Crown XLS DriveCore 2 Amplifiers

Once upon a time, old timers will remember when “one dollar per watt” was considered either the benchmark or goal of many amplifier designs. Well, thanks to switch-mode, Class-D technology, those days are long gone, and today’s models continue to improve on that, both in terms of increasing onboard DSP functionality and higher power levels in smaller, more lightweight packages.

The most recent entries along these lines are the latest generation of Crown’s XLS family, the XLS DriveCore™ 2 Series of two-channel power amps. These offer flexible DSP features, such as user-adjustable onboard crossover with low-pass, high-pass and band-pass filtering, selectable input sensitivity, a sleep mode trigger and DriveCore amplifier circuitry that combines high power output with excellent energy efficiency.

The four new models in the series include the XLS 2502, XLS 2002, XLS 1502 and XLS 1002, with power ratings from 350 to 775 watts per channel at 4 ohms and 1,100 to 2,400 watts at 4 ohms bridged. All come in two-rackspace packages that weigh less than 11 pounds — or in the case of the two lower-powered models in the series, such as the XLS 1502 I tested — just 8.6 pounds. Street pricing ranges from $299 to $599. Priced at $399, that XLS 1502 outputs 775 W/channel into 2 ohms, 525 W into 4-ohms, 300 W into 8-ohms; and in bridged mono mode 1,050 W at 8 ohms and 1,550 W into a 4-ohm load. When bridged, 2-ohm loads are not recommended.

Features, Functions

All functions are accessed via a front panel menu. New in the XLS DriveCore 2 models are user-adjustable bandpass filters on each channel in addition to the previous low and high pass filters, for more flexibility in creating crossovers. A lighting control lets users disable the front-panel LED indicators (except the clip and thermal indicators) to reduce distraction in dark venues. Input sensitivity of either 1.4 V RMS or 0.775 V RMS are available.

A nice touch is a Y-input mode that routes the signal from input #1 to both amplifier channels for running dual-mono feeds or simply creating a crossover with a sub driven by one channel and the top box by the other. The unit provides a PureBand Crossover System, with a variable-state Linkwitz-Riley 24 dB/octave slope at any point from 30 Hz to 3k Hz on 1/12-octave centers, with a choice of low-pass/high-pass or band-pass filters. Also standard are non-defeatable Peakx™ limiters that deliver maximum output while protecting the speakers.

The front panel is simply laid out. Each channel has a 4-step LED level ladder, with clip/thermal indicator, rotary gain pot, blue LED power indicator (these flash when the unit is set to sleep mode), a power button and a small blue LCD status/menu display with select/previous/next navigation buttons.

Any settings made are stored in RAM, ready for your next gig, or if you want to start from scratch, a factory reset is also available. A security feature can disable the front-panel menu buttons; the menu is locked and unlocked by entering a simple button combination. Additionally, a system reset function enables all factory settings to be restored. I always find a need for this when a unit (amp or powered speaker) comes back from a rental and you want to start from a clean slate, without someone else’s settings — especially when you are working with a small menu display.

The rear panel offers plenty of analog flexibility. Inputs are balanced XLR, TRS 1/4-inch (these also double as loop thru connectors to feed other amplifiers) and unbalanced RCA for the home theater or DJ crowd. There’s also the rear exit outlet for the front-to-back, thermally activated low-noise cooling fan. Outputs are both 5-way binding posts and 4-pole Speakon, which also accept 2-pole connectors. AC is via a removable IEC cable, and an aux connector is provided for attaching a switch to remotely enable sleep mode. Rear rack rails are also standard.

On the Road

While this would probably not be a first choice for a grueling tour, driving subwoofer banks or highly reactive loads, the XLS DriveCore 2 Series is perfect in a wide variety of scenarios. These might range from installations (background or foreground) to rental gigs, band P.A.’s, either driving full range cabinets, subs, monitors — in stereo, mono or creating a custom crossover rig. I do wish the DSP included some delay adjustment, but maybe that will come in a future version.

Navigating the menu is not difficult, but it’s not the slickest interface, and the increment scrolling is very slow. The gray-on-black coloring of the select/previous/next navigation buttons can be tough to read in dim lighting, especially with the bright display readout above them shining into your eyes. Fortunately, this isn’t too much of an issue, as typically I’m not adjusting amp parameters in the middle of a show.

I very quickly appreciated the XLS 1502’s 8.6-pound heft. I can get used to this and, with 525 watts/side into 4-ohms (or 1,550 W bridged), this is no power lightweight, either. Setting up a crossover to drive a pair of biamped wedges was a breeze, and running two of them in parallel, there was plenty of headroom. Later, I gave it a shot in bridged mode, powering a double-15 sub, and with 1,550 (mono) watts to work with, power wasn’t an issue.

Actually, there is a nearly endless number of applications where the XLS 1502 or any of the XLS DriveCore 2 amps would shine. The build quality is solid, the sound was great, the pricing rocks and the combination of the I/O flexibility and DSP open a lot of avenues. And I have the feeling that Crown is confident about this new generation, as all XLS DriveCore 2 amps are covered by a three-year, no-fault, fully transferrable warranty. I like that.

JJ Jenkins is a studio and sound reinforcement engineer based in the SF Bay area.

At a Glance

Simple, Solid, Effective

With its XLS DriveCore 2 Series, Crown offers affordable, powerful Class-D two-channel amplifiers that provide great sound, road-tough construction, basic onboard DSP, a useful bridge mode, flexible analog input/output options and more — all in an ultra-lightweight chassis.

XLS DriveCore 2 Amplifiers

PROS: Useful onboard DSP for crossover functions; ultra-lightweight chassis; solid build and audio performance;
affordable pricing.

CONS: Simple menu interface takes some getting used to; gray text on menu buttons hard to read; no onboard delay adjustment; no networking capability.

Specs:

Options:

• XLS 1002: Two-channel, 350W @ 4Ω Power Amplifier
• XLS 1502: Two-channel, 525W @ 4Ω Power Amplifier
• XLS 2002: Two-channel, 650W @ 4Ω Power Amplifier
• XLS 2502: Two-channel, 775W @ 4Ω Power Amplifier