Thoughts on EMOTIVA amps.

[pearsall001]

I'm considering moving away from my AVR & getting a prepro in the not too distant future. I currently have an Outlaw mono powering my center, a vintage Nikko Alpha VI (300w dual mono) running the mains & the NAD T765 is feeding the surrounds. The EMO line gets great reviews & with down to earth pricing have really caught my eye. What are your thoughts on the EMO line?

I'll probably sell the Outlaw mono but the Nikko is staying in the family for reserve duty.

Here's a few scenerio's:
XPA-2 / mains - XPA-3 / center & surrounds
XPA-5 to run the whole show
XPA-3 / mains & center - UPA-2 / surrounds

Any thoughts!

[Johnny Vinyl]

Originally Posted by pearsall001

I'm considering moving away from my AVR & getting a prepro in the not too distant future. I currently have an Outlaw mono powering my center, a vintage Nikko Alpha VI (300w dual mono) running the mains & the NAD T765 is feeding the surrounds. The EMO line gets great reviews & with down to earth pricing have really caught my eye. What are your thoughts on the EMO line?

I'll probably sell the Outlaw mono but the Nikko is staying in the family for reserve duty.

Here's a few scenerio's:
XPA-2 / mains - XPA-3 / center & surrounds
XPA-5 to run the whole show
XPA-3 / mains & center - UPA-2 / surrounds

Any thoughts!

Hey Phil!

Long time no see! How have you been?

The EMO's certainly are getting a lot of attention, and from what I've read here the boys that have purchased their equipment seem to be really happy about it. They're having some sales at the moment, so it may be a good time to jump on board.

I think if it were me, I'd be inclined to go with your first option, but then I play a lot of vinyl and music in general via 2-channel.

John

[Fors*]

Originally Posted by pearsall001

I'm considering moving away from my AVR & getting a prepro in the not too distant future. I currently have an Outlaw mono powering my center, a vintage Nikko Alpha VI (300w dual mono) running the mains & the NAD T765 is feeding the surrounds. The EMO line gets great reviews & with down to earth pricing have really caught my eye. What are your thoughts on the EMO line?

I'll probably sell the Outlaw mono but the Nikko is staying in the family for reserve duty.

Here's a few scenerio's:
XPA-2 / mains - XPA-3 / center & surrounds
XPA-5 to run the whole show
XPA-3 / mains & center - UPA-2 / surrounds

Any thoughts!

I like the XPA-5 for everything out of your choices. It keeps the entire system balanced as far as the power each speaker is getting, as all 5 channels will be getting 200 watts, as compared to 200 for the front soundstage and only 125 watts for your surrounds with the XPA-3/UPA-2.

[Johnny Vinyl]

Originally Posted by forsberg21

I like the XPA-5 for everything out of your choices. It keeps the entire system balanced as far as the power each speaker is getting, as all 5 channels will be getting 200 watts, as compared to 200 for the front soundstage and only 125 watts for your surroudns with the XPA-3/UPA-2.

That's a good point Fors! And if movies are one's primary focus, I would tend to agree with your suggestion.

John

[Fors*]

Originally Posted by John72953

That's a good point Fors! And if movies are one's primary focus, I would tend to agree with your suggestion.

John

It's cheaper too!

[rkolinski]

Well, I just LOVE Emotiva amps! I'm using the XPA-3 for my front sound stage and an XPA-5 for the remaining 4 speakers (side and back surrounds). And I'm thinking about eventually adding a center speaker below my TV to go with the one above. Too bad you don't live near Franklin, TN because if you did you might be able to hear the sound they reproduce for yourself!

[solarrdadd]

i would go with either the XPA-5 running the whole show or the XPA-3 for the front 3 and the UPA-2 for the surrounds only because the surrounds are more incidental in nature of use than the front 3. also, both XPA series and UPA-2 utilize the same 32db gain structure so that will help the eveness of them. Of course, since i have one i can say that the XPA-5 will do a hellova job on your 5.1 system.
when i get the new pre/pro i will get a UPA-2 for the two surround back channels i have; that's why i recommended it for an option.

both John & Fors bring up good points.

best of luck to ya keep us posted.

[ryan4blu]

i also was thinking of buying on of these. was thinking of the model 3 for my front 3 speakers and have my elite run my side and rear surrounds. what do you think??

[solarrdadd]

Originally Posted by ryan4blu

i also was thinking of buying on of these. was thinking of the model 3 for my front 3 speakers and have my elite run my side and rear surrounds. what do you think??

at the current moment, i use the 5 for five of my seven channels and i use the receiver for my two surround back channels. the biggest thing for me is to keep the front 3 channels at the same power level if possible for HT use. they are the three most important channels during movies or concerts. just remember to re-calibrate your system once you introduce the XPA-3 into your system to compensate for the new gain structure.

best of luck, keep us posted.

[Hammie]

Originally Posted by John72953

Hey Phil!

Long time no see! How have you been?

The EMO's certainly are getting a lot of attention, and from what I've read here the boys that have purchased their equipment seem to be really happy about it. They're having some sales at the moment, so it may be a good time to jump on board.

I think if it were me, I'd be inclined to go with your first option, but then I play a lot of vinyl and music in general via 2-channel.

John

+1

Option 1 if music is important. Option 2 if movies are more important.

[richteer]

Originally Posted by forsberg21

I like the XPA-5 for everything out of your choices. It keeps the entire system balanced as far as the power each speaker is getting, as all 5 channels will be getting 200 watts, as compared to 200 for the front soundstage and only 125 watts for your surrounds with the XPA-3/UPA-2.

