old crown ss equipment
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kelsa
Active Member
I had the D150, IC150 and OC150 years ago. It held up very well with no problems. Didn't sound very good. Very harsh. Prefer McIntosh sound to Crown. I do still have a D75 which is a great little amp. It was hooked up to a cd player in the bedroom, now is hooked up to a dvd player and tv.
House de Kris
Loud-n-Deep
I have a D-40, D-60, D-75, D-150II, and DC-300A. I use them in an outdoor PA for harsh environments powered by a gas generator. Very reliable, and can take abuse. Not the last word in fidelity. Of the D series, I like the D-40's sound the best.
Brian
An Old Geezer
You have all the knowledge you need about them and that is to sell them. Probably 2 of the 4 worst sounding SS preamps made. The others being the Crown IC150, Dynaco PAT4 and Dynaco PAT5. FYI, persons with a 1st post indcating they are here to flip gear usually get a cold shoulder as this is a collector/user forum and not a place for resellers to get information. So do not take it as a slight if you do not get much response.
markn2wae
Mark T N2WAE
An ounce of prevention.
I can't speak for or against the sound quality but I have repaired these and if you get a working one, here is how to keep it working.:yes:
Replace all the small electrolytic caps; (the big ones are usually OK) snug down all the hardware holding the big main power supply caps. and output transistor screws and output speaker terminal nuts, and any other hardware that carries signal or power.:thmbsp:
All of the above tend to loosen up over time.:thumbsdn:
Get the service manual and check the input\output DC offset voltages.
Mark T.
I can't speak for or against the sound quality but I have repaired these and if you get a working one, here is how to keep it working.:yes:
Replace all the small electrolytic caps; (the big ones are usually OK) snug down all the hardware holding the big main power supply caps. and output transistor screws and output speaker terminal nuts, and any other hardware that carries signal or power.:thmbsp:
All of the above tend to loosen up over time.:thumbsdn:
Get the service manual and check the input\output DC offset voltages.
Mark T.
Very rugged, but more for PA then home audio. Worked with them in a lot of concert halls and recording studios.
Artie
Super Member
I think that part of the reason that some folks remember these as being "harsh", or poor sounding is that they were primarily "pro" amps, used in pro applications which tended not to be very hi-fi.
My current main amp is an old Crown D-150A, powering a nice old set of Yamaha NS-1000M's. This thing is as smooth and warm as a baby's butt. Tight, punchy bass, and smooth clear highs.
And, obviously, built like a tank.
Artie
My current main amp is an old Crown D-150A, powering a nice old set of Yamaha NS-1000M's. This thing is as smooth and warm as a baby's butt. Tight, punchy bass, and smooth clear highs.
And, obviously, built like a tank.
Artie
dnewma04
The Healer
I've got a D-150A, IC-150A, and FM1. I can't say I hear a thing wrong with any of them. I was thoroughly unimpressed by a PAT-4 I heard, and don't consider it in the same league as the IC-150A, sonically. The IC-150A and D-150A combo is every bit as good sounding as my Kenwood KA-9800 (KA-8300 with Bronze face).
The tuner is also one of the best around, however I'm not a fan of push button tuning, so it will not displace the KT-9900 as my main tuner.
The tuner is also one of the best around, however I'm not a fan of push button tuning, so it will not displace the KT-9900 as my main tuner.
70salesguy
Only 99 easy payments!
Crown SS units
I have done a lot of listening with the last generation of Crown equipment that was somewhat oriented towards home use, the PSL-2 preamp, PFM-3 tuner and PS-400 power amp.
Very clean and quiet. I have not heard any "harshness" and I use them with JBL 4311/4312s. I would think that the 4311/4312s would bring out any harshness if it was there. I also run a DBX-3bx unit.
Can't speak as to the sound of the IC-150/150A units since it has been a long time, but the Advent dealer back in the 70's always ran them with an IC-150 and a DC-300A.
I used a Pioneer SA-9100/TX-9100 combo with L-100's from the mid-70's (all bought new) until I started using a Crown DC-300A series II on the preamp out of the SA-9100.
Finally was able to acquire the PSL-2 / PFM-3 combo from the original owner when they converted to home theatre. Shortly thereafter changed the DC-300A II to the newer PS-400.
I think that the PSL-2 sounds very much like the SA-9100 preamp, only even cleaner.
Since many of the Crown preamps were used professionally, suspect some may have heard them sound "harsh" due to the setup that might not have been optimum.
I have done a lot of listening with the last generation of Crown equipment that was somewhat oriented towards home use, the PSL-2 preamp, PFM-3 tuner and PS-400 power amp.
Very clean and quiet. I have not heard any "harshness" and I use them with JBL 4311/4312s. I would think that the 4311/4312s would bring out any harshness if it was there. I also run a DBX-3bx unit.
Can't speak as to the sound of the IC-150/150A units since it has been a long time, but the Advent dealer back in the 70's always ran them with an IC-150 and a DC-300A.
I used a Pioneer SA-9100/TX-9100 combo with L-100's from the mid-70's (all bought new) until I started using a Crown DC-300A series II on the preamp out of the SA-9100.
Finally was able to acquire the PSL-2 / PFM-3 combo from the original owner when they converted to home theatre. Shortly thereafter changed the DC-300A II to the newer PS-400.
I think that the PSL-2 sounds very much like the SA-9100 preamp, only even cleaner.
Since many of the Crown preamps were used professionally, suspect some may have heard them sound "harsh" due to the setup that might not have been optimum.
Crown DC 300A + Power Tech III.. I use these two amps in PA. DC 300 at first but needed more power to push JBL MR925's so I went with the PT 3. The DC 300a is as good in a home stereo setup as well as on the road. If I ever get my kenwood KR5600 fixed I plan to use that to pre-amp the crown DC 300A. No knowledge of Crowm pre-amps. I do like Crown power amps though.
ekmanning5
Time has told me...
:headscrat I have a Straight Line 2 and an FM 3 combo with a Pioneer sx-650 as the amplifier. I've hooked up a pair of Allison Fours and a set of Nova 8s to it. I honestly don't know what the hell to think of it.
Jay Pemberton
Active Member
I have an IC 150A that I've modified somewhat, using OPA 134s in the phono stage, OPA 604s in the line stage. Much better than with the stock TL071s but I'd like to totally replace all the electrolytics in the phono stage with Black Gates or whatever's best (nonpolars?), as the phono stage of my Dynaco PAS 2 still sounds better....
70salesguy
Only 99 easy payments!
ekmanning5 said:
You should pick up a good Crown DC-300A series II or PS-200 or PS-400 off the famous auction site. You will be very pleased with the sound. :yes:
