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Author Topic: best replacement for Crown CE1000  (Read 8306 times)

Bill Beach

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best replacement for Crown CE1000
« on: January 05, 2013, 04:08:10 PM »

we have several Crown CE1000 amps for sound in the main seating area.  we have had one channel quit working on one of these, so it seems likely we may need to start replacing them with a newer model.
I have heard that some of what Crown produced shortly after discontinuing the CE1000 was not very good.
I am looking for something comparable to the CE1000 for replacements.
any suggestions?
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Tim Perry

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Re: best replacement for Crown CE1000
« Reply #1 on: January 05, 2013, 08:33:53 PM »

we have several Crown CE1000 amps for sound in the main seating area.  we have had one channel quit working on one of these, so it seems likely we may need to start replacing them with a newer model.
I have heard that some of what Crown produced shortly after discontinuing the CE1000 was not very good.
I am looking for something comparable to the CE1000 for replacements.
any suggestions?


You might give Crown XLS1500 a look.  Or the or GX5. Assuming you want to keep about the same power and price range.
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Stu McDoniel

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Re: best replacement for Crown CE1000
« Reply #2 on: January 08, 2013, 09:20:48 PM »

we have several Crown CE1000 amps for sound in the main seating area.  we have had one channel quit working on one of these, so it seems likely we may need to start replacing them with a newer model.
I have heard that some of what Crown produced shortly after discontinuing the CE1000 was not very good.
I am looking for something comparable to the CE1000 for replacements.
any suggestions?

If your Crowns are working then keep running them.  Get the amp with the bad channel repaired.  Remove your amps from the rack and open them up and clean all the
crap out of them, and make sure all the fan blades are clean as a whistle.  I have seen amps on the road that are way older then your amps still working fine with regular maintenance.   I use an air compressor with oil/water/debri filter on it to blast the
inside of my gear out.   Wipe the fan blades off with a clean cloth.
Your good to go!
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Brad Weber

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Re: best replacement for Crown CE1000
« Reply #3 on: January 09, 2013, 06:50:34 AM »

I always favor trying to find and eliminate any potential cause of the failure before replacing a failed device but there are a number of reasons one amp channel may have stopped working and many of those would not suggest any reason to expect others to fail.  At the same time, the CE 1000 and CE 2000 are, for Crown, rather inexpensive amplifiers and do not have the greatest reputation for reliability.
 
Are you getting a fault indicator for the failed channel?  Do you happen to know what impedance load(s) the amps are driving?
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Bob L. Wilson

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Re: best replacement for Crown CE1000
« Reply #4 on: January 11, 2013, 11:55:34 AM »

I always favor trying to find and eliminate any potential cause of the failure before replacing a failed device but there are a number of reasons one amp channel may have stopped working and many of those would not suggest any reason to expect others to fail.  At the same time, the CE 1000 and CE 2000 are, for Crown, rather inexpensive amplifiers and do not have the greatest reputation for reliability.
 
Are you getting a fault indicator for the failed channel?  Do you happen to know what impedance load(s) the amps are driving?

CE1000 and 2000 have a well known defect with their circuit boards. I am generally Crown biased but these two have proven to be problematic especially with low impedance loads.  Depending upon load replacements to consider: Com-Tech 810s very durable and very reasonable on the used market CTS1200 have proven to be excellent performers.
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John Roberts {JR}

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Re: best replacement for Crown CE1000
« Reply #5 on: January 11, 2013, 12:41:57 PM »

CE1000 and 2000 have a well known defect with their circuit boards. I am generally Crown biased but these two have proven to be problematic especially with low impedance loads.  Depending upon load replacements to consider: Com-Tech 810s very durable and very reasonable on the used market CTS1200 have proven to be excellent performers.

I don't know that I would characterize it as a defect as much as a "mature" (read old) circuit design, repackaged (poorly) into then new SMD technology. I suspect you are referring to the emitter degeneration resistors that tend to burn up when output devices fail, leaving charred voids in the PCB.

To answer the OP's question, IMO just about anything is a better replacement for the CE1k/2k (note: the CE4k is a different animal and better respected despite the similar name).

JR
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Bob L. Wilson

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Re: best replacement for Crown CE1000
« Reply #6 on: January 11, 2013, 01:36:36 PM »

I don't know that I would characterize it as a defect as much as a "mature" (read old) circuit design, repackaged (poorly) into then new SMD technology. I suspect you are referring to the emitter degeneration resistors that tend to burn up when output devices fail, leaving charred voids in the PCB.

To answer the OP's question, IMO just about anything is a better replacement for the CE1k/2k (note: the CE4k is a different animal and better respected despite the similar name).

JR

The consumer in me is inclined to call any design where the forseeable failure of one component (like say the ouputs on an amplifier) starts a catstrophic cascade of failures as defective, at best and drag the designer(s) into the street and have them shot at worst (say if you were like one of my friends who lost his wife to a Pinto gas tank fire).

The engineer in me knows it was likely somebody outside of engineering who put an arbitrary dollar target on the BOM for these amps probably before they were ever designed that actually caused this failure.
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John Roberts {JR}

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Re: best replacement for Crown CE1000
« Reply #7 on: January 11, 2013, 02:21:45 PM »

The consumer in me is inclined to call any design where the forseeable failure of one component (like say the ouputs on an amplifier) starts a catstrophic cascade of failures as defective, at best and drag the designer(s) into the street and have them shot at worst (say if you were like one of my friends who lost his wife to a Pinto gas tank fire).

The engineer in me knows it was likely somebody outside of engineering who put an arbitrary dollar target on the BOM for these amps probably before they were ever designed that actually caused this failure.

Indeed this amp was a sharp pencil exercise from day one. The circuit was lifted from something like the DC300, updated(translated) for SMD components. Probably packaged by an SMD guy not an amp guy from the looks of it.

Any amp designer with a shred of experience knows to oversize the emitter resistors to survive the all to common output stage failure (they fail as short to one rail or the other).

There is a constant valid tension in the industry between management and engineering to not waste engineering capital reinventing any wheels. The CE1k/2k looks like a poster boy for how this can go wrong if an old design is recycled poorly.

The ugly truth is that they probably made a bunch of profit from those amps if they didn't all fry within warranty. IIRC they sold pretty well, and mostly worked.

I wouldn't buy one with all your money.  If you long for DC300 sonic performance in a less robust package, go for it.  8)

JR

PS: At the time as a competitor to Crown such criticisms from me wouldn't be taken seriously. Crown has done many robust amplifiers. I suspect even they are embarrassed by these.
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Tim Padrick

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Re: best replacement for Crown CE1000
« Reply #8 on: February 18, 2013, 11:08:51 PM »

We tried to break an XLS2500 by long term clipping into a 2 Ohm Buttkicker.  It laughed at us.
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Josh Daws

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Re: best replacement for Crown CE1000
« Reply #9 on: February 23, 2013, 08:01:31 AM »

personally i don't really suggest the XLSdrivecore series if you are looking to use them with subs...you will be disappointed. although what people say about them (running them a 2ohms, sound great etc) are true. but what i have found using a XLS2500 with a variety of speakers, found that using them with subs they don't really have a huge PUSH, you can hear it (obviously) but you can't really FEEL it, IMO.

take a look at the I-TECH HD series, or the Macrotech Series. you will pay more for it, for sure. but i have used these and have never let me down. or in the places i have installed them. the I-TECH series has a wack load of DSP settings in them (nearly to the same extent of a driverack), and the macrotechs are basically your straight forward amp that is built like a tank.
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Re: best replacement for Crown CE1000
« Reply #9 on: February 23, 2013, 08:01:31 AM »


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