Emotiva amp question to power Rti A speakers?

drapture81 · January 2010

Hey everyone, this is my first post on this forum so forgive me if I sound foolish. I recently decided to go into the realm of amplified speakers and purchased x2/Rti A9's, x1/Csi A6, and x4/Fxi A6's. I was thinking of powering the 2 Rti A9's with 2 Emotiva XPA-1 Mono Block amps (500 watts x 1 @8ohms, 1 per speaker), and powering the Csi A6, and the 4 Fxi A6's with an Emotiva XPA-5 amp (200 watts x 5 @8ohms). My first question is, will these amps power the speakers sufficiently? My second question is, will 200 watts coming from the amp damage the 150 watt Fxi A6's? P.S. - Onkyo PR-SC5507P Pre-Pro running everything.

F1nut · January 2010

Welcome to Club Polk. Keep thinking and no, 200 wpc will not damage your speakers. Driving any amp into clipping will.

selkec · January 2010

You will be really happy with thoe amps. I have the rtia9's, csia6 and rti150 towers as rears. I was running 2 emotiva xpa-1's for my a9's and they sounded amazing. I then used the xpa-3 for center and rears. Which is the same amp as the xpa-5 with only 3 channels. Unfortunately,I had to sell all of them due to having a surgery. It really sucks going back to just power from a reciever. I say go for it. You will be pleased.

hearingimpared · January 2010

Welcome to Club Polk drapture81!

cfrizz · January 2010

Welcome to Club Polk. That will be an awesome setup that will keep you happy for years to come!

Your speakers will be fine with that power & you will have a great foundation for harder to drive speakers like the LSI series when you are ready to upgrade.

So long as you don't get crazy with the volume which would hurt your ears before they hurt the speakers things will sound great.

wutadumsn23 · January 2010

As the others said above, keep a good eye on the volume knob and you will be fine. It is much easier to damage a speaker by underpowering than it is by overpowering it. Kick@$$ system you got there, and welcome to Club Polk.

-Jeff

packetjones · January 2010

Wecome to the club...

The choices that you have made for amps and speakers would sound great. You have no worries on power with that setup. Keep in mind that the EMO's that you listed will run about $2800 and there are many other amps out there in that price range. If you must have brand new they are a good choice i guess but there are some great deals on vintage gear as well. Take a look at sites like audiogon for other amps that may work for you.

SugarmillMan · January 2010

I have a somewhat similar question so I'll piggyback onto this thread.

I have RTiA7 fronts, CSiA6 center and RTiA1 surrounds. They are powered by an Adcom 150watt x 5 channel amp.

If I later decide to add two more speakers for 7.1 sound, am I better off looking for another 7 channel amp, buying a 2 channel amp, or trying to power the extra 2 channnels from my Onkyo receiver? Also, is it possilbe to trigger two different amps with the 12 volt trigger inputs?

coolsax · January 2010

I would just use the onkyo for the final 2 speakers.. as the 6 and 7 channel aren't going to be pushing much and should be just fine for with the AVR

SolidSqual · January 2010

F1nut wrote: »

Keep thinking . . .

Don't be an old man

nooshinjohn · January 2010

Emotiva is a cost effective way to go new, but as pointed out already, there are options in the pre-owned market that offer better performance for the same money or less.

That said, Emo appears to be a solid amp and are regarded highly by some here. Beware the Emoettes however.

Welcome to CP

Kex · January 2010

F1nut wrote: »

Welcome to Club Polk. Keep thinking ...

Welcome indeed! I would probably keep thinking about this one too.

If I were going the Emotiva route, I would forget about the XPA-1 entirely, and think more along the lines of some combination involving the XPA-2 and/or XPA-3 and/or XPA-5. Emotiva products are worthy starter products IMHO if you want to try separates (I've owned some myself), but don't expect too much and keep in mind that they are a budget choice first and foremost. At least, that's my carefully considered opinion. I would see no performance advantage whatsoever in paying extra to get two XPA-1 units.

P.S. There are plenty here who think you should probably forget about Emotiva completely, and look for high quality used products at equivalent prices. The seemingly lesser performance (on paper) may indeed yield much better results (in reality) ... at least, that's the C.W., but I won't get into that discussion, however, since it always turns into a flaming debacle of some description.

