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Power Amplifiers Emotiva XPA-1 Monoblock Power Amplifier
Power Amplifiers Emotiva XPA-1 Monoblock Power Amplifier
Power Amplifiers
| Emotiva XPA-1 Monoblock Power Amplifier |
| Written by Chris Groppi |
| Sunday, 04 January 2009 17:00 |
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Page 5 of 5
Conclusions A pair of XPA-1s costs $1998. They’re currently on sale for $1798 per pair. To equal or exceed their specifications and performance, you will need to spend at least three times this amount (Parasound JC 1). In the value for money department, they are absolutely unmatched. They are some of the best amplifiers I have ever heard, period, and they will have to be be pried out of my cold, dead fingers. Comments (46)
XPA-1 Rocks
written by Paul , January 05, 2009 Emotiva does it again. Rock On!! Unfortunately, I will have to make the ultimate sacrifice and keep the RPA-1. That's ok though. I don't feel to badly about it. The RSP-1/RPA-1 combo is a nice improvement over my previous combo. No regrets here.
Excellent amplifiers!!!
written by R , January 06, 2009 WHat else to say about these , I just hope their heads don;t get bloatd and prices go up like the Bryston stuff. I am a proud owner of Emotiva amplifiers, and could not be happier. Best sounding amps I have heard yet, easily beats out the Krell, Rotel, Parasound, and others, yeah i know, its not $90,000 for the pair-it cant be that good. Thats fine more for us to enjoy.
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written by Charles Mogab , January 06, 2009 I was hoping that you were going to sell the RPA-1 and I could buy it!!! -:)
Pairing of positive and negative terminals?
written by Sean , January 07, 2009 Why? Who else does this? I'm sure the people who spend $1000 on cables will enjoy ripping them apart.
People with $1K cables don't buy them to go with $1k amps.
written by CG , January 08, 2009 That would be silly. If you want more closely spaced cables, go buy some Parasound JC-1s. They're very nice. You'll pay a nominal fee of $4000 to get those terminals close together.
Emotiva XPA-1 Monoblock Power Amplifier
written by RL , January 20, 2009 I attempt to buy a pair from the emotiva web site but the introductory price was not advertised
XPA-1 vs Parasound JC-1
written by HJ , March 03, 2009 Are you saying that the XPA-1's are close to the JC-1? Or that the JC-1's represent the next level of performance much higher than the XPA-1's?
XPA-1 vs JC-1
written by CG , March 06, 2009 The JC-1 is a very good amplifier, but I have never had it in my listening room for an extended review. From hearing it at shows, I would say the JC-1 is a little better than the XPA-1, but again, that's from memories of the JC-1 in other systems. You're well into the realm of diminishing returns, here. The JC-1 is definitely not 3 times better than the XPA-1. For some, the extra cost for the possible increase in performance may be worth it.
XPA-1
written by trujillo , March 25, 2009 Emotiva is having a 10% off sale for the spring. With $200 off a pair I think i am going to pick 2 up, but that's just me.
Ahh! Validation!
written by TRT , March 31, 2009 I always knew and so did other Emotiva clients. Our theater systems have reference quality power, and we all have enough money left over to buy popcorn.
A little clarification please...
written by zybar , April 01, 2009 I like that you compared measurements to another amp (although you should publish the brand and model), but it isn't clear if you actually listened to amp "X" and the Emotiva XPA-1 in the same system. So did you? While I firmly believe that measurements are very important and tell a lot about the pieces of gear we use, we ultimately need to listen the gear and make decisions based on sound, not just a graph. If measurements told the complete story, all amps would be built the same and/or the ones that measured best would sound the best. I think we all know this isn't the case. Thanks for writing a good article.
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written by JEJ , April 02, 2009 Yes, I listened to them both in the same system, but I could not hear any differences between them. Perhaps the distortion has to be even farther apart before it becomes audible, at least to my ears. I do know that the owner of Amplifier "X" was really pissed that his much more expensive amp was bested on the bench by the Emotiva, which is so much less expensive.
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written by VP , April 02, 2009 I am not sure I agree with the statement that you'd have to spend three times to get the same specs. Many ICE Power amps - Wyred 4 sound, D-sonic actually exceed the Emotive specs at about the same price. Performance wise it also seems that these class D amps are either at the same level or better. I wonder if the reviewer could comment on how these class D amps compare to XPA1 in his opinion.
