Emotiva , tell me about them please

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mantis
mantis Posts: 17,631
edited February 2008 in Electronics
Whats up people.
Who the hell is Emotiva? I see them from time to time around places online but I never had the chance to try anything of theres out. Does anyone know anything about them?

I see they have a new preamp HDMI 1.3a with full processing, who knows whats up???
Dan
My personal quest is to save to world of bad audio, one thread at a time.
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  • mantis
    mantis Posts: 17,631
    edited February 2008
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    No one around here has anything on them?? they look fanstastic. but as you know you can judge on that. But if you could, they have some damn nice looking gear. Someone in here has there seperates in a cool **** theater room with LSi's if I remember correctly, Who was that??
    Dan
    My personal quest is to save to world of bad audio, one thread at a time.
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  • bobman1235
    bobman1235 Posts: 10,822
    edited February 2008
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    I have the LPA-1 amp. I've loved it so far and have no complaints, but it's also my first amp so I'm not much of a reference point.
    If you will it, dude, it is no dream.
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  • mantis
    mantis Posts: 17,631
    edited February 2008
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    bobman1235 wrote: »
    I have the LPA-1 amp. I've loved it so far and have no complaints, but it's also my first amp so I'm not much of a reference point.

    How and why did you choose them over so many others?
    Dan
    My personal quest is to save to world of bad audio, one thread at a time.
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  • bobman1235
    bobman1235 Posts: 10,822
    edited February 2008
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    Cost and decent reviews. It's tough to find 125x7 for less than 400 bucks anywhere. I googled around and didn't see anything negative about them, so I figured as a first foray into separates it was a worthwhile gamble.
    If you will it, dude, it is no dream.
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  • brijenjas
    brijenjas Posts: 311
    edited February 2008
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    Emotiva owns their own factory in China, hence the low prices.

    Their gear is solidly built.

    Al little background on the owner;
    http://emotivalounge.proboards54.com/index.cgi?action=search2&search=Laufman&match=1&whattosearch=1&user=&checkall=on&board-announcements=1&board-updates=1&board-amps=1&board-preamps=1&board-receivers=1&board-speakers=1&board-accessories=1&board-newbie=1&board-ht=1&board-newgear=1&board-tech=1&board-meet=1&board-off=1&board-emporium=1&board-eh=1&subject=1&message=1&hours=0&days=7&maxresults=10&viewtype=1

    The processor I have, LMC-1, had some glitches and operational issues that took them quite a while to correct.
    Their two more expensive pre/pros had very few problems.

    I have the LMC1/LPA1 combo and did a little review here;
    http://www.polkaudio.com/forums/showthread.php?t=53891&highlight=emotiva

    EarlyB did a review of their Reference 2channel amplifier, the RPA1, in the November, 2007 issue of Affordable Audio.
    http://www.affordableaudio.org/
    http://www.affordableaudio.org/aa2007-11.pdf
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  • Dennis Gardner
    Dennis Gardner Posts: 4,861
    edited February 2008
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    Emotiva used some platforms from Sunfire for their upper level gear in the beginning. I think that their latter lines have been designed in house. Always a nice value for your $$$.
    HT Optoma HD25 LV on 80" DIY Screen, Anthem MRX 300 Receiver, Pioneer Elite BDP 51FD Polk CS350LS, Polk SDA1C, Polk FX300, Polk RT55, Dual EBS Adire Shiva 320watt tuned to 17hz, ICs-DIY Twisted Prs, Speaker-Raymond Cable

    2 Channel Thorens TD 318 Grado ZF1, SACD/CD Marantz 8260, Soundstream/Krell DAC1, Audio Mirror PP1, Odyssey Stratos, ADS L-1290, ICs-DIY Twisted , Speaker-Raymond Cable
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  • Meeks32
    Meeks32 Posts: 330
    edited February 2008
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    I also have the LPA-1 & its a great amp thats very well built & awesome looking. Like bob this is my first amp and my speakers arent too demanding but am very satisfied with it. I compair them with Outlaw & I chose them mainly for the cosmetics compaired to the outlaws.
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  • brijenjas
    brijenjas Posts: 311
    edited February 2008
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    I forgot to mention, none of their new processors will be out until April at the earliest, and that would be the LMC2.
    The two more expensive pre/pros, MMC2, and the DMC2, are projected even later.
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  • Early B.
    Early B. Posts: 7,900
    edited February 2008
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    Mantis --

    I'm a big fan of Emotiva. The cost/build quality/sound quality ratios are insane. Emotiva will smoke the mid-level Outlaw, Parasound, and Rotel stuff, and I've had them all.

    I have the LMC-1/LPA-1 combo and I'm looking forward to "upgrading" to the new gear they've got coming out soon.
    HT/2-channel Rig: Sony 50” LCD TV; Toshiba HD-A2 DVD player; Emotiva LMC-1 pre/pro; Rogue Audio M-120 monoblocks (modded); Placette RVC; Emotiva LPA-1 amp; Bada HD-22 tube CDP (modded); VMPS Tower II SE (fronts); DIY Clearwave Dynamic 4CC (center); Wharfedale Opus Tri-Surrounds (rear); and VMPS 215 sub

    "God grooves with tubes."
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  • mhartman29
    mhartman29 Posts: 257
    edited February 2008
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    I have the lmc/lpa combination. It's my first venture into separates, so I can't really compare it to anything but my previous receivers. But, I couldn't be happier with the sound quality improvements they have made. And, as EarlyB stated, their quality to price ratio is amazing.
    Emotiva LMC pre/pro
    Emotiva LPA amp
    Fronts LSI15
    Center LSIC
    Rears LSI7s
    Dual MFW-15s
    Oppo 980H
    Signal Analog II ICs
    Signal Ultra speaker cables
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  • nikolas812
    nikolas812 Posts: 2,915
    edited February 2008
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    Its the shiznit.:D All I have owned is the entry level LMC-1 pre/pro and I loved it. I loved everything about the whole Emotiva experience. There customer service was Excellent. They had my LMC-1 at the door in 24 hours and they have good to great online support at there online Emotiva Lounge/forum. There price to performance ratio is amazing. Not to mention there 40% off future next generation processors. This means you can buy the Lmc-1 pre/pro and then upgrade to one of the next generation models (LMC-2, DMC-2 and so on) for 40% off. Forever! It doesn't have to be in the same family either. It can be there top of the line processor and you will still get 40% off. I will be going straight back to Emo when its time to build a dedicated Home Theater.
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  • sbpolk
    sbpolk Posts: 644
    edited February 2008
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    Mantis, I have a dedicated theater room with an Emotiva Amp. I have had several Emotiva products, and have been very happy with them. I enjoyed the sound (and looks) so much that I found myself in a quick upgrade path to their highest end models.

    I currently have the MPS-1 Amp, 7x300 @4ohms, and STOUT! It weighs about 115lbs. It is a blade design, with all 7 channels removeable from the amp chassis. It runs my LSi15, LSiC, LC65i (x4) setup very, very well!

    I previously had a DMC-1 processor which was a clone to the Sunfire Theater Grand IV. Sounded fantastic, but I sold it in favor of an Integra 9.8 pre/pro for HDMI features, etc. Very happy with the Integra, but that Emotiva piece was a work of art, really.

    Next year they will be releasing the DMC-2, which is reported to have 8 HDMI inputs and 2 outs, realta video processor, etc. I will revisit their processors at that time.

    Their customer service is SUPREME. When you call in, you will likely speak with Lonnie, who is their lead engineer. I have spoken with him on a few occasions, and he doesn't hesitate to spend 30 or minutes with you. He is very good.

    BTW, in the Emotiva forum, there is a guy who posted who spilled a coke on top of his LPA-1 amp and fried a couple of amp channels. Lonnie (Emo's engineer guy) posted in that thread and suggested he send the amp to Emotiva and he would look at it. The OP did send it back, and Emo repaired the amp for free. Lonnie stated they had never charged for a repair in their history, and they didn't want to end that streak. Nice, huh?

    DSC03330.jpg

    DSC03323.jpg
    "People sleep peaceably in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf." George Orwell
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  • mantis
    mantis Posts: 17,631
    edited February 2008
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    Early B. wrote: »
    Mantis --

    I'm a big fan of Emotiva. The cost/build quality/sound quality ratios are insane. Emotiva will smoke the mid-level Outlaw, Parasound, and Rotel stuff, and I've had them all.

    I have the LMC-1/LPA-1 combo and I'm looking forward to "upgrading" to the new gear they've got coming out soon.
    Cool Bro. Smoke Rotel huh well thats a statement worth checking into Emotiva. I gotta find out when there new preamp is coming out. I will have to order it and give it a in home test drive.
    Dan
    My personal quest is to save to world of bad audio, one thread at a time.
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  • mantis
    mantis Posts: 17,631
    edited February 2008
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    sbpolk wrote: »
    Mantis, I have a dedicated theater room with an Emotiva Amp. I have had several Emotiva products, and have been very happy with them. I enjoyed the sound (and looks) so much that I found myself in a quick upgrade path to their highest end models.

    I currently have the MPS-1 Amp, 7x300 @4ohms, and STOUT! It weighs about 115lbs. It is a blade design, with all 7 channels removeable from the amp chassis. It runs my LSi15, LSiC, LC65i (x4) setup very, very well!

    I previously had a DMC-1 processor which was a clone to the Sunfire Theater Grand IV. Sounded fantastic, but I sold it in favor of an Integra 9.8 pre/pro for HDMI features, etc. Very happy with the Integra, but that Emotiva piece was a work of art, really.

    Next year they will be releasing the DMC-2, which is reported to have 8 HDMI inputs and 2 outs, realta video processor, etc. I will revisit their processors at that time.

    Their customer service is SUPREME. When you call in, you will likely speak with Lonnie, who is their lead engineer. I have spoken with him on a few occasions, and he doesn't hesitate to spend 30 or minutes with you. He is very good.

    BTW, in the Emotiva forum, there is a guy who posted who spilled a coke on top of his LPA-1 amp and fried a couple of amp channels. Lonnie (Emo's engineer guy) posted in that thread and suggested he send the amp to Emotiva and he would look at it. The OP did send it back, and Emo repaired the amp for free. Lonnie stated they had never charged for a repair in their history, and they didn't want to end that streak. Nice, huh?

    DSC03330.jpg

    DSC03323.jpg

    Hey man I'm still waiting on some pic's of your theater. From what I can see , it looks really nice. Cool man thanks for all the info.
    Dan
    My personal quest is to save to world of bad audio, one thread at a time.
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  • sbpolk
    sbpolk Posts: 644
    edited February 2008
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    That new preamp will sell for about $800 I think. Maybe less, I don't recall. Scheduled to showup in April, 4 HDMI in, 1 out, no video processing, but is 1.3a compliant, and will decode all the high rez audio codecs. Not bad!
    "People sleep peaceably in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf." George Orwell
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  • sbpolk
    sbpolk Posts: 644
    edited February 2008
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    Should give ya an idea! ;)

    DSC03286-1.jpg

    DSC03293.jpg

    DSC03292.jpg
    "People sleep peaceably in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf." George Orwell
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  • nikolas812
    nikolas812 Posts: 2,915
    edited February 2008
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    That theater is BADASS!:eek: Rock on!
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  • SKsolutions
    SKsolutions Posts: 1,820
    edited February 2008
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    That is done really well. No dedicated room here, and the next house will have either a convertible walk up attic or basement for theater. Is that the top floor? Knee walls about 6 feet high?
    -Ignorance is strength -
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  • Early B.
    Early B. Posts: 7,900
    edited February 2008
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    Wow. That's one of the nicest HT rooms I've ever seen. Just beautiful. Nice gear, too.
    HT/2-channel Rig: Sony 50” LCD TV; Toshiba HD-A2 DVD player; Emotiva LMC-1 pre/pro; Rogue Audio M-120 monoblocks (modded); Placette RVC; Emotiva LPA-1 amp; Bada HD-22 tube CDP (modded); VMPS Tower II SE (fronts); DIY Clearwave Dynamic 4CC (center); Wharfedale Opus Tri-Surrounds (rear); and VMPS 215 sub

    "God grooves with tubes."
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  • mark090852
    mark090852 Posts: 1,001
    edited February 2008
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    Beautiful HT, sbpolk! Makes me wish you lived close by and needed a new best friend. :)
    McIntosh MA352 Integrated Amp, Bluesound Node Icon Reference Network Music Streamer, SVS Ultra Evolution Pinnacle Speakers
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  • mantis
    mantis Posts: 17,631
    edited February 2008
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    sbpolk,
    beautiful room. It looks like good speaker placement. I love all the black trim. Very tastefully done. I'm sure you love it. I do.

    Thanks for the pic's.
    Dan
    My personal quest is to save to world of bad audio, one thread at a time.
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  • jabrax
    jabrax Posts: 315
    edited February 2008
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    mantis wrote: »
    Cool Bro. Smoke Rotel huh well thats a statement worth checking into Emotiva. I gotta find out when there new preamp is coming out. I will have to order it and give it a in home test drive.

    Mantis, I have the MMC1/LPA combo. It replaced a yammie/Rotel 980bx combo.

    I was really intrigued by the cost for seven channels (1100 for the combo), and I was very disgruntled with problems I've had with the Yammie. No knock against the company, I just caught a bad one from an unathorized dealer :(

    Anyway, I love it. Much cleaner sound. After the Rotel comment, im curious to know if the difference was strickly due to the change from yammie to MMC1, or how much can be attributed to the amps.

    I haven't sold the 980bx yet, sooooooo I'll try a little 2ch shootout with each amp connected to the MMC and let you know what I hear. They are both rated at 125, so it should be interesting.

    Don't be expecting any of dem fancy **** audiophile words, its gonna be simple and raw for us normal people :D
    TV...............Hitachi 42hdS52a plasma (sexy one with the swival)
    Pre/Processor - Emotiva MMC
    Seven Ch AMP - Emotiva LPA
    Fronts - Tyler Acoustics 7U's
    Center - Polk LSIC
    Sub - DSWPRO600
    DAC - Music Hall 25.3CD - Marantz cc4001
    Blue Ray - PS3
    Speaker cables - Audioquest cv4 dbs
    Interconnects - MIT AVT1's
    Power Filter....Monster HTS 3500 MKII
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  • mantis
    mantis Posts: 17,631
    edited February 2008
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    jabrax wrote: »
    Mantis, I have the MMC1/LPA combo. It replaced a yammie/Rotel 980bx combo.

    I was really intrigued by the cost for seven channels (1100 for the combo), and I was very disgruntled with problems I've had with the Yammie. No knock against the company, I just caught a bad one from an unathorized dealer :(

    Anyway, I love it. Much cleaner sound. After the Rotel comment, im curious to know if the difference was strickly due to the change from yammie to MMC1, or how much can be attributed to the amps.

    I haven't sold the 980bx yet, sooooooo I'll try a little 2ch shootout with each amp connected to the MMC and let you know what I hear. They are both rated at 125, so it should be interesting.

    Don't be expecting any of dem fancy **** audiophile words, its gonna be simple and raw for us normal people :D

    Amps are hard to shot out. I know I have tried many times. It's small changes you hear unless you stick a tube amp in the mix.

    good luck with your shootout. I'll be looking forward to reading it.
    Dan
    My personal quest is to save to world of bad audio, one thread at a time.
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  • Sami
    Sami Posts: 4,634
    edited February 2008
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    mantis wrote: »
    It's small changes you hear unless you stick a tube amp in the mix.

    Small changes, yes. If you want big changes to your system, only thing you can do is change speakers. (assuming source is a CD, not LP or any other medium)
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  • cfrizz
    cfrizz Posts: 13,415
    edited February 2008
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    SB, OUTSTANDING HT room! Well done!
    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
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  • WilliamM2
    WilliamM2 Posts: 4,811
    edited February 2008
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    I really want to try the XPA-5, and was thinking of pre-ordering. The thread below makes me wonder, not the bad reviews, but the fact that a few members were ignored when trying to return a unit within the thirty day trial period.

    http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=991935
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  • Early B.
    Early B. Posts: 7,900
    edited February 2008
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    WilliamM2 wrote: »
    I really want to try the XPA-5, and was thinking of pre-ordering. The thread below makes me wonder, not the bad reviews, but the fact that a few members were ignored when trying to return a unit within the thirty day trial period.

    http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=991935


    Well, you can dwell on the two or three bad experiences, or you can rely on the couple of hundred or so positive experiences that you'll probably find scattered throughout the various AV boards. Anyways, who is more credible -- three guys on the avsforum or a single Polkie?;)
    HT/2-channel Rig: Sony 50” LCD TV; Toshiba HD-A2 DVD player; Emotiva LMC-1 pre/pro; Rogue Audio M-120 monoblocks (modded); Placette RVC; Emotiva LPA-1 amp; Bada HD-22 tube CDP (modded); VMPS Tower II SE (fronts); DIY Clearwave Dynamic 4CC (center); Wharfedale Opus Tri-Surrounds (rear); and VMPS 215 sub

    "God grooves with tubes."
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  • WilliamM2
    WilliamM2 Posts: 4,811
    edited February 2008
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    Early B. wrote: »
    Well, you can dwell on the two or three bad experiences, or you can rely on the couple of hundred or so positive experiences that you'll probably find scattered throughout the various AV boards. Anyways, who is more credible -- three guys on the avsforum or a single Polkie?;)

    I have also read many positive reviews. That's not what concerned me. Did you try to return your's for a refund? How was that handled?
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  • Willow
    Willow Posts: 11,328
    edited February 2008
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    I received this in my IN box.....

    http://www.audioholics.com/reviews/amplifiers/emotiva-xpa-2-stereo-power-amplifier
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  • jwhitakr
    jwhitakr Posts: 568
    edited February 2008
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    I bet I can guess how the AH review of the XPA-2 will turn out ... (or any of the Emotiva gear, for that matter) ;)
    My HT
    HDTV: Panasonic PT-61LCX65 61" Rear Proj. LCD
    AVR: Harman Kardon AVR 235
    Video: 80GB PS3, Toshiba HD-XA1 HD DVD
    Fronts: Polk Audio RTi8
    Center: Polk Audio CSi3
    Amp: Emotiva LPA-1
    Surrounds: Polk Audio R150
    Sub: HSU STF-3

    The only true barrier to knowledge is the assumption that you already have it. - C.H. Dodd
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