Emotiva Story.

metal83

xcapri79 wrote: »

Can't let this informative thread stay idle. I'm just connecting my XPA-3 and LPA-1 now. My Pioneer 1018 should be happier now and I can't wait to hear the LSi's sing.

Haha...I don't think this thread has had anything informative in it..:p

Systems

vmaxer wrote: »

Please, if there are things I should check for, let me know. I am new at this and have 30 days to change my mind and send it back...

If it is sounding good to you and functioning properly then your fine.Hopefully it will stay operational well beyond your 30day grace period.It appears eMo have some QC/reliability issues at this point.

cnh

What is that memory device in Men In Black called (neuralizer something?). We could use that here, make everyone forget what they've posted, that they've posted and start ALL OVER AGAIN? Or does Emotiva already have one of those in every unit they sell, perhaps...

cnh

cnh

Your welcome and a thanks....

cfrizz

You just noticed one of the biggest benefits of an amp. Listen to music you know very well. If you all of a sudden are hearing instruments better, clearer, more separation of instruments etc...congrats you now know the purchase was worth it. If you don't...get your hearing checked!:D

vmaxer wrote: »

Okay, to continue from eariler...I have now installed the XPA-3 and listened to some music only, no movies yet. Being new at using an amp, (only used receivers in the past) can someone tell me what to look for exactly?? I put in a 2 channel sacd and started it. I at first thought I had done something wrong since I have my system set up to not use a sub with 2 channel - the bass was much more than I normally had?? I got up and checked my subs....none were playing. So I certainly do have more bass coming out of the rt55i's than I thought was pssible?? I have listed most of my equip in my signature so you can see, I really don't have high end stuff..From what little I have got to play with my system since I got the amp it would seem like a big step up for me!! Hopefully I will get to work with it some more this week-end and watch a movie also.

Please, if there are things I should check for, let me know. I am new at this and have 30 days to change my mind and send it back...

vmaxer

cfrizz wrote: »

You just noticed one of the biggest benefits of an amp. Listen to music you know very well. If you all of a sudden are hearing instruments better, clearer, more separation of instruments etc...congrats you now know the purchase was worth it. If you don't...get your hearing checked!:D

cfrizz - Thanks a lot for responding, still music only at this point, but so far so good. The increased bass and overall clarity seems great to me. But, like I said, I am new to using a amp so any input as to what to look/listen for is appreciated.

comfortablycurt

metal83 wrote: »

Haha...I don't think this thread has had anything informative in it..:p

Now that's not true at all. For your information, there have been at least 3 posts in this thread with very good information in them.:p

I'll take you up on the XPA-3...but only if you'd be willing to let it go for 450,175 dollars. I'm a little strapped for cash this week...so that's all I can come up with. Let me know.;)

moe

vmaxer wrote: »

Okay, to continue from eariler...I have now installed the XPA-3 and listened to some music only, no movies yet. Being new at using an amp, (only used receivers in the past) can someone tell me what to look for exactly?? I put in a 2 channel sacd and started it. I at first thought I had done something wrong since I have my system set up to not use a sub with 2 channel - the bass was much more than I normally had?? I got up and checked my subs....none were playing. So I certainly do have more bass coming out of the rt55i's than I thought was pssible?? I have listed most of my equip in my signature so you can see, I really don't have high end stuff..From what little I have got to play with my system since I got the amp it would seem like a big step up for me!! Hopefully I will get to work with it some more this week-end and watch a movie also.

Please, if there are things I should check for, let me know. I am new at this and have 30 days to change my mind and send it back...

You really should have tried the Boulder 2050 route,I think it pretty much kills the xp3.That said,you're not gonna buy a better new amp unless you spend twice more,and that would be a bad idea as you need a prepro first.

You don't need anyone to tell you what to listen for,if you don't think the difference is good send it back,if it is you should know.Don't try to make someone that's never heard your set happy,they'll never be happy till you have the same set they have.

Kex

moe wrote: »

... You don't need anyone to tell you what to listen for,if you don't think the difference is good send it back,if it is you should know.Don't try to make someone that's never heard your set happy,they'll never be happy till you have the same set they have.

To add to this sentiment: if you're not sure whether the difference you are hearing is worth the price you paid, or the trouble of the extra IC cables and placement issues involved, then it most probably isn't ... especially if you only think you are hearing a difference, but are not completely convinced of it. You must decide for yourself when it comes down to it. There is no point in letting anyone talk you into it ... and it's your money, not theirs.

