Does anyone know if the XLS-2002 will drive 4 70V speakers from one channel of the amp?

I was looking to power 4 x 70V speakers and 1 x 8ohm sub from the same amp in a y-channel configuration.

I know James uses the QSC GXD8 amp for this purpose with their landscape speakers in this configuration.

The XLS series is a direct drive amplifier.
Not 70 volt

Look at the Crown cdi series

or QSC also has many 70volt amps

The QSC GXD8 isn't 70 volt rated either but they are working just fine by James.

How closely does this amp come to actually providing 70 volts at full power into a load? We're used to thinking in terms of 8 ohm loads or 70 volt topologies, but the two modes are just different ways of understanding how much power the amp can present to a load.

Start with one of the formulas for power, say voltage times voltage divided by load gives you watts. This converts to "square root of watts times load = volts."

The specs for this amp say:

375 watts x 2 at 8 ohms (they mean two channels). 375 watts into 8 ohms is 54.7 volts.

650 watts into 4 ohms is 50.9 volts.

1050 watts into 2 ohms is 45.8 volts.

This tells us that the amp can output A LOT of voltage, in fact impressively close to 70 volts directly from the output stage! It also tells us that as the output power increases, the output voltage decreases. This is probably to keep all components in their SOA (Safe Operating Area, the combination of current and voltage level [that is, heat] below those that kill the output transistors).

Some arithmetic will show you that an amp outputting power at 70 volts into 8 ohms is putting out 612.5 watts. It's occasionally helpful to know about this.

In your case, the answer is that the amp will indeed drive four 70 volt speakers, but it'll drive them at maybe 55 volts. Maybe 60, since we don't have SOA information for that exact load. The volume of the speakers will be slightly lower than a 70 volt amp would produce. I believe we're talking one or two dB less, though. Some more math would clarify that.

Thanks Ernie, I think we will end up using the 8 ohm taps on the speakers and use series and parallel wiring to get them to either 8 or 4 ohms.

Crown CDI1000 is typically what I would recommend for the application.

I would normally use that as well, but the budget isn't there for this job. unfortunately.

We have tried to explain to them about this, but they aren't budging.

Do you mean you're not going to connect the 70 volt taps, just connect to the terminals on the speaker side of the transformer? If so you'll want to disconnect the transformer on each speaker.

Ernie, many better quality 70 volt speakers have a bypass setting for connection as an 8 ohm speaker. Guessing that's what the original poster was going to do.

Yup

huh?!?

you cant get them to spend $130 more to the job right? thats f&%ked up!!!LOL

James sent the QSC GXD8 amplifier with our 70v/8ohm mix landscape system.

They have since changed to the Crown CDi amps

Here in the ole Canada, the CDi is twice the price of the XLS. Not $130 more.

Where are you getting a CDi2/300 for only $130 more than the XLS2002?

???
You would be looking at a CDI1000. And yes, it is only about $130 (dealer cost) more than the XLS2002.