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In Reply to: RE: Pro Gear power amps posted by bonzo on September 22, 2014 at 14:05:32
You might be on to something. On the other hand, pro audio amps are often designed with different criteria in mind. The most reliable ones won't fart if you accidentally drive it into a 2 ohm load at full power. But that's often at the expense of "hi-fi" sound quality. Can y'all say "global negative feedback"? ;)
However, unlike what another poster wrote, you don't always get what you pay for (especially in the hi-fi world). Does a $10,000 amp with a cool-looking faceplate and a blue meter sound better, or just different, or neither, than a $1,000 amp? Asthetics - visual appeal - has a lot to do with price. I think you get that.
I say you should continue to explore your idea. But, as always, LISTEN to them, preferably with a good source and good speakers. Then, YOU be the judge. After all, the amp is for YOU. Don't be sucked into the myth that more expensive automatically means "better", unless you're insecure. To paraphrase my grandfather: "An amp by any other name is still an amp". :)
To your list, add Yamaha. Offhand, I don't know if Crest is still around, but they also used to make some good pro amps.
The problem with considering pro amps for hi-fi use is that they aren't ever publicly put into a home hi-fi system for auditioning or for review. So, you really have to do your own homework. I'm familiar with QSC and Yamaha in sound reinforcement settings, and they're great (even though the sound guy was clueless). But I've never heard them in a home hi-fi. See what I'm sayin'?
Marketing is a fascinating world. Advertise in one arena, and that's where your business will come from. Advertise in a different arena, and that's where your business will come from.
I don't know about Crown's current (hehe, "current", get it?) offerings, but their vintage stuff like the DC300A and their next gen stuff is not hi-fi material.
:)
Follow Ups:
We used the Crown dc300 for years in our recording studio. The main reason was not there sound but you could run them 24/7 year after year and they would never fail. Sounded decent enough but nothing special
Alan
Yeah, you could do the same with a Bogen or Rauland. I installed many of them in schools, factories, etc. back in the day. It wouldn't surprise me if many of them are still working these 40 years later, 24/7/365.25.The Crown was "a crown" in its day and age. There wasn't much competition until Ampzilla, Crest, Threshold, Matti Otala and John Curl came onto the stage.
:)
Edits: 09/23/14 09/23/14
Used DC300A with good results in several different systems and had a few opportunities to compare in those systems to flavor of the day hifi amps.
otherwise, they are closed in and hard sounding. The first gen Fairchild ICs were pretty ragged.
Bought at a garage sale with one chanel putting out DC. Had friends at Crown who brought is up to last production spec.
The FIRST electronics company I worked for, STATEK, used a DC300 to drive the Vibration Test Table.
This was about '76 or so.
Too much is never enough
Thanks. Yes, I am quite convinced it's better than my audio research for driving power hungry speakers. I also am aware of the ridiculous profit margins in audiophilia. However wanting to know pitfalls from those who auditioned more extensively or those who have done any mods. Lowering fan noise is fun. Not sure if caps and resistor mods can better it?
Kedar
Even with power hungry speakers, 95% of the time you are listening to the first few watts, how those are delivered separates the cigar and slippers crowd from the beer and cigarette crowd. Decide which crowd you're a prt of, then pick your speakers, then pick the amplifier which fits the speaker and room.
Don't expect miracles. Nobody who develops pro amps listens to them, or designed them, to be used with electrostats or magnetostats.
Then again, listening to rock and soul on electrostats can leave something to be desired, regardless of the amplifier used.
May be not used with 'stats but many are designed to potentially drive four 8ohm drivers in parallel giving a load of below 2 ohm.
Yeah, fan noise can be an issue. You would do well to look into that. Some are always on, some not. Some are noisy, some are well-designed.
:)
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