SWL Posted March 31, 2008 Share Posted March 31, 2008 I did some listening/experimenting this past weekend with a couple of friends and would like to share our experience. This is mostly directed to the average "Joe's" out there that love their tunes. Speakers listened to= KLF-30's 82' Cornwall's RB-75's (bookshelf version of the RF-7) Amps listened to= 150 watt tube Eastern Electric mono-blocks $7000.00 24 watt tube Eastern Electric 502 integrated $1500.00 8 watt tube Eastern Electric Mini Max $1200.00 275 watt ss Crown XTI 1000 $450.00 Well, all of the tube/ speaker combinations sounded excellent. In my opinion.......The Cornwalls had everything, the KLF-30's own "The Punch" and the RB-75's definitely held their own with the help from a Velodyne sub........after all, they are bookshelves. The 150 watt Eastern Electric mono-blocks with the Cornwalls were my favorite........but not by much. The Cornwall's just have a way of presenting a much wider soundstage. After a couple hours of listening, we saved the "trouble maker" for last.[] We pretty much determined the 150 watt Eastern Electric mono-blocks to be the best of the bunch at $7000.00. On to the XTI-1000 at $450.00...............We heard the "noise" coming out of the speaker two feet away.........What's all the fuss about???? No big deal, move over two more feet let alone sit in your chair and it's gone!!!!!!! Yes, the fans are there but definitely not an issue. The sound quality in comparison to the other amps? At $450.00 it's a no-brainer. Pleasantly surprised, we assisted each other lifting our jaws off the floor and went home with smiles on our faces.[] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billybob Posted March 31, 2008 Share Posted March 31, 2008 Take it, it is a big thumbs up! Going to guess had plenty of headroom left with the Cornwalls! Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coytee Posted March 31, 2008 Share Posted March 31, 2008 The sound quality in comparison to the other amps? At $450.00 it's a no-brainer. Pleasantly surprised, we assisted each other lifting our jaws off the floor and went home with smiles on our faces Now to throw a fly into the ointment.... the K1 & K2 series don't have fans...but they're a bit more expensive on the used market. [:#] Sounds like you had a grand time!! [Y] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deang Posted March 31, 2008 Share Posted March 31, 2008 Pleasantly surprised, we assisted each other lifting our jaws off the floor... Maybe the Eastern Minimax stuff just sucks worse than the Crown. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SWL Posted March 31, 2008 Author Share Posted March 31, 2008 Pleasantly surprised, we assisted each other lifting our jaws off the floor... Maybe the Eastern Minimax stuff just sucks worse than the Crown. No doubt there's a lot of overpriced crap out there. The Eastern Electric equipment I've heard has always sounded very good to me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jacksonbart Posted March 31, 2008 Share Posted March 31, 2008 My name is not Joe, but I do love my tunes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SWL Posted March 31, 2008 Author Share Posted March 31, 2008 My name is not Joe, but I do love my tunes.Yeah, I hear ya "Steve". Not everyone has, nor do they want any measuring equipment. It would probably be cool but to determine what gear I'm gonna use in my home, I would go with my ears, say 90%...........and specs say 30%.[][]..........and don't sweat the small stuff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JJkizak Posted March 31, 2008 Share Posted March 31, 2008 In all the years I have been around I have never heard any bad reviews or tests of Crown products. JJK Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jwc Posted March 31, 2008 Share Posted March 31, 2008 SWL. What kinda music was the group listening to? Was it at say.."loud volumes? jc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SWL Posted March 31, 2008 Author Share Posted March 31, 2008 SWL. What kinda music was the group listening to? Was it at say.."loud volumes? jc All types of music. We had an spl meter checking out different volumes but mostly right around 90db. We were using a tube cd player and new to me was a squeezebox music server. Pretty cool. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jwc Posted March 31, 2008 Share Posted March 31, 2008 I have thought about one of those squeezboxes to jack into my DAC. Well...I would like to mention a few things that I wish you would compare...unless your review is over. I'm asking this as you have a high priced amp that you are using in your comparison. First of all...let me say that I think the Crown is a great value. It is a way to get a jubilee system up and running at a reasonable price with good results. I've heard it.....mono that is. Just want that thought to be in your mind as I floor a few questions to you. Now, I went all balance connections between my McIntosh DAC (MDA1000) to the XTi 1000. La scala II's. I didn't have a significant noise problem. The hiss was there...but not that big of a deal. Listen for these things.....as they were noticed by me: At "high volumes", music such as 80's Funk bands and metal had a lot of fatigue (I picked what I consider good recordings). Once I got the volume up there, the cymbals and or percussion were harsh on my ears. The bass was good but to keep the bass "pounce" where I like it...the top end wasn't tolerable. So I couldn't listen to this music casually at high volumes for any length of time. With jazz/blues. I tend to not have the volume quite as high. The Crown was pretty good here although lacking some detail on the high end. The only real downside was voice of SADE and Diane Krall - lack of warmth - slight rasp. Not as good as my McIntosh SS amp. But you know I wouldn't have picked up on it as "not as good" if I didn't have the higher priced amp to compare too. The XTi is definately a bargain. Wasn't good enough for me to consider selling my MAC amp and pocketing the extra money. Anyway...if you still have it in your hands....just curious what you thought. Is it close enough in performance to consider selling your high priced amp and using the XTi? jc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SWL Posted March 31, 2008 Author Share Posted March 31, 2008 I have thought about one of those squeezboxes to jack into my DAC. Well...I would like to mention a few things that I wish you would compare...unless your review is over. I'm asking this as you have a high priced amp that you are using in your comparison. First of all...let me say that I think the Crown is a great value. It is a way to get a jubilee system up and running at a reasonable price with good results. I've heard it.....mono that is. Just want that thought to be in your mind as I floor a few questions to you. Now, I went all balance connections between my McIntosh DAC (MDA1000) to the XTi 1000. La scala II's. I didn't have a significant noise problem. The hiss was there...but not that big of a deal. Listen for these things.....as they were noticed by me: At "high volumes", music such as 80's Funk bands and metal had a lot of fatigue (I picked what I consider good recordings). Once I got the volume up there, the cymbals and or percussion were harsh on my ears. The bass was good but to keep the bass "pounce" where I like it...the top end wasn't tolerable. So I couldn't listen to this music casually at high volumes for any length of time. With jazz/blues. I tend to not have the volume quite as high. The Crown was pretty good here although lacking some detail on the high end. The only real downside was voice of SADE and Diane Krall - lack of warmth - slight rasp. Not as good as my McIntosh SS amp. But you know I wouldn't have picked up on it as "not as good" if I didn't have the higher priced amp to compare too. The XTi is definately a bargain. Wasn't good enough for me to consider selling my MAC amp and pocketing the extra money. Anyway...if you still have it in your hands....just curious what you thought. Is it close enough in performance to consider selling your high priced amp and using the XTi? jc The higher priced tube amps are not mine. I brought one of my XTI's over to a friends house (I have four 2000's and one 1000). We were all expecting the XTI to sound bad in comparison, we were proved wrong.I know exactly what your saying about the different types of music played at various volumes. Was/is your room treated? Eliminating early reflections, bass traps, placement of speakers etc. really helped in taking some of the edge off the highs of the XTI's..........without a doubt. Room treatments certainly help with any equipment......and although my room is treated and working very well for the XTI's.......they are still a little rough around the edges compared to higher priced more "exotic" gear, if you will. I believe the cost speaks for itself. How much did you pay for the Mac? New? Used? