Just wanted to know if it has any affect on the sound itself apart form hiss or background noise.
In the XLS series of amps the setting of 1.4v or 775 mv is to ensure compatibility across a wide range of preamps. For instance my Yamaha C2 peamp. made in the late 70s specifies around 1.0v unbalanced audio signal out via RCAs. Now if the 1502 setting was at 1.4v, the overall audio sonics will sound wimpy. But at 775 mv setting, the sensitivity of the 1502 is lowered, thus ensuring it amplifies the full audio sonics of the C2 preamp. Which also means you DO NOT have to increase 1502's gain knobs drastically.
BUT.... Lowering the input sensitivity on the 1502 (& connecting via unbalanced RCAs) means getting closer to the inherent noise level of the 1502.
In a real world scenario, this is of no consequence, especially if you use speakers that are rated around 86 db SPL of efficiency. But what if you have speakers rated at 95 to 100+ db SPL efficiency? Chances are you MIGHT hear a bit of hiss when there is no audio playing. & you MIGHT hear this hiss only at higher levels of amplification/gain. Again NOT a killjoy at all by any yardstick of "Listening-In-The-Real World" measurement.
Which is why a complete balanced connection between the source & this amp would be ironclad, awesome. BUT not in all scenarios - Like my experience of sterile, flat sound between the direct connection of Oppo 105D & 1502 (balanced outs & ins) & playing with both gain settings of 775 mv (Very Loud) & 1.4v (In sync with gain). No hiss, no noise, nothing at all, black, silent. And yet the music in this setup chain was NOT engaging.
On a whim I also connected the Chromecast Audio directly into the RCA inputs of the 1502. Again, it was ok. Mind you, the CC Audio outputs a perfect analog line-out signal of around 1.2v & despite toggling between the 775 mv & 1.4 v setting, it was not engaging. Ergo, one has to treat the 1502's gain knobs as just that to control gain. It's assuredly not a preamp by any standard.
The fun will be to connect the 1502 using a preamp like the Schiit Freya that has balanced outputs & hear the audio sonics. I reckon they will be very good.
Hopefully someone will post that on HFV forum.
Are you planning to sell it?
Count me in...
@aarmath very good review ; I played dsd from Cxn v2 as digital preamp and streamer, also with AP preamp but never felt the discordance due to high bitrate files. What did you experience exactly?
The VFM appeal of crown XLS series overshadows its many drawbacks, it works great for HT.
I got my hands on additional 24-Bit/192 khz files. I heard the songs via direct XLR connection between the Oppo & 1502 as well as through the Yamaha C2 preamp via unbalanced RCAs. And unfortunately, the problem persists on three fronts -
- There's a VEERRY subtle change in the time domain.
- & from time to time theres this wee audio hiccup in the songs as if some buffer somewhere is not flowing the binary information in sync. They are not so frequent, BUT enough to killjoy the experience.
- Overall audio sonics are louder, borderline harsh.
The same songs on the Yamaha B2 are sheer bliss. Then again the question that begs to be asked is how many folks listen to 24-Bit/192 Khz on a regular basis?
but I think now I am going to have a lot of trouble justifying that 
however I have added a few things, without reducing any. Another AMP and I will have to find somewhere else to live. Definitely.
