Driving a Crown XTi 2000; how, and is it worth it?

Better to put FF in the headline.

Part of the appeal of Streamliner 900 is the power management system that gives it a power tube like distortion compression as it gets cranking. So I read.

Crown specs are supposed to be reliable, maybe you haven't got the bridge function worked out? In any case double wattage 3db less power compression is indeed not much of a bump. Maybe everyone else needs top quiet down some?

 

And not sure your apples to apples conversion factor is valid. I guess you're looking to take the pre out from the SL900 and amp it?

 

The Crown XLS's are great poweramps. I love the sound of an EBS Microbass II or VT Bass through one.

I think at the end of the day I think it's a lot of work finding the right sound and settings with large power amps. They are not as plug and play as some amps hence the poor feedback I would think.

 

While its possible that the Crown XLS may have slightly less in VLF current delivery than the old lead sled designs like the equivalent rated power, Crown Macrotech. The XLS will do at least as much as any other class d amp of similar power.

 

The XTI series are good amps, but are rated a bit optimistically, as they rated at 1khz rather than full range. Also they are not that sensitive, you'll need about 1.5v to get the rated output.
What are you driving with it?

You did make a bridging cable for the output didn't you?

 

The Streamliner can drive the power amp directly from the effects send jack, set the I ok sensitivity on the power amp all the way up, now the gain and volume on the Streamliner will be the controls you use for gain/volume. The master is not used in this config.

If you are bridging the amp, you need to follow all of the bridging instructions. Also be careful you don't damage your speakers from overpowering.

 

FF = fearful, ffs.

Sounds like all you need now is to RTFM. There is a Crown download for your PC that lets you program the DSP on the xti. Actually two, BandManager is the basic system one which covers what you need.

There is hpf and limiting to help avoid overpowering. You can bake in some EQ if you like.

I found a BDDI short of level to fully drive xti with a clean tone. Andy reckons his amp line out will do it...

 

You can run one cab on each channel, no need to bridge.

 

In fact, iirc the minimum load is 8ohm when bridged, so you shouldn't even consider bridging.

 

It will bridge at 4 ohms, but as long as the OP is driving a pair of 8 ohm fEARfuls (he didn't say what model they were) I agree he would better off driving one from each channel. They work well with a dual woofer model bridged at 4 ohms, but I doubt tha he's got a pair of those.

 

Maximum preamp output on the Streamliner is around +18dBu so it's not going to be a problem.

I would not recommend bridging either. There is a HPF built into the Streamliner, so programming an additional one into the amp is not necessary unmless using with another preamp.

 

I think 475 watts per cabinet is a better power match for long term reliability. 1000 watts per cabinet could end poorly in the event that a lapse in good judgment were to occur.

 

Some of the FF guys like to pound theirs with 2000w amps. I think you need better hearing than I've got in order to avoid disaster in the middle of that sort of mayhem.

They are 450w subs but they take bigger peaks ok. The 475w rating is clean, so you could expect bigger power peaks running 8ohm anyway.

You could experiment with bridging and running the limiter at -3dB, earplugs required. Theoretically that's 500w per cab and no more.

 

You (and others) must really need some volume as I have had no need to bridge my power amp for bass applications. I run mine in parallel mode into 2 cabs and have plenty of volume to spare and individual volume control for each if needed. For PA use powering subs, I can see running in bridge mode. That's a whole lot of watts.

 

What you guys are forgetting is that if the OP likes to overdrive the preamp, the clean power rating numbers fly out the window, and that when you hit the (clean) limit on the amp, you could easily be at 1.5x the clean rated power (and up to perhaps a theoretical max of 2x the clean rated power) because of the shape of the waveform and the area under the voltage curve (which is the graphical representation of "RMS" power. Peak voltage of a sine wave defines power for just a sine wave. Peak voltage of another form of signal, including a distorted sine wave carries different RMS power.