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Pro Amps for Home Use?

it's a worthy question. i have heard people say that some amplifiers designed for high power can sound less than inspiring at low volumes. that may be why yamaha designed the PC5002M to operate with dual rails :dunno: whatever they did, it sounds identically wonderful at any volume. with an amp that's shifting its bias and rail around too much, low volume may be more problematic.
 
Mmmm, I'm comparing the Crown with the 'biggest' amp I have a Yamaha M-80:
2x 160W (8Ohm, 0,003% THD) 2x 290W (6Ohm, 0,007% THD) 2x 340W (4Ohm, 0,02% THD) 10Hz...100kHz (8Ohm, 0,003% THD, half power)
+0 / -0,1dB between 20Hz...20kHz 1,55V / 20kOhm 127dB (IHF-A) 89dB 23kg. (Specs from TVK)
So, I don't know- when the M-80 is being driven hard, the meters are reading +180W, and it sounds clean to me.
But when powering some pretty hefty speakers (4Pi) at 'loud' volumes, I'm curious what effect a pro-amp would have on overall control.
 
Spectrum77 said:
Mmmm, I'm comparing the Crown with the 'biggest' amp I have a Yamaha M-80:
2x 160W (8Ohm, 0,003% THD) 2x 290W (6Ohm, 0,007% THD) 2x 340W (4Ohm, 0,02% THD) 10Hz...100kHz (8Ohm, 0,003% THD, half power)
+0 / -0,1dB between 20Hz...20kHz 1,55V / 20kOhm 127dB (IHF-A) 89dB 23kg. (Specs from TVK)
So, I don't know- when the M-80 is being driven hard, the meters are reading +180W, and it sounds clean to me.
But when powering some pretty hefty speakers (4Pi) at 'loud' volumes, I'm curious what effect a pro-amp would have on overall control.
Click to expand...



The THD Measurements speak for themselves. The amplifier was underrated more at 8 ohms than 4 ohms. Had they measured the amplifier with the same THD rating @ 8 and 4 ohms, the ratings would not have such a wide margin.

The majority of Pro amplifiers are rated @ 2 ohms per channel, whereas that Yamaha is rated 4 ohms.

That amplifier would be similar to the old Crown DC 300. However, the DC 300 will offer a frequency response from 1 - 100 kHz flat.

You cannot compare old home amplifiers to old professional amplifiers. They were designed to deliver their wattage continuous until you turned the power off in the most rigorous conditions.

Best Regards,
 
I am using QSC amps in a home theater set up with a B&K Ref 30 Preamp. I went with pro amps because of the money that I needed to invest for a true 7.1 system, but didn't have. I ended up using 3 USA 850's and 3 USA 370's, with a total investemtn for just under $200. That is what I call bang for the buck.

The question is. . . How do they sound? I couldn't be happier.:banana: I do quite a bit of 2 channel listening in that room because it is so symetrical and I can't find any flaws. The fan noise is no issue becasue everything is in a closet.

There is no debate that pro amps give you the power many of us crave. SQ is the only question, and I believe that my set up is superior to a system using a single amp to power 7 speakers. . . 6 power supplies vs. 1. . . POINT MADE.:D
 
Vintage Crown Power Amps

d-ray657 said:
I see impressive power numbers for the pro power amps. For those who use pro power, what is your experience with low volume listening?

Regards,

D-Ray
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You will see on the info about the PS-400 that it operates in Multi-Mode which would probably also contribute to its extremely quiet operation. I also have several DC300A series II as well as a couple of Power Line Fours.

I can't really speak to the later (and current) model Crown Power Amplifiers or other brands that may have been specifically designed for Pro applications. The Crown DC300A Series II was designed for both Pro as well as consumer applications, and found wide acceptance in both. The later version of this amp, the PS-400 also was designed for this double application as well. Another simular amp from Crown, the Power Line Four was intended more for consumer use.

It would seem that many Pro amps that are on the market have been designed strictly for Pro application, as witnessed by internal fans and connections that are intended for pro applications. These amps may well provide pleasing perfromance in a home environment, but I have no experience with these.

If you look closely at the information on the PS-400, you can see the features that indicate that the design intent of the amp was to fit either application. I can heartily recommend the PS-400 or the DC300A series II.

