Crown Two-channel-300W at 4Ω Power Amplifier, Black, 300-Watts (XLi800)

Lo compre para reemplazar una versión similar de hace 10 años. Espero que dure otros 10

Great amp lots of power im using it for a sub woofer and it runs it with no problem

This Crown XLI 800 is a top performer in our surround sound system. It is powering two Bic RTR 1530 frontally used speakers. We play a lot of music with the system, and it sounds great. This model is a basic amplifier without a lot of bells and whistles. It simply does what it is supposed to do at a very affordable price, which is just what I want from an amplifier. The XLI 800 is a silent runner with no floor noise or fan noise to be heard. With music playing it delivers with force and clarity. The whole system sounds better, since the receiver now only needs to power the surround and back surround speakers. It is very user friendly. Regular RCA plugs can be used from the receiver pre-outs to the inputs of the Crown. Binding posts offer easy speaker hook up. As others have mentioned, these Crowns do have protective plastic plugs inserted in the binding posts. Apparently, European style power cords could, in error, be connected to them. Instead, Europeans are advised to use the side slots for speaker wire connections. If you live in the United States you can safely remove the protective plugs. I viewed an on line video, which suggests removing the protective plugs using a small threaded screw. I used a sheet rock screw, turning it by hand until the screw threads just engaged the plastic plugs. The amplifier (of course) should not be connected to a power source, should you follow this approach. In my case, they all pulled out really easy. It has a sensitivity switch allowing it to be set at 1.4 volts or 0.775 volts. For most home systems the 0.775 volt setting will be just fine. You should check the rating of the pre outs on the receiver you plan to use. The only thing that worried me was how to set the gain controls. Technical support at Crown told me to simply turn them up to where the sound seemed best, which I did. I started by placing them around the 2 o'clock position and finally wound up leaving the dials at the 3 o'clock position. You do have to work with speaker placement and some receiver adjustments to get the best sound. I turned down the sensitivity of the receiver, as the sound seemed a bit bright. Each type of speaker is different, and you have to use your receiver adjustments, accordingly. It does have a center light on the front, some might find over powering. To remedy the situation, a small square of electrical tape will cover it. The tape matches the black color of the case, perfectly. . If your speakers need some good solid watts per channel, to get them going, you can't go wrong with this Crown. Finally, these Crowns are built to take it. The case is heavy gauge steel. The weight is a hefty 25.1 pounds for this model. Although not trendy looking, the styling is more about quality and something that does not go out of fashion. That is all good. After all, I hear these Crowns last a long time.

I bought this amp to replace a hand-me-down Crown D75A I was using with a set of KEF Q300's, which I use as monitors in my home studio. I refuse to believe I need to spend a fortune to get a good amp with how far technology has come these days, so I was looking for the best stereo power amp I could find for under $300, keeping in mind that I needed something quiet. This amp is perfect. I can definitely notice a huge improvement over my old D75A right off the bat. This amp sounds much better: it feels like it really gives the music the body and depth I knew it had in it, and does this without coloring the sound. Also, I am running it in stereo mode, and the gain between the two channels is much tighter, so my center image is right down center whereas it used to be a little off to the right. Finally, it's way more power than I could ever need for my Q300's, but I love knowing I have all that clean headroom. I was a little mislead by other reviews I read, which implied that the fans are so quiet you can't ever hear them: they certainly make a noise, but it is a very quiet and low in frequency, and in fact is a rather warm and pleasant feeling hum (unlike the nasty sounding hums of some amps). Significantly though, it is masked by even the quietest content playing on my speakers, so it is no trouble at all for mixing. I will have to turn it off when I am recording, but it's so easy to switch on (doesn't make any pops and instantly delivers the gain you need) so I could just turn it on between takes anyway if I needed. All in all, sufficiently quiet enough for my home studio purposes. Also, worth noting: this seems to be the european version of the amp, judging by the binding posts on the back. From the manual: "Binding posts on European models come with safety plugs installed to prevent European power cords from being inserted. The side entry positions for these connectors should therefore be used for European models". This amazon listing came with safety plugs, and so you have to use the side entry positions (which was a little annoying, because I'd prefer to use banana plugs, but oh well).

Purchased this unit to replace a failed Mixer/Amp. Was needing a unit to pump at least 150-200 watts into passive JBL’s. It works as required. Note: Although not mentioned in any product information - when using this amp in Stereo Mode, program information is being supplied through both sides, but controlled only by the Right control knob for Output. This totally makes sense but it could be explained in the articles. Maybe even a Stereo Output label on the knob. Love Crown products and the price point for this unit, along with the warranty is great!