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Submitted by
Audley
a Audio Enthusiast
from Date Reviewed: May 3, 2012
Bottom Line: First thing, you must warm up your muscles before you attempt to remove this beast from its box.A friend recommend your company, but when i first saw the price of the XPA-2 i thought no way at that price can it satisfy my listening needs,i was so wrong, all i can say is WOW it seems that my speakers was waiting for this amp.The sound stage got bigger,i heard things on my old vinyls which i never heard before at very low volume,bass is tighter,and listening to the music was so good it was as if the musicians was in the room with me.GREAT AMP.ps got your cd player also, very good value for money.
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Submitted by
lyonel
a AudioPhile
from Date Reviewed: December 15, 2011
Bottom Line: I have been in audio since I was 14, as a mater of fact I use to work in a highend audio store at that age, and I have own several different power amps through the years, and after using the XPA-2 I can see why all the real high end magazines shy away from doing a review of this companies equipment. This is a great sounding amp I originally bought the XPA-3 which is not too shaby I am currently using it for the rear and center channel. However, when I turned on the XPA-2 to my Snell type B's I stated hearing all kind of small minute details in the background that I have never heard before, and it was not just the highend, the low end was outstanding, I ended up turning my subwoofer down from +3 to -5. This amp has got to be the biggest bang for the buck since the Phase Linear 400. For those that think you have to spend an arm and a leg to buy a quality amp, give the XPA-2 a try, I am sure you too will be a believer. By the way this thing is definitely not a lightweight, neither in power or weight. It weighs a hefty 70+ pounds and the power output is (300@8) (500@4) or MONO (1000@8). This amp has the gut's and the glory to boot. Since I hooked this amp to the system, I have been listening to all the old favorites, and they all seem to sound better.
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Submitted by
Jim Meinhardt
a AudioPhile
from Date Reviewed: June 24, 2010
Bottom Line: When I decided to buy a new set of Polk LSI9's I realized my current Denon AV-3808CI was not going to be able to power the 4 Ohm load. After a lot of reading on different audio forums I kept seeing posts raving about Emotiva amps, a brand I've never heard of. When I saw what the amps were selling for I was mighty suspicious. I kept digging, sure I'd find something that would put me off. I didn't. I called several times and talked with Vincent and learned my best bet would be to use the 2-channel amp for the front Polks and let the Denon do the other 3. Later I could get a 3-Channel Emotiva to take the load off the Denon. My last setup was a Pass Labs Aleph, Audible Illusions L1 and Von Schweikert VR4. I was never very happy with that setup. For all the money I spent it just never met my expectations. To be honest, I was expecting to be dissppointed with the Emotiva. I just wasn't ready for what the amp delivered. The Emotiva blew me away with sound that is detailed, clean and dynamic. After listening to a few dozen CD's I'm still blown away by the quality of this amp. How can this much less expensive setup put a grin on my face every time I listen. One word of advice after this experience, READ THE FORUMS. I've never before had a piece of Audio equipment so thoroughly exceed my expectations!
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Submitted by
steve sullivan
a AudioPhile
from Date Reviewed: December 17, 2009
Bottom Line: I COMPARED A EMOTIVA XPA-2 TO A PARASOUND HCA 2200. THE TWO HEAVY WEIGHT AMPS PERFORMED IMPRESSIVELY. THE PARASOUND HAS A SMOOTHNESS IN THE MIDS WITH STRONG BASS AND GOOD DETAIL. THE EMOTIVA HAS NEUTRAL MIDS AND STRONG BASS. AND GOOD DETAIL. BOTH AMPS HAVE LOTS OF POWER.
I USED A SONIC FRONTIEIRS L1 PREAMP AND CAMBRIDGE 500 CD . SOUND CHOICE CUSTOM 3-WAY
SPEAKERS WITH A 12' WOOFER AND BIAMPED TWO 15' SUBWOOFERS WITH A QSC 3002 AMP.
THE EMOTIVA DROVE THE SPEAKERS WOOFERS TO THEIR LIMIT OF 10 MM EXCURSCION DURING A
LISTENING TEST TO A CHRIS DUARTE INSTRUMENTAL. THE EMOTIVA HAS THE BEST AUTHORITY IN THE BASS AND IT SOUNDS VERY GOOD. I THINK THE EMOTIVA XPA-2 IS THE BEST VALUE IN AUDIO HISTORY.
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Submitted by
John
a Audio Enthusiast
from Date Reviewed: December 14, 2009
Bottom Line: Emotiva XPA-5 Review not XPA-2
I owe debt to the founder, employees, and manufacturers of Emotiva. Their XPA-5 has single handedly blown me away! The price is a scoff. They are giving you people great musical and home theater amps.
The XPA-5 has belittled all my previous amps and receivers.
First it beat a B&K AV5000. A B&K amp as powerful as the XPA-5 would cost $2200+ and if B&K hasn't gotten alot better in the sound quality respect, the Emotiva amp would embarrass it. Not just beat it but kick its rear. B&K wasn't that bad even, especially in bass, the highs were grainy and unclear.
It blows away a Pioneer Elite VSX-52TX. This receiver took me away from ever buying any other Pioneer Elite Receiver. Pretty much turned my stomach to receivers altogether. It originally listed at $1000. It's real value is as a processor only. The amp section wasn't worth hearing.
It beat out a Yamaha receiver I never liked. Power from the Yamaha was impressive but sound quality was horrible. I'll never gamble again on a Yamaha.
So how does the Emotiva XPA-5 sound?
Very neutral amplifier. SPEAKERS: INFINITY BETA 50 and BETA C360 which have been a bright speaker.
Because of my speakers sonic signatures I still had to bump down the highs (4k, 8k, 16k), upper bass(125,250), and thanks to the Infinity PS-12 sub being such a low hitter I turned down the 40 hz band. 40 lowest the rest even. Boosted bands 60, 500, 1k, and 2k. All are within 5 db. 1k is set highest the rest even.
Clearly, the xpa-5 is a more musical amp than I've ever heard. Also the biggest, most ruggedly built, heavy, and pleasing to look at. I'd predict this amps real value stands 5 times what it costs. Easily 3 times it's humble costs. I don't know of any true competition Mark Levinson and Bryston are way out of price range, even used ones you have no guarantee of.
Emotiva has won this war and made me a true believer in their products. If you can't believe this is true you ARE missing out or way overpaying.
HT is well rounded too. Obvious to me, if the music is handled smoothly well, movies, given enough power, can sound enjoyable at least. The XPA-5 sounds silky smooth and exciting on movies. Well detailed and superb vocals, male and female. The bass is low, quick and precise. The only muddy bass now is from my stand alone powered subwoofer, which is hardly needed and hardly used anymore.
The only bad things I can say about the XPA-5:
*Give it a grace 30 hours of break in period. At first, I thought all the money went on looks and the weight must have just been the use of heavy materials. The sound is bright at first but in time it all smooths out.
**Input jacks are somewhat weak and fragile. The only weakness I feel Emotiva needs to relook. Be sure to unplug connections before moving the XPA-5 any at all. I already pulled a input jack out of it's hole. Emotiva quickly replaced the amp and assured me they would take care of me.
***A very complex set of protection triggers. My dual headed rca's are getting crosstalk, interfering with the signal quality and the amp shuts down. Be sure to use single headed rca's or have some on hand just in case your cheaper connects have signal interference.
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