Amps don't push their rated output to speakers; their ratings are more an indication of what they can supply should the material and speakers demand it. Given that rear and surround speakers tend to have less information in them than front and centres, it's quite possible that they can get by with less powerful amps.

[solarrdadd]

Originally Posted by richteer

Amps don't push their rated output to speakers; their ratings are more an indication of what they can supply should the material and speakers demand it. Given that rear and surround speakers tend to have less information in them than front and centres, it's quite possible that they can get by with less powerful amps.

very true, that's what the channel levels and calibration are for! The best thing about amps is steady, true power and if sized right lots of head room for HT use when large explosions and crashes occur that it can deliver that information to your speakers without the danger of clipping. also, that power is really used when doing 2 channel, that's also when you want some real power because it is then that your front 2 are set to large and need that signal pushed to them effortlessly!

[mrbigsho83]

I currently use an xpa 5 to power my 5.1 setup and i must say that there is a huge difference in the clarity of sound when compared to just having the speakers hooked up to my a/v receiver. I'm not much of an audiophile, but behind my speakers, id say the amp has made the most difference in the quality of my system. I mainly watch movies, but the amp also does a great job with 2 channel music...

[Fors*]

Originally Posted by richteer

Amps don't push their rated output to speakers; their ratings are more an indication of what they can supply should the material and speakers demand it. Given that rear and surround speakers tend to have less information in them than front and centres, it's quite possible that they can get by with less powerful amps.

Thanks for the info richteer....but since the XPA-5 alone is cheaper than the XPA-3 and UPA-2, do you still suggest he go with the XPA-5 due to the price difference? Or would he get some additional benefit/flexibility by having it set-up with the XPA-3 and UPA-2?

[solarrdadd]

Originally Posted by forsberg21

Thanks for the info richteer....but since the XPA-5 alone is cheaper than the XPA-3 and UPA-2, do you still suggest he go with the XPA-5 due to the price difference? Or would he get some additional benefit/flexibility by having it set-up with the XPA-3 and UPA-2?

times are tough my friend, i recommend you just pick up the 5. you will not be unhappy! not to mention you can get it at their holiday price. However, if you could wait a week or so, you might want to see if emo will have a black friday special and save yourself even more. i'm gonna buy a UPA-2 but i'm gonna wait to see if there might be a little more savings for black friday!
keep us posted.

[Fors*]

Originally Posted by solarrdadd

times are tough my friend, i recommend you just pick up the 5. you will not be unhappy! not to mention you can get it at their holiday price. However, if you could wait a week or so, you might want to see if emo will have a black friday special and save yourself even more. i'm gonna buy a UPA-2 but i'm gonna wait to see if there might be a little more savings for black friday!
keep us posted.

Unfortunately, I am not in the market yet for one solarrdadd. I feel I want to warrant an external amp upgrade when I make an upgrade to my front soundstage some time hopefully in 2010. I have no idea what I want yet, but I do plan to make some visits to some local A/V stores and give a listen to B&W, Paradigm, Def Techs or even Monitors if I can find some......then I think a new amp would really compliment the new speakers and give me a true audio upgrade in sound!

[solarrdadd]

Originally Posted by forsberg21

Unfortunately, I am not in the market yet for one solarrdadd. I feel I want to warrant an external amp upgrade when I make an upgrade to my front soundstage some time hopefully in 2010. I have no idea what I want yet, but I do plan to make some visits to some local A/V stores and give a listen to B&W, Paradigm, Def Techs or even Monitors if I can find some......then I think a new amp would really compliment the new speakers and give me a true audio upgrade in sound!

Cool, I understand, but I'll tell you what, your current soundstage will sound a lot different, to the better, with the addition of a power amp and it will be in place for when you decide to get new speakers. i too am thinking about a new front 3 next year and my infrastructure is already in place so i'm ready. the XPA series will power any speaker you throw at it, trust me.
best of luck to ya, keep us posted.

[ryan4blu]

Originally Posted by solarrdadd

at the current moment, i use the 5 for five of my seven channels and i use the receiver for my two surround back channels. the biggest thing for me is to keep the front 3 channels at the same power level if possible for HT use. they are the three most important channels during movies or concerts. just remember to re-calibrate your system once you introduce the XPA-3 into your system to compensate for the new gain structure.

best of luck, keep us posted.

ya i figured to run the xpa3 for my 3 front speakers only. i think the pio elite can handle all the other surrounds (4) perfectly. reason i may be buying is i am looking at buying some martin logan preface tower and encore center which are all 4 ohm speakers. so i need an amp at that point. stuck between the def tech mythos and ML speakers. sometimes i hate hard decisions

[solarrdadd]

Originally Posted by ryan4blu

ya i figured to run the xpa3 for my 3 front speakers only. i think the pio elite can handle all the other surrounds (4) perfectly. reason i may be buying is i am looking at buying some martin logan preface tower and encore center which are all 4 ohm speakers. so i need an amp at that point. stuck between the def tech mythos and ML speakers. sometimes i hate hard decisions

just do your homework and you will make the correct choice that's perfect for you!
keep us posted!

[pearsall001]

Originally Posted by John72953

Hey Phil!

Long time no see! How have you been?

The EMO's certainly are getting a lot of attention, and from what I've read here the boys that have purchased their equipment seem to be really happy about it. They're having some sales at the moment, so it may be a good time to jump on board.

I think if it were me, I'd be inclined to go with your first option, but then I play a lot of vinyl and music in general via 2-channel.

John

Hi John,

I've been busy & haven't been posting much here. Things are settling down a bit so I'll be more active.

Thanks for you opinion on the EMO amps. I like that option myself. Too bad I don't have the room for the XPA-1 mono's!!!! Holy Cow!!!!

Phil