Emotiva & Klipsch speakers?

[badazzmofo]

Anyone out there using any of the Emotiva amps with Klipsch speakers?

I keep hearing how efficient the Klipsch's are. How does that translate to using an amp when the speakers are very efficient?

I know the people who are using great speakers that aren't so efficient hear a major difference when coupling them with an Emotiva amp. Is there that much of a difference when using very efficient speakers?

Any input would be appreciated!

[SammyG]

Efficient speakers don't need a ton of wattage, but when switching over to a seperate amp, you will hear a presence that you can't get from your receiver. Whether its an Emotiva, Adcom, etc you'll notice that your sound is much fuller and you probably won't have to turn it up as much. I've coupled my Klipsch with several different amps and they sound great. I've never owned an Emotiva but have tried Rotel, Parasound, and a Denon 2ch, they all sounded great, but the volume control on the Parasound was the decider for me.

[icyteddy]

My Rf-63s sounded great without my amp. With my Xpa-3, it is a whole new experience! Sound is much clearer and more defined. The amp took a whole burden off the AVR. Audio quality improves in every way. One of the best audio investments I made is the Emotiva amp! Only drawback it sucks more electricity, but I can live with that.

[Jello]

The biggest problem with receivers is they don't state power output the same way as separate amps do. For instance my Yamaha is rated at 130 watts per channel but with only one or two channels driven and can't keep that up continuously. I think some hifi mag tested it and all channels driven was like 40 watts. On the other hand a separate amp rated at 200 watts per channel, can deliver 200 wpc all channels driven continuously. Plus the amps in a separate are of better quality than most receivers, so in the end you do hear a difference, even with Klipsch speakers.

[badazzmofo]

Hey, thanks for the replies guys...

Now I'm just deciding on whether to get the XPA-3 or the 5!.....Do the surrounds really need 200 watts?...Or can the AVR now put more power to them and the sub...

Could always add the XPA-2 down the road too.

[BUBBASAX420]

I am also thinking of doing the same thing. How many seperate amps do you need? Do you need them for the fronts and center and surrounds?

[badazzmofo]

Hey man,

Emotiva has all kinds of amps. the XPA series has the 3 which is usually for the fronts and center letting the AVR handle the surrounds and subs.

They also have the 5 which is for the fronts, center and surrounds letting the AVR do the sub.

Then they have the XPA-2 which some add to the 3 or the 5 letting the 2 handle the fronts and the 3 doing the center and surrounds or the 5 handling the center, surrounds and rears.

Lots of options if you have the money and the room for the amps!

[BUBBASAX420]

Thanks for the info. I will look into it, From the sound of it maybe the 3 would do what i need for the fronts and center or would anyone recommend the surrounds too.

[nezff]

My RF 63s, RC64, and RS42s sounded fine with my old pioneer elite 91. I purchased the emotiva xpa-3 and the sounded more clear so to speak. I had to send the emotiva back because of a hum problem and got me the Onkyo 876 and it sounds great.

[BUBBASAX420]

Originally Posted by nezff

My RF 63s, RC64, and RS42s sounded fine with my old pioneer elite 91. I purchased the emotiva xpa-3 and the sounded more clear so to speak. I had to send the emotiva back because of a hum problem and got me the Onkyo 876 and it sounds great.

MY 805 AND YOUR 876 ARE VERY CLOSE IN SPECS, WOULD YOU EVEN RECOMMEND A AMP WITH YOUR EXPERIENCE. THANKS

[nezff]

Originally Posted by BUBBASAX420

MY 805 AND YOUR 876 ARE VERY CLOSE IN SPECS, WOULD YOU EVEN RECOMMEND A AMP WITH YOUR EXPERIENCE. THANKS

The 876 is a big step up in features from the 805 with alot of extras. Im my situation, I would keep my 876. If I had a newer house and no ground problem with my emotiva, i would have kept it. i do like the 876 though.

[KCLARK]

Originally Posted by nezff

got me the Onkyo 876 and it sounds great.

how you would compare the difference in sound coming from your 876 to the Emotiva amp you previously had? I keep hearing that onkyos and yamahas are the most dynamic receivers in terms of surround sound for movies, but am curious to know if a seperate amp enhances surround steering even more.

[BACsader]

Right now I have an Acurus 100x3 running my three front klipsch's and they sound awesome. I don't quite see how one could say a receiver is more dynamic than another if they are playing the same frequencies. Maybe have different colored sounds and methods of calibration, but not more dynamic. This is of course if were talking about two equivalent models from two companies. When I paired my Klipsch's with my pioneer, the sound was bright and very accurate. The minute I got an amp the brightness went away and the soundstage widened significantly. Huge difference. My biggest concern now is a slight hum coming through my speakers but it is most likely a power problem coming from the receiver so I ordered a Power Conditioner. With most movies, most people are not going to notice a difference between amped and non-amped, because movies generally don't require much power from the receiver. It's music that you will notice a huge difference with.

[KCLARK]

Ok, i see i must've used the wrong wording of term then in regards to "dynamics". I've read in receiver reviews in ht mags and online where the testers referred to the "sound stage" differences. I dont know the technical term for it but some have a w-i-d-e-r sound dispersion vs. others being a bit more narrow. Back when I was ear testing receivers (didnt do amps) the difference I could hear between them was how the movie sound bounced all over the room. I do my sound tests with my eyes closed and I face the front, then face the back when listening. Some receivers had a more centered focus to them and then ive heard others where they sounded more spacious sounding almost making me feel like the room was bigger. Maybe it all is a DSP chip controlled thing, I dont know how else to explain what im talking about, but im wondering if a seperate external amp will have an effect on this.

[nezff]

Originally Posted by BACsader

Right now I have an Acurus 100x3 running my three front klipsch's and they sound awesome.
My biggest concern now is a slight hum coming through my speakers but it is most likely a power problem coming from the receiver so I ordered a Power Conditioner. With most movies, most people are not going to notice a difference between amped and non-amped, because movies generally don't require much power from the receiver. It's music that you will notice a huge difference with.

you will notice a difference considering the speakers you are using. the rb51s dont take much power at all, same with the center.

If you are getting a hum, then you have a ground problem or electrical problem somewhere. I ended up sending my emotiva back after 2 weeks of headache because of this. A receiver is perfectly silent. I love my onkyo so far. I noticed a difference with the emotiva, but more of a subtle one. My speakers are so efficient, that it is hard to notice a huge difference. 99db!

you will notice a difference with music or movies, I did in movies. the sound was more clear so to speak.

[BACsader]

The thing is my amp is silent. When I remove the inputs into the amp there is no hum. You are correct, my speakers don't take much power but I do hear a difference with vocals, and with music especially. You are definitely right about difference in dynamic ranges with different speakers.