Emotiva Holiday sale
Comments
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If you like what you hear and you saved loads of money, then the joke's on them.2Ch Tube Audio Convert
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Sorry you got miffed by the brand nonsense. I just learned to ignore it all. I've owned the XDA-1 and heard/owned some of the Emo amps. I really liked the XDA considering the price I got it for and their amps performed fine. Some people might snub their nose at certain gear, but I'm certainly not rich enough to do that now. I think the guys around here are open to most gear and most of the emo bashing has been a result of the emo fanboyism.
Not sure how long you've been in the hobby, but price, prestige play a lot into how a brand is perceived. On the other side of the coin, I know myself and plenty of other people wouldn't go near some of the big brand name stuff out there.
If Emo made their stuff cost 10x more, I'm sure it'd turn different heads. Everyone has an opinion even if they haven't heard it properly setup, synergized, with compatible gear, yadda yadda. Where I am in the hobby now, I'm not sure whether stuff I'm changing sounds "better" anymore, sounds different that's for sure. I can certainly think it's better in my own noggin. Take what everyone says with a grain of salt. My $0.02.
It's just 'shock and awe' at how many people are raging against each other. I didn't know you guys got hammered by a bunch of fanboyism, no product walks on water in my book. I could spend a bunch of money on audio gear personally but then I always have that choice, do I want to buy myself some pricey audio gear or do I want to pack some more away to pay the $250k in student loans that my two sons are projected to incur? Personally I'd rather sacrifice for myself so that they don't enter the professional world saddled by 100+ thousand dollars in debt. No joke, that's the price for state education that is projected between my two boys, one of them in theory starting in 9 years, the second in 13. If I listen to a piece of gear and it sounds good to me, and I hear a second piece of gear that sounds no better that costs far more then I'm clearly going to go for the less expensive gear. Again, my ears are not golden i can just go by what these ears are capable of.
I am with you on the price/prestige/perception thing, I just don't buy into it. If something sounds good to me then my opinion is it's good gear. Spending a lot more isn't going to make me think better of it.
I agree with that sentiment, if it cost more it would be viewed more positively. I like their paradigm, do the design work stateside and then let the fabs in china make the gear and pass the savings on. The only caveat I have is that if the labor is going to be done in China where QC is known to be horrific then they need to have heavy oversight and verification processes in place to keep bad product from being shipped. Either that or have an ironclad warrantee which they do.
I understand your point, 'better' is really an opinion. Right now I'm not moving up the ladder to 'higher quality' but more looking to tailor my system's sound. I want some 'sweeter highs' out of my gear; that's right, I said it, I'm looking for 'colored' not neutral sound, trying to find the color I like/want! -
you gotta remember,,it's a journey,if you keep/stay in this hobby long enough,I think you will find that Emotiva is just a whistle stop along the way, as was adcom,Belles, VTL and others for me.May your journey be a pleasant one>
JC approves....he told me so. (F-1 nut) -
DSkip, the emotiva was the one I wanted because I wanted the extra flexability of XLR's and it also had the preamp functionality. As you said though, man, it's hard to demo DAC's or relatively anything for that matter, you just end up having to go through tons of gear. Bummer on the Schiit I heard tons of great things about them. I'm really pleased with my emotiva right now. Will it be my last? HELL NO.
George, are you near the end of your journey i.e. are you done shopping and have you found a pinnacle that you are satisfied with at this stage? -
george daniel wrote: »you gotta remember,,it's a journey,if you keep/stay in this hobby long enough,I think you will find that Emotiva is just a whistle stop along the way, as was adcom,Belles, VTL and others for me.May your journey be a pleasant one>
The only problem with that sentiment is that some people do consider Emo to be the end so obviously offense would be taken. Nothing wrong with that. I sort of envy them. Saved themselves a whole lot of hassle and money :P.2Ch Tube Audio Convert -
mccarty250 wrote: »DSkip, the emotiva was the one I wanted because I wanted the extra flexability of XLR's and it also had the preamp functionality. As you said though, man, it's hard to demo DAC's or relatively anything for that matter, you just end up having to go through tons of gear. Bummer on the Schiit I heard tons of great things about them. I'm really pleased with my emotiva right now. Will it be my last? HELL NO.
George, are you near the end of your journey i.e. are you done shopping and have you found a pinnacle that you are satisfied with at this stage?
Honestly, I really dislike playing around with DAC's. The Emotiva sounded clean and didn't add anything on its own so it was good in my book. I know I catch myself in my head telling myself that it must sound better because it's more money.
As far as DAC's go, they sound different, not sure whether it's better. I played around with expensive DAC's from the likes of T+A, ARC and they just sound different. The T+A had more bass, the ARC sounded tubier, better than the CDP? I don't know, it just sounds different. I like that Emo made a simple DAC, did it right, and made it affordable. Enjoy it!2Ch Tube Audio Convert -
The only problem with that sentiment is that some people do consider Emo to be the end so obviously offense would be taken. Nothing wrong with that. I sort of envy them. Saved themselves a whole lot of hassle and money :P.
Hey, if someone can break the audio purchasing crack addiction more power to them. It's an endless habit that's for sure. I have not found anything to be wanting on my XDA-2, it will be hearing something else amazing that drives me to replace it when that happens, either that or boredom/inability to stop trying things. It will be through no fault of the gear itself, it performs flawlessly right now. -
My denonx4000 preforms perfectly to my ears,and I would never to even think to replace if it weren't for everyone glorifying amps.If I had the money I would not hesitate to go with something like passlab, but like aboroth said,I really don't want to spend the dough it takes for higher end amp.So my first amp might be my last,as I'm very satisfy even with my denon.
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Sweet Cream Jesus, I love a good Emo thread.
lol
It's a tale as constant as the north star, if you run EMo gear, your gonna catch ball busting. it's like being a ginger in England, it doesnt make you a bad person, but balls will be busted.
that said, wouldnt touch there amps with 10 foot pole, would rather go used. That Dac thy have is mildly intriguing. IF I ever buy it, I'll take my ball busting like a manLiving Room 2 Channel -
Schiit SYS Passive Pre. Jolida CD player. Songbird streamer. California Audio Labs Sigma II DAC, DIY 300as1/a1 Ice modules Class D amp. LSi15 with MM842 woofer upgrade, Nordost Blue Heaven and Unity interconnects.
Upstairs 2 Channel Rig -
Prometheus Ref. TVC passive pre, SAE A-205 Amp, Wiim pro streamer and Topping E50 DAC, California Audio Labs DX1 CD player, Von Schweikert VR3.5 speakers.
Studio Rig - Scarlett 18i20(Gen3) DAW, Mac Mini, Aiyma A07 Max (BridgedX2), Totem Mites -
Yes, I have a custom 66 wpc tube amp built by Harry Bailey who used to frequent this forum. So me being the obvious skeptic in a lot of matters here's what I heard:
Whether by increased even order harmonic distortion or some other trick I found the highs to be magical once the thing heated up, it was like every note was coated in smooth butter, what I heard was probably the manifestation of 'good distortion' if there is such a thing. Descriptive words would be maybe glassy or liquid. I can't say I'm 100% proficient at conveying sound descriptions via verbiage right? The mids also sounded better on the whole. The lows however compared to solid state were flabby and I would say that the lower mids were somewhat flabby. I should probably get some of my higher efficiency gear into my office and hook it up to the tube amp, the most efficient thing I own is a pair of Chorus's so possibly hooking them up I would hear some firmer bass since it would take less dynamic power to drive that 15 and move air.
So I can confirm that tube definitely sounds different than solid state and it's not really a subtle difference. Is the sound colored? IMO with my amp, yes. Did I like that color? For the mids/highs yes, for the bass no. So bottom line I switch it up between solid state and tube pretty frequently. My next foray is to try a tube preamp (purchased from Daboyz here) with a good solid state amp. In my office I have a recently acquired MOSFET based McCormack DNA .5 that already has something of a tubey sound due to the employment of the MOSFETS that I am hoping to get the best of both worlds out of with the SL2000A tube preamp.
