I have Power/Current being delivered today.....

stone of tone

The Emotiva XPA-2 is coming today! Finally, some Power with Current to drive my (stock) SDA SRS 1.2's.

Anyone have any experience with this AMP? Opinions?

Cheers, Stone of Tone

audiocr381ve

stone of tone wrote: »

The Emotiva XPA-2 is coming today! Finally, some Power with Current to drive my (stock) SDA SRS 1.2's.

Anyone have any experience with this AMP? Opinions?

Cheers, Stone of Tone

I've owned one. Get ready for some THUMP! I never actually got to hear it with a quality pre, so I can't speak much for it other than it delivers massive amounts of power.

stone of tone

Yes audiocr381ve! I now have the thump. It is nice to finally give these speakers a workout. I like this Amp even with its high gain. It can't do what my pentodes run in triode with no negative feedback can do-but no solid state amp can do what the mighty Decware Zen can do.
However, I bought the XPA-2 to do the grandiose with SDA SRS's.....and it does. Now I need to get eight RD0194-1's.

mhardy6647

I thought, based on your thread title, that you meant something like this...

stone of tone

.....that is cool.

mhardy6647

best of all, the PVs produce DC, so on a sunny day one can power one's vacuum tube amp without a transformer-based power supply! ;-)

heiney9

If you like bright, forward, unrefined sound then I'd say that amp is for you.

H9

vcwatkins

heiney9 wrote: »

... bright, forward, unrefined...

H9

Not at all how I would describe the XPA-2 in my den system. In fact it is warmer than the Adcoms and Rotels I compared it with on the same system. Not necessarily warmer, but much more smooth and detailed than the Carvers I tried. And much warmer, though not more detailed/refined, than the Krell.

I absolutely love the thing and scratch my head when I read about the brightness. I just chalk it up to synergy I guess and, til now, have silently enjoyed the hell out of the music it produces. Obviously, ymmv.

Congrats Stone! Hope you enjoy it as much as I have mine.

Craig

vcwatkins

Whew, feels good to be out of the Emo closet. (snicker)

Now I just have to have a chat with my family, although I'm sure they've seen all the tell-tale signs (cardboard boxes discreetly broken down and taken to the recycle bin, brighter than usual blue light leaking from the cabinet, and worst of all, "the friend's" black shirt). Oh the shame of it all.

heiney9

Just my opinion. Like you with my description, I don't understand what you are hearing as far as smooth. I'd take an Adcom over Emo anytime. I'm sure the tubes help a little bit. Emo is a solid brand and IMO is best served in an HT only system.

H9

Toolfan66

The only piece of gear I have owned and couldn't wait to have it gone..

vcwatkins

heiney9 wrote: »

Just my opinion. Like you with my description, I don't understand what you are hearing as far as smooth. I'd take an Adcom over Emo anytime. I'm sure the tubes help a little bit. Emo is a solid brand and IMO is best served in an HT only system.

H9

Yep, your opinion is one I very much trust (one look at the sig will confirm that lol), and that's one reason it's been especially puzzling to me. I'm comfortable trusting my own ears. But I can really only form & express opinions based on the very specific conditions in my own rigs & (screwy) rooms - I almost never demo gear outside my home.

So I just chalk it up to other factors and keep trying to inch forward in my own little music-world and learn something along the way. You and the others on this board have been incredibly helpful in that regard. Can't thank you enough. Just don't be surprised when I show up at your door with an XPA-2, straightjacket, blindfold, and a bottle of bourbon. Wait, that doesn't sound quite right; scratch that.

Heading back to my little blue closet now... (sniff)

Craig

vcwatkins

Toolfan66 wrote: »

The only piece of gear I have owned and couldn't wait to have it gone..

[King voice] You make me sad.

Toolfan66

vcwatkins wrote: »

[King voice] You make me sad.

I really think it came down to synergy in my rig as I have heard this amp at Alan's house (audioalan) and it sounded really good at his place, it just did not work and sounded really bad in my rig. I just don't think the gear meshed well with each other..

Joe08867

I agree with Toolfan. Couldn't wait to see it gone. I Like the build quality not the sound. I hope it blends well and you are happy though. I know some people like the sound. It just wasn't for me.

stone of tone

As heiney9 mentioned, the XPA-2 is best served for HT. I use it for HT, DishNetwork TV/Sports/HBO, Serius Sat Radio (via DishNetwork) and SOME active CD listening. I never use my TV speakers (as I am sure most of you don't). So for passive listening (Serius Sat Radio scrolling) or in conjunction with visual in front of me......it is nice to have the Power of the XPA-2 driving the 1.2's stock that I have always running in SDA.

My two channel listening takes place in a separate listening room built around the Decware Zen Select (SE84CS). This Amp can drive a 2 ohm load down to a dead short. It is holographic driving my SDA-1's (Stereo only/no SDA).

So I can appreciate what heiney9 likes about his Pass Amp. I just prefer the Select/Tubes. .....and yes the 2 watts per channel works (pure Class A with no negative feedback at listening levels of 78 to 84db.....because it can drive 6 and 4 ohm load swings=no harm to speakers). However, the SE84CS is not a match for every conventional speaker.....and certainly not my SDA SRS 1.2's. It does also drive my LS-90's to a tee as well. Cheers, Stone

audio_alan

It's interesting that the opinions vary so greatly on the Emotiva XPA-2. I would love to hear it in a system that "doesn't work" so I know what people are talking about when they say its too bright and harsh. Maybe they didn't break-in the amp completely, or had it on new cables? Or maybe I'm just lucky to have a Dared tube-pre paired with it, masking the Emotiva's less-than-desirable qualities... qualities that I personally haven't heard.

Who knows, perhaps I'll change my tune after I completely upgrade my speakers. Maybe then my speakers will reveal what a POS the amp is... :eek: Until that day comes, I don't hear any reason to remove it from my system. The XPA-2 presents a satisfying sound stage, seems transparent and dynamic to my ears, and has the power to drive my original SDA-SRS's to levels louder that you should listen to for more than a couple minutes. And, if I recall correctly, the original SDA-SRS's present a tougher load to an amp than the 1.2/1.2tls do.

If nothing else, the Emovita remains a controversial product. I wish there were more "professional" reviews on it, comparing it to other "quality" amps.

Joe08867

Alan, your Dared is saving your ears. Seriously though, I had the XPA and while it did have plenty of juice the forward bite was just to much for me to tame. I did not have a tube pre at the time and maybe that is the real difference but I had a very nice Adcom and a B&K and neither liked it.

It could also be preference, some like a more laid back warmer sound and some like a more forward sound.

heiney9

audio_alan wrote: »

It's interesting that the opinions vary so greatly on the Emotiva XPA-2. I would love to hear it in a system that "doesn't work" so I know what people are talking about when they say its too bright and harsh. Maybe they didn't break-in the amp completely, or had it on new cables? Or maybe I'm just lucky to have a Dared tube-pre paired with it, masking the Emotiva's less-than-desirable qualities... qualities that I personally haven't heard.

Who knows, perhaps I'll change my tune after I completely upgrade my speakers. Maybe then my speakers will reveal what a POS the amp is... :eek: Until that day comes, I don't hear any reason to remove it from my system. The XPA-2 presents a satisfying sound stage, seems transparent and dynamic to my ears, and has the power to drive my original SDA-SRS's to levels louder that you should listen to for more than a couple minutes. And, if I recall correctly, the original SDA-SRS's present a tougher load to an amp than the 1.2/1.2tls do.

If nothing else, the Emovita remains a controversial product. I wish there were more "professional" reviews on it, comparing it to other "quality" amps.

No disrespect to you Alan, but how many higher end amps and systems have you heard? If you have only similar to compare it to, then you really don't know what you are missing. Sometimes it's the reference point that determines something sounds good to one person but awful to another.

Just something to think about.

H9

gdb

I think it's just a matter of some listeners inserting sour grapes in their ears prior to auditioning Emo & Bose gear.....IF......they really, actually listened to the gear in question that is, or, they're just phoning in their prejudices based on a name alone. Silliness, really. Enjoy your new gear, and don't let others tell you what it sounds like, they've probably never heard it anyway.

