Major Upgrade My 2 Channel System

heiney9

AudioFilet wrote: »

I'm seriously considering buying the Parasound A21 just to do a direct comparason to the XPA-2 on my own turf. The winner to be awarded the exalted bottom shelf of my stereo rack.

As for NAD, bad experience for me there. Garbage in my opinion, wouldn't waste another dime on the stuff.

Atleast you're having fun with it and experimenting.............that's the key.

Too bad on the NAD, generally they make really solid gear. Hopefully someday you'll loosen your grudge and try them again. But, when you get burned sometimes it takes awhile for the "wound" to heal.

H9

concealer404

AudioFilet wrote: »

I figure the bulk of that budget should go towards a speaker upgrade. I do want a good amp though, and maybe a tube pre.

Not a clue what to with speakers yet though.

Good thing I'm not in a hurry.

Understood.

I just personally tend to lean towards the camp that believes that great amplification can make a mediocre pair of speakers sound great, and not necessarily vice versa.

Obviously, i like to meet somewhere in the middle.

But if the Emotiva makes whatever you end up getting sound great to your ears, then you definitely made out great.

heiney9

concealer404 wrote: »

I just personally tend to lean towards the camp that believes that great amplification can make a mediocre pair of speakers sound great, and not necessarily vice versa.

This is a very, very true statement. Don't skimp on a source, pre or amp just to spend most of your budget on speakers. Don;t forget about nice cables as well.

H9

concealer404

heiney9 wrote: »

This is a very, very true statement. Don't skimp on a source, pre or amp just to spend most of your budget on speakers. Don;t forget about nice cables as well.

H9

I think i just realized that i ended up just saying the old "Garbage in, Garbage out" adage.

Of course, i don't even know what i would do with $10k to spend on a system.

Erik Tracy

heiney9 wrote: »

This is a very, very true statement. Don't skimp on a source, pre or amp just to spend most of your budget on speakers. Don;t forget about nice cables as well.

H9

But....all amps sound the same....or so the link lemmings will have you believe!;)

Trust your ears!

heiney9

xcapri79 wrote: »

All amps do not sound the same.
http://www.polkaudio.com/forums/showpost.php?p=1254982&postcount=10

Again you missed it.................he was being facetious. Geez you are a dense one.

AudioFilet

heiney9 wrote: »

This is a very, very true statement. Don't skimp on a source, pre or amp just to spend most of your budget on speakers. Don;t forget about nice cables as well.

H9

I just kind of figured that, all things being equal, speakers would cost the most. Perhaps not?

BlueFox

heiney9 wrote: »

Again you missed it.................he was being facetious. Geez you are a dense one.

xcapri79 wrote: »

You missed it, I was supporting him with my expertise.:p

So, now you are being facetious. :rolleyes:

concealer404

AudioFilet wrote: »

I just kind of figured that, all things being equal, speakers would cost the most. Perhaps not?

Not necessarily. There's no real formula.

AudioFilet

heiney9 wrote: »

Emo = entry level. I'm guessing you no longer have the $10K to spend if you bought another Emo.

H9

H9, just out of curiosity, have you read any of the reviews out on the net for the XPA-2?

If so, what do you think of them?

concealer404

AudioFilet wrote: »

H9, just out of curiosity, have you read any of the reviews out on the net for the XPA-2?

If so, what do you think of them?

I'll answer for him, and if he wants to correct me, he can do so:


Yes, we've all seen the reviews, and a lot more of us have heard that amp in person than you think. Here's what I think of the reviews, and H9 will probably agree. Ready?

Most of those people haven't heard separates before. It's their first amp. They have nothing to compare it to. It's entry level. It's a great first step to get into separates, but everyone comparing it to parasound, krell, whatever, haven't. They've read about them on the internet, and are "bench-comparing."

mhmacw

hey audio ... sort of funny how the quips are squelched when you make a statement. i dig your position bro been there done that in the first gulf war. h9 is an ****. might know a thing or two but no more than a dozen others here. load YOUR ears and spend my tax money on some cool ****... you deserve it!!!

AudioFilet

concealer404 wrote: »

Most of those people haven't heard separates before. It's their first amp. They have nothing to compare it to. It's entry level. It's a great first step to get into separates, but everyone comparing it to parasound, krell, whatever, haven't. They've read about them on the internet, and are "bench-comparing."

Wow.

Gene DellaSala of Audioholics & Adrian Wittenberg of Secrets of Home Theater & HiFi, both rank amateurs. I'll have to keep that in mind the next time I read one of their reviews.

BlueFox

concealer404 wrote: »

I'll answer for him, and if he wants to correct me, he can do so:


Yes, we've all seen the reviews, and a lot more of us have heard that amp in person than you think. Here's what I think of the reviews, and H9 will probably agree. Ready?

I hate it when people refer to some web posting, and expect others are aware of the site. It would be nice if we all tried to support our feelings with at least a little evidence.

AudioFilet

These 2 reviews helped convince me to buy the XPA-2:

http://www.hometheaterhifi.com/power-amplifiers/496-a-secrets-power-amplifier-review.html

http://www.audioholics.com/reviews/amplifiers/emotiva-xpa-2

Neither of the reviewers ever uses the terms "mid-fi" or "entry level".

