Looking for a good 3 channel amp

manman

As the title says, I'm looking for a good 3 channel amp to add some extra life to my rti a5 mains and csi a6 center. Right now they are running off an Onkyo 806.

I am pretty new to all of this stuff, but learning. As far as amps go- this would be my first, and other than power output, I don't know the factors that differentiate them and/or give certain brands a unique sound (like some say certain amps sound 'warm' or 'harsh' etc).

I'm running a 5.1 set-up, and have some fxi 3s to push it to 7.1, but i'm not sure about the placment yet. As I said- the amp will be for my mains and center, and I'll leave the surrounds and sub on the Onkyo. My listening habits are mainly movies and TV, not a whole lot of music. Also- I live in a condo, so I'm not so much interested in being able to push the speakers at higher volumes as I am in giving them better sound and definition at moderate, and (especially) lower volumes. As i said in some other posts, the sound seems kind of 'muddled' at lower volumes.

The two that I've had my eye on recently are the emo xpa-3, and the Rotel rb-993. They're both have similar power output, but I noticed that although the 993 is significantly older, the price for one used is about the same as a new xpa-3. Is there anything about the quality that makes the xpa-3 cheaper or is it just because emotiva is a smaller company with less overhead and not as big of a name in the industry yet?

Any help or suggestions for other equipment would be appreciated. I'm not quite ready to buy yet, but I'd like to start researching early. Thanks!

leroyjr1

Emotiva can offer such great prices because they are a internet based company they cut out the middle man. From what I hear their quality is great. With Emotiva your going to receive a five year warranty with your amp. I am a big Rotel fan and have switched out my Adcom gear for Rotel. Their amps can be pretty high but you can get some great deals on their used products.

If I were you I would go with the XPA3 because of the sale they have going on and the warranty is great. Nothing to worry about for a whole five years.

BlueFox

You may as well skip the future upgrade, and get a 5 channel amp now. Even at low volume, a good amp on all the channels makes a big differance. Look at Sunfire TGA-5401. They make great amps that run cool. Bob Carver is a power supply genius.
http://www.sunfire.com/index.html

manman

thanks for the advice so far. I guess I should have mentioned- price definitely is an object for me... I'm looking to stay in the $500-$700 range for now, and that sunfire looks quite a bit more expensive:p

As it stands I feel like the 806 would be powerful enough for the surrounds with the center/mains offloaded onto the external amp (even now they sound good to me)- so I feel like I'd get more out of a 3 channel right now than I would out of a 5 channel at the same price. If my logic is wrong on that, I'm sure I could be swayed though.

leroyjr1

manman, this is a great amp for sale at a great price. It's a Rotel RMB 1075 (120watts @8 ohms x 5). I have this exact same amp and it pushes the RTI series very well.

http://www.polkaudio.com/forums/showthread.php?t=76026&highlight=rotel

manman

so leroyjr1, do you also agree that I'd be better off going with a 5 channel, (even at a lower power output) at that price than a 3 channel? The xpa-3 is about that price brand new, are there some other advantages of the rotel besides number of channels that make it a better value?
man, the sale price of the xpa-3 is great, I saw a rotel rb-933 on audiogon for around the same price, and now you link me to a great deal on the 1075.... I really should wait a little while before making another big purchase, but I'm getting weak... Oh well, if I get kicked out onto the couch, at least i'll be able to watch movies with kick-**** sound:D

leroyjr1

I haven't dealt with Emotiva yet but Rotels sound quality is great. If it was me I would definately be looking for a 5 channel. The thing that makes me lean more toward Emotiva is the amp being new and the warranty. If they were both new and the same price then I would take the Rotel.

Look on Audiogon there's a brand new Rotel RMB-1075 for $650ish

leroyjr1

manman, Emotiva has a 30 day return policy. Give it a try. Where are you located?

manman

yeah, I was just looking and saw that one you mentioned. I'm just outside of Seattle, WA

CaligulaPolk

go for Emotiva XPA-3 $499 cant go wrong with the price.

thuffman03

CaligulaPolk wrote: »

go for Emotiva XPA-3 $499 cant go wrong with the price.

From what I have read and what people say about Emotiva it would be a good choice. They also have a 30 day return policy so if you don't like it you can return it and all you are out is shipping costs.

bigred7078

I have an XPA-3. Fantastic amp. Seriously i could not ask for better.

danlarson

Get the Emo XPA-5. When used as a 3 channel amp, you'll get 250/channel. It is a HUGE amp, make sure you have a place to put it (with ventilation).

manman

Thanks for all the good feedback guys. I was leaning toward a rotel at first, but after thinking about some of the things mentioned, I think I'll go with Emotiva. The fact that I can't get a transferred warranty with a Rotel, and that Emotiva has a 5 year warranty with 30 day return policy sealed it for me I think.

With the talk about 3 vs 5 channel, now I have another tough choice to make though. The xpa-5 is just out of the range I want to pay, but it might be worth it to wait a little longer and just spend the money to do it right. As was mentioned, then I won't have to think about upgrading later.

bigred7078

manman wrote: »

Thanks for all the good feedback guys. I was leaning toward a rotel at first, but after thinking about some of the things mentioned, I think I'll go with Emotiva. The fact that I can't get a transferred warranty with a Rotel, and that Emotiva has a 5 year warranty with 30 day return policy sealed it for me I think.

With the talk about 3 vs 5 channel, now I have another tough choice to make though. The xpa-5 is just out of the range I want to pay, but it might be worth it to wait a little longer and just spend the money to do it right. As was mentioned, then I won't have to think about upgrading later.

just keep in mind the XPA-5 is on backorder