Crestron 7 channel amplifier 200 wpc

[teaman]

http://www.ebay.com/itm/263003323961?_trksid=p2060353.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

 

From what I have read this is made by ATI and offers 7 channels and 200 wpc each. Not sure what the differences are but a buddy of mine introduced me to Crestron. Seems their stuff is built like tanks and originally this amp retailed for around $1500. There is another one on Ebay priced at $1k. In case anyone wants a nice powerful HT amp. No affiliation.

[wvu80]

I just saw the specs in the ad.  That's 200 watts of Class A power!

 

A hundred bucks shipping.  Beast mode.

[teaman]

Yeah, it is rated like a monster. I think it weighs over 100 lbs so shipping would indeed be costly. Of course if you picked it up for under $300 and added a hundred for shipping it still sounds like a good deal. Especially compared to the Monolith (Monoprice) and ATI models this is based upon. I think they retail for between $1400 and $2k.

[wvu80]

1 hour ago, teaman said:

Of course if you picked it up for under $300 and added a hundred for shipping it still sounds like a good deal.

My Onk 717 does have pre-outs.  No sure if you knew that or not.

 

Are you giving me purchasing suggestions, my friend? 

[teaman]

No Dave....lol, simply stating that these amps don't come up very often and they seem to be based off of a pretty popular ATI model. Not sure if the Crestron model has any differences in engineering since the brand pretty much caters to home automation. Not really sure if there is a AV card in it or something that would make it hard to use outside of other Crestron equipment. I wonder if Crestron could answer that if I called them.....hmm...

[willland]

5 hours ago, wvu80 said:

I just saw the specs in the ad.  That's 200 watts of Class A power!

 

A hundred bucks shipping.  Beast mode.

I must have missed something.  It appears to be Class AB.  A Class A amp of 200w/ch will glow like tubes.

 

5 hours ago, wvu80 said:

Beast mode.

Definitely a beast.

 

Bill

[CECAA850]

No bids yet.  It's also untested and carries no guarantee.

[wvu80]

On 5/30/2017 at 5:00 AM, willland said:

I must have missed something.  It appears to be Class AB.  A Class A amp of 200w/ch will glow like tubes.

You're right, it was I who seems to have missed something.  I could swear when I first read the ad it said 200w class A.  Upon further reading it clearly says Class A/B, just as you said.

 

I thought 200 watts of Class A would have been a lot.

+++

@teaman do you want to keep me updated on the Ebay sale, if you are following it?  I might make a move on it if nobody else does.  Thursday just after noon is when the auction ends.

 

I see where there is now one bid for the minimum $199.

 

There is something about the description that bothers me.  It refers to how specially it's linked to their pre-pro.  Will this thing work normally as a simple amp connected to any pre-pro?

Its interface to the Cresnet control network affords remote power control and monitoring of the internal temperature. Over-temperature conditions can be sensed by the control system and used to display a warning message on a touchpanel, reduce audio levels, or even activate an external cooling fan.

[teaman]

I saw that too Dave. If you search that question in Google someone in one of the audio forums answers about a simple go-around to void that Crestron circuit board.

[wvu80]

@teaman two separate bidders with 23 hours left.  The bid is up from $199 to a whopping $201.50.  I did the research as you suggested on the proprietary boards and there seemed to be some people who understood a workaround.  It still is confusing to me.

 

@CECAA850 said " It's also untested and carries no guarantee. "  On those kinds of products I only bid what I am willing to lose.  With what seems to be a bit of an oddball I am getting cold feet.

[teaman]

No worries Dave, if I was leery about buying something I would stay away too. My buddy said the work around is easy too but he is in Canada so it's not like I am going to have him walk me through it. Deals come up all the time....hang tight!

[teaman]

Funny, I see the same seller has another one is listed for sale now. $199 and no bids, also ends in 22 hours

 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Crestron-CNAMPX-7x200/263003324711?_trksid=p2060778.c100276.m3476&_trkparms=aid%3D222007%26algo%3DSIM.MBE%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D20140725133649%26meid%3Daab679a36e714032a931097874eddd95%26pid%3D100276%26rk%3D1%26rkt%3D4%26sd%3D263003323961

 

 

After a message to the seller I received this info back from him:

 

"It would need a creston system to function correctly, there is a hack that you can find online to bypass this but not recommended. Plugging in RCA's will NOT do the trick."

 

So I guess unless you do the work around the amp will not work. Better to know going in!

[wvu80]

@teaman What is your thinking at this point?  Your post above first said "no worries" then after your follow-up communication (which is on the second listing) indicates it will not be plug 'n play with RCA jacks, that work around will be needed.

 

Getting 200 wpc x 7 for 3-400 bucks is a great price no doubt, but is it worth it for a work around?  I dunno.

+++

 

That second auction ends ONE MINUTE after the first!

[teaman]

Sorry Dave, I was meaning "no worries" in reply to you stating "also untested and carries no guarantee"....seeming you didn't feel confident in buying them. I agree with you after hearing back from the seller, I wouldn't buy them either unless I knew how to do the modifications and knew they would work without risking it becoming a boat anchor!

 

I would like to see what exactly is the work around. Obviously these are not the first nor the last that will be up for sale.

 

Here is what I found in the AVSForum post as far as modification needs:

 

ATI makes excellent products, that is why I recently purchased a Crestron CNAMPX7x200 as well as a CNAMPX16x60. The 7x was $500 shipped and the 16X was $210 shipped. Out of the box they each weigh close to 100 pounds, yes that is each. Internally all of the parts are identical to the ATI counterparts with ATI part numbers and logo's silk screened on the pcb's. The only Crestron part is the Cresnet interface cards, which on the 7x can be removed entirely if you wish.

Very easy to bypass the entire Cresnet interface to make these function like any amplifier. The 7x modification is a simple 1 step process the 16x is a simple 2 step process.

There are tons of these on Ebay, craigslist, etc. Prices are all over the map but there are numerous bargains because most people think the Cresnet interface is "complicated and required" to function, which is simply not true. Be happy to share more detailed information via pm to those willing to "look under the hood"

[wvu80]

2 minutes ago, teaman said:

I agree with you after hearing back from the seller, I wouldn't buy them either unless I knew how to do the modifications and knew they would work without risking it becoming a boat anchor!

Well, the catch 22 is the Seller claims it works, but you would not know that unless you had a Crestron pre/pro to test it.  If you bought it and modded it, then found out it didn't work the Seller would have a legitimate claim that the Buyer broke it while doing the mods.

[CECAA850]

The owners manual is available on the Creston web site.  it LOOKS like it can be used as a conventional 7 channel amp but also be used in the Creston Home Network where several functions can be controlled and monitored remotely.  I didn't read the entire manual however.

[CECAA850]

https://www.crestron.com/downloads/pdf/product_manuals//cnampx-7x200.pdf

[CECAA850]

After reading the troubleshooting area it looks like it needs to see 24v at the network connector.

[CECAA850]

From the horses mouth.

 

https://support.crestron.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/1627/~/can-i-use-the-crestron-amplifier-as-a-stand-alone-power-amp-not-connected-to-a/session/L2F2LzEvdGltZS8xNDk2MjYzNjUxL3NpZC9mVWF2MkRFYUZfcnUlN0VxNnRhUG5Tb09uQ0I2ZEp1b25zQ2ozaVB0bWluZGRQT29KM09sVHZEXzdnNUlSa3dhdnJyTGIyUGxjdnFhTjlMdndyTEh4aFFEU3pRemJ1enUxQnNiamQ5R3ZqRjg2S3RPdlBneXMyVWR0ZyUyMSUyMQ

 

 

 

Yes, the CNAMPX-16x60 or any Crestron Amplifer, can be used outside of a Crestron system as a power amplifier. In order to use it this way you will still need to supply +24Vs to the network card and then press the Override button on the back of the unit. This will switch all of the amplifier channels on. An external volume control or pre-amplifier would be needed to control the volume levels

[wvu80]

Just now, CECAA850 said:

After reading the troubleshooting area it looks like it needs to see 24v at the network connector.

I saw that on some of the discussion forums regarding the mods.  I'm not sure exactly what all that means.