Logan’s sing. If i read the article correctly, doesnt the JBL Everest’s come with XLS amps? That’s the way it read... please correct me.

Anyway, it was a fun afternoon and the Crown is going back today. I haven’t bought the 10t’s yet... prob June is when I can pick them up... I will buy another crown then to use when I send the 7100 to a mac repair center to get a checkup... I have a gut feeling something is amiss with her. All in all I really enjoyed the XLS and in a blind test i feel it would hold up to many good amps that cost $$$$$.

  I want a 300 watt Mac but at 3-4 thousand dollars that is a big stretch for this retired chef... lol

BTW... the XLS was DEAD silent ... nothing!
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128x128captbeaver
tutetibiimperes
202 posts
 
@erik_squires 

I believe the Ice Edge still uses multiple chips for control and driving while the Drivecore integrates it all into one, both seem to have had the goal or reducing component count on the board through.

To my understanding TI's role in the Drivecore chips was primarily in the manufacturing stage.  Harman designed the technology but didn't have the experience in manufacturing ICs so they turned to TI to handle that part.  
erik_squires
5,268 posts
 
I believe the Ice Edge still uses multiple chips for control and driving while the Drivecore integrates it all into one, both seem to have had the goal or reducing component count on the board through.
You are right, but I don't think the count matters quite as much. In a stereo setup the difference is ICEedge needs 1 more IC. 

It will be interesting to see how these markets develop. Will Harman keep DriveCore proprietary? Maybe they won't even market it and put it into HT receivers. 

There's so much more to this besides sound quality, but I am happy to report I am confident the future for most audiophiles is high-efficiency, small and less expensive amplifiers and that's a good thing.

Best,

E

roxy54's avatar
roxy54
2,651 posts
 
 I could be happily surprised by the Crown, but even if I am, I have no plans to part with my 300b, or my old Mac for that matter. 
madavid0
127 posts
 
I tried the top of the line of the XLS amps (the the 2 Drivecore 2 modules forget the specific model).

Trash. Very low-fi experience, no inner detail, dead, just junk. I can’t help but read these glowing reviews as evidence that a lot of people here have never heard high-end audio even once in their lives.
roxy54's avatar
roxy54
2,651 posts
 
madavid0,
I might find that to be the case, and if I do, back it goes...
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