Crown XTi Series Power Amplifiers

More features, improved specs, and a LOWER PRICE!

By Randall Fowler

I’ve always admired Crown amps, but I became an enthusiastic fan when our band acquired a CE 2000 over a year ago. We needed more power. The CE was surprisingly affordable, and it dramatically improved our sound. Put simply, we think of it as the soundest sound investment we ever made.

This made me especially curious to see what the new Crown XTi Series had to offer. Crown doesn’t come out with new lines every year just to keep their name in the press. When they do, it means they have worked out significant improvements in their technology that warrant it. They’ve made an amp that is lighter, more reliable, easier to use, cleaner, more versatile, more powerful, more affordable, or some combination of these amp improvements. What I found was the XTi amplifiers make advances to some degree in all of them. The XTi Series raises the bar in performance, adds features, and maintains the level of affordability established by the CE Series.

Sound fundamentals

The first consideration, of course, is an amp’s sound quality. Every Crown amp I’ve ever heard has delivered impeccable sound. That’s why they are the number one power amp of touring sound companies, the amp most often stated as a requirement on band contracts, and why so many older Crowns are still in service. Comparing the XTi 2000 with the CE 2000, I couldn’t hear much difference. Both sounded fantastic. Under extreme conditions and to a more discerning ear, the XTi model would probably sound appreciably better, judging from its better specs, but within normal operating range, both amps had the same Crown sound quality–strong, smooth, and full.

Down on the pounds

An amp’s weight isn’t of ultimate importance, except when you are lifting and packing the rack into a club. Then it becomes important. The heaviest of the XTi amps, the XTi 4000, is under 19 lbs. and definitely lighter than the CE. Crown cites a 20% reduction in weight. The XTi amps are also more compact. They drop the rack size down to two spaces from the three spaces required for the CE models. A two-space power amp isn’t unusual but is less common for amps of tour-worthy build and power.

 

Crown XTi 1000, XTi 4000, XTi 2000

Full protection

The XTi amps are made to function reliably and live lengthy lives, but Crown can’t keep your other gear from malfunctioning in ways that potentially can damage the amp. To keep the XTi from being at the mercy of fate, they have provided extensive defenses. Shorted outputs, open circuits, DC, mismatched loads, general overheating, high-frequency overloads, and internal faults–all are prevented from wreaking havoc by protective circuits, and comprehensive LED status indicators are provided to alert you to problems.

Another kind of protection built into the XTi amplifiers is even more comprehensive, adding defense against human stupidity. It’s Crown’s guarantee–a 3-year, no-fault, fully transferable warranty. By industry standards, this is an exceptional guarantee, perhaps the best there is. It reflects Crown’s confidence in its product, and is one more way in which Crown leads the pack.

The big easy

The biggest enhancement the XTi amps offer over the CE models they replace is front-end DSP processing (the reason for the LCD screen on the front panel). It gives you ready-made presets that make the XTi especially easy to use under varying conditions. You probably don’t consider power amps to be difficult pieces of equipment to operate. They’re not, but they are part of a system that has to be tweaked to achieve optimum sound under varying conditions, and that can be tricky.

The DSP processing and presets make it easier to dial up good sound from your system to accommodate changes in speakers, room acoustics, volume levels, and musical styles. Just the fact that the Crown has such a smooth, even, basic sound gives you a head start, but the simple selection of the right preset automatically sets crossover points, shapes EQ, applies limiting, adds delay for time alignment, and optimizes the amp for the speakers it is driving. It even has a subharmonic synthesizer to get the most from subs. With the appropriate preset selected, a little fine-tuning quickly leads to sweet perfection.

Improved prices

The three XTi power amps give you a choice of wattages, world-class sound quality, Crown ruggedness and reliability, and advanced DSP control, and do so without raising the price. Actually, the XTi models are a notch lower in price than the comparable CE models were when they were introduced. It is a rare event when a company improves a product and lowers the price simultaneously, but Crown has done it with the XTi amplifiers. When seekers of quality sound can have the very best for just a few bucks more, they’ll go for it every time. You can look forward to hearing a lot more Crown-driven music–maybe even your own.

Features & Specs:

Common Features:

• Integrated DSP with LCD display
• Accurate, uncolored sound with low distortion
• Comprehensive protection circuitry: shorted output, open circuits, DC, mismatched loads, overheating, high-frequency overloads, and internal faults
• Versatility to handle a wide range of speaker impedances and outputs
• Speaker presets for crossover settings, EQ, limiting, and delay
• Onboard subharmonic synthesizer
• Comprehensive LED status monitoring for each channel
• Speakon and binding post outputs
• XLR inputs and loop-thru
• 2-space size and weights under 19 lbs.
• Switching power supply
• 2-ohm load capability
• 3-year, no-fault, fully transferable warranty

XTi 1000: 500W per channel @ 4 ohms ( See Product )

XTi 2000: 700W per channel @ 4 ohms ( See Product )

XTi 4000: 1,200W per channel @ 4 ohms ( See Product )