XPA-11 OR XPA DR-3 + XPA-8 for 11 Channel RTi Setup?
BjornB17
Posts: 752
in Electronics
I'm building out a new home with a dedicated home theater that is about 24'L x 17'W x 10'H and I'm looking to upgrade electronics to accommodate the 11-channel setup. In my current house I only have 7.1 utilizing a Emotiva UPA-7. I am using a Yamaha Aventage CX-A5200 preamp.
My speakers for the 11.2 setup will be as follows:
Front: Polk RTi12 - already own these, just bought a NIB set from a polkie
Center: Polk CSi5 - already own
Surrounds: 4x Polk 265-RT in-wall (will buy)
Atmos: 4x Polk 70-RT in-ceiling (will buy)
2x SVS SB16Ultras (will buy)
My fronts already have upgraded crossovers from the RTiA series since the original ones died, so everything is timber matched to RTiA.
Anyway, on to the point of my discussion, I need new amplifications for 11 channels. I'm looking at either getting an Emotiva XPA-11, OR a XPA-DR3 and an XPA-8.
The XPA-11 has 3 channels at 300 watts, and 8 channels at 65 watts.
The XPA-DR3/XPA-8 option would have 3 channels at 450 watts, 4 at 300 watts, and 4 at 65 watts
The Polks love power but I'm thinking that either option would provide enough power, heck, even my current UPA-7 with half the power does a great job already in a similarly sized room.
I guess my main question is, would the differential architecture of the DR3 provide better sound and clarity for the front 3 channels? Or should I expect it to sound about the same?
Thanks!
My speakers for the 11.2 setup will be as follows:
Front: Polk RTi12 - already own these, just bought a NIB set from a polkie
Center: Polk CSi5 - already own
Surrounds: 4x Polk 265-RT in-wall (will buy)
Atmos: 4x Polk 70-RT in-ceiling (will buy)
2x SVS SB16Ultras (will buy)
My fronts already have upgraded crossovers from the RTiA series since the original ones died, so everything is timber matched to RTiA.
Anyway, on to the point of my discussion, I need new amplifications for 11 channels. I'm looking at either getting an Emotiva XPA-11, OR a XPA-DR3 and an XPA-8.
The XPA-11 has 3 channels at 300 watts, and 8 channels at 65 watts.
The XPA-DR3/XPA-8 option would have 3 channels at 450 watts, 4 at 300 watts, and 4 at 65 watts
The Polks love power but I'm thinking that either option would provide enough power, heck, even my current UPA-7 with half the power does a great job already in a similarly sized room.
I guess my main question is, would the differential architecture of the DR3 provide better sound and clarity for the front 3 channels? Or should I expect it to sound about the same?
Thanks!
KEF Q150 | Rythmik F12 | Yamaha Aventage RX-A780
Comments
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Don't go the XPA-11 route. 11 speakers on 1 power supply is to much. I went 3 amps for my system and it has lots of headroom.
Also make sure you have at least a couple 20 amp circuits. I have 3 with all my subs included. There is only so many watts you can pull from that line.
Main room- RTiA9 x4, CSiA6, in ceiling Atmos RT-70 x4, SVS PC 4000 x2, Marantz 8805A, OPPO 203, Emotiva DR3 G3, Emotiva XPA-2 G3, Emotiva XPA-5 G3, Emotiva X300, Sony 75" 940E, Panasonic Plasma VT50, PS Audio Power Port X2, PS Audio AC-5 x8, AQ Rocket 33 Biwire speaker cables, AQ King Cobra XLR IC, Furman PFi20 W/Cullen cable, SoildSteel S4-4 rack, Gik room treatments
Office- Legend L600, in ceiling Polk RC80i, Marantz 7704, OPPO 203, Pioneer Elite PDF-59 CD, PSA Stellar 300, Sony 55" 800B, Gik room treatment
Master BR- Signature ES60, Signature S35 Center, Signature S15 Dolby Height, LSI700 in ceiling, SVS-SB4000, Marantz 5012, Emotiva XPA5 G2, OPPO 203, Pioneer DVL-919 Laser Disc, Sony 55" OLED
Patio- SDI Atrium8 x3, Emotiva A-100 amps x3 -
Don't go the XPA-11 route. 11 speakers on 1 power supply is to much. I went 3 amps for my system and it has lots of headroom.
Also make sure you have at least a couple 20 amp circuits. I have 3 with all my subs included. There is only so many watts you can pull from that line.
Good input, it looks like your system is very close to what mine is/will be. I am semi considering Upgrading to the RTiA series since I like the curved cabinets. How do you like your DR3? I'm also debating using the FXiA dipole surrounds instead of in-walls, not sure yet though.KEF Q150 | Rythmik F12 | Yamaha Aventage RX-A780 -
Get the DR3.
There is a difference when compared to my XPA-2.
With your 5200 Pre/Pro use the XLR outputs it will be enough voltage to get the full power. The differential reference will need 2.1V to get rated power.
The RT in-walls are a good way to go if you can place them right where they need to go. I have found the 70-RT in ceilings to be comparable to RTiA3 in quality. The are big so make sure you have the depth for them.
Main room- RTiA9 x4, CSiA6, in ceiling Atmos RT-70 x4, SVS PC 4000 x2, Marantz 8805A, OPPO 203, Emotiva DR3 G3, Emotiva XPA-2 G3, Emotiva XPA-5 G3, Emotiva X300, Sony 75" 940E, Panasonic Plasma VT50, PS Audio Power Port X2, PS Audio AC-5 x8, AQ Rocket 33 Biwire speaker cables, AQ King Cobra XLR IC, Furman PFi20 W/Cullen cable, SoildSteel S4-4 rack, Gik room treatments
Office- Legend L600, in ceiling Polk RC80i, Marantz 7704, OPPO 203, Pioneer Elite PDF-59 CD, PSA Stellar 300, Sony 55" 800B, Gik room treatment
Master BR- Signature ES60, Signature S35 Center, Signature S15 Dolby Height, LSI700 in ceiling, SVS-SB4000, Marantz 5012, Emotiva XPA5 G2, OPPO 203, Pioneer DVL-919 Laser Disc, Sony 55" OLED
Patio- SDI Atrium8 x3, Emotiva A-100 amps x3 -
Hello,
I'd go with an XPA5 and an XPA6. Get better power all around. I'm not a fan of the 65w modules when the rest of the system is getting 3X to 4X the power.
other option is the Monolith 11. it is 3X200W and 8X100w.
Thing that sucks about in wall speakers is once they're in that's it.When I was a kid my parents told me to turn it down. Now I'm an adult and my kids tell me to turn it down.
Family Room:LG QNED80 75", Onkyo RZ50 Emotiva XPA3 GEN3 Oppo BDP-93,Sony UBP-X800BM. Main: Polk LsiM 705Center: Polk LSiM 704CFront High/Rear High In-Ceiling Polk 80F/X RT Surrounds: Polk S15 Sub: HSU VTF3-MK5
Bed Room; Marantz SR5010, BDP-S270Main: Polk Signature S20Center: Polk Signature S35Rear: Polk R15 Sub: SVS SB2000
Working Warehouse; Yamaha A-S301, Sony DVP-NS3100ES for disc Plok TSX550T SVS PB2000 Mini tower PC with 400GB of music -
I would at least go with a more musical amp for your mains, as the RTI line can be quite bright, and the Emotiva line is known to make that tendency more pronounced. Parasound or Rotel would be a good fit for them.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 -
Have heard DolbyD's system. Solid advice right there.Up
LSi15 LSiC - RX-V3000
Down
LSiM707 - 706c - 702f/x - Dual HSU VTF-15H Mk2
Parasound HCA-3500 - HCA-2003A - Marantz SR7005
Sim2 D60 - Dragonfly 106" Panny 500 -
A Parasound A31 would cost more than an XPA 5 & 6 together. If it's for theater use then the Emotiva will do just fine. Also the Gen 3 Amps are fairly musical,When I was a kid my parents told me to turn it down. Now I'm an adult and my kids tell me to turn it down.
Family Room:LG QNED80 75", Onkyo RZ50 Emotiva XPA3 GEN3 Oppo BDP-93,Sony UBP-X800BM. Main: Polk LsiM 705Center: Polk LSiM 704CFront High/Rear High In-Ceiling Polk 80F/X RT Surrounds: Polk S15 Sub: HSU VTF3-MK5
Bed Room; Marantz SR5010, BDP-S270Main: Polk Signature S20Center: Polk Signature S35Rear: Polk R15 Sub: SVS SB2000
Working Warehouse; Yamaha A-S301, Sony DVP-NS3100ES for disc Plok TSX550T SVS PB2000 Mini tower PC with 400GB of music -
A Parasound A31 would cost more than an XPA 5 & 6 together. If it's for theater use then the Emotiva will do just fine. Also the Gen 3 Amps are fairly musical,
I agree. Also mrloren has a good option there with the XPA-5/6 route. Just do more than 1 power supply.
The Gen 3 amps are not as bright compared to the earlier lines. I did back to back comparison with my gen2 XPA-5. Big difference for me.
I have put my Gen2 with the LSi7s and it is a good match but they are a warmer speaker.
Main room- RTiA9 x4, CSiA6, in ceiling Atmos RT-70 x4, SVS PC 4000 x2, Marantz 8805A, OPPO 203, Emotiva DR3 G3, Emotiva XPA-2 G3, Emotiva XPA-5 G3, Emotiva X300, Sony 75" 940E, Panasonic Plasma VT50, PS Audio Power Port X2, PS Audio AC-5 x8, AQ Rocket 33 Biwire speaker cables, AQ King Cobra XLR IC, Furman PFi20 W/Cullen cable, SoildSteel S4-4 rack, Gik room treatments
Office- Legend L600, in ceiling Polk RC80i, Marantz 7704, OPPO 203, Pioneer Elite PDF-59 CD, PSA Stellar 300, Sony 55" 800B, Gik room treatment
Master BR- Signature ES60, Signature S35 Center, Signature S15 Dolby Height, LSI700 in ceiling, SVS-SB4000, Marantz 5012, Emotiva XPA5 G2, OPPO 203, Pioneer DVL-919 Laser Disc, Sony 55" OLED
Patio- SDI Atrium8 x3, Emotiva A-100 amps x3 -
I played with an XPA5G1 for a weekend once. Had it hooked in with a Sony ES AVR and RTi8's/CSi5. From some post that would be asking an over bright system. It was actually warmer than just running the RTi's off the AVR.
Emotiva is not Parasound, and I don't expect it to be.
Other option would be to go Anthem. MCA 525 and a PVA 7 would come in at $5k, still more than an XPA5/6 combo (about $3,600).
Options are endless all depends on budget.
If it was me and a $3,600 budget I'd get an MCA525 and an Outlawaudio 7000X or the XPA5/6 combo.
When I was a kid my parents told me to turn it down. Now I'm an adult and my kids tell me to turn it down.
Family Room:LG QNED80 75", Onkyo RZ50 Emotiva XPA3 GEN3 Oppo BDP-93,Sony UBP-X800BM. Main: Polk LsiM 705Center: Polk LSiM 704CFront High/Rear High In-Ceiling Polk 80F/X RT Surrounds: Polk S15 Sub: HSU VTF3-MK5
Bed Room; Marantz SR5010, BDP-S270Main: Polk Signature S20Center: Polk Signature S35Rear: Polk R15 Sub: SVS SB2000
Working Warehouse; Yamaha A-S301, Sony DVP-NS3100ES for disc Plok TSX550T SVS PB2000 Mini tower PC with 400GB of music -
Thanks for input all. I decided to just upgrade to LSiM all around, so the Emotiva should do well with mellower speakers like that.KEF Q150 | Rythmik F12 | Yamaha Aventage RX-A780
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Nice! Congrats
With that 5200 Pre/Pro I would still go the DR3 on the fronts.
You have the voltage to get the whole 450x3.
It is a nice amp for the money.Main room- RTiA9 x4, CSiA6, in ceiling Atmos RT-70 x4, SVS PC 4000 x2, Marantz 8805A, OPPO 203, Emotiva DR3 G3, Emotiva XPA-2 G3, Emotiva XPA-5 G3, Emotiva X300, Sony 75" 940E, Panasonic Plasma VT50, PS Audio Power Port X2, PS Audio AC-5 x8, AQ Rocket 33 Biwire speaker cables, AQ King Cobra XLR IC, Furman PFi20 W/Cullen cable, SoildSteel S4-4 rack, Gik room treatments
Office- Legend L600, in ceiling Polk RC80i, Marantz 7704, OPPO 203, Pioneer Elite PDF-59 CD, PSA Stellar 300, Sony 55" 800B, Gik room treatment
Master BR- Signature ES60, Signature S35 Center, Signature S15 Dolby Height, LSI700 in ceiling, SVS-SB4000, Marantz 5012, Emotiva XPA5 G2, OPPO 203, Pioneer DVL-919 Laser Disc, Sony 55" OLED
Patio- SDI Atrium8 x3, Emotiva A-100 amps x3 -
Nice! Congrats
With that 5200 Pre/Pro I would still go the DR3 on the fronts.
You have the voltage to get the whole 450x3.
It is a nice amp for the money.
Yep, I'm really wanting the DR3 now
KEF Q150 | Rythmik F12 | Yamaha Aventage RX-A780 -
I agree with the DR3. I have that and two XPA-2 stereo amps driving a 7.0 set up for me.
I ran my RTiA9's with the DR3 and it was beautiful. A fellow Polkie @ken brydson came over for a demo when my A9's were driven with the XPA-2's for stereo and XPA-2 driven A9's at RearSurround, on stands no less Kenny picked out some songs, a few hard rockers from Styx and there was no disappointment. Ha, even I was impressed.....again
I can attest that there is no "brightness" in my system (can I get a witness Kenny). I found with more headroom on the A9's, they became a bit more tame. I believe your 12's would behave no differently.
Congrats on the LSiM's, I'm currently running 707's on the DR3 with A9's in the rear with the XPA-2 (no stands)…..when you coming over Kenny?? I've got space dust in the fridge.....Source: BRP Panasonic UB9000, CDP Emotiva ERC3 - Display: LG OLED EVO 83 C3 - Pre/Pro: Marantz 8802A - Amplification: Emotiva XPA-DR3, XPA-2 x 2, XPA-6, Speakers, Mains/2ch-Focal Kanta No2's, C-LSiM706, S-702F/X, RS-RTiA9's, WS-RTiA9's, FH-RTiA3's, Subs - Epik Empire x 2
Cables: AudioQuest McKenzie XLR's/CDP/Amp, Carbon 48/BRP, Forest 48/Display, 2 channel speaker cable: Furutech FS Alpha 36 12AWG PCOCC Single Crystal (Douglas Connection)
EXPERIENCE: next to nothing, but I sure enjoy audio and video MY OPINION OF THIS HOBBY: I may not be a smart man, but I know what quicksand is.
When I was young, I was Superman but now that old age has gotten the best of me I'm only Batman -
I agree with the DR3. I have that and two XPA-2 stereo amps driving a 7.0 set up for me.
I ran my RTiA9's with the DR3 and it was beautiful. A fellow Polkie @ken brydson came over for a demo when my A9's were driven with the XPA-2's for stereo and XPA-2 driven A9's at RearSurround, on stands no less Kenny picked out some songs, a few hard rockers from Styx and there was no disappointment. Ha, even I was impressed.....again
I can attest that there is no "brightness" in my system (can I get a witness Kenny). I found with more headroom on the A9's, they became a bit more tame. I believe your 12's would behave no differently.
Congrats on the LSiM's, I'm currently running 707's on the DR3 with A9's in the rear with the XPA-2 (no stands)…..when you coming over Kenny?? I've got space dust in the fridge.....
It was badass. The lights dimmed in the house on the heavy stuff. Need to get together again sometime bro. -
ken brydson wrote: »
I agree with the DR3. I have that and two XPA-2 stereo amps driving a 7.0 set up for me.
I ran my RTiA9's with the DR3 and it was beautiful. A fellow Polkie @ken brydson came over for a demo when my A9's were driven with the XPA-2's for stereo and XPA-2 driven A9's at RearSurround, on stands no less Kenny picked out some songs, a few hard rockers from Styx and there was no disappointment. Ha, even I was impressed.....again
I can attest that there is no "brightness" in my system (can I get a witness Kenny). I found with more headroom on the A9's, they became a bit more tame. I believe your 12's would behave no differently.
Congrats on the LSiM's, I'm currently running 707's on the DR3 with A9's in the rear with the XPA-2 (no stands)…..when you coming over Kenny?? I've got space dust in the fridge.....
It was badass. The lights dimmed in the house on the heavy stuff. Need to get together again sometime bro.
LOL, I think it was those red beers you brought over that made the lights dim
I don't think I have anything going on this weekend if you're in the neighborhood.Source: BRP Panasonic UB9000, CDP Emotiva ERC3 - Display: LG OLED EVO 83 C3 - Pre/Pro: Marantz 8802A - Amplification: Emotiva XPA-DR3, XPA-2 x 2, XPA-6, Speakers, Mains/2ch-Focal Kanta No2's, C-LSiM706, S-702F/X, RS-RTiA9's, WS-RTiA9's, FH-RTiA3's, Subs - Epik Empire x 2
Cables: AudioQuest McKenzie XLR's/CDP/Amp, Carbon 48/BRP, Forest 48/Display, 2 channel speaker cable: Furutech FS Alpha 36 12AWG PCOCC Single Crystal (Douglas Connection)
EXPERIENCE: next to nothing, but I sure enjoy audio and video MY OPINION OF THIS HOBBY: I may not be a smart man, but I know what quicksand is.
When I was young, I was Superman but now that old age has gotten the best of me I'm only Batman
