Emotiva amplifiers review/experience?

Something to consider: how often will you need/want big big watt/current output? Is it there for self-impression? "I know I have it." Will you ever use the amp's capacity? What is your typical listening level? What will drive your speakers best? I also really wonder about the quality of parts. They can surprisingly be very inexpensive. But for the price Empotiva may be worth a try.

Ask current Emotiva owners what their preferences are in listening. Big bass, fat mid range, scintillating high's, what? Temper what you hear from current users with what they tell you about what they are enjoying from it then compare that to what you are looking for. Don't get carried away by BIG numbers, that is spec's. Bipolar transistors are known to sound a bit lean, perhaps revealing? in mid's and hi's when compared to MOSFET's. The mid's and hi's in MOSFET's normally operate in what might be termed a "softer" mode. What speakers are you using and what are their characteristics? Will the Emotiva's triple Darlington configuration make any difference to what you can hear? I am still waiting to hear from Emotiva's support personnel. Their head of sales did forward my request to the tech staff.

Emotiva might be worth a try. You do get a lot for the buck. Take your time, think it through, gather information. Read current owner/user reviews. Take reviews from "golden ear" types in "audiophile" magazines for what they are. My belief is these folks tend to pander to the "higher end." The XPA 2 for example is now on holiday sale for $699. Can't beat that. Very tempting. No, I don't have a fiduciary relationship with Emotiva. Just sayin'. They come with a five year warranty. Read the warranty carefully. Most electronic devices if they are going to fail prematurely will do so within the first year of operation. My concern is quality of build coming out of China. You don't know the rep or history of the manufacturer. Quality of workmanship in Chinese factories varies WIDELY. Depending upon the parts used in manufacturing, power amps can be quite inexpensively (you'd be surprised how cheaply) or more costly. Labor and margin are bigger add-ons. There seems to be a lot of good feedback for ya from responders here. I have a Hafler 9180 purchased in 1995 and I am sitckin' with it! Good luck!

Emotiva's response to my inquiry for more information about their XPA 2 was NO information. I am curious about Emotiva. I simply asked for some basic, non-proprietary information info about their circuit design and a few other specs. Goodness sakes you'd think I had made an attempt for a hostile take over. Audio circuit designs are pretty straight forward and KNOWN. Make of this what you want but for me this would be a no go on purchase. I will try another department of Emotiva and see if I get someone more customer friendly. There are customer friendly ways to say we can't give even simple information. Also, when you review responses from current Emotiva owners ask about thier speakers and program material. Speakers make a big difference in sound quality as well as program material, i.e., the quality of a given recording.

Emotiva was forthcoming about their circuit design adding more detail per my inquiries. All seems very reasonable. If you want more detail about bipolar audio circuit behavior check this out: www.soundwesthost.com. Go to main article index and look up amplifier basics. There's an easy to understand article about bipolar and mosfet circuits and behavior. If I needed an amp I would likely give the Emotiva XPA 2 a try. At $699 during the holiday sale it is a good buy anyway you look at it. I have seen blog entries about little problems here and there like a hum sound (transformer, ground loop or?), but that's what your 5 year warranty is for. And finally, I have a sticker in the rear window of my car that reads: "Driver carries no cash. He spent it all on audio equipment!" Good luck!

Re: sound from heat sinks. I contacted Emotiva about this. The tech said they consider this normal operating behavior in the aluminum heats sinks. My old Bryston 2B never did this and my current power amp, a Hafler 9180, doesn't either. I guess it depends on how loud this is and how long it persists once the sinks are warmed up.

Audition: XPA-2. Yesterday, quite by chance I learned a neighbor of mine has an XPA 2. I have been curious about the sound and asked him if here would mind an audition only with my speakers. My help carrying it to my house was part of the deal.:) I have Thiel CS 2's driven by a Hafler 9180. Long story short: The XPA 2 sounded like this: definitely a somewhat "bigger" sound, a lot of detail, a robust bass, broad soundstage with a more forward presence than my Hafler. I listened to voice, orchestra and rock. I did hear what I thought was "crisp" definition in some mid's esp the highs. Don't know how else to describe this.
My Hafler seems to soften the mid's and highs just a bit and provides a big enough sound reproduction in it's own right. If I was in the market for an amp I would likely try the XPA 2.

Right! Sit back and enjoy your music. Sounds like the move you made is working for ya! This is what it's all about.