I do like the crossover (JLA) but I've been thinking about that insertion loss and have a hard time believing McIntosh would supply anything but a properly balanced connector given their decades of industrial experience in pro audio. That leads me to think maybe the JL isn't a true balanced device but I don't really know and my system doesn't suffer from any audible noise. I'd still say the CR1 is a good choice for a guy who doesn't want to use a pro audio digital/menu driven device that may not have the ease of implementation of the JL or Bryston. It sounds clean and seems to have the ability to make up whatever gain is lost on the way in or out. But I still wonder about the architecture and if a hobbyist devotee would have even noticed it. I am prepared to be wrong on this one but where o where are those missing dB?