Buying new always has it's advantages, and that's certainly worth considering, especially since the Emotiva warranty can be transferred to a new owner, and resale values seem to hold up pretty well too.

rcrook317 · January 2010

i give it 5 mins until this thread gets ugly...1.......2.....3.....4.......

selkec · January 2010

Yep. thats what I was thinking. This site is bad when Emo gets mentioned. Im not saying a word. Well one. Unless your rich. The Emo amps are just as good as the overpriced 3000-5000 amps. Try them. If you dont like them send them back. But as for the other poster. Do get the xpa-1's. They are awesome. One thing you might want to think about and call EMotiva is ask about getting 2 xpa-2's. They can be bridged at 1000watts into 8 ohms. That would save you over getting 2 xpa-1's. I have never heard them bridged so I cant comment.
I really only come to polk site since I own all polk. I think its stupid all the Emo bashing that goes on. The way I look at it is Emo plus polk are in the same category. Not the best but not the worst. So why are all the guys with high end systems even on here. Cant you all go somewhere else and bash. If you dont own polk or so called entry level Emo amps then dont comment on either. So go ahead and start the bashing on us emoettes or whatever you stuck ups call us. :eek::rolleyes:

dpowell · January 2010

SugarmillMan wrote: »

I have a somewhat similar question so I'll piggyback onto this thread.

I have RTiA7 fronts, CSiA6 center and RTiA1 surrounds. They are powered by an Adcom 150watt x 5 channel amp.

If I later decide to add two more speakers for 7.1 sound, am I better off looking for another 7 channel amp, buying a 2 channel amp, or trying to power the extra 2 channnels from my Onkyo receiver? Also, is it possilbe to trigger two different amps with the 12 volt trigger inputs?

I am doing the same thing. Adcom 150W X 5 channels and using the 140WPC Pioneer for the extra set of rear speakers. Works amazingly well. I put the extra money towards a dedicated 2-channel system......a much better investment!:D

dpowell · January 2010

Not here to bash Emotiva, just suggest that other options exist. Adcoms paired with Polk RT series sound fantastic......just something to consider as you make your choice.

Welcome to CP!

Jetmaker737 · January 2010

selkec wrote: »

Yep. thats what I was thinking. This site is bad when Emo gets mentioned. Im not saying a word. Well one...So go ahead and start the bashing on us emoettes or whatever you stuck ups call us. :eek::rolleyes:

I guess if thread's going to get ugly you just kicked it off in style :rolleyes:

dorokusai · January 2010

I thought Emotiva made a 7 channel amplifier?

Kchill · January 2010

Ok what should I power my RTi10's with...where is a good deal today and how much will it set me back? What should I do about my center?

selkec · January 2010

I sure did didnt I. lol Its ok. But like the others said. Used stuff like Adcom can be had for good prices on ebay and audiogon and forums. But I guess I just like the 5 year warranty and 30 in home trial that Emo offers. Plus their customer service is excellent.
Not to change subjects but has anyone seen the new sub epik is coming out with. it has 2-15" subs and looks like a good deal.

Jetmaker737 · January 2010

It's cool. I started with Emo... I've moved on. The warranty is a good security blanket if you're just dipping your toes into separates.

dorokusai · January 2010

The warranty is pretty nice and there's no reason why you couldn't use Emotiva.

concealer404 · January 2010

selkec wrote: »

Yep. thats what I was thinking. This site is bad when Emo gets mentioned. Im not saying a word. Well one. Unless your rich. The Emo amps are just as good as the overpriced 3000-5000 amps.

Oh boy.

Try them. If you dont like them send them back.

Good advice, just be prepared to eat shipping costs, and for these heavy beasts, it aint' REAL cheap.

I really only come to polk site since I own all polk. I think its stupid all the Emo bashing that goes on. The way I look at it is Emo plus polk are in the same category. Not the best but not the worst. So why are all the guys with high end systems even on here. Cant you all go somewhere else and bash. If you dont own polk or so called entry level Emo amps then dont comment on either. So go ahead and start the bashing on us emoettes or whatever you stuck ups call us. :eek::rolleyes:

I don't really bash the company... just statements like the first one that i quoted.

OP, give it a shot, what's the worst that can happen? You don't like it, and you're out shipping costs. Not a terrible price for the experience. It's your ears, not ours. We can give suggestions, and our opinions, but we can't tell you what YOU'LL like in the end.

We give guidelines. Not hard un-debatable truth. Good luck!

drapture81 · January 2010

Hmmm, sounds like my first post might have raised a few eyebrows? LOL!!! Anywho, commenting on your earlier post, the only reason I decided to go for the XPA-1 was, (1) I definetely think there a good compliment for the range of quality with polk, and (2) because they each match the power of the RTI A9's wattage RMS. Would the XPA-2 by itself be an issue with under powering the fronts? If not then I might as well as go with an XPA-3 for the x2 RTI A9's and the CSI A6, and x2 UPA-2's for the x4 FXi A6 surrounds. Comments???

dorokusai · January 2010

I don't think you need monoblocks for the RTiA9. The XPA-3 makes more sense to me but it's your money.

hearingimpared · January 2010

selkec wrote: »