You probably should have started a new thread BTW. This is the new joke thread!

vmaxer

moe wrote: »

You really should have tried the Boulder 2050 route,I think it pretty much kills the xp3.That said,you're not gonna buy a better new amp unless you spend twice more,and that would be a bad idea as you need a prepro first.

You don't need anyone to tell you what to listen for,if you don't think the difference is good send it back,if it is you should know.Don't try to make someone that's never heard your set happy,they'll never be happy till you have the same set they have.

Thanks Moe...I'm not sure what to say, I'm really not trying to make others happy and I am sure there are many members with a lot better systems and amps. I am, however, looking for their expert opinions. I have read a lot on this forum and think there is a wealth of knowledge here to learn from. I know they can't hear my setup and I can't hear theirs, but there is still a lot of experience here and I welcome both positive and negative feedback....who knows, it may save me money.

On the other hand I have a used 2 channel Parasound amp coming to add to the upstairs setup that I plan to use downstairs for comparison first..I just don't have a lot of time being a single father of a 8 year old girl, she comes first.

Thanks again!!

shack

moe wrote:

Don't try to make someone that's never heard your set happy,they'll never be happy till you have the same set they have.

Translation...

shack

My Junior's Cheesecake was excellent!

comfortablycurt

xcapri79 wrote: »

We think that the best performance/cost ratio amps in the market deserve to have the longest thread in this forum.
Emotiva has answered our prayers for sufficient and affordable amplification for our Polk LSi's.

Hm...I thought those prayers had been answered many years ago...There are plenty of other options for affordable, very efficient amps.

It's called the used market.;)

BlueFox

Don't try to make someone that's never heard your set happy,they'll never be happy till you have the same set they have.

shack wrote: »

Translation..

Misery likes company.

cfrizz

I don't know where you 2 are getting these responses from. There are PLENTY of clueless individuals out there who don't have any kind of understanding about music in general, so wouldn't know the first thing about good sound or what to listen for. To many, it is simply background noise.

What he has been describing is precisely what a powerful amp brings to the table, he simply wants confirmation from those of us who know for sure that he is hearing the right things, and that he has a clearer understanding of what he should be listening for.

He said NOTHING about not being happy with the sound, or trying to make anyone else happy about his sound. Nor did he say anything about the difference he was hearing not being worth the price he paid.

In the end he will have a much better understanding about amps & about music.

Project much?

moe wrote: »

You really should have tried the Boulder 2050 route,I think it pretty much kills the xp3.That said,you're not gonna buy a better new amp unless you spend twice more,and that would be a bad idea as you need a prepro first.

You don't need anyone to tell you what to listen for,if you don't think the difference is good send it back,if it is you should know.Don't try to make someone that's never heard your set happy,they'll never be happy till you have the same set they have.

Kex wrote: »

To add to this sentiment: if you're not sure whether the difference you are hearing is worth the price you paid, or the trouble of the extra IC cables and placement issues involved, then it most probably isn't ... especially if you only think you are hearing a difference, but are not completely convinced of it. You must decide for yourself when it comes down to it. There is no point in letting anyone talk you into it ... and it's your money, not theirs.

You probably should have started a new thread BTW. This is the new joke thread!

Ricardo

shack wrote: »

Translation...

Simple:

///////\\\\\\\/\/\/\///\\\/////\\\\\

\\\\\///// /////\\\\\

shack

Ricardo wrote: »

Simple:

///////\\\\\\\/\/\/\///\\\/////\\\\\

\\\\\///// /////\\\\\

Thank you Recardo....It's all so clear now.

mmadden28

Non Audio deal of the day!!!!
Fake **** 97% off at Amazon.

mmadden28

Or even more appropriate for this thread....Liquid A$$ (rated 5 stars :cool: )

vmaxer

moe wrote: »

You really should have tried the Boulder 2050 route,I think it pretty much kills the xp3.That said,you're not gonna buy a better new amp unless you spend twice more,and that would be a bad idea as you need a prepro first.

You don't need anyone to tell you what to listen for,if you don't think the difference is good send it back,if it is you should know.Don't try to make someone that's never heard your set happy,they'll never be happy till you have the same set they have.

Boulder huh?? Is that what you use...sems like a great entry level amp. Not sure how it would fit in with the rest of my setup.

---

Boulder
Boulder also makes digital components, pre-amplifiers, and surround sound processor. Boulder amplifiers have immense power reserves, terrific dynamics, and yet are sweet sounding and delicate. The 300 watt / channel stereo Boulder 1060 is pictured at the left.


