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(More customer reviews)A few years ago my NAD power amp died after nearly 25 years of service; a good run for a fine piece of gear. Anyway, at the time my budget was very tight, so I deployed a Sansui integrated I had in the closet. That meant my Audio Research SP9II has been sitting unused--a shame because it's a fine late 80s preamp (and worth getting even now if you find one at a nice price). I recently decided to get the SP9II back in action, so I needed a power amp. But I still don't have funds for anything too pricey (meaning much above $400. Yeah, I know by audiophile standards that's petty change.) There's not a lot to choose from in that range. The little AudioSource amps get a lot of good reviews, but also a fair number of bad reviews. So I decided to check out the pro amps used by musicians and studios. Pyles were quite cheap, but not universally respected. Behringer was a possibility, but I know little about that company. Then I found the Crown XLS 1000 on sale for c. $250. The other amps in the series got solid reviews, the company was noted for rugged construction and high quality, and it had a good 3 yr. warranty. It was also a featherweight, under 10 lbs. (Appealing to me, with a dicky back.) Sold. When I hooked it into my Marantz CD changer & SP9II & satellite/sub system I immediately realized what I'd been missing with the Sansui (not a bad amp, but not exceptional). A semblance of soundstage opened up; dynamics improved notably; everything is just more vivid and detailed. The SP9II and the XLS 1000 make a terrific team. So, if you need a power amp for a home audio system, consider the XLS 1000. For a bit more money, the models higher in the line (1500, 2000, 2500) will give you more power. But I think if you're driving just a fairly efficient home speaker system (as I am), and you're an audio miser, this will do nicely for you.
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