aarmath
Member
This is a brief, real-world review of Crown's XLS 1502 (2-Channel) Class D amplifier.
The very mention of Class D usually tends to evoke a plethora of reactions. Usually - *rolled eyes*. Don't blame you, if you just rolled your eyes.
A quick & brief detour - The shrill fans of Class D back in the 2010s hereabouts were proponents of the Tripath Chip-based amp modules, derisively referred to as "Chip Amps." And usually for a good reason - They sucked.
By & large, enthusiasts created the impression that these chip amps could be substituted for heavy duty amps in the living room.
Cut to 2013 when such a fan came to my place bringing his Chinese Class D chip amp. Long story cut short - I wanted to put my hands around his neck and throttle him softly but surely for molesting my Wharfedale Dentons.
The sound was HORRIBLE!!! Thus, anything Class D, had me avoiding it like the plague (Or Coronavirua).
Until.... Feb 2020. Feb 20th to be precise. I ended up visiting forum member - Tuff aka Uday at his place in Thane. The reason was to pick up a Chromecast Audio I had purchased from him. That's when I saw this Batman-looking Crown XLS 1502 connected to his Magnepan speakers. I heard them via a DAC connected directly to the amp via unbalanced RCAs. And it sounded Good.
Uday then hooked up the CC Audio to his DAC via optical mini TOSLINK cable. I synced up my Spotify playlists & started playing. & It sounded Better.
While travelling back home, I couldnt help but wonder can Class D actually sound this good?
I started researching on Class D. Not the Jeff Rowland, ATI stuff but affordable, quality stuff from the likes of Ghent Audio based on Hypex, ICEPower etc. Fascinating & yet for a beginner the budgets tend to get dear.
That's when I started an active & engaging conversation series with Uday. And he managed to convince me to open my mind towards Class D as a viable alternative. Specifically Crown's XLS DriveCore series 2.
Currently Mumbai is hot & humid, not great for my beloved Yamaha B2. Uday was kind enough to ping me that Crown's prices had been mouth-wateringly reduced.
I decided to bite the tempting bone that Uday was dangling. Thanks to Amazon, I purchased a Crown XLS 1502 @ Rs. 23,000.
I received the amp the very next day. I set it up with my Wharfedale Denton (80th Anniversary) speakers. I connected my Oppo 105D via XLR balanced audio cables in the XLR-ins of the amp.
I switched the amp on. Two clicks later the Crown 1502 chirps happily and comes on in a pleasing lights of Blue.
There is a monochrome LCD screen that enables you to to tweak a plethora of settings including shutting of the indicator lights. And all those features work like a charm.
There are Digital Signal Processing functions in the amp accessible via the screen using control buttons, BUT I am not dwelling on them because my review is about the amp in a stereo environment.
I played a FLAC song on the Oppo. I took a deep breathe with anticipation & I was..... well, Underwhelmed!!!
The audio sounded sterile, tame, uninteresting.
I promptly called Uday, who advised me to connect my preamp (Yamaha C2) tweak the amp's input signal sensitivity from 1.4v to 775mv (High Sensitivity) setting & then listen to the music. I connected the Oppo's unbalanced RCA outs>C2's preamp input>C2 Preout>Crown 1502.
What I heard put a smile on my face
Note to myself & to folks who might want to consider credible Class D power amps like a Crown, its PARAMOUNT to have a preamp (Tube, solid take your pick).
& Theres a good reason for that - The 1502 has no audio signature of its own. BUT a good, decent preamp (Even a DIY from Aniket) will markedly improve the audio sonics in the 1502.
The 1502 has front gain controls. Rememeber this is NOT a conventional Class AB linear amplifier. Ergo, it makes no sense to dial up the gain controls for each of the channels to the max. Because this is a switching amplifier, which means max. Gain setting could generate speaker hiss on unbalanced RCA ins in the 1502. BUT depending on the speaker efficiency the hiss will be virtually undetectable or very muted.
BUT.... A complete balanced XLR connectivity between the audio source & the 1502 yields absolute silence. No noise floor whatsoever in the audio domain. Inky blank.
BUT then again, my Yamaha C2 preamp only has unbalanced RCA outs. And it makes the Crown 1502 amp sound absolutely "sweet", "musical", & "sparkling."
The reason I put them in quotes because individual preferences may vary.I
I connected the CC Audio to the C2 preamp & I was stunned listening to what I heard. Like, OMG!!!
Let me sum it up - The Crown XLS 1502's audio performance is not that far from say, even my Yamaha B2 & Yamaha A-S2100. Let that sink in - A Rs. 23,000/- worth Class D amp (that is euphemistically considered a Public Announcement amp system) is exuding performance that is not far away from credible Hi-Fi systems that have price stickers that are atleast 4X of the Crown XLS 1502.
AND.... The fact that you DO NOT have to worry about ANY HEAT ISSUES whatsoever!
The Yamaha B2 runs hot all the time & Mumbai's oppressive weather doesnt help. Neither does the electricity bill
But the audio is sublime. I am NOT going to say that the Crown XLS 1502 comes close to the B2's performance. But neither is the Crown's performance far from the Yamaha B2 or the A-S2100.
One thing you have to remember that the Crown XLS 1502 converts the analogue signal from the source (In this instance the Yamaha C2 preamp) into the digital domain at 48 Khz; Is then chopped into the switching frequency; & then reconverted back to analogue using a passive filter and into the speakers.
NOW this is where things become weird - If you are going to play High Definition audio content that's more than 48 Khz - For example I was playing Temple of The Dog's - Say Hello To Heaven that is a High Definition PCM audio file that's 24-bit/192 Khz on the Oppo 105D - And the audio sounded super weird. It was like as if the audio has subtlety gone haywire in the time domain. And it is detectable.
Especially when the same song in the conventional FLAC or MP3 format sounds absolutely fine on the Crown.
This is a caveat of the Crown XLS 1502 - It digitizes the incoming analog audio signal (Analog to Digital) & then does the switching magic & converts the digitized switching signal back to analog (Digital to Analog). It's not bad. It may not be good either (Especially if you run High Definition Audio Content sampled beyond 48 Khz).
BUT what matters is the Crown XLS 1502's power output.
And for a so-called PA system amp & the price point that it sells for, the Crown XLS 1502 is truly bang for the back.
I would dare say this amp is the perfect beginner amp for a stereophile.
Back in 2011, I ended up paying dearly for a shitty Class AB amp from Advance Acoustic, whose performance was wholly inadequate even for the price that I paid. I learnt two things - Never trust cranky old men running boutique audio setups & DO NOT ever trust brandless Speakers that said boutique owners will try to saddle you with.
These horrible sounding speakers are usually made by some local bozo entity whose owner thinks he's the next Andrew Jones or Peter Comeau of India. Assuredly he is NOT.
And if anyone tells you that there are "Amazing" DIY speaker builders in India, please do your due dilligence.
All in all - For Rs. 23,000/- the Crown XLS 1502 amp is NOT a High-end Class D amp (that would potentially cost you in excess of Rs. 75,000+) BUT it delivers absolute bang-for-the-buck in a stereo environment. Running cool like a cucumber. With barely 10 watts draw from the main lines at rest.
Bang-For-The-Buck. That's the key phrase for the Crown XLS 1502 (DriveCore 2 Series).
Thanks Tuff for all the support & for lending a patient ear to my all my queries.
P.S. - I dont have any empirical & conclusive data on this amp supporting this weird belief that said amp will become more "musical" after 100 hours of use.
It sounded musical, right out of the box.
The very mention of Class D usually tends to evoke a plethora of reactions. Usually - *rolled eyes*. Don't blame you, if you just rolled your eyes.
A quick & brief detour - The shrill fans of Class D back in the 2010s hereabouts were proponents of the Tripath Chip-based amp modules, derisively referred to as "Chip Amps." And usually for a good reason - They sucked.
By & large, enthusiasts created the impression that these chip amps could be substituted for heavy duty amps in the living room.
Cut to 2013 when such a fan came to my place bringing his Chinese Class D chip amp. Long story cut short - I wanted to put my hands around his neck and throttle him softly but surely for molesting my Wharfedale Dentons.
The sound was HORRIBLE!!! Thus, anything Class D, had me avoiding it like the plague (Or Coronavirua).
Until.... Feb 2020. Feb 20th to be precise. I ended up visiting forum member - Tuff aka Uday at his place in Thane. The reason was to pick up a Chromecast Audio I had purchased from him. That's when I saw this Batman-looking Crown XLS 1502 connected to his Magnepan speakers. I heard them via a DAC connected directly to the amp via unbalanced RCAs. And it sounded Good.
Uday then hooked up the CC Audio to his DAC via optical mini TOSLINK cable. I synced up my Spotify playlists & started playing. & It sounded Better.
While travelling back home, I couldnt help but wonder can Class D actually sound this good?
I started researching on Class D. Not the Jeff Rowland, ATI stuff but affordable, quality stuff from the likes of Ghent Audio based on Hypex, ICEPower etc. Fascinating & yet for a beginner the budgets tend to get dear.
That's when I started an active & engaging conversation series with Uday. And he managed to convince me to open my mind towards Class D as a viable alternative. Specifically Crown's XLS DriveCore series 2.
Currently Mumbai is hot & humid, not great for my beloved Yamaha B2. Uday was kind enough to ping me that Crown's prices had been mouth-wateringly reduced.
I decided to bite the tempting bone that Uday was dangling. Thanks to Amazon, I purchased a Crown XLS 1502 @ Rs. 23,000.
I received the amp the very next day. I set it up with my Wharfedale Denton (80th Anniversary) speakers. I connected my Oppo 105D via XLR balanced audio cables in the XLR-ins of the amp.
I switched the amp on. Two clicks later the Crown 1502 chirps happily and comes on in a pleasing lights of Blue.
There is a monochrome LCD screen that enables you to to tweak a plethora of settings including shutting of the indicator lights. And all those features work like a charm.
