Is Emotiva XPA-5 right for me? or overkill?
AFloyd
Posts: 5
Alright i guess i have two questions. One about amp selection and one about the receiver (processor) i need to replace my current receiver with.
My Current setup:
Front towers: Polk RTI-A7
Center: Polk Monitor CS2
Surrounds: 2xPolk Monitor 60 (used to be my fronts, moved to surrounds when i bought the A7s)
Subwoofer: Elemental Designs A2-300 (200W)
Receiver: Onkyo TX-SR606
My habits are 40/40/20% video gaming/movies/music respectively. I can feel the A7s can do so much more and that the Onkyo 606 is no where near powerful enough to make them shine. I feel like i invested money into these speakers that i'm not getting the benefit of.
Naturally, the next step for me is to go for a good amp. Because i'm not audio expert, i felt from my limited research that Emotiva would be a good choice. Good build quality and performance, transferrable warranty and factory direct pricing are all very attractive. Although i'm open to all suggestions. I just felt that Emotiva is kind of a "safe bet" if you will. Price ceiling is $1000 for the amp.
On to my first question: Would the XPA-5 be overkill for me? is it too much for the Monitor 60s i have as surrounds? Should i go with the XPA-3 instead? (it's only $100 difference though)
Second question is: What recommendations do you guys have for a receiver with pre-outs? I guess any receiver with pre-outs will be an upgrade over the 606. I would like to keep the receiver under $500 but i can wait and save up a bit more if that's going to be too low.
My Current setup:
Front towers: Polk RTI-A7
Center: Polk Monitor CS2
Surrounds: 2xPolk Monitor 60 (used to be my fronts, moved to surrounds when i bought the A7s)
Subwoofer: Elemental Designs A2-300 (200W)
Receiver: Onkyo TX-SR606
My habits are 40/40/20% video gaming/movies/music respectively. I can feel the A7s can do so much more and that the Onkyo 606 is no where near powerful enough to make them shine. I feel like i invested money into these speakers that i'm not getting the benefit of.
Naturally, the next step for me is to go for a good amp. Because i'm not audio expert, i felt from my limited research that Emotiva would be a good choice. Good build quality and performance, transferrable warranty and factory direct pricing are all very attractive. Although i'm open to all suggestions. I just felt that Emotiva is kind of a "safe bet" if you will. Price ceiling is $1000 for the amp.
On to my first question: Would the XPA-5 be overkill for me? is it too much for the Monitor 60s i have as surrounds? Should i go with the XPA-3 instead? (it's only $100 difference though)
Second question is: What recommendations do you guys have for a receiver with pre-outs? I guess any receiver with pre-outs will be an upgrade over the 606. I would like to keep the receiver under $500 but i can wait and save up a bit more if that's going to be too low.
Post edited by AFloyd on
Comments
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No... Paired with the speakers you have, the combination would be considered bright and cause listener fatigue.The Gear... Carver "Statement" Mono-blocks, Mcintosh C2300 Arcam AVR20, Oppo UDP-203 4K Blu-ray player, Sony XBR70x850B 4k, Polk Audio Legend L800 with height modules, L400 Center Channel Polk audio AB800 "in-wall" surrounds. Marantz MM7025 stereo amp. Simaudio Moon 680d DSD
“When once a Republic is corrupted, there is no possibility of remedying any of the growing evils but by removing the corruption and restoring its lost principles; every other correction is either useless or a new evil.”— Thomas Jefferson -
nooshinjohn wrote: »No... Paired with the speakers you have, the combination would be considered bright and cause listener fatigue.
Could you help me understand why the combination would be too bright? and any ideas on what amp (or characteristics of an amp) i should be looking for to make the combination sound warmer? -
The A7's are known to be a bit on the forward side of things, and Emotiva amps are known to be rather strident in their sound. The combination is not well regarded by most that have heard it, myself included. The most recommended amps for your setup seems to be Rotel, Adcom and most often, Parasound. I am a bit of a Sunfire fan(
) but I would not recommend the 5/200 series amps to anyone. If you can find one in your range, look to the 400wpc Signatures or the TGA 7400 series and you won't be disappointed. The Gear... Carver "Statement" Mono-blocks, Mcintosh C2300 Arcam AVR20, Oppo UDP-203 4K Blu-ray player, Sony XBR70x850B 4k, Polk Audio Legend L800 with height modules, L400 Center Channel Polk audio AB800 "in-wall" surrounds. Marantz MM7025 stereo amp. Simaudio Moon 680d DSD
“When once a Republic is corrupted, there is no possibility of remedying any of the growing evils but by removing the corruption and restoring its lost principles; every other correction is either useless or a new evil.”— Thomas Jefferson -
Parasound and B&k amps pair up nicely with RTI speakers. You can find either on the used market for around 500 bones.HT SYSTEM-
Sony 850c 4k
Pioneer elite vhx 21
Sony 4k BRP
SVS SB-2000
Polk Sig. 20's
Polk FX500 surrounds
Cables-
Acoustic zen Satori speaker cables
Acoustic zen Matrix 2 IC's
Wireworld eclipse 7 ic's
Audio metallurgy ga-o digital cable
Kitchen
Sonos zp90
Grant Fidelity tube dac
B&k 1420
lsi 9's -
Those speakers would be better served with an anthem mca 5 or mca 50.
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I don't have time to do the research myself, but I owned that Onkyo...I believe it does not have pre outs, so you may need to invest in another avr as well.
James2 Channel/HT:
Sony SS-M9 P's (ES version)
Sony SS-M1CN Center Channel
Polk RT800 Surround Speakers
Odyssey Stratos Dual Mono Amplifiers
TAD 150 Signature Tube Preamp
Harman Kardon HK354
Sony SACD Player -
For what you are running, and your needs the Emotiva will be just fine, and will be a huge improvement..
Definitely get a receiver with pre outs.. -
The Emotiva XPA-5 is perfectly fine for the speakers you are using and it is probably their best value amp. The other suggestions made here are good as well. Used amps can be had for good prices, but are easily damaged in shipping. I would advise the original boxes and use FedEx. Avoid UPS for large items that are easily damaged.
Do you think the opinion i got earlier about that combination being too bright is more of a personal preference thing than something more established by a larger base of people? -
nooshinjohn wrote: »Xcapri's opinion is the exception to the norm, and his opinions are taken with something less than a grain of salt.
Exception to the norm on THIS FORUM, certainly not others. I've owned the XPA-2 and had it paired with several speakers and while it is true that it has a forward sound signature, it's not nails on a chalkboard like a lot of the people whose life mission is to make it known on every Emotiva thread say it is. Take everything with a grain of salt. Get second, third, and fourth opinions on DIFFERENT forums. We have a lot of great experienced guys (like John) but most of them are a little rough around the edges (no pun) :P -
John, you are a Sunfire fan....x is a Emo fan. Let it go! Everyone has their "opinion" remember?!?--Gary--
Onkyo Integra M504, Bottlehead Foreplay III, Denon SACD, Thiel CS2.3, NHT VT-2, VT-3 and Evolution T6, Infinity RSIIIa, SDA1C and a few dozen other speakers around the house I change in and out. -
John, you are a Sunfire fan....x is a Emo fan. Let it go! Everyone has their "opinion" remember?!?
I agree completely, but as I said in the beginning, I would not recommend everything that Sunfire ever made. There are some here that would recommend an empty Nike box if Emotiva put their name on it and called it an amplifier. I agree that experience is the best teacher, and in the audio hobby, only the listener's ears should be the final judge.The Gear... Carver "Statement" Mono-blocks, Mcintosh C2300 Arcam AVR20, Oppo UDP-203 4K Blu-ray player, Sony XBR70x850B 4k, Polk Audio Legend L800 with height modules, L400 Center Channel Polk audio AB800 "in-wall" surrounds. Marantz MM7025 stereo amp. Simaudio Moon 680d DSD
“When once a Republic is corrupted, there is no possibility of remedying any of the growing evils but by removing the corruption and restoring its lost principles; every other correction is either useless or a new evil.”— Thomas Jefferson -
I have no opinion on a Emotiva, but if you had a good AVR with pre-outs I think you don't need a XPA-5 for your set-up just a XPA-3 or 2. cause most AVR's rated WPC are for 2 driven. so a Xpa-3 would power your front 3 and your avr would handle the 2 surrounds.
I have a Adcom 5503 which is 200wpc x3 and does power my RTiA7's and my center channel and I let my NAD AVR power my 2 rear surrounds.
you could pick up a used (you have to cause they don't make them anymore) Adcom 5503 or 5500 to power your RTia7's and save some money. just a thought! thereare other used amps that would love your RTiA7's
so take some time to look around and plan ahead.2 ch- Polk CRS+ * Vincent SA-31MK Preamp * Vincent Sp-331 Amp * Marantz SA8005 SACD * Project Xperience Classic TT * Sumiko Blue Point #2 MC cartridge
HT - Polk 703's * NAD T-758 * Adcom 5503 * Oppo 103 * Samsung 60" series 8 LCD -
I have no opinion on a Emotiva, but if you had a good AVR with pre-outs I think you don't need a XPA-5 for your set-up just a XPA-3 or 2. cause most AVR's rated WPC are for 2 driven. so a Xpa-3 would power your front 3 and your avr would handle the 2 surrounds.
I have a Adcom 5503 which is 200wpc x3 and does power my RTiA7's and my center channel and I let my NAD AVR power my 2 rear surrounds.
you could pick up a used (you have to cause they don't make them anymore) Adcom 5503 or 5500 to power your RTia7's and save some money. just a thought! thereare other used amps that would love your RTiA7's
so take some time to look around and plan ahead.
Agreed!!! I have the XPA3 and do just that.. I have owned this amp since 2009 and haven't had one issue with it, for HT it's a work horse.. -
Agreed!!! I have the XPA3 and do just that.. I have owned this amp since 2009 and haven't had one issue with it, for HT it's a work horse..
Once again, I agree with that, but the OP indicated the amp would also be used for music 40% of the time. If music is going to be that important, the OP would be better served by focusing his search on a musical amp. It is better than going after an HT amp and hoping to hear great music.The Gear... Carver "Statement" Mono-blocks, Mcintosh C2300 Arcam AVR20, Oppo UDP-203 4K Blu-ray player, Sony XBR70x850B 4k, Polk Audio Legend L800 with height modules, L400 Center Channel Polk audio AB800 "in-wall" surrounds. Marantz MM7025 stereo amp. Simaudio Moon 680d DSD
“When once a Republic is corrupted, there is no possibility of remedying any of the growing evils but by removing the corruption and restoring its lost principles; every other correction is either useless or a new evil.”— Thomas Jefferson -
20% bud. 40 gaming / 40 movies / 20 music.
I need to get the glasses out I guess, but that still is enough for me to think that building for music and using that for HT is still better than the other way around. If you need to have a dual purpose rig, music should take the top priority because good music can truly have therapeutic value for body and soul, and what sounds spectacular for music will be very good at HT too. This is not always the case the other way around. My old HT first approach resulted in my never listening to a single note of music. My current setup delivers bliss on a daily basis.The Gear... Carver "Statement" Mono-blocks, Mcintosh C2300 Arcam AVR20, Oppo UDP-203 4K Blu-ray player, Sony XBR70x850B 4k, Polk Audio Legend L800 with height modules, L400 Center Channel Polk audio AB800 "in-wall" surrounds. Marantz MM7025 stereo amp. Simaudio Moon 680d DSD
“When once a Republic is corrupted, there is no possibility of remedying any of the growing evils but by removing the corruption and restoring its lost principles; every other correction is either useless or a new evil.”— Thomas Jefferson -
Welcome to Club Polk!
It will cost you more than 500.00 to get a receiver with preouts unless you hit a sale. Pick a receiver that has all the bells and whistles that you want it to have.
However, you might want to consider getting this instead. http://www.outlawaudio.com/products/975.html
As for the amp, the Emotiva XPA 5 will show you what your speakers can really do. as for it being bright, that is based on personal preference. There are plenty of members on here that have/had Emotiva, and all the reasons that you listed is why they got them. Some have moved on and some still have them. Are there better amps out there? Of course, but there are also worse. Try it out & if you don't like it you can always sell it.
Again, welcome to Club Polk, and enjoy shopping for your upgrades in gear!Marantz AV-7705 PrePro, Classé 5 channel 200wpc Amp, Oppo 103 BluRay, Rotel RCD-1072 CDP, Sony XBR-49X800E TV, Polk S60 Main Speakers, Polk ES30 Center Channel, Polk S15 Surround Speakers SVS SB12-NSD x2 -
You can always try the Emotiva amp and if you don't like it you can send it back. You'll only be out the return shipping costs if it doesn't work for you.Home Theater
Onkyo PR-SC5508 Sharp LC-70LE847U
Emotiva XPA-5 Emotiva XPA-2 Emotiva UPA-2
Front RTi-A9 Wide RTi-A7 Center CSi-A6 Surround FXi-A6 Rear RTi-A3 Sub 2x PSW505
Sony BDP-S790 Dishnetwork Hopper/Joey Logitech Harmony One Apple TV
Two Channel
Oppo 105D BAT VK-500 w/BatPack SDA SRS 2.3 Dreadnought Squeezebox Touch Apple TV -
Take it all with a grain of salt.... If you go over to the Emotiva forum there are guys using the amps with RTiA, Klipsch, B&W and every other bright speaker out there. So, you decide!Do you think the opinion i got earlier about that combination being too bright is more of a personal preference thing than something more established by a larger base of people?
Still, any powerful outboard amp is going to outperform your AVR when the volume knobs goes up. But as others have said...your AVR does not have preouts. Maybe consider an AVR. The Pioneer SC-1523-K will knock your socks off as a stand alone AVR. On sale for $799 at authorized online dealer Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Pioneer-SC-1523-K-9-2-Channel-Network-Receiver/dp/B00DQHZYRI/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1402948154&sr=8-1&keywords=SC-1523-K2.2 Office Setup | LG 29UB55 21:9 UltraWide | HP Probook 630 G8 | Dell Latitude | Cabasse Stream Amp 100 | Boston Acoustics VS 240 | AUDIORAX Desk Stands | Mirage Omni S8 sub1 | Mirage Omni S8 Sub2 -
2.2 Office Setup | LG 29UB55 21:9 UltraWide | HP Probook 630 G8 | Dell Latitude | Cabasse Stream Amp 100 | Boston Acoustics VS 240 | AUDIORAX Desk Stands | Mirage Omni S8 sub1 | Mirage Omni S8 Sub2
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Second question is: What recommendations do you guys have for a receiver with pre-outs? I guess any receiver with pre-outs will be an upgrade over the 606. I would like to keep the receiver under $500 but i can wait and save up a bit more if that's going to be too low.
I was in the same boat a few years ago, I bought my RTiA7's & a underpowered Denon AVR without pre-outs. I learned to just use what I had for awhile and kept my foot out of it, if you crank it really loud when under powered you'll hurt you tweeters. untill I finally replaced it with a better AVR then added a AMP. (the denon start really **** up which made me do it quicker)
but the sound quality really goes up when you add good solid power to those A7's you give them nice power and they will sing for you!
Good luck and enjoy!2 ch- Polk CRS+ * Vincent SA-31MK Preamp * Vincent Sp-331 Amp * Marantz SA8005 SACD * Project Xperience Classic TT * Sumiko Blue Point #2 MC cartridge
HT - Polk 703's * NAD T-758 * Adcom 5503 * Oppo 103 * Samsung 60" series 8 LCD -
nooshinjohn wrote: »I need to get the glasses out I guess, but that still is enough for me to think that building for music and using that for HT is still better than the other way around. If you need to have a dual purpose rig, music should take the top priority because good music can truly have therapeutic value for body and soul, and what sounds spectacular for music will be very good at HT too. This is not always the case the other way around. My old HT first approach resulted in my never listening to a single note of music. My current setup delivers bliss on a daily basis.
I agree. I would like to take a music first approach although i watch movies and play games more often. HT use combines two sensory experiences, audio and visual. While with music, it's all about aural pleasure (no pun intended!). When listening to some of my favorite music through good equipment, i feel it lifting me up. I'm big on progressive rock. Listening to my favorite Pink Floyd tracks where i can hear good detail and separation and can hear all the layers of music and effects they build into their tracks completely changes my body chemistry -
I don't have time to do the research myself, but I owned that Onkyo...I believe it does not have pre outs, so you may need to invest in another avr as well.
James
You are wright the Onkyo TX-SR606 does not have pre-outs. So OP may need to search for a different AVR. Maybe a Pio-SC and get the amp later.
CheersHTAVR-Pioneer SC99XPA-DR3 Differential Reference AmpPolk R-700Rear- RT150Side- RT150Center-CSi5Sub-Rythmik audio F25Player- Panasonic DP-UB9000Projector- Optoma CinemaX P2Screen- Silver Ticket Products STR Series 6 120"Audio Room 2ch rig.Cary AE-3, Onkyo M-504, Marantz SA8005, Azur 851NWharfedale - Linton, SVS SB12-NSDMinis Forum PC (streamer) and Panamax MX5105Headphone rig;Schiit JOTUNHEIM and different headphones.Samsung 42" flat screen TV. -
You are wright the Onkyo TX-SR606 does not have pre-outs. So OP may need to search for a different AVR. Maybe a Pio-SC and get the amp later.
Cheers
Thanks. I'm looking at the Pioneer SC line. Another poster suggested the 1523. On sale at Amazon for $800 now. Is the SC line the same as the Elite line? The branding on Pioneer's website is confusing . -
Thanks. I'm looking at the Pioneer SC line. Another poster suggested the 1523. On sale at Amazon for $800 now. Is the SC line the same as the Elite line? The branding on Pioneer's website is confusing .
Generally the SC line are rebadged Elites with pretty much the same features and specs but a year less warranty. My SC-1222k is a rebadged Elite SC61. -
ken brydson wrote: »Generally the SC line are rebadged Elites with pretty much the same features and specs but a year less warranty. My SC-1222k is a rebadged Elite SC61.
The Pioneer Elite SC are not rebadged Elites. Rather, they are the top of the Elite line.The Gear... Carver "Statement" Mono-blocks, Mcintosh C2300 Arcam AVR20, Oppo UDP-203 4K Blu-ray player, Sony XBR70x850B 4k, Polk Audio Legend L800 with height modules, L400 Center Channel Polk audio AB800 "in-wall" surrounds. Marantz MM7025 stereo amp. Simaudio Moon 680d DSD
“When once a Republic is corrupted, there is no possibility of remedying any of the growing evils but by removing the corruption and restoring its lost principles; every other correction is either useless or a new evil.”— Thomas Jefferson -
I think you're thinking of the VSX line, Ken.afterburnt wrote: »They didn't speak a word of English, they were from South Carolina.
Village Idiot of Club Polk -
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Where did you get it from Ken?
Looks to be a non-US model.The Gear... Carver "Statement" Mono-blocks, Mcintosh C2300 Arcam AVR20, Oppo UDP-203 4K Blu-ray player, Sony XBR70x850B 4k, Polk Audio Legend L800 with height modules, L400 Center Channel Polk audio AB800 "in-wall" surrounds. Marantz MM7025 stereo amp. Simaudio Moon 680d DSD
“When once a Republic is corrupted, there is no possibility of remedying any of the growing evils but by removing the corruption and restoring its lost principles; every other correction is either useless or a new evil.”— Thomas Jefferson -
Costco but they were all over. My 1222 has the same spec's, weight etc as the Elite SC61. IIRC the 1522 is the same as the Elite 65. Don't know how far up the food chain they went...
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Here are the D3 models that have the same feature set as the Elite models. Yes, the warranty is less, the backlighting is white vs. yellow for the Elites, and some have one or two different/missing minor features. However, these units are basically the same....they share the same service manual.
SC-1222-k = SC-61
SC-1223-k = SC-71
SC-1323-k = SC-72
SC-1522-k = SC-65
SC-1523-k = SC-75
If the op was ready to spend $1k for an amp and his avr is limited and does not have preouts...he should strongly consider the SC-1523-k. Awesome feature set for audio and video....will make all sources come alive! $799 shipped on Amazon - authorized!
SC-1523-k
Features
9.2 Channel Network Ready Receiver featuring Class D3 Amplification
Power Output per Channel : 135W x 9
4K Ultra HD Upscaling/Pass-Through
THX® Select2 Plus Certified Class D3
Ultra-High performance Audio SABRE32 DAC®Calibration
Multi-Zone, Multi-Source
Qdeo® Video Processing
Digital Core DSP Engine : TI Aureus®
MHL® 2.0 for AndroidTM
AirPlay® Support
DLNA® 1.5 and Windows® 8 certified
Pioneer Advanced MCACC® Room Calibration
https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&ei=aiKgU9_5MYOPyATQi4CACg&url=http://www.youtube.com/watch%3Fv%3Dw60iAlP6z94&cd=1&ved=0CCQQtwIwAA&usg=AFQjCNGUamvTtIoy_2ZBZV2ZMpnqhuKgnA2.2 Office Setup | LG 29UB55 21:9 UltraWide | HP Probook 630 G8 | Dell Latitude | Cabasse Stream Amp 100 | Boston Acoustics VS 240 | AUDIORAX Desk Stands | Mirage Omni S8 sub1 | Mirage Omni S8 Sub2
