Musik Indonesia

I was going to start this review with a clever comment about being able to use the XLS 5000 as an anchor to stop your equipment truck on the highway if the brakes fail, and then have it go on to perform flawlessly for the rest of the tour. I decided against that, however, because the XLS 5000 is a serious bit of kit, and as such, shouldn’t be taken lightly. Then again, considering that it’s built like an M1 army tank and weighs in at 62 pounds, being taken lightly is somewhat unlikely. This amp is for serious folk. Actually, it’s best for touring rock bands playing the larger venues or fixed installation. But don’t rule yourself out of owning Crown power if your needs are lesser. There are four other models in the affordable XLS series including the 300W XLS 202, 450W XLS 402, 600W XLS 602, and 800W XLS 802.

Don’t let the affordability of the XLS series fool you. These aren’t your basic no-frills power amps. There are plenty of advanced features to be found under the hood, but first, let’s start with the front panel.

The face of power

Amid generous cooling vents on the front panel, you’ll find two precision-detented volume controls for accurate setting and recall. If you’re new to the power amp game, the ability to recall settings is a big deal, should wandering hands mess with your XLS. (It happens in clubs more than you think.) I used to record a television show filmed in a real comedy club, and every week, I’d have to readjust the power amp settings. Luckily, this club had two Crown power amps (for front and rear house speakers), so going back to my original settings was easy (just count the clicks). Other front-panel inhabitants include an on/off switch with a blue power LED; two red LEDs (one for each channel) that light up when the amplifier is in protect mode; two green LEDs that tell you when signal is present in either channel; and two red LED clip-indicators that caution you when a channel’s output is being overdriven.

On the rear panel are two electronically balanced XLR inputs, touch-proof five-way binding posts, and Speakon output connectors. The top Speakon connector is wired for both channels so it can be used for bridged-mono wiring or for stereo wiring of two speakers to a single Speakon connector. It’s important to mention that the XLS 5000 is set up for 20-amp operation, so you’ll need to plan your AC receptacles accordingly.

A quiet power and authority

As with people, when it comes to power amps, it’s watts inside that counts. And the XLS 5000 cranks out an amazing 1800 watts per channel in four-ohm stereo mode and a staggering 5000 watts in four-ohm bridged-mono mode, which pretty much outstrips anything in its class. And with so much power comes the responsibility of keeping it cool and under control. That’s where you’ll find the advanced features Crown is famous for, including front-to-rear forced-air cooling and extensive protection and diagnostics capabilities, including output current limiting, DC protection, circuit breaker, and thermal protection circuits.

Jack bent down and cranked up his Crown

You’re probably wondering how one would go about testing a power amp for a hands-on review; I plugged it in, connected the speakers, turned it on, and what do you know—power. Then, to test reliability, I waited 10 years to see if it was still working. Luckily for me, I have a friend who handles tour sound for a national act that’s getting ready to go on the road. While the band prefers to rehearse in the studio they built, my friend forces them to have at least one rehearsal in a local outdoor arena to set up his mixes under more realistic circumstances. I asked him if he wouldn’t mind swapping out one of his power amps for the XLS 5000 for a quickie road test with his JBL VRX line arrays. He’s been using Crown for years, and in fact, powers his system with 24 Crown Macro-Tech I series MA5000i power amps. After a bit of heavy lifting (mostly on my part), we ran the XLS 5000 in stereo mode, where it pumped out 1800 watts of crystalline sound, and in four-ohm bridged mono to sample how its 5000 watts pumped stage-rattling bass through the subs. I was pretty impressed with the sound (Crown and JBL VRX make a killer combination), but my friend, a veteran of touring with the big boys for over 20 years said simply, "Yup, that’s what Crowns do."

To put the test in terms that make sense for a band with a smaller setup, in four-ohm stereo mode, the XLS 5000 powered four JBL MRX515s without breaking a sweat, and still had plenty of power left over to handle a monitor system. (Great news if you don’t want to pop for a dedicated monitor amp.)

King me!

Crown has always been an easy sell. Every band coming up since the ’60s has wanted Crown powering their PA system, the only question was whether they could afford one. Crown’s XLS series has answered that question with a resounding "yes." The only thing I can do is to tell you whom the XLS 5000 is for. Here’s my take: If you’re a band that tours with its own equipment and plays the mid-size to larger venues, select an XLS 5000. If you’re starting your own live sound reinforcement company and want a sound system that could compete with the pros but don’t have the big budget (Crown XLS combined with JBL VRX, MRX, or SRX will give you an economical yet highly professional solution), again, it’s the XLS 5000. If you’re a DJ who wants to be able to move people on the dance floor like those old hockey games where the board vibrated and the pieces moved by themselves, the XLS 5000 or other members of the XLS series, depending on your power needs, are a no-brainer.

Features & Specs

• 1100W per channel at 8 ohms
• 1800W per channel at 4 ohms
• 3600W at 8 ohms bridged
• 5000W per channel at 4 ohms bridged
• Precision detented level controls
• Extensive protection and diagnostic capabilities
• Output current limiting
• DC protection
• Circuit breaker
• Thermal protection circuit
• Electronically balanced XLR inputs
• 4-pole Speakon connector
• Touch-free 5-way binding posts
• 6 LEDs indicate signal, clip, and fault
• Forced-air fan prevents excessive heat
• Power switch, power LED
• 3-year, no-fault, fully transferable warranty

Crown sound and reliability made affordable? What could be better? Order your XLS 5000 from Musician’s Friend and get the added benefit of our Lowest Price and Total Satisfaction guarantees.