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Hafler XL-600 or two XL-280's?

Prestochango

Prestochango

Member
Hey all,

I have a bit of a dilemma. I can get into a Hafler XL-600 as an upgrade to my XL-280 for about the same price as I can get an additional XL-280 to run a mono-block setup. I have heard the XL-600 on my system and it does sound a bit sweeter than my singular XL-280 at listening levels approaching 90db. I am running Hafler model 400 speakers, and while I love the sound of them, they are hungry beasts. The Hafler amps have always been a good match for them, so I hate to stray.

Can someone help me out with the pluses and minuses for my 2 choices? The biggest downside I can think of with the XL600 is the fan noise. What is the upside of mono-blocking over just having one beastly stereo amplifier?

Thanks in advance,
Don
 
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That is one point I actually thought of. The XL600's supply is one giant x-former with 2 rectifiers and cap banks. Close to separate, but not quite.

I just know that the sound is stupid good with the XL600. The Hafler Model 400 speakers are thirsty, but if you have the power, they are magical... and apparently quite rare. Impossible to find ANYTHING on the internet about them.

I think I will try to find a XL-280 to demo and compare the mono-block set up to the XL-600.
 
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The XL600 had overheating issues, as it turned out the fan circuit was toasted. I bought a 10k pot from the Shack and made a simple voltage divider and used the output to drive the base of the fan drive transistor. It's a manual process now, but I have found a happy medium speed where it stays cool, but the fan is not too noisy. I hope to use that as a bargaining chip.... although I may have likely done something similar had it was fully functioning. Infinite speed control >> 3 speed control.
 
Prestochango said:
The XL600 had overheating issues, as it turned out the fan circuit was toasted. I bought a 10k pot from the Shack and made a simple voltage divider and used the output to drive the base of the fan drive transistor. It's a manual process now, but I have found a happy medium speed where it stays cool, but the fan is not too noisy. I hope to use that as a bargaining chip.... although I may have likely done something similar had it was fully functioning. Infinite speed control >> 3 speed control.
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Odd - my XL600 has never overheated. Did you check the bias and were you leaving enough room for ventilation?
 
Zombie thread I know, but with with two 280s you could avoid any down time if one breaks.

One 600 quits and you're tuneless until it's fixed.
 
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