JBL 4530 Amp recommendation

[in2deep]

Hey guys,

Can anybody recommend a suitable amp for my living room system?
I'm currently running a Crown DC-300A but looking to upgrade this amp as every time I switch the unit off it sends a loud signal through the speakers. I'm concerned one day it will damage my drivers! :(

Specifications of system below;

Bass: JBL 4530 enclosure with JBL 2225H woofer
Mid: JBL 2440 with 2395 lense
High: 2402H

Room size: 3900 wide x 6000 length mm

Music: Jazz, funk, disco and house

[BMWCCA]

Hey guys,

Can anybody recommend a suitable amp for my living room system?
I'm currently running a Crown DC-300A but looking to upgrade this amp as every time I switch the unit off it sends a loud signal through the speakers. I'm concerned one day it will damage my drivers! :(But do you otherwise like the sound of the Crown? I'm a huge Crown fan, starting with the original D150 I purchased in 1973. I have run DC300A-II and D150A-II bi-amped with my 4345 but now use Crown PS400 and PS200 which are essentially updated D-series amps. One important feature they incorporate is a turn-on delay which delays output from power-up and eliminates the turn-on thump. Other improvements as well and overall I'm very pleased with how they perform with my 4345.

If you feel the DC300A has provided the power you need I think you'll be very happy with the improvements the PS400 will bring . . . and they are a bargain, often selling for less than the DC300A-II. Or many have found the newest Crowns made-in-China to work exceptionally well for them and might be easier for you to ship a new one than to find an older model where you are.

[srm51555]

The new Crown DCI series are made here in America. You can get the non-network version pretty reasonable now.

[DES-1]

Are you handy? You likely can correct the issue externally by adding speaker protection circuits available on eBay or Amazon. Many are assemble yourself, others are completed. You'd probably want to mount these in a separate case so as not to butcher up the vintage amps. They typically use a 12 volt power supply which you might have laying around from older consumer electronics.

[in2deep]

I like the sound of the PS400 - I'll keep an eye out for one of these and hopefully I can snap one up locally.


Speaker protection is a great cheaper alternative also.

Any thoughts on picking up a new Bryston amp for this setup? I'm wondering if I would get a large audible difference from the Crown DC-300II that I currently have!

[DES-1]

But do you otherwise like the sound of the Crown? I'm a huge Crown fan, starting with the original D150 I purchased in 1973. I have run DC300A-II and D150A-II bi-amped with my 4345 but now use Crown PS400 and PS200 which are essentially updated D-series amps. One important feature they incorporate is a turn-on delay which delays output from power-up and eliminates the turn-on thump. Other improvements as well and overall I'm very pleased with how they perform with my 4345.

If you feel the DC300A has provided the power you need I think you'll be very happy with the improvements the PS400 will bring . . . and they are a bargain, often selling for less than the DC300A-II. Or many have found the newest Crowns made-in-China to work exceptionally well for them and might be easier for you to ship a new one than to find an older model where you are.


Are you using the PS400 strictly for the 2245's? How is the 2245 performance at low to moderate listening levels?

[BMWCCA]

Are you using the PS400 strictly for the 2245's? How is the 2245 performance at low to moderate listening levels?Yes! In bi-amping the 4345 the 2245 runs off the bigger amp and the other three drivers run off the PS200. It sounds great to me.

Probably the most amazing thing about the 4345 is how it performs at low level. Listening to jazz especially, all the subtleties of a stand-up bass can be heard and felt at low volume where almost all of that material is non-existent in lesser drivers. The fullness of the complete audio spectrum at low levels is unlike anything I've heard. Their previous owner referred to them as the "velvet hammer" when I asked the same question.

I was also concerned that they would require extraordinary power to perform well but I believe they use the same motor as most of the JBL fifteens from that period and are really quite efficient while being capable of rattling windows on movie soundtracks with very little effort. :yes: