The Official Emotiva Q&A thread

[crazyBLUE]

Originally Posted by Drew664

That would be an excellent question for Big Daddy. I'm not sure it would really matter though, as the sound is more affected by the room as a whole, not necessarily that it is placed next to speaker A/B/C/etc.

I think he should try it . why not , The sub is made to blend with the speakers & it may or may not sound good .

Does not hurt to try Bill , you may like it better than it is now .

[MrFattBill]

Originally Posted by crazyBLUE

I think he should try it . why not , The sub is made to blend with the speakers & it may or may not sound good .

Does not hurt to try Bill , you may like it better than it is now .

Sounds like a good weekend project.

I can see it now, the wife wakes up and I have removed everything from under the TV but haven't quit completed setting it all back up but instead I am now asleep either on the extra bed in the basement or in the extra bedroom, depending on where I move it all to, hilarity will ensue followed by me sleeping in the extra garage


Bill

[crazyBLUE]

Originally Posted by MrFattBill

Sounds like a good weekend project.

I can see it now, the wife wakes up and I have removed everything from under the TV but haven't quit completed setting it all back up but instead I am now asleep either on the extra bed in the basement or in the extra bedroom, depending on where I move it all to, hilarity will ensue followed by me sleeping in the extra garage


Bill

we wouldn't want you to be in the dog house now .

In all seriousness Try it , I have 2 of my 3 subs elevated up to the level & next to my surrounds & it sounds great .

[ManUtd]

Originally Posted by MrFattBill

I'm really digging the TV stand...info? If I don't find something I think I will be moving all the A/V equipment to the basement and just feeding the lines back up to the TV and speakers.

Wonder if there any down side to having the sub centered under the TV and center channel

Bill

The stand is custom-made. It is hard to find a tv stand that could accomodate my kinda tall center speaker. I came up with the design and my father-in-law did most of the work building it. It's not that obvious it that picture but you might notice that the center speaker is inclined. I did that on purpose such that it will be directly pointing to my listening spot 8' feet away. I didn't plan on wall-mounting my 60" tv so I had to do it this way. I'm now thinking of wall-mounting the tv and move the center speaker where the tv is to get the center speaker tweeter aligned (well almost anyways) to the FR and FL speakers.

Originally Posted by ShockWave

Nice pic Manutd. Love that kuro and the 9Nts!

Thanks buddy. I'm excited to see your new gear.

[Animo]

New webcast is up. At last they finally made some mention about the XMC-1.
Summer can't come soon enough for me.

http://emotiva.com/webcast0210/webcast.shtm

[jlafrenz]

Originally Posted by Animo

New webcast is up. At last they finally made some mention about the XMC-1.
Summer can't come soon enough for me.

http://emotiva.com/webcast0210/webcast.shtm

Hey Harvey,

I need to get back over there. I bailed when s#!t seemed to hit the fan with the UMC-1. I was pumped about the XMC-1, but have recently decided to relegate many of those duties to individual components. Going to be a tough decision.

[Zman2k2]

Hello all, here's some questions for the EmoHeads here. I'm considering getting an Emotiva amp with some bonus money from work. My decision can be helped by going here. My question is with regards to the amp.

I am listening to a lot of CD's, music Blu's, and concert DVD's lately. I'm trying to decide between the XPA-2 and the XPA-3. My movie/music lately has been about 20% movies, 80% music and concerts. When I watch a concert Blu/DVD, I use the 5.1 channel audio setting. My current speakers are rated for 250w max input and are 6-ohm rated. I think that's all the info, here's the questions.

On an XPA-3, does the Emo amp stay at the rated, in my case, 250w when listening to 2-channels of the 3, or does it auto bridge the 3 channel to increase the power output of the 2 that are being used? Does that make sense? I know an XPA-2 makes more sense for 2-channel, but would the unbalance of the front 3 be really noticeable on movies and concerts? Would the power of an XPA-2 be too much for my speakers?