Joe08867

If I had a choice between Bose and Emo I would choose Emo. And yes I have heard it (Same Model Amp and all) and I didn't stick sour grapes in my ears. I might not be an expert but I did stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night. So there!! Nanny Nanny Poo Poo You Smell Like Doo Doo.

gdb

Joe08867 wrote: »

If I had a choice between Bose and Emo I would choose Emo. And yes I have heard it (Same Model Amp and all) and I didn't stick sour grapes in my ears. I might not be an expert but I did stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night. So there!! Nanny Nanny Poo Poo You Smell Like Doo Doo.

Hey, poo boy, did I specifically name you ? No, I did not.

Try Embassy Suites, BTW.

Schurkey

Has anyone actually tested the poor-sounding Emo equipment to see if it's outright DEFECTIVE?

First Guess: The Chinese aren't getting them all built right. The ones that work right...sound OK. The ones that aren't built right...sound bad. Neither the Communists nor the Communist Collaborators are performing QA to acceptable levels.

I'd rather have a twenty-year-old Aragon, B&K, or Bryston than a brand-new Emo.

audio_alan

heiney9 wrote: »

No disrespect to you Alan, but how many higher end amps and systems have you heard? If you have only similar to compare it to, then you really don't know what you are missing. Sometimes it's the reference point that determines something sounds good to one person but awful to another.

Just something to think about.

H9

None taken, Brock. I completely agree that reference point makes a big difference. Case in point - Last year I was over at a friend's house listening to his new $4k Klipsch setup. He thought it sounded great, but I had to bite my tongue. What *I* heard was separate sounds coming from expensive little boxes, nowhere near as cohesive of a soundstage where the speakers disappear, like on my SDA-SRS's. Or course, we had room differences, amp differences, speaker differences, and cable differences. Maybe he had too much toe-in on the speakers or was using lamp-cord for speaker wire. Bottom line, right or wrong, my experiences with my SDA-SRS's immediately made me think that his setup was inferior, but perhaps he could have done something minor to it and improved my perception greatly. Just like someone with fully modded 1.2tl's might scoff at my original SDA-SRS's...

Regarding what amps I've heard/owned: I've heard older Carver gear in the past, currently own a couple Adcom amps (the 555 II and 545 II) along with the XPA-2, heard an Adcom 585 a couple times, listened to a Sunfire for about a week, and own several "pro audio" amps for PA use (not to mention numerous solid state and tube amplifiers for guitar). Have I heard Krell, McIntosh, or other coveted 2-channel amps? Unfortunately, no. Perhaps my opinion would change then. However, I have recorded and mixed albums for several bands in my recording studio. I believe that has heightened my attention to detail and nuances when listening to recorded music. Harsh is harsh, bright is bright, and dynamics is dynamics. It doesn't matter if it's on expensive studio monitors with the amplifiers built in, or on a set of SDAs...

Perhaps you're right, maybe I'm still on the ultra low-end of 2-channel audio amps, but I thought the XPA-2 was an upgrade over my Adcom amps. A friend and I did a listening test and agreed. Maybe my Adcoms amps are out of spec now and don't sound as good as they should? Perhaps we need to do that test again, with a 3rd party person doing the cable switching? As much as I *think* I know, I'm sure I have much more to learn, which is why I keep coming back here...

Toolfan66

Alan,

I for one was floored at how good your system sounded after how bad it sounded in mine. My amp did have a lot of time on it as I bought in used and the guy I sold it to loved it!! go figure. but in my system there was a lot of grain it was not smooth at all, thats the reason I was floored at how good yours sounded, it was clean to my ears..

audio_alan

Larry - Yeah, that's crazy. You're probably one of the few people on here to have thought strongly AGAINST the XPA-2, and then heard it again and thought it sounded really good..... or you're just being nice to me. lol

Synergy appears to be the most likely explanation. But Schurkey's idea of manufacturing defects has crossed my mind as well. It could be that the "defective" ones are just good enough that most people don't ask for a refund (because of inexperience), while the properly built units sound great. Maybe I got a "good" XPA-2.

I'd really like to get an amp test going at my house with 3-4 amps. Emo-haters welcome. :cheesygrin: