b&k ref 4420 vs emo xpa-3

bopicasso
bopicasso Posts: 878
edited March 2010 in Electronics
So I just received my 4420. This is the second amp I ever owned. First being the emo xpa-3. I unpacked it and hooked it up to the pio 21txh.
I been listening to both amps back and forth for the past 2 hours with my favorite demo music.
The emo is definately louder, I find myself turning the pio up after switching amps. But the b&k is easier to listen to. The emo is harsher and bothers my ears after a few songs. The b&k is soothing compared to the emo..
Emo produces more pronounced bass and crisper treble. But the b&k sounds more realistic.
I do understand the xpa3 is made for home theater and not 2 channel audio. I can see how it excels at that being forward and louder.

To Be Continued......
Living Room setup: Pioneer Elite VSX-21TXH, Krell KAV 300i, PS Audio DL III DAC, Tyler Acoustics Taylo 7u, Dynaudio Audience 120C+, SVS 25/31PCI, B-P-T Clean Power Center, Ps3, Panny 50" S1 Plasma, Tekline speaker cables, Audio Art interconnects, and Pangea power cables.
Post edited by bopicasso on
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Comments

  • heiney9
    heiney9 Posts: 25,248
    edited March 2010
    Emo's tend to be harsh and bloated. After a few days you'll be listening to the B & K exclusively I bet.

    H9
    "Appreciation of audio is a completely subjective human experience. Measurements can provide a measure of insight, but are no substitute for human judgment. Why are we looking to reduce a subjective experience to objective criteria anyway? The subtleties of music and audio reproduction are for those who appreciate it. Differentiation by numbers is for those who do not".--Nelson Pass Pass Labs XA25 | EE Avant Pre | EE Mini Max Supreme DAC | MIT Shotgun S1 | Puritan Audio PSM136 Pwr Condtioner & Classic PC's | Legend L600 | BlueSound Node3 - Tubes add soul!
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  • rdb2001
    rdb2001 Posts: 791
    edited March 2010
    bopicasso wrote: »
    So I just received my 4420. This is the second amp I ever owned. First being the emo xpa-3. I unpacked it and hooked it up to the pio 21txh.
    I been listening to both amps back and forth for the past 2 hours with my favorite demo music.
    The emo is definately louder, I find myself turning the pio up after switching amps. But the b&k is easier to listen to. The emo is harsher and bothers my ears after a few songs. The b&k is soothing compared to the emo..
    Emo produces more pronounced bass and crisper treble. But the b&k sounds more realistic.
    I do understand the xpa3 is made for home theater and not 2 channel audio. I can see how it excels at that being forward and louder.

    To Be Continued......

    I am looking for a B&K reference 2channel amp myself. I noticed you have a pio 21txh. I run the same with my sherwood newcastle A965 amp. I will tell u this, I prefer my old HK avr 254 to the elite. The hk was smoother and laid back compared to the Pio. So I am guessing pio and emo would be very harsh as both are a little harsh to me. Glad to hear you like the b&k. I hope to have one soon. As I tel people all the time, its not about how loud your system can be, its about the details it can have at those volumes.
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  • bopicasso
    bopicasso Posts: 878
    edited March 2010
    Yea the harshness is the main thing I dont like about the emo. It definately has more power and the bass is more defined. But with music the B&k really smoothes things out. Its more enjoyable. I found myself getting lost in the music.
    I just took the emotiva completely out of my setup for now. I want to see how the Pioneer 21txh can do driving the polk csi3 center channel. And Im going to let the B&K drive the Dyns. I need to buy a 3.5 mm mono to rca plug cable to use my 12 trigger on my receiver to power on the b&k.
    So to be continued.....
    Living Room setup: Pioneer Elite VSX-21TXH, Krell KAV 300i, PS Audio DL III DAC, Tyler Acoustics Taylo 7u, Dynaudio Audience 120C+, SVS 25/31PCI, B-P-T Clean Power Center, Ps3, Panny 50" S1 Plasma, Tekline speaker cables, Audio Art interconnects, and Pangea power cables.
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  • bopicasso
    bopicasso Posts: 878
    edited March 2010
    After using the MCACC with the new amp in place, it is even better! Its definately a upgrade. The only complaint is the lack of bass with the b&k, but thats what subs are for.
    Living Room setup: Pioneer Elite VSX-21TXH, Krell KAV 300i, PS Audio DL III DAC, Tyler Acoustics Taylo 7u, Dynaudio Audience 120C+, SVS 25/31PCI, B-P-T Clean Power Center, Ps3, Panny 50" S1 Plasma, Tekline speaker cables, Audio Art interconnects, and Pangea power cables.
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  • bopicasso
    bopicasso Posts: 878
    edited March 2010
    I owned the Rti8s and they were very bright with the emotiva. But it was great for ht. And bad for music. My dyns and the b&k are really getting me close to where I want to be.
    Living Room setup: Pioneer Elite VSX-21TXH, Krell KAV 300i, PS Audio DL III DAC, Tyler Acoustics Taylo 7u, Dynaudio Audience 120C+, SVS 25/31PCI, B-P-T Clean Power Center, Ps3, Panny 50" S1 Plasma, Tekline speaker cables, Audio Art interconnects, and Pangea power cables.
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  • cnh
    cnh Posts: 13,284
    edited March 2010
    Glad you're happy Bopicasso...