I would also encourage to solicit some info and opinion on this subject from member BMWCCA, who is also a big Crown and JBL user.
 
d-ray657 said:
I see impressive power numbers for the pro power amps. For those who use pro power, what is your experience with low volume listening?

Regards,

D-Ray
Click to expand...

Mine have sounded just as good at lower volumes as they do at higher volumes. There really seems to be no place my amps fall down at... you gotta remember too, even with lower volumes, you have a lot more over head than you would with smaller consumer amps, so things sound completely unstrained.. just nice smooth tunes..
 
the M-80 power figure into 8 Ohms was misquoted. it's between 250 and 260 wpc, not 160. that's a different power league than the DC300. also, it's pretty stable into 2 Ohms, but as a precaution i wouldn't use the "Auto A" feature for such a difficult load.
 
Yeah, maybe we should distinguish vintage vs. modern pro amp categories
Those Crowns 70salesguy knows certainly don't fall into mulester7's "much less weight than you'd expect" classification like the modern designs. They're old-school big iron. Wish mine had the rack handles....

And yes, search functions will reveal plenty of messages here, at Lansing forum, and Crown forums, from BMWCCA extolling the virtues.
His recommendations and 70salesguy's influenced my decision to try, and I'm glad.

Just for the record, since I didn't say before
my PS-400 is driving JBL L96 on the left channel, and right side is LE10H+EconoWave and Zobel from N3113B thrown in for good measure (although I haven't actually measured it, Zilch :tongue:

Only had it two weeks, and thusfar all listening at HIGHER VOLUME LEVELS.
Have to get back to ya on how it sounds turned down :D
 
I use two crown CL-1 amps on my back deck outside, at low OR high volumes, I as well as all the neighbors are impressed.
 
phenomenal

d-ray657 said:
I see impressive power numbers for the pro power amps. For those who use pro power, what is your experience with low volume listening?

Regards,

D-Ray
Click to expand...
In a word...overhead
On my QSC SRA 3622 amps the low volume levels are as clean, clear and detailed as they are at high volumes.
 
You can't go wrong with a Crown. I love my Crown PS-400. It works very well with my Magnepan's. Very clean sound.
 
OK folks, you have me planning for my next major upgrade. I would like to have some more power to push the ARs. I'm not going to jump on the CL ad for these two. I'll do some homework first and see whether to go new or vintage, and then decide how much power I can afford, since I will probably also want an upgrade from the Dynaco PAT5 for a pre-amp. Thanks for all of the comments.

Now, I wonder how a tube pre and SS pro amp would sound . . .

Regards,

D-Ray
 
cdfac said:
the M-80 power figure into 8 Ohms was misquoted. it's between 250 and 260 wpc, not 160. that's a different power league than the DC300. also, it's pretty stable into 2 Ohms, but as a precaution i wouldn't use the "Auto A" feature for such a difficult load.
Click to expand...

The Manual states 330 watts per channel @ 4 ohms continuous from 20 - 20 kHz. This amplifier is not rated @ 2 ohms per channel hence, it is not recomended. Being stable and, rated @ 2 ohms per channel is not the same. Bear in mind "Dynamic Power" is a marketing ploy to make an amplifier look more impressive. The power consumption on the Yamaha M 80 is 600 watts.

The Crown DC 300 is 305 watts per channel @ 4 ohms continuous from DC - 20 kHz. The power consumption on the DC 300 is 1200 watts.

Both units are 600 watt amplifiers. However, the DC 300 offers a bigger power supply which means it will perform better at 4 ohms per channel.

Best Regards,
 
The Yamaha PC2002M is the pro version of the M-2. Yamaha added a fourth pair of Sanken T-03 outputs per channel so this amp is overbuilt and under stressed. Interestingly, the PC2002M sells for half of the M-2 even though IMO, it is a better amp.
 
SPAM said:
Those Crowns 70salesguy knows certainly don't fall into mulester7's "much less weight than you'd expect" classification like the modern designs. They're old-school big iron. Wish mine had the rack handles....
Click to expand...

I picked up a Crown while buying some other stuff. I think it was a DC300II, or something like that. It was a lot lighter than I expected. No where near as heavy as my Altec amps.
 
If buying a pro amp such as a QSC or Crown, would I simply be able to remove my current Rotel RB1080 amp and plug into the pro amps using the same cables?
 
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