emotiva xpa5

w_coyote wrote: »

I'm thinking about purchasing the emotiva xpa5 amp and was wondering what everyones thoughts were about this amp. Good or bad. I know this is all subjective but was wondering. My equipment is a sony 40v3000,denon 988,sony bdp-s300,comcast cable box and i have both klipsch(rf82,rc62,rb61) and polk speakers(rt55ix4,cs400ix2). This will be used for mostly HT. Thanks in advance and don't hold anything back. And Begin

Search xpa5 on this forum and you will have a phone book worth of info.:)

I saw you have Denon 988 so XPA-5 may work well with your system. I used to have Denon 988 and XPA-5 power LSi series speakers and I like it alot.

TroyD wrote: »

I spit on Emotiva.

BDT

After it bursts into flames spitting will help, but a good fire extinguisher is recommended.

I never heard an Emotiva amp but it would not cost you much to try one and see for your self. Last time I looked they had a 30 money back so you would only loose your cost of shipping.

Though if you want to go with an amp that has been around for years I would look at Sunfire, Adcom and Rotel. With some looking on eBay and Audiogon you can pick up a used amp for the same price as the Emotiva.

I think it's a decent buy on the new market for HT, that's for sure. And as mentioned, if you don't like it, send it back.

I think if you're open to used stuff, you can get quite a bit better for your dollar, though. Thuffman threw out some good suggestions.

If you are looking for a cheap amp and you have to buy new it is a great choice. But if you want quality and are willing to take the risk of buying used the choice of better products is endless in the 700-800 price range. From my experience with the XPA-5 I would have to say it is a good amp for the going price when not compairing it to used market. It is not by any means a giant killer as some here would have you beleive. The amp suffers from higher background noise than other amps I have used and the transformer has some light audible hum also the RCA jacks are not the best I have bent two and the amp has only been moved twice.

TroyD wrote: »

I think you will find that it's not so much that people think Emotiva is crap.....it's that there are a few folks who take offense to the notion that there are better alternatives.

BDT

And those folks ruin the brand for the rest of us.

If the OP tries it, and loves it, that's great! Nobody here will hold that against you. It's when we're told that it's better than what we have, hands down, is where the **** hits the fan.

I have a problem with people trying to push the product off as if it is the second coming. I own one and I think it is a great amp but I wouldn't put it in the same league as some of the other mid-fi amps I recently tried and a few I currently own. I put the XPA-5 in my 2-channel setup and thought it was o.k. but not as good as my rotel rb-1080 much less my 500watt mono blocs which would blow it out of the water. My Roksan ka/2 is also a better amp period but some people here would argue that until they turn blue even though the majority of them have never done comparisons. I know from reading post that the larger majority of people who own Emo products are first time buyers so how can they justify that amp A is better than amp B when they have never tried other products?

Montoya wrote: »

I have a problem with people trying to push the product off as if it is the second coming. I own one and I think it is a great amp but I wouldn't put it in the same league as some of the other mid-fi amps I recently tried and a few I currently own. I put the XPA-5 in my 2-channel setup and thought it was o.k. but not as good as my rotel rb-1080 much less my 500watt mono blocs which would blow it out of the water. My Roksan ka/2 is also a better amp period but some people here would argue that until they turn blue even though the majority of them have never done comparisons. I know from reading post that the larger majority of people who own Emo products are first time buyers so how can they justify that amp A is better than amp B when they have never tried other products?

Can we just insert this post into every Emo thread from here on out?

As TroyD has already pointed out, well said!!

I really like my XPA-5. It's a big step up from my AVR (an H/K 7300) and it's a decent step up from my Adcom 6000 (a lower level Adcom), but it's not, as Montoya said, "the second coming."

The XPA-5 is a good amplifier. It does a great job on both HT and music. You can pick one up for $699.

Montoya wrote: »

The amp suffers from higher background noise than other amps I have used.

I've experienced this also and it's really my only complaint with the amp. When I'm listening to music or watching a movie at normal or higher levels, I never notice it. It's only when I listen at very low levels...but it drives me nuts on those few occasions when I can hear it.

$100 off does make it more appealing.

I will never buy one... I heard that my homeowner's policy will not cover my house for fire if one comes into my home.

sdcfan18 wrote: »

Add me to the list of people that enjoy Emo products. Fits nicely in my HT and great for 2 channel.

Me too. Very pleased with it's performance. I'd gladly pay twice as much for the XPA-5. For $799 it's a great deal (but it's on sale for 699 which is even better). Did I mention it does a great job on music as well?:D

I say get it fixed and keep the adcom.

I really like my xpa5 and for the price, on the new market, i don't think it can easily be beat. At least i have not seen anything priced under $1k with 5ch @ 200w RMS/ch. Most comparable amp's are double the price and the difference in SQ (what ever it is) is not worth the extra money IMO, but it may be to you. Thankfully that is why there are many different brand's

Used is not an option for me, i don't want someone's abused gear that has no warranty. If a friend of mine had a nice piece of equipment he/she was looking to move then OK i would be more open but buying from a person i have never met and in a completely different place, nah ah I like peace of mind and good value for dollar, i happen to be getting both right now.

Ya know funny thing i have never seen any Emotiva owner claim that their amp is the best, be all, end all. Just that they are a great product for the price....

I get no background noise through mine, if you have trouble with "bending" the RCA jack's maybe you could try to unplug them before moving the unit? I made the same mistake once after a few beer's and had to straighten out a jack on my Yammie lol

When i am able to afford better gear i'll explore other option's

For the record: Yes this was my first separate amp purchase. But that does not make my ear's any more deaf than your's haha