[jlafrenz]

An XPA-2 is going to be best for 2 channel music because it is designed for 2 channel. The XPA-3 is a bit more geared toward HT. All the channels on the XPA-3 share the same power supply so it will pull power where needed. You certainly have a tough decision in front of you. The XPA-2 would be best, but if your powering only your mains with an amp and the rest with an AVR, it is likely that you would have an unbalanced front sound stage. Is your budget maxed out with the the XPA-2 or XPA-3? or is there room for more gear.

[solarrdadd]

Originally Posted by Zman2k2

Hello all, here's some questions for the EmoHeads here. I'm considering getting an Emotiva amp with some bonus money from work. My decision can be helped by going here. My question is with regards to the amp.

I am listening to a lot of CD's, music Blu's, and concert DVD's lately. I'm trying to decide between the XPA-2 and the XPA-3. My movie/music lately has been about 20% movies, 80% music and concerts. When I watch a concert Blu/DVD, I use the 5.1 channel audio setting. My current speakers are rated for 250w max input and are 6-ohm rated. I think that's all the info, here's the questions.

On an XPA-3, does the Emo amp stay at the rated, in my case, 250w when listening to 2-channels of the 3, or does it auto bridge the 3 channel to increase the power output of the 2 that are being used? Does that make sense? I know an XPA-2 makes more sense for 2-channel, but would the unbalance of the front 3 be really noticeable on movies and concerts? Would the power of an XPA-2 be too much for my speakers?

since music falls under that 80%, the XPA-2 is the obvious choice for your needs. if you have a 5 channel system then i would recommend getting either with it or later the XPA-3 to power your center and surrounds. if your receiver/pre-pro has the ability to assign triggers then for music you can have it set to only trigger the 2channel and for HT it will trigger both to support all 5 channels. best of luck to ya and please keep us posted.

[Zman2k2]

Originally Posted by jlafrenz

An XPA-2 is going to be best for 2 channel music because it is designed for 2 channel. The XPA-3 is a bit more geared toward HT. All the channels on the XPA-3 share the same power supply so it will pull power where needed. You certainly have a tough decision in front of you. The XPA-2 would be best, but if your powering only your mains with an amp and the rest with an AVR, it is likely that you would have an unbalanced front sound stage. Is your budget maxed out with the the XPA-2 or XPA-3? or is there room for more gear.

I'm not totally sure on the amount of the bonus, but I think, with shipping and customs charges to Canada, the XPA-2 would probably be pushing the upper limits of the budget. I know what I'd like to do, and that's both an XPA-2 and 3! But that's for another time. I'm glad you understand my dilemma, which way to go. What a nasty fence to be sitting on!

Originally Posted by solarrdadd

since music falls under that 80%, the XPA-2 is the obvious choice for your needs. if you have a 5 channel system then i would recommend getting either with it or later the XPA-3 to power your center and surrounds. if your receiver/pre-pro has the ability to assign triggers then for music you can have it set to only trigger the 2channel and for HT it will trigger both to support all 5 channels. best of luck to ya and please keep us posted.

Okay, I see what you're saying. But of the music listening, I would say that 50-60% of that is concert Blu's/DVD's. Wouldn't having a balanced front 3 make more sense for that setup? I would love to be able to afford both the XPA-3 and 2, but that's not going to happen right now. What about getting the XPA-3 first, for the balanced front 3, then adding a 2 further down the road, to get the 2-channel listening up to par?

[crazyBLUE]

Originally Posted by Zman2k2

I'm not totally sure on the amount of the bonus, but I think, with shipping and customs charges to Canada, the XPA-2 would probably be pushing the upper limits of the budget. I know what I'd like to do, and that's both an XPA-2 and 3! But that's for another time. I'm glad you understand my dilemma, which way to go. What a nasty fence to be sitting on!

doing 2 ~ UPA-1 Mono Blocks is A good idea . it would be less in cost , witch would make up for shipping costs to Canada

[Drew664]

Zman, how do each of these mediums break down in terms of usage?

CD's - %
Music Blu's - %
Concert DVD's - %

Do you listen to any of the sound modes your AVR has? (Pllx music, all channel stereo, etc)

[solarrdadd]

Originally Posted by Zman2k2

I'm not totally sure on the amount of the bonus, but I think, with shipping and customs charges to Canada, the XPA-2 would probably be pushing the upper limits of the budget. I know what I'd like to do, and that's both an XPA-2 and 3! But that's for another time. I'm glad you understand my dilemma, which way to go. What a nasty fence to be sitting on!

i know that no one likes to hear this but if the XPA-2 is going to stretch the bonus limits then why not just wait for a little will to get that bonus + saved money to where it's not gonna "hurt" or 'push"? it may only mean another month, you'll live. that's why i haven't purchased my pre-pro yet (i will the end of next week) i waited several months until my money was correct. indulging my hobby not at the cost of my actual living needs. again, i know nobody ever wants to hear that. but i prefer not to take chances. i see so many people buying 5 - 800 to 1500 components, not as permanents but "hold me overs" til the thing they actually want is available, hey, can't we just wait a little bit!?! i don't know where they all get that money from but my family and i have to eat and keep a roof over our heads!

i'm sure you will make the right choice for you and yours, of course you may lose some sleep over it too!

[solarrdadd]

Originally Posted by Zman2k2

I'm not totally sure on the amount of the bonus, but I think, with shipping and customs charges to Canada, the XPA-2 would probably be pushing the upper limits of the budget. I know what I'd like to do, and that's both an XPA-2 and 3! But that's for another time. I'm glad you understand my dilemma, which way to go. What a nasty fence to be sitting on!



Okay, I see what you're saying. But of the music listening, I would say that 50-60% of that is concert Blu's/DVD's. Wouldn't having a balanced front 3 make more sense for that setup? I would love to be able to afford both the XPA-3 and 2, but that's not going to happen right now. What about getting the XPA-3 first, for the balanced front 3, then adding a 2 further down the road, to get the 2-channel listening up to par?

ok you didn't state that before in the orginal post. i now have to recommend going with the XPA-3 and perhaps if you didn't want to spend a large sum of money, a UPA-2 for the surrounds later. or perhaps the more obvious choice is the XPA-5 as this will cover your blu-ray concerts (music) HT and will give you auto-bridged power for your 2 CH needs for redbook listening. In this case, i would go with the XPA-5 everything is covered. i'm thinking practical, all uses covered well with the 5.

[Zman2k2]

Originally Posted by Drew664

Zman, how do each of these mediums break down in terms of usage?

CD's - %
Music Blu's - %
Concert DVD's - %

Do you listen to any of the sound modes your AVR has? (Pllx music, all channel stereo, etc)

I would say that CDs occupy about 35-40% of the listening. When listening, I'm just a straight signal to the speakers. No surround processing at all. Concerts, both Blu and DVD are about 60-65% of the listening. When listening to them, I'm using the 5.1 channel outputs on them. Nothing like the feeling of being there.

Originally Posted by solarrdadd

i know that no one likes to hear this but if the XPA-2 is going to stretch the bonus limits then why not just wait for a little will to get that bonus + saved money to where it's not gonna "hurt" or 'push"? it may only mean another month, you'll live. that's why i haven't purchased my pre-pro yet (i will the end of next week) i waited several months until my money was correct. indulging my hobby not at the cost of my actual living needs. again, i know nobody ever wants to hear that. but i prefer not to take chances. i see so many people buying 5 - 800 to 1500 components, not as permanents but "hold me overs" til the thing they actually want is available, hey, can't we just wait a little bit!?! i don't know where they all get that money from but my family and i have to eat and keep a roof over our heads!

i'm sure you will make the right choice for you and yours, of course you may lose some sleep over it too!

I'm not sure what you mean by waiting. The bonus is like free money to me. We were told in December that we wouldn't get one this year, but now management has decided otherwise. I'm not sure of the total of it, but I know a general dollar amount. As for whether it's a "hold-over" or not, it wouldn't be. I would use the amp for quite some time. The only real decision I have right now, is which one to buy first. Do I go with the 2-channel setup first, then complete the surround, or go with a balanced front 3, and up the mains later? That's where I'm stuck right now.

[Drew664]

I'd put my vote in for the XPA-5. Covers HT and your surround music needs as well as increasing power to your speakers for 2 channel. The SQ difference b/n a 2 channel amp vs 5 might influence your decision, but I've always viewed the XPA-5 as a do all at a great price.

[Zman2k2]

Originally Posted by solarrdadd

ok you didn't state that before in the orginal post. i now have to recommend going with the XPA-3 and perhaps if you didn't want to spend a large sum of money, a UPA-2 for the surrounds later. or perhaps the more obvious choice is the XPA-5 as this will cover your blu-ray concerts (music) HT and will give you auto-bridged power for your 2 CH needs for redbook listening. In this case, i would go with the XPA-5 everything is covered. i'm thinking practical, all uses covered well with the 5.

An interesting idea, the 5. I actually hadn't considered it. I was more thinking about the front stage. But a 5 might be the way to go. And then when I can afford it, get the 2 for the mains, and have a killer 7.1 system. solarrdadd you're bad for me, in a good way! Of course, now that just adds another amp to the decision process.

[solarrdadd]

Originally Posted by Zman2k2

An interesting idea, the 5. I actually hadn't considered it. I was more thinking about the front stage. But a 5 might be the way to go. And then when I can afford it, get the 2 for the mains, and have a killer 7.1 system. solarrdadd you're bad for me, in a good way! Of course, now that just adds another amp to the decision process.

yes lamb chop, this HT thing is the song that never ends.....

[ManUtd]

Originally Posted by Zman2k2

An interesting idea, the 5. I actually hadn't considered it. I was more thinking about the front stage. But a 5 might be the way to go. And then when I can afford it, get the 2 for the mains, and have a killer 7.1 system. solarrdadd you're bad for me, in a good way! Of course, now that just adds another amp to the decision process.

I have a 5.1 setup now and just got an XPA-5. The main reason why I got a 5-ch amp now is because I listen to a lot of 5.1 sacd/dvd-a besides watching BDs of course. I listen to a good amount of 2-ch sacd/CDs as well. Currently I have the FL and FR bi-amped and the 5th channel is powering the center speaker while my receiver powers the RS and LS. I will also try out using the XPA-5 for all 5 speakers soon for comparison. Some time down the road I may also add an XPA-2 for the FR and FL and use the XPA-5 for the center and surrounds or another XPA-5 to bi-amp all 5 speakers. Owning the XPA-5 now provides me with flexibility and it is only $200 more than the XPA-3 (I also considered the XPA-3 + XPA-2 route). Just sharing another point of view.

[Zman2k2]

Originally Posted by ManUtd

I have a 5.1 setup now and just got an XPA-5. The main reason why I got a 5-ch amp now is because I listen to a lot of 5.1 sacd/dvd-a besides watching BDs of course. I listen to a good amount of 2-ch sacd/CDs as well. Currently I have the FL and FR bi-amped and the 5th channel is powering the center speaker while my receiver powers the RS and LS. I will also try out using the XPA-5 for all 5 speakers soon for comparison. Some time down the road I may also add an XPA-2 for the FR and FL and use the XPA-5 for the center and surrounds or another XPA-5 to bi-amp all 5 speakers. Owning the XPA-5 now provides me with flexibility and it is only $200 more than the XPA-3 (I also considered the XPA-3 + XPA-2 route). Just sharing another point of view.

Thanks for your POV. You were exactly where I am now. I think back to solarrdadd's post before about buying to hold me over. That's what I'm thinking about between the XPA-3 and the 5. The 3 would do me just fine, I think, but the 5 would probably do me better. I'm currently using only a 5.1 setup, but may one day step up to a 7.1. The 5 might just be the ticket for me right now. It's good that I have about a month before I should decide. I'll see the bonus in April, so it's all good for now.