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written by JEJ , April 03, 2009 All the class D amplifiers that I have tested produce relatively large amounts of distortion in the upper regions of the audible band as power output goes up near the specified limits of their output. Of course, I have not tested the latest and greatest class D amplifier designs. I ran tests on class D amps a few years ago. As the switching frequency goes up, the distortion should go down, and I think the latest class D amps (which are switching amplifiers) use very high switching frequencies.
other measurements
written by HGS , April 07, 2009 JEJ,CG, Do we know anything of the Emotiva's damping factor, slew rate? Have you seen their 10khz square wave? Just wondering how these things compare, and I understand the usual caveats about audibility. Still, how _fast_ these amps are would be nice to know.
time domain measurements
written by CG , April 07, 2009 The damping factor is 200, which is a spec given in the manual. I did not measure square wave response or slew rate, but I could. I have another amp under review in my system now, so I can easily measure the slew rate and provide a couple of plots for the square wave response.
reviews and selling equipment
written by Jack Deiter , April 09, 2009 Thank you for your unbiased reviews. I really trust your site more then your competitors as I recently noticed that you don't sell your advertisers equipment.
Slew rate
written by CG , April 25, 2009 I was able to measure the slew rate today. I measured a slew rate of 97 V/us. This is pretty damn good. I measured this by feeding the amp a 100 Hz square wave, and measured dV/dt at the zero crossing using the time domain scope mode of my spectra plus software sampling at 96 kHz. I didn't have time to make plots of the square wave response, but it looked as good as you could hope for at 100 Hz, 1 kHz and 10 kHz.
Parasound jc-1
written by VP , May 19, 2009 I have looked at the measurements for JC-1 in Stereophile and it seems that XPA-1 actually measures better than JC-1, especially in THD. If so, why are you saying that JC-1 may be slightly better than XPA-1?
Measurements aren't everything
written by CG , May 19, 2009 Especially THD. The place where the JC-1 wins is that it is biased into class A for the first 15W or so of output. This high bias will make the distortion spectrum of a JC-1 concentrated towards lower harmonics, which sounds better. While the XPA-1 does have very low THD, you'll see that it produces distortion harmonics out to high order. The human ear/brain can hear high order harmonic distortion much easier than low order harmonic distortion. While I don't have the test data in front of me, the high bias of the JC-1 should result in much lower power in higher order harmonics.
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written by VP , May 19, 2009 Do you know how many W of the output in XPA-1 is biased into class A?
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written by CG , May 20, 2009 I do not know for sure, but given that the XPA-1 consumes 90W at idle, I'd expect that it's biased to give the first 5W-10W in class A.
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written by Fredrik from Norway , May 29, 2009 You say the sound is brighter than the rpa. Would that be too much for Klipsch RF series? (This extension could be unkind to poor recordings, or components that sounded hard on top.) They tend to like a bit darker amps and also tubes... I'm all about dynamics when it comes to hi-fi. RF-83 and these should give ALOT of bang for the buck. Really want to try these out but I live in Norway so a bit hard if I not buy them...
Maybe too much
written by CG , May 30, 2009 The RF-83 has 100 dB/W/m sensitivity. I would think a 500W monoblock would be complete overkill for such a speaker. Compared to my 89 dB/W/m Gallo Reference 3.1s, you should get the same output on your speakers with only about 50W of power. With the XPA-1, you won't really get much of the benefits, since they'll really be loafing all the time. What you could really use would be the Pass Labs XA30.5 amp I am testing now. It's only rated at 30W, but that's 30W of all class A power. It puts out over 100W at 1% THD. For a sensitive speaker like yours, that Pass amp would be absolutely perfect. Still has amazing dynamics because the amp is so overbuilt. It has a larger power supply than the XPA-1. Not cheap at $5500, though.
which preamp ?
written by David from Florida , September 06, 2009 I may have missed it in reading your review of the XPA=1, and wonder what preamp you used to drive the the XPA-1s? Also which cd player or other front end source units were used in your test..any power line conditioners? I am inquiring because my current system has a classic tube preamp (fully refreshed) driving an older Denon POA 2200 (200w/ch), ac fed by PS Audio Quintessence line condtioner. Yielding a soundstage very much as your experience with XPA-1 ...and I am wondering what improvements might be gained by going to the XPA-1s ( I listen in the 89-90db sound level speakers are 91 db efficient Infinity Beta 50's) Thanks in advance for your reply
RSP-1
written by cg , September 06, 2009 David, I used the Emotiva RSP-1 preamp (no longer available). The main improvement that the XPA-1 delivered for me were dynamics. I was able to get the same dynamic performance I heard from high sensitivity loudspeakers, without any of their drawbacks. The XPA-1 retained the detail, smoothness and clarity of my older Emotiva RPA-1, but added the ability to effortlessly convey dynamic contrasts.
