Power amp and speaker match up question

S

set theorist

Inspired
Hey gang,

I am looking at purchasing a Crown XLS series poweramp.
The 1500 is rated 300 Watts @ 8 ohms,
while the 2000 is rated at 375 Watts @ 8 ohms.

My Carvin 832 cabinets are 400 Watts at 8 ohms. The guy at Guitar Center said both of these amps are underpowered for my speakers and would wind up damaging them. Is this true?

For cost reasons and the fact that I would never need anything near the power ouptut, I would prefer the 1500s (rated at 300 W). Again, my concern is if this could damage my speakers? Also, I'm wondering if underpowering the speakers will have a significant effect on my sound/tone?

Thanks in advance.....
 
Hey Jase,

Thanks so much for attempting to educate me. I read through the thread and honestly, it's all a bit over my head; but what I think Jay was saying is that the power amp should be rated, wattage wise, twice the continuous power of the speaker. I looked at the spec sheet for my speakers (Carvin 832) and now I'm really confused:
The speaker's "nominal impedence" is 8 ohms,
the "power rating" is 400 watts continuous power;
but the "recommended amp" is 50-600 watts.

If anyone is interested, here is the spec sheet: http://www.carvinguitars.com/manuals/832-V1.pdf

So again, what i would like to know is will a power amp rated at 300 watts at 8 ohms such as the Crown SLX 1500 damage my cabinets like the guy at Guitar Center says?
Also, is there any reason to believe it would sound bad?

Thanks again.
 
set theorist said:
So again, what i would like to know is will a power amp rated at 300 watts at 8 ohms such as the Crown SLX 1500 damage my cabinets like the guy at Guitar Center says?
Click to expand...
No.
 
I had one of those Crown XLS amps for 1 night, and returned it. Sounded terrible (IMO).
 
For better specs as to power/price I would strongly suggest the Carvin DCM-1540L, a much cooler running, lighter (in weight) class A/B amp that sounds AWESOME, and it will give you much MORE headroom, which is EXACTLY what you want with an SS poweramp.
 
axel said:
I had one of those Crown XLS amps for 1 night, and returned it. Sounded terrible (IMO).
Click to expand...

Wow, o.k. Anyone else have experience with these? Hard to imagine a Crown that sounds like crap.

I read some negative reviews of the Carvin as well. I guess everyone wants something different.

I wish all these retailers didn't have these silly restocking fees. I mean, I totally understand why they are necessary but I ain't happy about it : (
 
Jase2677 said:
set theorist said:
axel said:
I had one of those Crown XLS amps for 1 night, and returned it. Sounded terrible (IMO).
Click to expand...

Wow, o.k. Anyone else have experience with these? Hard to imagine a Crown that sounds like crap.

I read some negative reviews of the Carvin as well. I guess everyone wants something different.

I wish all these retailers didn't have these silly restocking fees. I mean, I totally understand why they are necessary but I ain't happy about it : (
Click to expand...
Crown was rad at one time. It has a weird class that is not A/B. So does the GX5, which is why I will not buy it either.
Click to expand...

I recently replaced 4 QSC RMX series amps with two Crown XTi 6000 amps. This is for a small FOH PA rig: two 15in two way speakers and four 18in subs.

I can't say that I really like the sound quality. It's monsterously loud and the amps are light weight enough though. I have one amp next to each speaker stack consisting of the 15in main and two 18in subs. My main impetus for change was lighter weight / portability.

In compared to the QSC RMX amps, to me, the XTi's sound more clinical, less warm.

Not sure if the XLS's are the same amp topology as the XTi's but I thought I'd chime in as a recent lightweight Crown customer.

Richard
 
Pulled the trigger on the SLXs last night...just in time for tonight's gig on the Lower East Side. We rehearsed last night and while the chatracter of the SLX is quite different from my Crest CA-6, I can't say the sound is unpleasant (as it was with the Peavy IPR series.) The cleans are great, the high gain settings need some tweaks...but it's good enough to play out with tonight (nobody is going to be doing an A/B comparison of my tones tonight : ) )

I picked up the 1500 which is 300W at 8 ohms. I may decide to spend a bit more and get the 2000 which is 375W....or I may decide the weight advantage is not worth the tradeoff in sound quality...but it's going to be nice lugging a rack case that is 40lbs lighter than it was yesterday : )
 
BTW, still very much interested in any recommendations for light weight, great sounding class-D power...if such a beast actually exists.
 
I get that Jase,

Believe me, I've read these forums backward and forward when it comes to power solutions and the only concensus seems to be there is no consesnsus. Some swear by a K12, others call it crap, many seem to like FBT (heavy and pricey)...heck some even extoll the virtues of Behringer or Carvin.

For me, at this stage of my musical career (25 years in), I need to be slightly more concerned with my physical health than my tone....but that doesn't mean I shouldn't strive to get the best bang for my buck. Besides, technology is ever changing at a rapid pace; and as sure as I'm sitting here today, there will one day be a 5lb box that does justice to the Axe. i just hope it arrives soon!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom