Emotiva xpa 1 monos

I would concur re the xpas being good value, but with a cautionary imperative, and that is that the Elmo's are dependent an awful lot on the system in which they're being used. Obviously this applies to all components, but I would say it applies to these more than most.

They are very speaker dependent, and sound much much better with a tube preamp stage. The speaker sensitivity is also very important , since the first 60 watts are class A, and much clearer and more linear than the next 100s of watts, so the more sensitive speakers may sound better, again contingent on your desired listening db. They are not the best but may be the very best bang for the buck on the market if used in a conducive system.

I'm using all  Emo gen 2 amps.I thought xpa 1 's might be bright using them with B&W 805 Diamonds,but they are not.Using balanced interconnects with the monos made a noticeable difference.i noticed more of an upgrade using monos with my 805's  than I did with my Thiel 3.7 's on an upstairs system?I would have thought the opposite?Im  happy with these amps but time will tell how they last in the long haul?

I can't speak of the XPA mono's, but am currently running an XPA Gen 3 two channel, and couldn't be happier. I find them to be quite neutral, with the ability to deliver smooth but powerful bass, and wonderful mids and highs;  very musical overall. I also feel the build quality to be superb, and find them to be very efficient. 

I've been seriously considering going to mono's, so I'm patiently holding out for the new mono module's that they are coming out with, before I make any decisions; very curious as to how it will perform?

Had a pair of the Gen 1 XPA-1 monoblocks a couple years back that I bought to drive BG Corp 520 loudspeakers.  I had been using a Theta Intrepid, bi-amping with 4 channels but wanted to see how they'd sound with more power.  Thought the Intrepid was better in every way except, perhaps, the extra bass warmth that the Emotivas exhibited.   I then picked up a Cambridge 840W and this destroyed the Emotivas by offering much better resolution---I could clearly hear detail that the XPA-1's glossed over, a more dimensional soundstage with more clearly defined image outlines.  The XPA-1's sound good but they never sound like anything other than mid-fi (albeit easy to listen to  mid-fi).  And the Cambridge has almost Krell-like bone crusher bass when the material offers it.  The XPA-1's sound bloated and soft in comparison.   And, if your system offers it, the Cambridge is MUCH more transparent.  I do have a gainclone and a single-ended triode amp which are both a bit more transparent than the Cambridge but the 840w offers the kind of power you'll never get from either of those kinds of amps.   I'm not trying to hype either the Theta or the Cambridge, just saying the Emotivas are way over-rated in my humble opinion. Enjoy!

Yes,mid fi amps and high end speakers!Rock on!🤘