Mark Levinson 333.5 vs Emotiva XPR-1 Monoblocks

Winoguy17
Thanks for responding. The we are my Audiophile, Jazz loving, vinyl loving wife and I.

Levchappy

Howdy Rlwainwright;

We have a UMC-200 and XDA-1 (modified power supply). Emo has just completed the "39" firmware upgrade to match the Oppo 103 lip sync issue. Good stuff.

We can't afford to buy the XPR-1 pair with out giving up the 333.5. Mary is extremely reluctant to give up the Levinson. So, before we make a mistake, we thought others might chime in. It's always been we for almost 36 years of marriage. I met her when she was sweet 16 and she was the first girl to say yes when I asked her to dance. The band played "Stairway to Heaven." And.... it continues to be.

Thanks

Tonyangel;

All valid points, which is why I started this thread. We don't want to make a horrible mistake. We have a highly modified Audio Research LS2B MKll linestage & Cary CDP 303/300 both done by Great Northern Sound Company.

Our Art Audio Vinyl One phono preamp was modified by RHB Sound Dezign and a friend separated the power supply. We are using a VPI Scout and a Clearaudio Maestro Wood cartridge.

Truth be told, we are Levinson snobs, and it seems that the 333.5 is superior to some of the models from the later series. Our unit was just updated with new parts and both channels were calibrated by Alex Lok in Raleigh

Tonyangel;

I tend to agree with you. I enjoyed our ML-2 Monoblocks and thought they were the best. Then came the 333.5. It killed the ML-2's.

With the XPR-1's, I thought more efficient Monoblocks with twice the power and good technology would give certain attributes common to great Monoblocks as compared to a dual monaural design. However, my heart says the 333.5 is a world class unit in the top 5% of amps.

Also, we wanted to replace our 3 Acurus theater amps with a Sherbourn PA 7-350. It's funny, my friend snubs his nose at "high-end" names while you and Mary and I snub our noses at lesser quality. In audio/HT, we do not enjoy 90% as good for 50% less cost. It's like wearing slightly scratched glasses for a cost of 50% less. We need to compromise a bit of HT multi-channel audio to have truly high-end 2 channel audio.

Hello Everyone;

You all have great thoughts. Maximizing the audio attributes means working with the system in areas of acoustics, power and signal cabling, power cleansing, etc. Something as simple as furniture placement can reek havoc on depth and width. Vibration control is vital.

In response to Tonyangel, I went right to the manufacturer for the unlisted specs:

Hello,



Thank you for your interest in Emotiva. 4 ohms is not the minimum impedance that the XPR-1 monoblocks are able to support. That is just the lowest power rating that we provide. Customers are using the XPR-1 monoblocks to support Martin Logan speakers such as the Montis which drop to 0.52 ohms at their minimum impedance and the XPR-1 handles them with ease. The XPR-1 monoblocks have a 2.5 kVA toroidal transformer and 240,000µF of secondary capacitance in order to support current swing of demanding speakers. Yes, Thiel speakers do like a lot of current but there are certainly more current demanding speakers on the market and the XPR-1 monoblocks will be able to power them. Since you already have the 20 amp circuits installed there will not be an issue to operate these amplifiers to their full potential. I disagree with this person’s comment about being a lower class product as I have personally replaced Krell, Bryston, and McIntosh amplifiers in our customers’ systems with our amplifier of both the XPR and XPA line of amplifiers. The XPR-1 monoblocks is a fully balanced, fully differential design that is going to compete with other monoblocks 10x their cost. If you have any further questions please let us know. Thank you for your consideration.



Nick Kaumeyer

Sales Representative

Emotiva Audio Corporation

Tonyangel;

"If you have the wild hair to try them out, let us know how it goes. I just wouldn't sell the Levinson until after I heard the Emotivas."

There in lies the dilemma. No sell, no buy.

Bo1972;

You would be surprised the improved in the cherished characteristic when I had a 30 amp service installed for the 333.5.

I have read 30 different opinions from Sunday about Pass, Krell, Levinson, Electocompaniet, Jeff Roland, Linn, etc. Each system requires different parameters to sound it's best.

It takes 300 hard hours to break in an amp, cables, and speakers etc. A lot of folks make quick judgments without doing the due diligence required to maximize gear.

I began making my own cables and killed $1,000 cables which turned the system into all the things that is presumed to be lacking with the 333.5.

French_fries, Audiolabyrinth, Tonyangel and all;

Truth be told, we have a real craving to replace our 3 Acurus home theater amps with the Sherbourn PA 7-350.

In 2009, Sherbourn was acquired by Jade Design, and combined with Emotiva.

If we sold the 333.5 and the Acurus amps we'd have the cash to pull off the deal. However, without reading our threads, Mary has the same "what if" concern as Tony and most of my new friends here.

Therefore, for now, we will enjoy the UMC-200 with the latest firmware update, the Oppo 103, the Acurus amps and our 7ch theater. We will continue to pine over the PA7-350

I'm not trying to improve the 2 channel audio because like many of you understand the Levinson 333.5 is no ordinary beast. Besides if I gave it up I could no longer call myself Levchappy. Now that the fear of displeasing the Audio Gods is firmly reinstated......

Does anyone have experience with the PA7-350

Dave_72

Is it true that Pass amps run extremely hot. What was the last best Levinson amp that you've owned for at least 2 years?

Have you ever owned somewhat recent Lamm amp? If so, how does it compare to the Levinson 333.5 and The Pass amp?

Tonyangel;

I really appreciate your dialogue. Our Home Theater speakers consist of:

L/R Fronts Kef 104.2 (refurbished)

Center Thiel SCS2

L/R Surrounds Kef IQ3 SP3500

L/R Rears KEF 102.2

Our three Acurus amps do a fine job, but there is always room for improvement.

We are using an Oppo 103 3D Bluray player and an Emotiva UMC-200 pre-pro.

Thanks