[Gorilla83]

I'll be receiving my pair of new Passive JTR Caps sometime this week. I already own a EP4000 (fan modded) that I'm going to use temporarily, but I'm looking for a budget-friendly (600-800 range) amp upgrade for the pair of these. I'll be running them in 2 ohm stereo and looking for at least 2500 RMS / channel. I have a dedicated 20A line for the amp, which I could easily upgrade to 30 if need be. Ideally I'd like something with quiet(er) fans, or at least the ability to swap/mod to silence them.

I've had my eye on the crown XLS 5000 (600) as well as the upcoming (hopefully) Peavey IPR 7500.

The crown XLS line has both good and bad reviews, but most of the bad reviews for this model seem to pinpoint that there is better value to be had at it's retail price point (1500) - the fact that it can be had for MUCH less may make those comments a bit less 'negative.'

The Peavey looks nice overall, but no one seems to have any idea when it will actually start shipping. Also, I'm NOT a fan of the bright blue 'light up a baseball field' lights which apparently are not defeatable. The reviews for the younger brother IPR3000 seem really nice, it's a shame there aren't more details for this model out there.

Any thoughts on these or comparable models in the 600-800 price range?

 

[sub_crazy]

How about rewiring the caps to 8 ohms and getting a second EP4000?

I remember someone talking about having his passive caps re-wired for 2ohm operation to use with his Face audio amp, I think it was a F700TS but it could have been the F1200TS. He said the improvement was a surprise. I am a big fan of Face amps, I have about 5 of them I have had QSC PLX3402's, 2502's and a PL 9.0 and still have a EP4000 but the Face amps are the best IME. I even had a QSC RMX5050 to drive a pair of LMS Ultra's but the Face F1150TX drove them better.

Personally I would rather have dual EP4000's bridged into each 8 ohm cap, you have to spend a lot more to better that performance.

 

[black_z]

The reviews for the younger brother IPR3000 seem really nice, it's a shame there aren't more details for this model out there.

Any thoughts on these or comparable models in the 600-800 price range?

That IPR3000 looks good for $449 if those power numbers are correct.

More details?

 

[Gorilla83]

That IPR3000 looks good for $449 if those power numbers are correct.

More details?

The IPR3000 is a great amp for the money, but I'd be much more interested in something like the IPR7500 when it comes out - supposed to be in early-mid January. If I'm going to upgrade, I'm going to want at least another 1000/channel over what I have in the Berry to make it worthwhile.

How about rewiring the caps to 8 ohms and getting a second EP4000?

I remember someone talking about having his passive caps re-wired for 2ohm operation to use with his Face audio amp, I think it was a F700TS but it could have been the F1200TS. He said the improvement was a surprise. I am a big fan of Face amps, I have about 5 of them I have had QSC PLX3402's, 2502's and a PL 9.0 and still have a EP4000 but the Face amps are the best IME. I even had a QSC RMX5050 to drive a pair of LMS Ultra's but the Face F1150TX drove them better.

Personally I would rather have dual EP4000's bridged into each 8 ohm cap, you have to spend a lot more to better that performance.

The issue with Dual EP4000's is that I'd only be picking up ~300 watts per channel running them in 8 ohm bridged. The EP4000/2500 has been tested at ~1000 RMS / channel at 2 ohm stereo and ~1300 RMS in 8 ohm bridged. Yes, I'd probably lower distortion, increase damping factor, and maybe gain a bit of headroom, but certainly not enough to warrant spending another 300+ on another EP4K.

As for the Face Audio amps - they look awesome. But dear LORD they are expensive. I'd love to try one out to power my mains, but I think they're a bit much $$$ to drive my subs at the moment - unless of course I could find a banging deal on a used one. The F1600TX would be very ideal to drive the caps at 2200/channel in 2 ohm stereo. How is the fan noise on these units?

 

[sub_crazy]

I have a F1600TX as well and the fan noise is not that bad depending on how hard your driving it. It's odd but my F1150TX has louder fans than the 1600 but after talking to Face they said I could do a fan mod if I needed to. The Face audio customer service is excellent and they really stand behind there products. All my Face amps came used as they are really expensive new but they are well worth it. The great thing is Face warranties the amp so if used amps are within the warranty period it is covered regardless of owner. They look like a high end piece of gear compared to most pro products due to the build quality and awesome faceplate.

 

[Gorilla83]

Good to know, thanks for the input. They sure do look nice. I will keep an eye out for good deals on a used model. :gulp: