JD, I used to have an all Emotiva system. ERC-1, XPA-3 and for preamp a XDA-1. It was kind of harsh sounding at higher volumes and it didn’t have the best sound stage with Paradigm Signature speakers.
One would think that Emotiva has upped their game since about 2010, but the thing I have against them is that their owner/president is a business first guy instead of being an audio first guy. That’s why they released the UMC-1, which was a disaster as a processor. Many of their new items released have had bugs, quirks, and things that shouldn’t happen. They announce an upcoming product, and then run into repeated delays trying to get it to market. They introduce new lines/products, and then retire them within 2 years. Their UPA amp line. The XPR amp line. The old subwoofer line, cable lines, it goes on and on.
Anyway, I found a sizeable improvement by replacing the Emotiva amp with a Parasound Halo A21. Nicer highs, tighter more accurate bass, and the midrange produces gorgeous sounding vocals. But the XSP-1 will have a lot to say about the sound too.
I wouldn’t worry about the wattage issue you mentioned unless you like it really loud. If you have a smart phone of some type, you should be able to find a sound or decibel meter app which will tell you how loud it is at your seating position. Your speakers are 90 db. That means at 1 meter distance, they will produce a volume of 90 decibels with one watt. At your seating position 6 feet away, one watt of power will generate a volume of about 84 decibels.
To get 3 decibels louder you need to turn up the volume until the system is pumping out double the wattage, to 2 watts, for 87 decibels. Double it again to 4 watts, 90 decibels. 8 watts will produce 93 decibels with your speakers at your seating distance.
So the question is, what decibel level are you listening to? For most people, 90 decibels is pretty loud, even too loud. I prefer to listen in the 70’s range. For you to be over powering your speakers, the volume level at your seating position would be in excess of 110 decibels, run from the room crazy loud.
If you have any buddies with systems, have a listen to compare to yours. Go to audio stores with music you are familiar with and audition other gear. This will give you a better idea about what you’ve got now.