Caviar performance at Chilli Prices...
written by Vincent C. , October 02, 2009 The XPA-1 is an excellent example as to how more folks can enjoy great performance without throwing tons of money at it. Monos from anyone else in this category is out of the question for me. I have the outstanding XPA-2, "kid" brother to the XPA-1 though in stereo. I love it. I had the opportunity to hear the XPA-1 at Emotiva's Emofest 2009, and I have to tell you I want a pair of the XPA-1s now. As much as I love the XPA-2, the XPA-1 is so much more on so many levels. Power obviously just one part of it. This amp swings, does things with music or theater that amps at this price normally wouldn't do. Amazing clarity, and yes effortless and seemingly endless power too. I run Magnepans and these XPA-1s would be the ultimate without selling my soul and eliminating my bank account. Build is amazing given the price, and support is second to none. 5 years parts and labor to prove it. I have never met more nice,courteous, and professional people ever. I have doing audio for most of my life too. Everyone who has had the "X" or "U" series is extremely pleased with their performance. I got to say I will never fall again into throwing lots of money on the traditional mode that since is says ML,K,or whomever that it has to sound better. Emotiva helped changed my paradigm on high end audio forever. I own also the Terrific ERC-1 CD player, and the USP-1 Preamplifier with the XPA-2. A very capable combo for so little money. Emotiva breaking the rule that you have to spend allot to get allot. I invite everyone to who hasn't had the pleasure of listening to the Emotiva amplifiers,speakers,CD player, and Preamplifiers to give them a try. They'll change your idea of what is possible. It did for me.
Overkill?
written by Charles Frierson , December 04, 2009 Hello, I have a pair of Mirae M3si speakers with a rating of 83db sensitivity, and nominal impedance of 6 ohms, minimum of 4. Currently they're bi-amped by 2 pair of B&K 200W monos. I'm considering a pair of these XPA-1s should I decide to upgrade next year. I wonder if the XPA-1 is overkill, however.
Overkill?
written by Charles Frierson , December 04, 2009 Hello, I have a pair of M3si speakers, at 83db sensitivity and 6 ohms nominal impedance (4 minimum), driven by 2 pair of 200W B&K monos (bi-amped). The Mirages are rated for 100-300 watts. I find these XPA-1s interesting, and am considering replacing my 2 pair of monos for this one pair. But, I wonder if the XPA-1 is overkill?
Mirages
written by CG , December 04, 2009 I don't think the XPA-1 would be overkill. 83 dB/W/m is a rather low sensitivity. The XPA-1s are perfect for that application. I would say that they would be a perfect fit.
Thanks, CG
written by Charles Frierson , December 05, 2009 What has me considering these is the fact that you were running the review system on a regular 115V, 15A line. Was anything else on that line? My current system pulls .07 amps when everything is standby/off, and that rises to around 4.5 playing music and 6.5–7 when watching DVD or Blu-ray (one system for both applications). I don't typically blast my music. And there's the initial surge at turn-on. You left yours on all the time in standby, I believe (about 90 watts each). Would that mitigate the surge? The preamp is an Audio Research LS3, and I never turn the preamp's volume past step 8 (out of 30) because any more would be too loud. With the XPA-1, that would likely drop to 5-6 or so, I imagine. The only other concern besides power is size and weight. I have trouble with the image of myself in my retirement years down the road needing to move these monsters or ship them for repair! Also, shelf space in my rack is limited to 8", so there'd be only .25" of space above the XPA-1. I trust they run pretty cool?
Power
written by CG , December 05, 2009 I ran the entire system on a single 15A household circuit. When playing 2ch audio, I was powering the sources (Oppo player, DAC and turntable), the preamp, the pair of XPA-1s and the subwoofer amp. I never tripped the breaker. With HT, the display, XPA-3 center channel, SSP and HD-DVR are added in. Again, no power issues. Remember that when playing music at steady state, the typical power draw of an amp is only a couple of watts over the idle power. When they do put out close to full power, its only for a fraction of a second. While during the review I left the amps on, I use 12V trigger now. When the preamp turns on, the pair of XPA-1s and the XPA-3 all turn on at once. I've never once has a breaker trip. They are heavy, no way around that. The amps do not run particularly hot, but I would not close them in too much. Is your rack closed in on the sides? If the sides are open, you'll be OK. If the rack is enclosed on the sides, then you might have problems.
