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NAD 955 vs Emotiva XPA-5

Both these 5-ch amps are the same price (Emotiva gives military discount, so they are actually cheaper for me) with the NAD being 100wpc and the Emotiva 200wpc. I have heard the 955 paired with Totem Sttaf and it sounded great. So I am pretty confident with the NAD. Yet, the Emotiva has twice the power and has also been well review.

So, who has heard either? I will be pushing Axiom M22 mkII so power is not a problem (both will do) but, when I do upgrade, probably to Totem, I do not want to get a new amp. I listen to 50/50 HT/2-ch Music, and of the music, about 50% is vinyl.

Would love to hear what anyone with experience with one of these amps thinks.

Thanks.
affejunge
5 responses Add your response
rcrerar
215 posts
 
Sound quality differences not withstanding, considering the likely future upgrade to Totem speakers I would tend towards the higher powered amplifier, as some Totem speakers can be a little power hungry. One thing to remember though is that even an amp with twice the output rating will only deliver a volume increase of 3db. What that extra power may get you though is an increase in headroom which will allow your system to produce short transients of higher output. The more relevant stats when it comes to power amps instead of output ratings expressed in watts is current output, which is expressed in amperes.
affejunge OP
15 posts
 
Hmmm.... unfortunately sound quality is the most important thing! I agree about the higher powered amp, hence my leaning toward Emotiva. I have heard the NAD amp, so I know I will like it. I guess I can get the Emotiva and if I do not like it, send it back. But hard to do since I know it will sound better than my Adcom GFA-5200 that I currently have powering my fronts. So I will never know if the NAD is better on my setup....
hieule5
115 posts
 
Totem Sttaf is an 8 ohm load speaker and thus 100 continuous watts produced per channel should be enough to drive the Sttaf at any sane listening level.

In addition to the 3db headroom increase when you double your wattage, another reason why people pay for more wattage is that they want to have clear bass definition at low volume listening (fast and tight bass rather than boomy or bloated bass).
affejunge OP
15 posts
 
Well I went with the NAD. I felt more comfortable with the amps lower distortion, much higher signal to noise, and branding.

Plus, something just seemed "cheap" about the Emotiva. The big blue lights, the way the case was constructed.. dunno, just seemed too, "flashy".

I am sure the NAD will be a step up from my Adcom GFA-5200 at 50wpc!
hieule5
115 posts
 
Totem Sttaf is a floorstander and I think it can hit cleanly down to the 40Hz. The Sttaf's tweeter is probably silk too so they will go nicely with the brass played at high listening level.

Dynaudio is also a great speaker. You should give them a listen if you happen to be close to one authorized dealer.

For jazz, vocal, & piano, both Dynaudio and Totem are neck to neck. But you occasionally listen to classic rock you will see that Dynaudio will edge out Totem.
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