Why is that??

treitz3

Does it really matter whether or not it's considered entry level, mid-fi or whatever? I think that you are missing the point that there are better amps to choose from. Why limit yourself?

You don't need to spend a boatload either, just listen and get your ears on some of the one's you haven't heard yet that folks are talking about.

BlueFox

AudioFilet wrote: »

These 2 reviews helped convince me to buy the XPA-2:

Neither of the reviewers ever uses the terms "mid-fi" or "entry level".

Why is that??

They assume the reader has an IQ higher than a house plant?

mhmacw

i think id check here too. good product line and wide variety.
http://www.usatubeaudio.com/index.php

heiney9

AudioFilet wrote: »

Wow.

Gene DellaSala of Audioholics & Adrian Wittenberg of Secrets of Home Theater & HiFi, both rank amateurs. I'll have to keep that in mind the next time I read one of their reviews.

Audioholics is a complete joke and Home Theater and HiFi is just that.............Home Theater.

I was just disappointed because of the way you titled the thread and your first post sounded like you were going truly high end. It would be like someone going on an auto forum and saying I'm ready to buy my first Ferrari and then coming back a few days later and saying I decided to start with a Hyundai. They get good reviews, it's a nice looking car, it rides nice and I'm not sure the Ferrari is worth all that money anyway.

If you are relying solely on reviews and the hype of Emotiva then they've got you. Emo is good, solid gear.............not even close to being towards the higher end of performance.

Again, I am commenting more on your initial post that you were going BIG and then you buy another Emo and try to pass it off as this great piece that will compete with higher end products because it gets good press from the equivalent of "Consumer Reports" for audio.

Good luck with your journey

H9

Ricardo

Not another of those stupid EMO threads please.

treitz3

H9, you do have a good point. From the first post, he did sound like he was ready to step up to the plate. Oh well, if the man wants a Hyundai? Let him have it and move on.

concealer404

AudioFilet wrote: »

Wow.

Gene DellaSala of Audioholics & Adrian Wittenberg of Secrets of Home Theater & HiFi, both rank amateurs. I'll have to keep that in mind the next time I read one of their reviews.

Oh. You didn't make the distinction that you were talking about "professional" reviewers. My apologies. I don't read "pro" reviews, because my setup and room have absolutely nothing in common with them. (And i don't read those two because i can't stand the sites.)

Sorry 'bout that, disregard.

Mine goes for amateur reviews like you would see on these forums.

concealer404

BlueFox wrote: »

I hate it when people refer to some web posting, and expect others are aware of the site. It would be nice if we all tried to support our feelings with at least a little evidence.

See above. My apologies.

tonyb

I don't have a dog in this fight, but I will say that most times I have ever bought gear by reviews from mags, I've been disappointed in the end. Magazine reviews tend to overly drool over those that buy advertising space in their mag. Actual user reviews are more helpfull in the long run. If the OP wants to step up to emo, so what, the dude likes what he likes,thats cool. We all choose our own audio paths, some take the long way around though,no biggie.

AudioFilet

treitz3 wrote: »

H9, you do have a good point. From the first post, he did sound like he was ready to step up to the plate. Oh well, if the man wants a Hyundai? Let him have it and move on.

You guys crack me up. I haven't even really listened to the Emo yet, much less try to pass it off as "great gear". Even if I like it, it'll probably end up in the closet next to the other one & the rest of the gear stuck in there because it got in the way. Then I'll get something else to play with. It's how I have fun. You guys are way too serious about all this. Get a grip man!! Yer supposed to be enjoying yourself!

BTW, I'm in New Orleans right now, fixin' to head out the door to Frenchmen St. to get a dose of some LIVE MUSIC!!

YEEEEEHAAAAA!!

Zydeco Rules!!

How doya like me now???

F1nut

Major upgrade? Sell everything you've got now, return that thing you're trying out and start from scratch. Get the best source you can, some floorstanding speakers and a high tone tube integrated or tube separates. Don't forget to leave some $ for good cables.

F1nut

mhmacw wrote: »

h9 is an ****. might know a thing or two but no more than a dozen others here.

You are completely out of line. Don't let it happen again.

jpatt

any suggestions to upgrade a RMDS1 system--would be aprreciated

ben62670

To the OP mod the XO's. I do them for more than a fair price if you are not comfortable doing them.
Ben

jaxwired

tonyb wrote: »

I don't have a dog in this fight, but I will say that most times I have ever bought gear by reviews from mags, I've been disappointed in the end. Magazine reviews tend to overly drool over those that buy advertising space in their mag.

Not so sure about that. However, what I pay special attention to is what gear does the reviewer actually own. They often list their own reference equipment at the end of a review. I do agree that most reviews are very positive, making it hard to make a real distinction. Not as bad as Stereo Review use to be. In it's hey day they loved everything 100% of the time. I prefer the mags that give a performance rating to the products. Misssing that, I'd look to the once a year "recommmended components" list for the real winners.

Of course there's no substitute for a home demo. Not always possible. If not, then buy used so you can get your money back.