Crown XTi 2 Series - The Next Generation

Crown recently released an update to the popular XTi series of amplifiers. Now called the XTi 2 series and comprising four models: XTi1002, XTi2002, XTi4002, XTi6002. So what's new?

Well, as can be seen in the family photo, there is an improved front panel, which has swapped the previous brushed aluminium faceplate for a tour sound grade one piece cast aluminium panel as used on it's bigger brothers, the Macro-Tech i and I-Tech HD amplifiers.

The main changes are though of course, where it matters most, under the covers....

The Harman proprietary DSP engine on these new units runs twice as fast as the previous generation. This is primarily to allow for operation of a vastly improved limiter. Instead of a basic off or application of a brick wall -3dB, -6dB, or -12dB setting, the user now has full control over the new Peak Plus limiter and its threshold, attack and release times, plus can choose to set the threshold in Volts or dBFS.

Also new in the DSP engine is a fully featured SubHarmonic Synth. Again, in the previous generation, the synth offered only an on/off and a level control, which may or may not have suited your purpose. These controls are retained, of course, but are now augmented by a maximum harmonic frequency and crossover controls. A subharmonic synth takes frequencies at a user selected crossover frequency and doubles them an octave lower. You can set a maximum harmonic frequency and add in one parametric EQ filter to further tailor the operation of the synth. Great for adding more sub to your set up without carting around loads of subwoofers on those away missions.

Also improved is the preset storage capability, up from 20 to 50. The devices ship preloaded with 5 factory presets for some common uses, all bar one (DSP off) can be edited and changed by the user. Note that device files for use on original XTi series amplifiers cannot be loaded into these XTi2 series, the reason being of course that the DSP is different on both models.

Under the Advanced tab a couple of handy features now live- AC Line voltage monitor, plus a couple of features that were available on the original XTi series if you had the willpower to find them* - internal PSU temperature monitoring and fan control modes. Here the user can set the fan to come on early for more aggressive cooling or even run at full speed from power on for maximum cooling performance if the operating environment required this. Maximum cooling? In Australia? Yes please.

These amplifiers are now included in the latest release of System Architect (2.3) which you can download FOC from Harman's HiQnet website http://hiqnet.harmanpro.com/.

Speaking of which, of course these next generation amplifiers contain all the previous XTi features including the USB network port from which you could control a rack of these devices from your PC, make up custom control panels and integrate them into a network control system comprising of other Harman brands. A common question we get here is how can I control these units from a TCP/IP network, or more accutatly, a WiFi network, when it has a USB connection? Easy, a number of 3rd party USB to TCP/IP convertors are available, but one which I have used sucessfully is made by Digi International and called somewhat cunningly a "USB Anywhere" and is a 5 port USB to TCP/IP convertor. Hook that up to a wireless access point and you are good to go.

A quick look at other manufacturers amplifiers in this market sector reveals that despite all the available on board DSP and USB network control included on the XTi2 series, it remains considerably more cost effective than its competitors, and of course carries the standard Crown 3 year, any fault warranty.

Software to configure, control and carry out firmware updates on these amplifiers, plus a load of other Harman brands within one software suit, System Architect 2.3 is available to download here http://hiqnet.harmanpro.com/.

* If this is news to you and you have both the willpower and original XTI series amplifiers, find out how to access these controls from the Jands Support Centre website: http://support.jands.com.au:8080/AddSolution.do?solID=21301

Jands