Yep. thats what I was thinking. This site is bad when Emo gets mentioned. Im not saying a word. Well one. Unless your rich. The Emo amps are just as good as the overpriced 3000-5000 amps. Try them. If you dont like them send them back. But as for the other poster. Do get the xpa-1's. They are awesome. One thing you might want to think about and call EMotiva is ask about getting 2 xpa-2's. They can be bridged at 1000watts into 8 ohms. That would save you over getting 2 xpa-1's. I have never heard them bridged so I cant comment.
I really only come to polk site since I own all polk. I think its stupid all the Emo bashing that goes on. The way I look at it is Emo plus polk are in the same category. Not the best but not the worst. So why are all the guys with high end systems even on here. Cant you all go somewhere else and bash. If you dont own polk or so called entry level Emo amps then dont comment on either. So go ahead and start the bashing on us emoettes or whatever you stuck ups call us. :eek::rolleyes:

Not one person has bashed Emo in this thread. You Mr. Emoette don't know what you are talking about plus you are a hypocrite by your own words. You bashed $3000 to $5000 amps and I'm sure you have never owned let alone heard one. You bash folks for having high end gear! I'll put my TriVista that I paid $3000 used against ANYTHING Emo had put out and it will eat the Emo for lunch. Plus who the hell are you to tell us to go to another website because we own high end gear?

You are a prime example as to why EMO threads turn ugly. If you are so endeared with EMO amps go to the Emo lounge. If you can't take others opinions about buying gear other than Emos then get stay the hell away from here.

Yeah bridging amps makes for great sound!:rolleyes:

This thread was perfectly civil and some folks offered their opinions on other products and you Mr. Emoette take offence and turn it ugly.

Take a hike.

dorokusai · January 2010

If you folks start another Emotiva pissing contest....you're going to find each and every one of you on a Club Polk break.

concealer404 · January 2010

He IS on the Emo lounge... I'm not quite sure what brought him here.

adabro · January 2010

dorokusai wrote: »

I don't think you need monoblocks for the RTiA9. The XPA-3 makes more sense to me but it's your money.

I'm with Stu on this - way overkill..

nooshinjohn · January 2010

selkec wrote: »

So go ahead and start the bashing on us emoettes or whatever you stuck ups call us. :eek::rolleyes:

As the proud originator of the term 'EMOETTE", please allow me to explain the meaning so you and all the others of your ilk can grasp the concept.

The term was born to describe those so blindly devoted to the Emotiva brand that they felt it nessesary to come here and begin relentless and personal attacks on those of us that feel otherwise. Such an attack is demonstrated with your own words in the post I pulled the quote from.

Those that own Emo gear and love it are among the most well respected members of this community. What separates them from the EMOETTES is the fact that they respect other's and their opinions. An EMOETTE is on a singular mission to systematically attack anyone that has spent what they consider to be exhorbitant amounts on their gear(again from your own words) and convince others that are contemplating a major purchase to choose them and "save" their hard earned cash because Emo is the greatest ever.

I and numerous others have said countless times that Emo is decent entry level gear. It cannot be compared to Mcintosh, Krell, Levinson, Classe, Parasound, Rotel or other high end brands because the performance simply does not come close.

Power ratings in watts is not enough by itself to equal 'High End" quality. There is a laundry list of other factors that must be taken into account and on too many of them Emo does not stack up. An EMOETTE believe otherwise and becomes like a cornered racoon when faced with facts, resorting to personal attacks and name calling.(as referenced by the quoted segment above)

Emoettes therefore have earned the dubious distinction of being among the least respected members of CP. (entirely possible I fit in there as well but for different reasons:o).

I encourage you to take a step back and re-evaluate your EMOETTE-like behavior and engage in a more civil discourse, but that is entirely up to you.

Kex · January 2010

Good Lord, I hope you enjoyed that. But to set the record straight:

selkec wrote: »

... So why are all the guys with high end systems even on here. ...

I don't have a high end system.

... Cant you all go somewhere else and bash. ...

I certainly don't think that my post can be misconstrued as bashing, if you read it with an open mind.

... If you dont own polk or so called entry level Emo amps then dont comment on either. ...

I do, and I did.

... So go ahead and start the bashing on us emoettes or whatever you stuck ups call us. :eek::rolleyes: ...

I find myself wondering who is "stuck up", since I have paid less for all of my gear than you paid for your Emotiva equipment to which you made a reference earlier. The reason I haven't bought Emotiva recently is because I actually think it's expensive for what it is, not cheap, but that's JMO and it only concerns the choices that I make for my system, so I had no hesitation in suggesting some Emotiva choices to the OP.

Also, why did I think the XPA-1 was not necessarily the best choice? Well, because, as dorokusai pointed out, with 90dB efficiency and an 8 ohm rating, the RTi range hardly require big monoblocs to drive them. A combination of XPA-2 and/or XPA-3 and/or XPA-5 seems like a far more judicious investment of resources IMO, but then, I'm just poor, so I can't just throw my money around like you rich stuck up folks seem to do.

Oh, and I forgot to the sarcasm, to top it all off: ":eek::rolleyes: ..."

I hope this clears some of that up for everyone, and happy hunting drapture81!