cjgeraci Posted March 31, 2008 Share Posted March 31, 2008 Ok, with all the Crown "buzz" going on in the forum, I decided that I had to try a Crown, abeit an older one – just for grins. This will be a “quick” initial review because there are more pressing things going on in my life other than audio. However, later this evening, I will probably have the chance to post some pics. Thanks to forum member and best bud Sheltie Dave, I picked up a pre-owned Crown Powerline 4 amp to try as a "summer" amp for my rear Belles, you know - when the temperatures are pushing the 90s-100s in the Midwest and I would rather not heat up the room further by firing up my NOSValves VRDs. My understanding is that the PS and Powerline series were basically the same, with the PS being the pro variant and the Power Line being Crown's attempt, in the `80's at the consumer/home audio market. As a result, the Powerline 4 has consumer RCA jacks instead of pro ones. Apparently, the PS and Power Line series also used what Crown called Multi-Mode circuitry, which allowed the amps pre driver stage to run in Class A for the first couple of watts, and then, as the amp gets pushed, it switches over to AB+B. The specs are 165 watts per channel, with a heat sink thermally joined with the chassis – and thus, no fans. Visually, even though the amp is large, it has certain WAF, if that is of a concern, arising out of its brushed metal exterior. The thing is also built like a tank and weighs over 50 pounds. Sound-wise, it does not have the wetness and dimensionality that my VRDs have, but it has a surprisingly nice sound for a solid state amp at lower volumes. In fact, this amp sounds pretty close to my Bryston at lower volumes. At higher volumes, this monster grabs the woofers with authority and tells them what to do. Also, it has a noticeable lack of grain or glare at higher volumes, similar to my QSC PLX series amp. All in all, initial impressions are pretty positive, and I believe that I can find a place in my system for this amp. All in all, pretty impressive for Crown’s “attempt” at a home amp in the ‘80s. Carl. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZAKO Posted March 31, 2008 Share Posted March 31, 2008 Nice going Carl.... One more step in the right direction to audio bliss. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cjgeraci Posted March 31, 2008 Author Share Posted March 31, 2008 Well, at least one small step in getting there. Yikes, not enough shelf space available and more stuff waiting in the wings..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cjgeraci Posted March 31, 2008 Author Share Posted March 31, 2008 Big boy is on the floor - - for now..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cjgeraci Posted March 31, 2008 Author Share Posted March 31, 2008 One final thing. The amp is quiet at idle. No real audible hiss, not even up close. Similar to my QSC, which is also dead quiet. Carl. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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