Why favor the larger Town class over the Crown Colonies?

Why are the Town-class cruisers your favorite compared with the Crown Colonies?

Their larger size and better balance explain the preference, while the Crown Colonies had to appear compatible with an 8,000-ton limit.

The preference for the Town class rests on their larger size and better balance. Both classes came under Henderson, so a preference for his work does not distinguish them. Crown Colonies remained good ships, but had to look plausibly smaller than the nominally 10,000-ton Towns to support their own 8,000-ton claim. In a comparison with older cruiser categories, the Towns resemble first-class protected cruisers. Crown Colonies sit between first and second class, moving closer to Leanders after losing the fourth turret and dropping to nine guns.