I recently read an M80 review where the reviewer employed Crown XLS1000 amps (200+ watts) to power them. A few readers questioned the logic of using commercial/DJ/nightclub amps for home theater applications due to concerns over noise/hum/less shielding... a little over my head...
I'm currently running a Pioneer Elite SC-35 to power an all Axiom 7.1 set-up, which seems fine, but if I upgrade to a VP180 and add height speakers, should I be looking at separates now? I'm not a fan of Motive but do like Oulaws and wonder if Crown is a decent alternative? Thoughts?
It may have actually been my review on Home Theater Shack. Since the M-80's and VP180 are 4 Ohms the Crown actually pushes 350 watts per channel at 4 ohms. At $300 new there really isn't a less expensive solution for pushing a lot of power and the Class-D runs cool with no audible fan noise or hum. I have tried a lot of different power amps from Emotiva, Wyred4Sound and Outlaw and while there may be some measurable difference, not that I have found any myself, it really came down to a matter of cost. I love the Class-D sound and liked the Wyred4Sound amp a little more than the Crown XLS1000, but not $1100 more....