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrWho Posted March 31, 2008 Share Posted March 31, 2008 At "high volumes", music such as 80's Funk bands and metal had a lot of fatigue (I picked what I consider good recordings). Once I got the volume up there, the cymbals and or percussion were harsh on my ears. The bass was good but to keep the bass "pounce" where I like it...the top end wasn't tolerable. So I couldn't listen to this music casually at high volumes for any length of time. It's the recordings man [] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jwc Posted March 31, 2008 Share Posted March 31, 2008 Mike B. Please man....I don't want this to turn into a circus. I can comment about what you said but it will lead down a path of off topic discussion. If you think that bad recording was the reason of my findings...then you are welcome to send me private messages. I'm not gonna change what I listen too just so I can listen to amps that work with that music. SWL. Thanks for your comments. I have never felt I need room treatments although my room doesn't have a lot of flat surfaces. So the review for you is over....meaning, there won't be the nice tube amps in your room for comparison? jc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SWL Posted March 31, 2008 Author Share Posted March 31, 2008 Mike B. Please man....I don't want this to turn into a circus. I can comment about what you said but it will lead down a path of off topic discussion. If you think that bad recording was the reason of my findings...then you are welcome to send me private messages. I'm not gonna change what I listen too just so I can listen to amps that work with that music. SWL. Thanks for your comments. I have never felt I need room treatments although my room doesn't have a lot of flat surfaces. So the review for you is over....meaning, there won't be the nice tube amps in your room for comparison? jc Oh......I think Crowns and tubes can co-exist without scratching each other's eyeballs out.[8-)] Someday, I would like to try some nice tubes on the highs and keep the Crowns on the lows.Properly treating a room is no joke...........and can be done relatively inexpensive with very positive results. Perhaps I wasn't giving the XTI's enough credit but the treatments certainly don't hurt. I know a lot of guys don't want to hear about it..........the treatments or the XTI's.[*-)] In fact, the search for tubes for me has just begun. I'm looking for an amp to go in between my JM Peach ll and 74' Heresy's in my second system.[] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jwc Posted March 31, 2008 Share Posted March 31, 2008 Oh, I have nothing against room treatments. I'm definately not disregarding it. I have another room that needs it...but not gonna mess with it as I'm to hopefully move into another house. Yes tubes and SS can mix...I do it here. Nice to hear your comments. After you listened to them for awhile, keep eveything the same and considered borrowning your buddies tube amps again....not the same price range amps. I would definately agree that the XTi's are hard to beat esp for that price range..... Enjoy. jc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jacksonbart Posted March 31, 2008 Share Posted March 31, 2008 In my limited experiance SWL is dead on, the room interaction has a bigger influence on the sound heard by your ears then the differences between two properly functioning amps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jwc Posted March 31, 2008 Share Posted March 31, 2008 In my limited experiance SWL is dead on, the room interaction has a bigger influence on the sound heard by your ears then the differences between two properly functioning amps. I hear you......I'm not disagreeing..I agree..Not sure why this keeps being brought up...cause I don't disagree. JB. How is it that I have had 3 amps with the same setup that sound wonderful with the same songs and then the XTi didn't? Is it the room w/o treatments? Treatments effecting one amp more than the others? How does that work? This isn't sarcasm...maybe you fellas are looking at it diiferently than I. jc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SWL Posted March 31, 2008 Author Share Posted March 31, 2008 In my limited experiance SWL is dead on, the room interaction has a bigger influence on the sound heard by your ears then the differences between two properly functioning amps. I hear you......I'm not disagreeing..I agree..Not sure why this keeps being brought up...cause I don't disagree. JB. How is it that I have had 3 amps with the same setup that sound wonderful with the same songs and then the XTi didn't? Is it the room w/o treatments? Treatments effecting one amp more than the others? How does that work? This isn't sarcasm...maybe you fellas are looking at it diiferently than I. jc JC.........Were you using the DSP? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jwc Posted March 31, 2008 Share Posted March 31, 2008 No. No DSP when I was trying out on the La Scalas. I'm using it now for Subs and controlling from my PC. Nice software but slow to load. I really wish I would have liked it as it could have saved me some Dough and I could sell some stuff. I have no problem with Crown. Do you think the DSP needs to be "on" but no settings to get a better sound? jc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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