SS amp for B&W 801ms2 Emotiva XPA1 or W4S SX100


Looking for amp(s) for a pair of B&W 801s2.
Budget of ~2K hopefully less.
Looking at the Emotiva or the Wyred for sound 1k mono blocks.

Would appreciate any feedback on anyone who has compared the two or has other suggestions.

Also was considering a used Bryston 4bsst.

thanks,
trinculo

Showing 2 responses by auxinput

@dimora - I agree on the Emotivas. They are very nice amps for the money. The XPA-1 amps are a bit too much in the high frequencies (a little bit too bright and harsh) and running them in Class A mode definitely helps with this. You could also replace the stock fuses with Isoclean fuses to further help with the brightness/harshness. The Isoclean also gives a slightly warmer sound. The XPA-1 uses two 10amp 5x20mm -- accessible by taking off the small square panel on the bottom of the amp (only take out the screws on the outside part of the square panel - the inside screws actually hold the circuit board). It also uses two 1amp 5x20mm on the input pre-driver board - just take off the top part of the case/cover and you can get to them directly.  Or you could try Furutech fuses if you don't like a warmer sound.
Hey all, at this point, this is just a discussion for the heck of it.  The original post is dated back in 2009, so I'm sure he is no longer looking for an amp.  Dimora just decided to jump in on this conversation. lol