2. amps-preamps
  3. 1360465903

Emotiva XPA-2

I've heard this called mid fi crap and no better than mass market junk.My ears say different.And yes i clean them using this stuff called auro and pluck the hair out.Unlike some folks giving their opinions.
Having owned very expensive amps,Krell 300s,Pass x-350,Counterpoint NP220,the list is almost endless.The Threshold T series 100,200 and 400 were in my system.The McCormack upgraded DNA-1 lasted about two days,along with Belles Ref.Sorry Dave.Granted, everything comes down to synergy.
Thats why we try this then that,regretting the bad choices we make and the massive amounts of money we waste in the process.
Call me waxing nostalgiac but my sonic memories of Marantz recievers are pretty good.Folks we get caught up in the BS.Trust your ears,to hell with opinion.Doesn't matter.I got this amp that sounds great and I plan on installing better fuses etc.
Heres the rub as soon as you say some positive stuff the cost doubles and then other less well to do folks find it out of reach and in a crowded expensive market,So maybe its better to say ,"everyones right it is a POS,then smile and turn the volume up".I can afford something costlier as fortunes have it.Perhaps all those naysayers are using SS pres.Personally i loathe SS preamps,I had the Pass Aleph p,Threshold T2 i believe it was along with fet-10 and a few others.Folks get a Manley shrimp,or BAT or Arc or VTl 2.5 even or any of those others like CJ 17ls.
soundsgood05

Showing 7 responses by runnin

runnin
397 posts
 
Oh, I thought this was going to be a thread discussing if the XPA-2 was a good fit for you. Instead it's a thread saying...?

Anyway, as far as I'm concerned, synergy with speakers counts for something. With my speakers, Emotiva amps are too bright. Try saying that on the Emo forum, I got all the same attacking opinions in reverse.

Glad you found an amp you like.
runnin
397 posts
 
Gumby, are you referring to the XDA preamp they have? That was also too bright in my system, plus the volume is lossy, so it wasn't a good purchase for me. I'd beg to differ on it beating units costing much more as some find the DAC Magic by Cambridge to be better. But the Emo amps can be good depending on the speakers.

What I don't like about their amps is the small power supplies and Caps they have. They get around this by higher gain structures, but owners of some speakers complain of hiss. Their power is always spec'd to .1% THD so at rated power they're already climbing rapidly into distortion.

Krell or other amps, heck even Outlaw Audio, have better cap and power supplies and don't have the dancing LED lights straight out of the 80's that the Emotiva amps have. Having said that, for the money spent they are decent. Their newer line looks better, the XPR series. To each their own I guess.
runnin
397 posts
 
Okay, Emotiva has a newer DAC now. I suppose I'm a little hard on them, I've been quite happy with the ERC-1 cd player from Emotiva, I just wasn't impressed with the XPA amp with my speakers.
runnin
397 posts
 
It sounds like you are quite partial to your vintage Snells, and that's great. I've got Morrow level 3, they make a great interconnect.
runnin
397 posts
 
I had an XPA amp as well as a DAC and cd player from Emotiva. I don't care for their house sound, with my Paradigm sigs the amp was bright and sterile sounding, with occasional sibilance. I think it depends on the speakers as their amps don't seem to play well with all speaker brands.
runnin
397 posts
 
Schubert, it was easy to get rid of the bright sterile sound. Have you listened to Paradigm Signature speakers at all, I mean the ones with the beryllium tweeters?
Or are you just going by your experiences with the Studio or Monitor line? When I switched to Parasound electronics the sound became much much better with amazing vocals.
runnin
397 posts
 
Well everybody's got their favorite brand and sound, Paradigm isn't for everybody, and neither is Emotiva with their bright sound.
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