Need help getting started with an Emotiva XPA-3

prstrings

I finally bought an XPA-3 to finally give my towers (RTi12) and center (CSi5) the power they need. The strange, and embarrassing, thing is that I don't really know what kind of cables I need to hook up my amp. Also, I would really appreciate any suggestions as to brand and price, but I would like to keep it pretty inexpensive (so long as there's not a marked trade off in sound quality).

Thanks in advance.

danger boy

the cables from your receiver to the amp is a standard RCA interconnect.. the same you would use for a CD player or tape player.. standard RCA cables.. the brand is up to you.

Sherardp

Start with these, mention to Frank you're a member of Club Polk and you will get a discount. Awesome guy to work with too.

http://signalcable.com/analogtwo.html

prstrings

xcapri79 wrote: »

I'm curious as to what AVR you are using. Ensure that it has preamp outputs, otherwise you cannot connect to your XPA-3 amp.



Make sure you use a good quality double shielded, gold-plated RCA connector stereo audio cable. Good quality doesn't have to be expensive either.

I am using an Onkyo 805, so I'm good to go with the preouts. Admittedly, though, the first AVR I bought to go with the towers did not have preouts, so I had to upgrade to the 805 with an eye toward getting the amp. It took a little longer to get the amp than I anticipated, but I'm finally there.

Thanks to Sherardp for the suggestion. I'm still looking for additional suggestions.

love2listen

Blue Jeans Cables offers good IC's at a reasonable price and great customer service.

superjunior

the xpa-3 is really touchy as to what ics you use. I used a set of monster cables and found the amp would go into protect mode and shut down. I than switched to mit avt 3s and problem went away and sound quality improved also. I wouldn't skimp on ics with this particular amp
jr

dpowell

I also have the signalcable analog II's recommended by sheardp and they are fantastic interconnects. They'll cost you a bit more than something you buy at Radio Shack (but really not that much more) but they are substantially better cables. You can start with cheap RCA cables just to get going but like a lot of us out here, you'll likely start wondering if you can hear a difference with better quality interconnects.

There really isn't much to say with regards to connecting the pre to the pro. Just make sure both amps are unpllugged prior to connecting just to be safe. One pre-out to one connector on the XPA and plug your speakers into the XPA. Not sure if this is toogranular detail....just not exactly sure what advice you're seeking.

enjoy the new amp!

prstrings

So I have two votes for signalcable and another vote for Blue Jeans Cable. Any other suggestions?

TIA

kevhed72

I just bought a pair of Blue Jeans and so far so good...a bit cheaper than Signal I, but probably close in performance for acable

cfrizz

Or you could use Monoprice for your cable needs. I have all BJC with with a Monoprice sub cable. Both get the job done, are easy to get on & off & didn't bankrupt me when purchased.

sTiLlLeArNiNg

http://emotiva.com/shop/cart.php?m=product_list&c=17

"Factory reccomended"

superjunior

not again...