Do I think that everyone should spend all their money on tubes and drop solid state? No. Am I having fun trying lots of combos of gear/speakers? Very much so.Mc, have you had a chance to hear tubes? If so, what did you hear? Just curious -
mccarty250 wrote: »Hey, if someone can break the audio purchasing crack addiction more power to them. It's an endless habit that's for sure. I have not found anything to be wanting on my XDA-2, it will be hearing something else amazing that drives me to replace it when that happens, either that or boredom/inability to stop trying things. It will be through no fault of the gear itself, it performs flawlessly right now.
It's too late for me. I already fell into the rabbit hole. SAVE YOURSELF!2Ch Tube Audio Convert -
Come on man, I'm a lost cause if you haven't figured that out. You're probably higher up that ladder though
It's too late for me. I already fell into the rabbit hole. SAVE YOURSELF! -
Sweet Cream Jesus, I love a good Emo thread.
lol
It's a tale as constant as the north star, if you run EMo gear, your gonna catch ball busting. it's like being a ginger in England, it doesnt make you a bad person, but balls will be busted.
that said, wouldnt touch there amps with 10 foot pole, would rather go used. That Dac thy have is mildly intriguing. IF I ever buy it, I'll take my ball busting like a man
HAHAHAHA...if I would have been reading this in the AM I would have spit out my coffee. I had a 'real' LOL reading your post, not just a LOL typed. -
mccarty250 wrote: »Come on man, I'm a lost cause if you haven't figured that out. You're probably higher up that ladder though
The ladder of madness? Sure. It's very tempting to throw money at the problem (audio nervosa), but it never really makes it any better.2Ch Tube Audio Convert -
mccarty250 wrote: »Was I invited into the home of these folks or have I kicked in their door wearing stormtrooper boots to impose my will upon them like a post-modern conquistador? Have I come there to conquer and impose my will upon them or was I invited over for dinner and welcomed into their home only to see something I considered less than savory but not illegal? There's a lot I don't see fit and I'm less than politically correct but the world does not await my opinion with bated breath. No clear cut answer can definitively be given. You'll have to provide more specifics to box me into the answer that you want me to give you so you can deconstruct it?
Perhaps you're asking if I was in a home and a bloodbath ensued if i would intervene?
Nice dance. :cheesygrin:I wish you would spend as many cycles responding to me in a more peaceful thread about your opinion regarding SHMCD or perhaps your opinion on SACD versus vinyl, I was curious about what you thought of those formats and comparisons and it was an honest non-flame-baited question for you.
Where was this?Political Correctness'.........defined
"A doctrine fostered by a delusional, illogical minority and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a t-u-r-d by the clean end."
President of Club Polk -
ooo while we are at it,I might as well ask.Do you guys notice a big difference between class A watt and A/B class?As some of the emo a/b amp give less than 1 watt of class A,while some give you 30 class A WATT.
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northernwind wrote: »ooo while we are at it,I might as well ask.Do you guys notice a big difference between class A watt and A/B class?As some of the emo a/b amp give less than 1 watt of class A,while some give you 30 class A WATT.
Big diff between Class A and A/B? no. At high enough volumes/wattage, the junk you get with class B is inaudible. With my setup, with a crossed sub and smallish room, I spend most of my time <1 watt for reference.
I'm probably gonna move on from class A, dang thing gets so darn hot during the summer.2Ch Tube Audio Convert -
Big diff between Class A and A/B? no. At high enough volumes/wattage, the junk you get with class B is inaudible. With my setup, with a crossed sub and smallish room, I spend most of my time <1 watt for reference.
I'm probably gonna move on from class A, dang thing gets so darn hot during the summer.
Lol man that must be bad,I heard it get's hot and some even enough to fry an egg>>Was planning to grab xpa-1L but your post kinda scares me.I like to listen to music through the night as I'm sleeping,can't imagine the room heating up from dual mono block class A. -
northernwind wrote: »Lol man that must be bad,I heard it get's hot and some even enough to fry an egg>>Was planning to grab xpa-1L but your post kinda scares me.I like to listen to music through the night as I'm sleeping,can't imagine the room heating up from dual mono block class A.
I'm running a high bias Pass Aleph J. Very hot to the touch, prob around 140-150F. The XPA-1L will probably be lower bias and won't run anywhere near what the Pass runs. It definitely heats the room and in 90 degree Socal summers, it's unbearable to be in the same room. It's great now though for winter listening.
