CrownCrown, 2 Channel Class D DriveCore Professional Power Amplifier with DSP, Band Pass Filters & Peakx Limiters. XLR/RCA Inputs, Black, 350-Watts (XLS1002)

Why spend thousands on a high-end audiophile amp, while this amp is affordable, still sounds good, performs well, is built well, is easy to use, and looks cool? No, it’s not the best amp. However, this amp is very unbeatable for $430. This amp sounds very good with my Elac Debut 2.0 B6.2 bookshelf speakers and not many cheap amps handle 6 ohms and don’t deliver the power I want. This amp is ideal for almost all appliances. It’s good for PA use, Hifi use, home theater use, and much more!Edit: This amp is still going strong and is currently driving my QSC AD-S28Tw subwoofer. Definitely makes the subwoofer sound good!

Strictly using this amp for CD and vinyl in 2-channel set up. Took minutes to have running right out of the box. Initially I was less than impressed to say the least. Highs were too bright, bass was minimal and soundstage was almost non-existent. Put in a high quality CD, hit play and repeat and let it run on low volume for 48 hours. The result was impressive. After 100 hours even better. I now have approx. 150 hours on the amp and the results are amazing! Highs sound spot on, bass is fast and detailed and the soundstage has opened up nicely! The detail I am hearing is a pleasant surprise. This amp definitely requires a break in period. Plenty of power and it runs cool. It does it's job effortlessly. Be patient and you won't be disappointed.

Connecting my Pioneer VSX821 or my Yamaha HTR-5980 or my Denon AVR 1907 to this Crown XLS1002 requires me to turn the LFE out to max + XLS1002 gain knob to 3 O'clock or higher to get sufficient bass.I happen to have a Rolls Pro Match 15b ($55 Amazon Sept 2020) in use upstairs on an old 3db class AB amp (Garage sale $75) that I am using to power (1) 12" Infinity 1262W ($60 on Amazon like 5 years ago) in a 4.25cu ft vented box tuned to 19hz. I yanked that Rolls Pro Match 15b off that setup and connected it to the Crown XLS1002. What a HUGE difference. I was hoping the newer series like the XLS1002 with its new higher sensitivity setting of .75V might work, but NOPE.I am using this XLS1002 as a sub amp for a single 10" infinity 1062W in a carpeted 1.25 cu ft box vented, placed under my desk that doubles as my foot rest. This sub box we made years ago to custom fit our Hyundai Elantra spare tire well area.We sold that car and had the sub box just sitting around. I paired this Infinity 1062W 10" sub box with a pair of NHT Superzeros. Without adding a pre-amp driver like the Rolls Pro Match 15b the amp just doesn't get a big enough input signal to reach decent power output even when the .75v setting is used.Using the gain knob on the XLS1002 + maxing out the LFE channel on the receiver risks added distortion and early clipping. With the Rolls Pro Match 15b ($56 here on Amazon) the bass blows my mind! A little 10" low end Infinity woofer (was like $55 5 years ago here on Amazon) is making the spoon in my glass of juice rattle like crazy! Everything on the desk sets into motion when some bass comes along.I also have a Crown XLS2000 + Roll Pro Match 15b (bought like 4 or 5 years ago from Amazon) in a 5.1 Home Theater setup pushing (1) 12" Infinity 1262W (bought on Amazon like 4 years ago for like $60) in a 4.25cu ft vented box tuned to 19hz and (1) Alpine R series 12" (Crutchfield in 2020 for about $280) in another 4.25cu ft vented box tuned to 19hz. I fed the Rolls Pro Match 15b with RCAs from the dual subwoofer outputs of a Sony STRDH550. From the Rolls Pro Match 15b I used XLR cables to feed the XLS2000. It seemed like using XLR made the amp put out more power earlier on the gain knob, but it could be placebo effect.Summary: Add a pre-amp line driver that is built well and built to last, like the Rolls Pro Match 15b.Additional info: Years ago I used a car audio 1/2 Din Clarion equalizer that had (1) RCA input and (3) sets of RCA outputs: Front, rear, and Sub for a Crown XLS1000 ($379? Guitar Center like 7 years ago). The Clarion EQ subwoofer output had it owns gain knob and crossover frequency selection. I used a cheap $10 12v power adapter to power it. That setup also worked just as good, but I let a battle buddy buy my setup at cost for his setup (that was a Polk 15" MM series in a 5 cu ft vented box tuned to like 17hz). Now there are so many negative reviews for the Clarion 1/2 Din equalizer, I didn't want to risk it and went with what I know for a fact works and is built like a tank: ROLLS PRO MATCH 15b.If you are comparing the Crown XLS series to some other brands like Behringer or some of the copy cat amps out of asia, the reason I went with Crown XLS series is because it's fan is not loud. I can't even hear it when it comes on! Also, the Crown does NOT have a loud pop on turn on or turn off like some of the other brands. I waited months for the XLS 1002 to be back in stock. When I finally saw a few were available from a trusted source like Crutchfield I jumped on it!

This is an amazing amp. The sound it produces due to its class D design is quite a bit different from your typical amps. It produces a very clean, undistorted crisp sound which frankly some may not like. I hear things in music I've never heard before, it is closer to a linear amp than anything I've owned before, and that is its best quality and worst problem. It's pure sound can make some music sound terrific and some sound awful. I don't think it's really the amps fault, it is doing what it is supposed to, but it reveals qualities in some recording that sound awful, hence the 4/5 rating. In my case I was able to resolve this by adding a cheap $50 tube preamp between the recorded source and the amp. The tube style preamp adds a bit of warmth to the sound and gives me bass/treble and volume controls. It also allows the source to be connected by bluetooth. As typical with class D amps power consumption is very low so the unit produces very little heat. This is a great amp regardless of price, but astounding value considering its output power delivered at a modest price.

The benefits of a switching mode power supply: small, lightweight, energy efficient but without sacrificing audio fidelity! This unit has some great features which make it really flexible too:- Remote trigger- 2 ohm capable- Bridgeable- Built in configurable hi/low/band pass crossover networkSupports both pro audio 1.4V as well as 0.7V consumer line level sensitivitiesI use it in bridged low-pass mode to drive a large sub-woofer who's integrated plate amp died. If you wish to drive anything below 20Hz you will need to look elsewhere though, as it that is it's low roll off. For me though, I don't really want (or need) to drive below 20Hz. Also, one has to be really careful doing so because the current starts to approach DC characteristics instead of AC when you start to get that low in frequency.Anyway I love it. Got it to replace the earlier model XLS-1000 I was using. There is nothing wrong with that model, except it was silver colored where this is black like all the rest of the gear in the rack.