Crown is good. Many commercial theaters also use them. XLS series is very cost effective and performs great; it is similar to QSC's RMX series. [/QB][/QUOTE]


Yeah, I've been very pleased with the results so far. Being a musician and aspiring studio engineer, I was very familiar with what I'd be getting from a Crown. Of course the XLS is their "budget" line, but in a setting where they will most likely never be pushed as hard as they would be when used for live sound reinforcement, I don't think the "budget" label really applies. I certainly could have spent more money on some K1s or QSC PLX series amps, but I just couldn't justify the extra money for what may or may not be a margainal improvement. Though I will say that the K series is very tempting if the upgrade bug hits again soon. The only downside to the XLS series is fan noise. It's a non-issue for me since I have a dedicated AV closet on the opposite side of the wall my screen is on, but this would be a major issue if I had an AV rack in the listening/viewing room. I believe the QSC RMX series actually has more fan noise since it's a single fan as opposed to the Crown's dual fans. There are aftermarket fans that can be used to modify these amps and lower fan noise, but I'd rather not void the warranty. The decision to go Crown over QSC was strictly personal preference. I was not as familiar with QSC and thus decided to go with Crown. While I do love the Crown amps, the 950 is really the piece of gear I'm most happy with. If I wasn't giving the Crowns a clean signal to begin with I doubt I'd be singing their praises so much. I had a chance to listen to a friends brand new B&K setup recently and left his house confident that I had made the right decision. He's running the Ref 50, Ref 200.5, and a full Paradigm speaker setup. I did really enjoy the Paradigms (very articulate speakers), but I did not believe that the extra money he spent on the B&K elevated his system to a level that was sonically superior to the 950/Crown setup. And he's still lacking PLIIx, which puts his feature set basically in the same boat as the 950. The Ref 50 does sport the THX tag, but I don't think that necessarily makes for a better product. With the Ref 50 retailing for about $1800 right now, that extra $1000 seems silly. For me, and probably for most of us who own the 950, it's all about getting the absolute most for my money. I don't think that I'd be getting that with other products out there. As enticing as it is to have that flashy, big-name piece of gear, what it ends up being about is performance. At this price there's no competition.