Boulder 800 Series amplifiers
Boulder 850 mono amplifier. $11,000/pair
Boulder 1000 Series amplifiers
Boulder 1060 stereo amplifier. 300 w/channel. $24,000.
Boulder 1050 monoblock amplifier. 500 w/channel. $42,000/pair.
Boulder 2000 Series amplifiers
Boulder 2060 stereo amplifier. 600 w/channel. $44,000.
Boulder 2050 monoblock amplifiers. 1000 w/channel. $83,000/pair.



If they only had a three channel version...........

maybe my next upgrade, I need to save for just a bit before I am ready for this. Thanks for the suggestion.:)

heiney9

I've heard an Emotiva recently and I was woefully underwhelmed. I had higher hopes for such "fan boy" fan fare. It was by far one of my least favorite amps I've heard in quite some time. Lifeless, flat, 2 dimensional and lacking in almost every area compared to Adcom, Marsh, Monarchy and Pass.

There.........the cat is out of the bag. I would love to audition one again just to be sure the results are repeatable. I had high hopes because of all the people who seem to be ga ga over these things. But I come away even more perplexed as to why all the accolades.

Is it a bad product.........probably not for what it is intended and that's HT. I can think of many more desirable and more musical products, even for HT duty. IMHO, I could never own an Emo based on what I've heard so far.

But, those of you who think these products are the "bomb" need to audition more gear.......Emo's price pretty much defines it's performance, build quality and parts quality.

I'm not here to ruin anyone's day, or crap on their gear. This is just my opinion based on my audition. I've been in this hobby for a very long time and been exposed to a lot of different gear. It fills a niche for entry level HT gear.....nothing more, nothing less.

FWIW, I came away almost as underwhelmed with Outlaw gear when they were all the internet rage.

Kex

cfrizz wrote: »

I don't know where you 2 are getting these responses from. ...

You may be jumping to conclusions. I can't answer for moe's comments, but I was certainly not trying to imply that he was unhappy in any way, I was simply pointing out that the difference should be obvious to him and that others cannot tell him if he likes what he is hearing or not.

You don't have to be a Zagat critic to know whether the food you are eating tastes excellent to you or not, although the Zagat critic might know why the food tastes excellent. I don't think you have to be an audio expert, or engineer, to know whether you like what you are hearing either.

Then again, I suppose some people do actually buy things only because they heard or read somewhere that it was brilliant, and simply echo that sentiment to others thereafter when asked about how they like their new purchase.

Now this thread is going off in an entirely different direction again! It's a good thing I had some delicious PIE earlier, but I'm not sure why it was delicious, except that I liked it! I used to wonder why people would even bother to make posts about PIE, just because they were bored with a thread, but now I see that it actually is very soothing to do just that !

comfortablycurt

heiney9 wrote: »

I've heard an Emotiva recently and I was woefully underwhelmed. I had higher hopes for such "fan boy" fan fare. It was by far one of my least favorite amps I've heard in quite some time. Lifeless, flat, 2 dimensional and lacking in almost every area compared to Adcom, Marsh, Monarchy and Pass.

There.........the cat is out of the bag. I would love to audition one again just to be sure the results are repeatable. I had high hopes because of all the people who seem to be ga ga over these things. But I come away even more perplexed as to why all the accolades.

Is it a bad product.........probably not for what it is intended and that's HT. I can think of many more desirable and more musical products, even for HT duty. IMHO, I could never own an Emo based on what I've heard so far.

But, those of you who think these products are the "bomb" need to audition more gear.......Emo's price pretty much defines it's performance, build quality and parts quality.

I'm not here to ruin anyone's day, or crap on their gear. This is just my opinion based on my audition. I've been in this hobby for a very long time and been exposed to a lot of different gear. It fills a niche for entry level HT gear.....nothing more, nothing less.

FWIW, I came away almost as underwhelmed with Outlaw gear when they were all the internet rage.

Ahh, the much anticipated, "Brock's Review of Emotiva". An essential chapter in The Emotiva Story.

Thanks for the thoughts Brock.:)

vmaxer

heiney9 wrote: »

I've heard an Emotiva recently and I was woefully underwhelmed. I had higher hopes for such "fan boy" fan fare. It was by far one of my least favorite amps I've heard in quite some time. Lifeless, flat, 2 dimensional and lacking in almost every area compared to Adcom, Marsh, Monarchy and Pass.

There.........the cat is out of the bag. I would love to audition one again just to be sure the results are repeatable. I had high hopes because of all the people who seem to be ga ga over these things. But I come away even more perplexed as to why all the accolades.

Is it a bad product.........probably not for what it is intended and that's HT. I can think of many more desirable and more musical products, even for HT duty. IMHO, I could never own an Emo based on what I've heard so far.

But, those of you who think these products are the "bomb" need to audition more gear.......Emo's price pretty much defines it's performance, build quality and parts quality.

I'm not here to ruin anyone's day, or crap on their gear. This is just my opinion based on my audition. I've been in this hobby for a very long time and been exposed to a lot of different gear. It fills a niche for entry level HT gear.....nothing more, nothing less.

FWIW, I came away almost as underwhelmed with Outlaw gear when they were all the internet rage.

heiney9,

I appreciate your input as I do all of the others. I hope I haven't caused problems or issues of any kind between any members here.

To explain from my point of view: As I've stated earlier in the post I have only used receivers in the past, and have never owned an amp. I have been into Polk speakers for several years and have been happy with their products and their great customer service. None of my friends have amps, the closest thing is a Bose system ( I won't go there ) This means I really don't have a baseline except for the Onkyo receivers I've used. The Emotiva does sound better than what I have had. On a couple of occasions I have gotten up to turn off my subs when listening to 2 channe sacd's to find they weren't on. I even unplugged them to be sure. I have never had as much sound or bass coming from the RT55i's. I KNOW the amp is a step up for me, but maybe not the best direction. I have only had it a couple days so I still can return it if I need to.

I have a Parasound HCA1000A coming (bought used) I plan to compare it to the Emotiva.

hainey9, what is your opinion of the Parasound?? Do you have any experience with them??

I appreciate everyone's input on the and really want to hear from people who have heard an Emo and can report how they compare to others they have listened to.

I can't go with the very best or expensive amp such as the $83,000.00 suggestion earlier and I seriously doubt that most here could.

Comparing the same logic to speakers: there are much more expensive speakers out there than Polk and I'm sure some are much better but I am happy with the Polks. I am trying to do the same thing with the amp decision; I probably won't end up with the best amp, but hopefully I will get the best one possible for my money.

:)Thanks to everyone again!!:)

And along the way we may reach the big 1000:eek:

mmadden28

heiney9 wrote: »

I've heard an Emotiva recently and I was woefully underwhelmed....

....

Which model Emotiva amp did you audition?

Lowell_M

mmadden28 wrote: »

Which model Emotiva amp did you audition?

It was the XPA-5 on my 2-channel system. I wasn't terribly impressed myself. Maybe it was a gear synergy issue, but the amp seemed to compress the dynamics and play everything loud and the soundstage sucked back into the speakers. To me it was as if we started playing MP3's instead of HDCD.

I wasn't a big fan, but at the same time, the XPA-5 probably sounds awesome to somebody who is making the move from an AVR. I agree with Brocks comments regarding pricepoint, underwhelmingness, etc.....

Toolfan66

I have the XPA-3, And it did wonders for my system. I understand a lot of guys here have been fortunate to have had many, and or have been able to listem to many AMP's. I for one want to try something else. eather way having the EMOTIVA is better then not having an AMP at all.

cfrizz

Bingo! This is what it is all about. Emo & Outlaw are great ways to get into a higher class of sound without putting you in the poor house. No one said it was the be all to end all. There is ALWAYS something out there that is better.

But these companies get your feet in the door. Now some might be content to stay there, those that aren't are certainly free to try more gear.

Either way there is NO reason to beat down on anyone that thinks that Emo is the cats meow on THEIR system because as Vmaxer states, it's a big step up from what he is used to hearing.

Live & let live folks. Let the newbie amp owners enjoy their gear without being hassled about trying something better before they have even had a chance to fully settle in with what they just got.

TOOLFORLIFEFAN wrote: »

I have the XPA-3, And it did wonders for my system. I understand a lot of guys here have been fortunate to have had many, and or have been able to listem to many AMP's. I for one want to try something else. eather way having the EMOTIVA is better then not having an AMP at all.

Toolfan66

On another note, Getting better IC's, And speaker cable's took it up another notch as well.

metal83

TOOLFORLIFEFAN wrote: »

I have the XPA-3, And it did wonders for my system. I understand a lot of guys here have been fortunate to have had many, and or have been able to listem to many AMP's. I for one want to try something else. eather way having the EMOTIVA is better then not having an AMP at all.

I want a Sunfire...;)