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Vintage Pro Audio vs New Pro Audio

arpod

arpod

Member
Hey all I've got a question for you. I'm looking to get a high current amplifier capable of making a pair of Magnepan LRS really sing. I'm trying to do it on a budget and I've narrowed my choices down to:

1) Vintage JBL 6260 - 300w/ch @ 4ohm
2) Crown XLS 1502, 2002, or 2502

I'm most intrigued by the old JBL. I found one that looks to be in great shape and well maintained - it seems like a great price / performance ratio. It doubles it's power from 8ohm to 4 ohm which is what I've read you want to look for in an amp to drive Magnepans. Are these older PA amps from JBL, Hafler, Yamaha, etc.. considered class A/B?

On the other hand, the Crowns run cool, don't use a lot of energy and take up a little less space. They are also brand new, warrantied, can be returned etc.. Seems like a very practical solution if they manage to sound decent - some report they work well with the Maggies - others seems to think they don't sound as sweet as amps with big transformers that run nice n hot. What do you think?
 
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JBL. It's got the MT-200 Sankens, which are great devices.

Nothing wrong with the Crowns either. I've ran both.
 
Older pro is almost always A/B and as noted by ivan, many have nice outputs transistors and an over abundance of them for the power rating. They are made for 24/7 operation so need the extra overhead. The 6260 has plastic clad outputs which while good sounding, are not metal T-03's which are found in a lot of older pro amps such as the Crown XLS-202 series and QSC USA series, to name a couple. Metal die is superior to plastic clad for heat dissipation. Not familiar with the Crowns you mention but they may be Class D.
 
You don't need an amp that "doubles down", so to speak. You need an amp that delivers the power you need/want at the lowest load impedance you need it to work with. The amp will "half up" just fine at higher impedance loads.
 
whoaru99 said:
You don't need an amp that "doubles down", so to speak. You need an amp that delivers the power you need/want at the lowest load impedance you need it to work with. The amp will "half up" just fine at higher impedance loads.
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Keep after 'em ...
 
My experience with modern pro gear is a full of SMT devices. I've fixed a few but don't really like it. they are packed in.
 
I've used a Crown XLS 1500 and an old BGW 500D with my MMG's. I prefer the old BGW to the class D Crown- the Crown seemed "hard" sounding on the top end response. The built in DSP was handy for subwoofer use, though.
 
Seems like I should stick with a more traditional Class AB design. I'm sure the class D Crowns would work well but I really prefer a richer more musical sound in the upper midrange. Magnepans are the best option for my space due to design concerns (floating in the middle of the room so the flat panel design is really appealing and they look better than most from behind) and while I am really looking forward to listening to them I am a little disappointed that I can't go with a higher sensitivity speaker/tube amp combo. I might just go with Schiit Vidar - looks nicer and takes up less space than the JBL - and just live with whatever the volume limitations are for that combo. I already have a saga preamp so this probably makes the most sense.
 
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