There are Digital Signal Processing functions in the amp accessible via the screen using control buttons, BUT I am not dwelling on them because my review is about the amp in a stereo environment.
I played a FLAC song on the Oppo. I took a deep breathe with anticipation & I was..... well, Underwhelmed!!!
The audio sounded sterile, tame, uninteresting.
I promptly called Uday, who advised me to connect my preamp (Yamaha C2) tweak the amp's input signal sensitivity from 1.4v to 775mv (High Sensitivity) setting & then listen to the music. I connected the Oppo's unbalanced RCA outs>C2's preamp input>C2 Preout>Crown 1502.
What I heard put a smile on my face
Note to myself & to folks who might want to consider credible Class D power amps like a Crown, its PARAMOUNT to have a preamp (Tube, solid take your pick).
& Theres a good reason for that - The 1502 has no audio signature of its own. BUT a good, decent preamp (Even a DIY from Aniket) will markedly improve the audio sonics in the 1502.
The 1502 has front gain controls. Rememeber this is NOT a conventional Class AB linear amplifier. Ergo, it makes no sense to dial up the gain controls for each of the channels to the max. Because this is a switching amplifier, which means max. Gain setting could generate speaker hiss on unbalanced RCA ins in the 1502. BUT depending on the speaker efficiency the hiss will be virtually undetectable or very muted.
BUT.... A complete balanced XLR connectivity between the audio source & the 1502 yields absolute silence. No noise floor whatsoever in the audio domain. Inky blank.
BUT then again, my Yamaha C2 preamp only has unbalanced RCA outs. And it makes the Crown 1502 amp sound absolutely "sweet", "musical", & "sparkling."
The reason I put them in quotes because individual preferences may vary.I
I connected the CC Audio to the C2 preamp & I was stunned listening to what I heard. Like, OMG!!!
Let me sum it up - The Crown XLS 1502's audio performance is not that far from say, even my Yamaha B2 & Yamaha A-S2100. Let that sink in - A Rs. 23,000/- worth Class D amp (that is euphemistically considered a Public Announcement amp system) is exuding performance that is not far away from credible Hi-Fi systems that have price stickers that are atleast 4X of the Crown XLS 1502.
AND.... The fact that you DO NOT have to worry about ANY HEAT ISSUES whatsoever!
The Yamaha B2 runs hot all the time & Mumbai's oppressive weather doesnt help. Neither does the electricity bill
But the audio is sublime. I am NOT going to say that the Crown XLS 1502 comes close to the B2's performance. But neither is the Crown's performance far from the Yamaha B2 or the A-S2100.
One thing you have to remember that the Crown XLS 1502 converts the analogue signal from the source (In this instance the Yamaha C2 preamp) into the digital domain at 48 Khz; Is then chopped into the switching frequency; & then reconverted back to analogue using a passive filter and into the speakers.
NOW this is where things become weird - If you are going to play High Definition audio content that's more than 48 Khz - For example I was playing Temple of The Dog's - Say Hello To Heaven that is a High Definition PCM audio file that's 24-bit/192 Khz on the Oppo 105D - And the audio sounded super weird. It was like as if the audio has subtlety gone haywire in the time domain. And it is detectable.
Especially when the same song in the conventional FLAC or MP3 format sounds absolutely fine on the Crown.
This is a caveat of the Crown XLS 1502 - It digitizes the incoming analog audio signal (Analog to Digital) & then does the switching magic & converts the digitized switching signal back to analog (Digital to Analog). It's not bad. It may not be good either (Especially if you run High Definition Audio Content sampled beyond 48 Khz).
BUT what matters is the Crown XLS 1502's power output.
And for a so-called PA system amp & the price point that it sells for, the Crown XLS 1502 is truly bang for the back.
I would dare say this amp is the perfect beginner amp for a stereophile.
Back in 2011, I ended up paying dearly for a shitty Class AB amp from Advance Acoustic, whose performance was wholly inadequate even for the price that I paid. I learnt two things - Never trust cranky old men running boutique audio setups & DO NOT ever trust brandless Speakers that said boutique owners will try to saddle you with.
These horrible sounding speakers are usually made by some local bozo entity whose owner thinks he's the next Andrew Jones or Peter Comeau of India. Assuredly he is NOT.
And if anyone tells you that there are "Amazing" DIY speaker builders in India, please do your due dilligence.
All in all - For Rs. 23,000/- the Crown XLS 1502 amp is NOT a High-end Class D amp (that would potentially cost you in excess of Rs. 75,000+) BUT it delivers absolute bang-for-the-buck in a stereo environment. Running cool like a cucumber. With barely 10 watts draw from the main lines at rest.
Bang-For-The-Buck. That's the key phrase for the Crown XLS 1502 (DriveCore 2 Series).
Thanks Tuff for all the support & for lending a patient ear to my all my queries.
P.S. - I dont have any empirical & conclusive data on this amp supporting this weird belief that said amp will become more "musical" after 100 hours of use.
It sounded musical, right out of the box.
. I think for the price to performance, once cannot beat it. Also as suggested, the pre amplifier is the key to get the right sound. Congratulations.
