Anyone have experience or thoughts on Emotiva amplifiers? Particularly the XPA-2 Gen3?
One of my brothers had a few different models of their amps, including two of the big amps bridged mono for 1k watts each. They didnāt sound half bad at all. I just donāt care for the looks of their gear.
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This year I bought an XPA Gen. 3/Eleven/1.5sā¦ What all that means is the big Gen. 3 chassis with a switching (or something like that) power supply and space for 7 amplifier modulesā¦ Each module may be a minimum-200-Watts-into-8 mono or 65WPC-into-8 stereo module; then the total number of channels, then the number of mono modules, and then the number of stereo modules.
I have a low-sentivity centerchannel speaker, a Martin Logan Electromotion ELS CC thatās driven very cleanly by the mono moduleā¦ Also in my system are ten surround or ceiling speakers (all ELAC B6s) that sound just fine driven by the five stereo modulesā¦ The amp is dead quiet both mechanically and electronically and is 100% reliableā¦ I had two entry-level seven-channel Emotiva amps that worked just finely but were a bit of a mess physically with all the IC and speakercablesā¦ The XPA Gen. 3 allowed me to organise all the cable and CC speaker into a nice-looking and great-sounding centerstack.
Iām very pleased with how it all turned out, and Iād certainly buy one again for the same (multichannel) purpose.
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I have owned a few Emotiva amps. Really excellent for home theater (they make some very good processors as well).
However, for 2 channel, I think one can do better for the same money.
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I have no experience with their Gen 3 amps, but I am very pleased with the sound quality of the two XPR-2 amps I own. I did, however, have to replace the power LED and all four soft switches on one of the amps. I opened one of the bad switches and found a lot of corrosion on the contacts perhaps due to poor storage somewhere.
So my main plan is/was to go with a Stellar mono-block system, about $4k; but the Emotiva is 300 watts per channel for $1k. Iām wondering if Iāll really notice the difference in performance between the two. Also planing on running Maggies (1.7ās) or Goldenear Triton 1ās. Although I am planing of the Stellar preamp so maybe the cost isnāt all that much more. Always concerned about diminishing returns.
Emotiva XPR-2 is a killer amp hard to beat for the money
Another Red River fan. Very nice.
I had the same thought process but bought the Stellar Stack and am very happy now for over a month. Iād looked at all three. PS Audio, Emotiva, & Schitt. I went over budget as usual. Oh well.
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For front-left/right channels, Iād buy the Stellar M700s.
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yeahā¦I can see me going a different route and then regretting not going full PSA. I KNOW the Stellars are greatā¦Iām unsure of the Emotivaās. But my budget may still pull me toward them. I donāt know if continuity is a big deal or not, as I see a lot of systems with varied manufacturers and they seem to run well, but an all Stellar amp section seems like it would be more āmatchedā if that makes sense. But it is triple the costā¦
I usually donāt post but,I have Emotiva ās Xpr-1s and Xpr -2s. In my home theater setup. My main system is PrimaLuna Dialogue HPs in mono with focal 1038be speakers. I have switched my Emotivaās in And out of my main system a few times which I should have not done they sound better or should I say more alike my PrimaLuna set up then different they are outstanding it leaves me scratching my head they are that good ā¦I struggle with what sounds better the Emotivaās definitely more detailed upper and lower and the midrange is just as good . If you go Emotivaās pairing with a tube pre amp gives you that holographic soundstage
I do believe that the output modules used in the GENā3s are the same thatās in the XPXs
for the money you can not go wrong with Emotiva I hope this helps you a little.
Enjoy the journey .
Gen 3 Emotiva amps have a very different power supply. Not one Audiophiles crave. The XPR emoās were killer.
Stonefree, did you get my PM?
I did thanks (although I canāt find it now). Iām still sorting the whole thing out as to what I want, so Iām not purchasing quite yet.
Ok. If you have any questions. Iāve had a few emo amps over the years. 5 to be exact.
I appreciate that, I may take you up on that. The Emotivas have definitely peaked my curiosity.
If you are on a budget and most of us are.
You should look at Emotivaās BasX line my daughter has that system with ELAC speakers itās an amazing system for the price.
The BasX amp lineup is class a/b they seem to be often overlooked.
Howdy, I did see those and they do indeed look like a great option for higher end budget audio, but Iām already running a Sprout100 which is of comparable performance. Since Iām looking to, maybe, run Maggies, I need at least 300w per ch. The Emotiva XPA-2 fills the bill, but so does the Stellar mono-blockā¦
Hi sorry I donāt have the stellar components but a friend of mine has just purchase a pair of 700s unfortunate he lives in a different state than me.I would love to hear them. How ever he is very happy so far with SQ , and they have all the power you should ever need to run Maggieās . It will all come down to what you want to spend . I think you will be happy with either one . I do believe that the Emotiva xpa-3 and stellar have been in past issues of Stereophile rated class A . However I will have to go back and look that up but I do know they were highly rated, both components .
If budget is not a problem I would probably go stellar for the Maggieās . Both companies have a trial. So they can always be returned if it doesnāt work out not much to lose .