Emotiva XPA-5 amplifier

piker wrote: »

I'm not telling anyone what they should do here, but for me personally, I bumped up the front stage about 3db and left the surrounds where they were. Now everything sounds more cohesive to my ears. I'm getting more sound out of the front, which is more like how it was before I re-ran Audyssey.

Maybe I need to go splurge on an SPL meter. That would be things dialed in most accurately, wouldn't it?

Like I said, Dynamic EQ gradually dials back the surrounds as you turn it louder. So if you balanced it at a certain volume, the balance will be different when you change from that volume. In other words, at 0 (reference level), all channels are at the same level. As you back down from 0, Dynamic EQ gradually bumps up the presence of the surrounds. Audyssey's theory on this is that movies are mixed for reference level, and as you get below reference level, your impression of surround presence rolls off. Personally, I've done a few runs of Audyssey that left my system like what you're describing - too heavy on surrounds. But once you get a tripod and can do a proper run with all positions, I'm willing to bet it will be more balanced.

Regardless, if it sounds good to you, that's what matters. Don't get too hung up on whether it strictly adheres to reference standards.

I strongly recommend that you not use the receiver's internal tones with the SPL meter. Get a calibration disc, turn off Dynamic EQ, then check each channel with a test disc and make note of how much boost/cut each channel needs. This lets you measure the post-equalization level of each channel instead of the non-equalized noise tone that you'll get from the internal test tones. Once you have them all balanced that way, re-enable Dynamic EQ.

Again, you have to disable Dynamic EQ before calibrating with a disc because it raises surround presence as you get lower than reference.

I have been saving up for a few months eating bag lunches and putting the saving to my "Amp Fund". It's the only way I could get the wife to let me scratch my upgrade fever.

Anyhow, I've been checking reviews on the XPA-5 and I have been wondering if it's worth the sacrifice. I'm glad to see that some people feel so. It's going to be a couple more months before I get to pull the trigger, but I'm looking forward to seeing how it improves the system. I am looking at the amp first with the intention of upgrading to some bigger floor standing RTi-7's and I figure trying to power them off of my older receiver is a waste of money.

Glad to see that you're happy with the purchase Piker. Hopefully I'll be able to add my impressions soon. Lastly, I'm not sure about the odyssey setup, but I know my Yamaha settings were way different from my SPL setup. The SPL was made a big improvement in the over all sound.