    I'd agree that you need a 'warmer' amp for Rti-8s for non-HT use. Those things can make your ears bleed with the wrong amp/AVR!

    B&K is a more balanced sound IMO. But it looks like that's also your opinion, now!

    Have fun with the new toys!

    cnh
    Currently orbiting Bowie's Blackstar.!

    Polk Lsi-7s, Def Tech 8" sub, HK 3490, HK HD 990 (CDP/DAC), AKG Q701s
    [sig. changed on a monthly basis as I rotate in and out of my stash]
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  • Gadabout
    Gadabout Posts: 1,072
    edited March 2010
    I started out with just an Emotiva amp for the HT. Some experimenting lead me putting my Rti10's on the B&K 4420 and putting the emo on surrounds and center. They are paired with a DSW Pro 500. Onkyo doing the Pre/Pro. Running on the 4420, the 10's sound decent for music and in my opinion not bright at all. The 4420 is what prompted me to buy more of thier line for the 2 ch system.

    Happy listening,
    Scott
    Without music to decorate it, time is just a bunch of boring production deadlines or dates by which bills must be paid. ..... Frank Zappa
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  • TG Meat
    TG Meat Posts: 159
    edited March 2010
    I love my B&K. Smooth, refined and detailed, and warmer...I felt it was an upgrade from my Outlaw 7500. I dont know if Outlaw and Emo are to be conpared, only that they are both from online outfits.
    Anthem D2v
    NAD M50 Music Server
    B & K Reference 200.5
    Parasound A21
    B & W 804 (Mains)
    B & W HTM1 (Center)
    Polk Rti4 (Surrounds)
    PS3
    Seaton Submersive HP
    Pioneer PDP 6010FD Kuro
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  • coolsax
    coolsax Posts: 1,826
    edited March 2010
    xcapri79 wrote: »
    I don't notice any harshness with any of my three Pioneer/Emotiva/Polk LSi setups, but this may be a matter of personal taste. One person's harshness is another person's detail and clarity. I do notice some harshness with the RTi's instead of the LSi's but that is fixed with some top end attenuation on the SC-07 AVR.

    I think this is because the LSIs are more laid back than the RTI and RTIa series, the LSI's take off some of the Harshness. hence why you yourself notate some harshness with the RTI
    Main 2ch -
    BlueSound Node->Ethereal optical cable->Peachtree Audio Nova 150->GoldenEar Triton 2+
    TT - Pro-ject Classic SB with Sumiko Bluepoint.

    TV 3.1 system -
    Denon 3500 -> Dynaudio Excite 32/22
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  • phipiper10
    phipiper10 Posts: 955
    edited March 2010
    Glad you found a 4420. This is a great amp at a great used price. The sound is Nice. I had RT800is with a Rotel amp and it was a little rough on the ears.

    Enjoy!
    Analog Source: Rega P3-24 Exact 2 w/GT delrin platter & Neo TT-PSU Digital Source: Lumin T2 w/Roon (NUC) DAC: Denafrips Pontus II Phono Preamp: Rega Aria MK3 Preamp: Rogue RP-7 Amp: Pass X150.8 Speakers: Joseph Audio Perspective 2, Audio Physic Tempo Plus Cables: Morrow M4 ICs & Audio Art SC-5 ePlus, Shunyata PCs Misc: Shunyata Hydra Delta D6, VTI rack, GIK acoustic panels
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  • Toolfan66
    Toolfan66 Posts: 17,450
    edited March 2010
    I'm not surprised,I liked my XPA-3 at first but it was my first external amp, I personaly think emotiva is ok for HT but for what's out there to get your hands on I would shop elsewhere. Emotiva! Well is not all that IMHO.

    My XPA-3 will be for sale soon.
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  • bopicasso
    bopicasso Posts: 878
    edited March 2010
    I dont miss my xpa3 one iota. I been listening to random songs for the past few hours and man it sounds soooooo good. Cant believe how more engaging and involving the music is. Really feels like your in the music. And its so relaxing compared to the emo. B&K is the ****!
    Living Room setup: Pioneer Elite VSX-21TXH, Krell KAV 300i, PS Audio DL III DAC, Tyler Acoustics Taylo 7u, Dynaudio Audience 120C+, SVS 25/31PCI, B-P-T Clean Power Center, Ps3, Panny 50" S1 Plasma, Tekline speaker cables, Audio Art interconnects, and Pangea power cables.
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