Racks
written by Charles Frierson , December 07, 2009 My racks are Sanus Euros, and yes, they're open shelves with the 8" between shelves mentioned earlier. If I do in fact decide to go in another direction from my B&Ks, these Emotivas might well be it if I can get past the physical challenge they present. I live in a 1 bedroom, second-floor walk-up apartment. But the price is right, and they seem a good value. Thanks. And that's an important point about the power consumption; I note that it's almost constant when I play music now, and that would probably remain the case. But I confess to being ignorant of what the 12V trigger does; does it simply turn everything on at once, or is it protecting against the brief surges that can occur when turning on the amps?
12V trigger
written by CG , December 07, 2009 The 12V trigger is just a signal from the preamp that turns the amp on automatically rather than having to push the button. It doesn't do anything to protect from or sequence turn on (unless your 12V trigger source has sequencing). The Emotiva preamp has a 12V trigger output, and the XPA-1 has both an input and output so you can daisy chain together amps. When the 12V comes on, the amp turns on automatically. I have all my Emotiva amps (both XPA-1s and the XPA-3) wired into the 12V trigger so they all turn on automatically when the preamp turns on.
Surge
written by Charles Frierson , December 08, 2009 Ok. I asked because I read elswhere that one of the things a 12V trigger does is retard or mitigate turn-on surges. I see them now (I don't have a 12V trigger). I think one of my amps may have a problem because the surge seems larger than what I get from the other three. I wondered if something as powerful as the XPA-1 generated bigger surges. Perhaps I'll try contacting Emotiva on this.
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written by JEJ , December 08, 2009 One item you might consider is a power-on sequencer power strip. http://www.furmansound.com/pdf/manuals/POWER_LINK_manual.pdf
Emotiva & 802D
written by wes , December 25, 2009 Any of you have powered 802D with these and what is the result?
Which speakers should I audtion to use with the XPA-1?
written by Dan Kopf , January 09, 2010 I bought two XPA-1's which arrive in Febuary 2010. I currently have deftech BP7000sc speakers. I like the speakers but people tell me I can get much better in the 5k range. I listened to mid-range Martin Logans and thought they were good but not great. I also tested the Paradigm S8s. The Paradigm did not sound as good as my deftechs. My next listening test is the Gallo refference 3.5s when they are released. I tend to like more of a full range sound over the two way speakers. Has anybody heard the Emotiva ERT 8.3s? Does anyone have any other recommendations?
Bright?
written by Charles , January 12, 2010 Chris, In the review you mentioned the XPA-1 was brighter than the RPA-1. Are you saying the XPA-1 is bright generally, or simply brighter than the RPA-1? My list of amps includes Cambridge Audio's 840W, B&K's 200.1 Reference monos, Odyssey Stratos monos, and these Emotivas. The Cambridge (2 for bi-amping) represents the maximum I am willing to spend should I proceed with this change. Auditioning any of these will be a challenge, so any info I can get is helpful. Emotiva is located in Franklin, TN, just outside Nashville; I'm from Nashville and plan to be there for the holidays this year. Perhaps, if I haven't made up my mind by then, I'll be able to arrange a visit to the factory. Who knows?
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written by CG , January 12, 2010 Certainly now that I have lived with them for a year, I do not consider them bright generally. I actually thought the RPA-1 sounded a little soft on top, and by comparison veiled detail. The RPA-1 sounded a bit more "tube like", while the XPA-1 has the character of a big name solid state amp like a Krell. Emotiva will let you return the amps for a full refund, but with shipping weights of over 75 lbs a piece, the return shipping bill would be steep.
Bright...
written by Jmilton7043 , January 13, 2010 They welcome "walk-in" visitors and have a couple of room set up for demos with various amps, processor and speakers. They'll spend plenty of time with you should you choose to make a visit.
Thanks
written by Charles , January 13, 2010 Return shipping would probably be by freight, and I'd not be surprised if it ran into three figures. So it sounds as if I indeed get to Nashville for Christmas, I should try to arrange a trip to Emotiva's factory, unless I make a decision before then. But then, if I can replace two pair of amps with one pair and lose no performance (or even gain a bit), that'd be great. We'll see.
Thanks
written by Clair Johnson , January 19, 2010 I want to thank you for the review that made me discover Emotiva. Sound's very interesting. I would like to know what balanced output pre-amp would you connectect to a pair of XPA-1 many thanks
Balanced preamp
written by CG , January 20, 2010 I use an Emotiva RSP-1 with my XPA-1s, but this preamp is not available any more. The current Emotiva 2ch preamp is single ended only. I would consider a Parasound P3. I have not personally listened to this preamp, but have been impressed in the past with the Parasound products that I have heard. It runs about $850, so its in the same price category as the XPA-1s. This website reviewed an earlier version of the P3 several years ago very positively. Write comment
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