I'm sort of curious what the XPA-1L sounds like. Don't think anybody has a pair I know in Socal though
2Ch Tube Audio Convert -
Oh,,i am not at the end yet,,but I can see the lights of my destination..I'm close,JC approves....he told me so. (F-1 nut)
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george daniel wrote: »Oh,,i am not at the end yet,,but I can see the lights of my destination..I'm close,
At 65, yeah you are close.
Just poking George, just poking.Political Correctness'.........defined
"A doctrine fostered by a delusional, illogical minority and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a t-u-r-d by the clean end."
President of Club Polk -
George knows like we all know, the only way out is to walk into the light.2Ch Tube Audio Convert
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The 'Ladder of Madness' makes me think of the name of a short story that HP Lovecraft would have written. I have to work tomorrow but my sleep schedule is so hosed that I tossed and turned and have surrendered to posting a bit until my eyes shut. Also imbibing an adult beverage maybe that will assist in bringing sleep on.The ladder of madness? Sure. It's very tempting to throw money at the problem (audio nervosa), but it never really makes it any better.
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That's what i was banking on i.e. the tube/ss combo. Good to hear, that's encouraging. My tube amp works really good with 90 db efficiency or above speakers, I didn't get the bass 'sag' that I described with Klipsch or Polk products but right now I am running some Fried Model R's in my office that are less than efficient so they're liking SS quite a bit more. Ditto for the DQ-20's in that room.I think you will like tubed pre/ ss amp combo. Some of the best systems I've heard employ this pairing. Even though my speakers aren't that efficient, they sound great on mid powered tubes, so I didn't have qualms dropping a good chunk on my monoblocks. I've had speakers run through that wanted more than my system could provide though.
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Crap F1, I can't remember, I think it was in 2 channel someone was talking about a potential issue listening to Steely Dan Aja. You commented that you preferred the SHM-CD version and I followed up with an inquiry regarding your thoughts on the format vs sacd etc. I had found that SHM-CD had a little bit sharper highs and a brighter type of production but I wasn't clear if that was based on how the Japanese producers tended to mix things or the format. I'm thinking it's more the former than the latter. That was the crux of it.
God I wish I could fall asleep right now.Nice dance. :cheesygrin:
Where was this? -
I'm running a high bias Pass Aleph J. Very hot to the touch, prob around 140-150F. The XPA-1L will probably be lower bias and won't run anywhere near what the Pass runs. It definitely heats the room and in 90 degree Socal summers, it's unbearable to be in the same room. It's great now though for winter listening.
I'm sort of curious what the XPA-1L sounds like. Don't think anybody has a pair I know in Socal though
Man, I would LOVE to get a listen to a Pass Aleph, I have heard nothing but positive things about them. On my main rig I'm running an M-80 and when I put it into auto-class A mode (first 30 watts) I don't hear much of a difference (again...less than golden ears) but that thing heats up like a space heater. So in reality, I don't utilize it unless I'm doing 'research' and happen to have some high efficiency speakers hooked up to it. -
mccarty250 wrote: »Crap F1, I can't remember, I think it was in 2 channel someone was talking about a potential issue listening to Steely Dan Aja. You commented that you preferred the SHM-CD version and I followed up with an inquiry regarding your thoughts on the format vs sacd etc. I had found that SHM-CD had a little bit sharper highs and a brighter type of production but I wasn't clear if that was based on how the Japanese producers tended to mix things or the format. I'm thinking it's more the former than the latter. That was the crux of it.
Here you go, http://www.polkaudio.com/forums/showthread.php?155871-How-Different-Music-Tracks-Affect-The-Listening-Experience.....Mine-Anyways&p=1999315#post1999315Political Correctness'.........defined
"A doctrine fostered by a delusional, illogical minority and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a t-u-r-d by the clean end."
President of Club Polk -
Thank you tres hombres!
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At 65, yeah you are close.
Just poking George, just poking.
Hey,, I thought you guys would have picked up on the "whistle stop",,,JC approves....he told me so. (F-1 nut)
