QSC Amplifier Owners - Some Questions (1 Viewer)

[alan halvorson]

After years of reliable performance by my Crown Macro Reference power amp, I suspect something may be wrong with it. There's been a turn-on pop through the speakers for some time now and a couple times lately the circuit breaker (20 amp) has tripped on turn-on. Although once on the amp performs as well as it ever did, this is making me feel uneasy. It should go in for maintenance, and I don't believe it's anything serious - probably just a change to the turn-on circuit. Even so, I'm thinking about another amp.

The QSC PLX series has a lot of appeal to me right now. I need power! Cheap power. But before I take the plunge, I'd like to ask anyone own owns a QSC PLX series amp if:

a.) Are there any turn-on/off thumps?
b.) Is there any hum through the speakers?
c.) How loud are the fans? The amp will be sitting within 4' of my chair. Have you replaced the fans?
d.) What do you use for input and output connectors?
e.) What is your general opinion of QSX PLX amps for home use?

Thanks!

 

[Tony Genovese]

The QSC's are great amps, but 4' from the amps is not good. The fans will drive you crazy. If you cannot put the amps in a closet, I'd recommend another amp.

 

[alan halvorson]

Tony: That's what I understand, but I know it is very common amoung QSC home users to replace the fans. It's even got QSC's blessing.

 

[Wayne Ernst]

Alan,

I can't comment on the QSC amps, but, I did install my Nady this past week and did a little review on it:

Nady XA-1100

In summary:

- This amp has no hum through the speakers.
- This amp has no "pops" through the speakers when turning on the amp.
- The amp has a feature to disable the ground - if a ground loop hum is causing an issue for you.
- This amp has **loud** fans. However, they are of the 80mm variety with molex connectors which allow easy repacement with quieter fans.

 

[alan halvorson]

Thanks Wayne. I have never heard of Nady amplifiers. Are these intended for subwoofer use only? Do they have a reputation for being reliable? What sort of self/speaker protection does it use? The obvious question is: how can it be any good if it's so cheap? From your photos, it looks nice and neat inside, and appears to be at least adequately well-built. How well Do you know of any in depth reviews online or elsewhere?

Keep us informed if you find decent replacement fans.

 

[JimPeitersen]

Alan,
It seems that you want a powerful, quiet amp? Since you seem to like your Crown amp, why not look at the same company and get a K1, or K2? These are high-quality amps, with tons of power and they have no cooling fans. The only other amps that I could suggest are the ones from Stewart, Powersoft, Chevin Research, and Chameleon. These are "switching" amps that offer tremendous power, and most of the models are passively cooled (no fans.) By the way, I have a QSC MX-1500a and I can't hear the fan from about 8' away. My Soundstream (Stewart) amps offer only 300 watts less power than the MX-1500a (bridged mode - 4 ohm load), are a little over 1 3/4" high, and have no fans.
JP

 

[Eric Eash]

cause the K1 and K2 aren't cheap. i can't comment on the PLX series QSC amps, but i have an RMX 1450 running 450W to each of my AV15s, and all i can say is i really love this amp. it has a quieter fan in it which can't be heard at 4', 2' slightly. no hum or power up noises, nothing but endless power. i have played 5Hz tones through it at levels loud enough to get my house shaking without the amp getting hot. never once has it clipped either, and i've had my sub well over 125dB before. also, i plan on purchasing another for my next diy sub. good luck,

eric

 

[JimPeitersen]

Eric,
I of course know what the K1 an K2 cost, but did you notice that in his original message he states that he owns a Crown Macro Reference amp? Do you know how much those cost? I only assumed that I was giving advice to a person who appreciates quality products, and most likely has the means to acquire them. The amps that I mentioned are expensive, but you can argue that they are still a great "value" for certain individuals who need certain performance characteristics.
JP

 

[James W. Johnson]

Have you tried plugging the Crown into another circuit in the house?
I had the same problem with a Mackie amp once and it turned out to be a weak cirucuit breaker in the house.

As far as QSCs go , I have an RMX 1850HD and its a power house of an amp for the money. If you can handle the extra weight I dont see any reason to spend any more money.
I used to have a USA series amp as well driving my main speakers and the amp served me well for a long time before I sold it.

 

[Wayne Ernst]

Jim,

After reading your first response, I went out and looked at the user manuals for the K1 and K2 amps from Crown. Those amps are some nicely made, powerful amps. Plus, their use of "convection cooling" vs. fans is a nice touch, too.