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Post by milt99 on Mar 14, 2013 17:09:43 GMT -5
...and we interrupt your day to bring you breaking news...I am back from FedEx and have just finished unpacking, inspecting, and taking initial pics of my brand spankin' new 1L. ;D Ok DR that was about 50 minutes ago what's the hold up?
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Post by Jim on Mar 14, 2013 17:42:22 GMT -5
Uh oh. Another customer who is too busy enjoying his new amp to post. What's wrong with people??
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Post by monkumonku on Mar 14, 2013 17:43:47 GMT -5
Uh oh. Another customer who is too busy enjoying his new amp to post. What's wrong with people?? I think that says something about his new amp.
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Post by milt99 on Mar 14, 2013 17:46:36 GMT -5
Uh oh. Another customer who is too busy enjoying his new amp to post. What's wrong with people?? Inconsiderate, so and so
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Deleted
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Posts: 0
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Post by Deleted on Mar 14, 2013 18:07:38 GMT -5
The Immersion Effect.... the nerve of some people..... Uh oh. Another customer who is too busy enjoying his new amp to post. What's wrong with people?? Inconsiderate, so and so
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Post by Dark Ranger on Mar 14, 2013 18:13:54 GMT -5
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Post by Dark Ranger on Mar 14, 2013 18:43:33 GMT -5
I do apologize about the excruciating delay with info. Couple of things right off the bat for those who might be wondering: 1) The Emotiva X Series Speaker Cables do not span the distance for direct insertion into the binding posts. They do, however, fit into the hole designed for bare wire, but you might have to loosen the nut and turn the post so that the holes are angled inward. I'm not actually using the X Series speaker cable for my center channel, but I wanted to let folks know in case they were planning to use them. I had to remove about 3.5 inches of outer insulation from my cable to widen the neck and span the distance. 2) The binding posts, input connectors, and toggle switches all seem of quality design. I'm really liking the upgraded hardware on the new amps. 3) I spent a while just looking around inside the amp. It's pretty clear this is baby is not fooling around. I'm very impressed with the build quality. 4) There is one blue LED status light on the front panel. When the amp first turns on, it's red, then switches to blue. The status light can be disabled, but not the front halo around the power button. This is absolutely fine because it doesn't bother me, but others might want to know.
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Post by crashcarruthers on Mar 14, 2013 21:01:48 GMT -5
I checked watts used at an idle with a kill-a-watt meter A/B ~70watts, high bias A setting 206 watts. This was on a cool amp.
Amps sound good with a lot of clarity, bass is very tight. They sound better than my Vincent SP-t100 hybrid amps that run first ten watts in class A. The amps are slightly heavier than I thought they would be and most of the weight is on the front of the amp.
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Post by Dark Ranger on Mar 14, 2013 22:29:21 GMT -5
Kill-A-Watt meter: Class AB mode current (idle): ~1.13 amp, ~140 VA, ~95 watts (123.4 volts) Class A mode current (idle): ~2.34 amp, 288 VA, ~201 watts (123.1 volts) These measurements were taken with a warm amp. I will try on a "cold" amp tomorrow. One thing I have a question about: During my testing of Class A power draw, I heard an internal click after 4-6 minutes in (depending on how long the amp had been on). Once the click happens, power draw (ampere) goes way down to about the same idle current as Class A/B. I find this rather curious since there is no input signal. Could this be the temperature sensor throttling down the amp to A/B? Perhaps I'm just misinformed here, but I thought it would pretty much run flat out when in Class A mode. The power consumption drop doesn't make sense to me at this time. EDIT: I'll see if this happens while I'm playing content. EDIT 2: Yes, it happens while playing signal through the amp. Back to listening. So far, I'm very impressed with the sound. No hint of strain at all, very effortless. I agree with crashcarruthers about the bass control. Very well defined, tight, and punchy. I'm just listening to the center channel, no other speakers or sub running.
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Post by Dark Ranger on Mar 14, 2013 23:23:26 GMT -5
Well, I will be the first to go on record here: I cannot discern a difference between Class A mode and Class A/B mode. The amp is right beside me, so I am not moving from my listening position to flip the switch. No other speakers are engaged, only the center channel. UMC-1 is configured to output a full-range signal to my center. No sub. I figured if I could isolate the center speaker, it would be easier to detect a difference. The amp sounds fantastic, I just cannot hear a difference between the two modes. Let me make this abundantly clear: I have zero regrets about buying this amp, I was just hoping to hear a difference. Perhaps others will. Content used so far: - Dido - Live at Brixton Academy (DTS) - Diana Krall - Live in Paris (DTS) - Celtic Woman - Songs from the Heart (DTS) Center speaker: Ascend Acoustics Sierra Horizon with custom RAAL 70-20XR ribbon tweeter and amorphous core transformer Perhaps it's just me. ;D
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Post by creimes on Mar 14, 2013 23:41:42 GMT -5
Ranger haven't you heard...?, class A amps take 10 times longer to break in then the class A/B amps do........lol gotcha....enjoy the music my friend.
Chad
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Post by fantom on Mar 14, 2013 23:50:05 GMT -5
Are you still measuring power draw? Assuming that "click" (and associated idle power drop) occur because the internal sensors are forcing A/B mode, are you certain you're actually listening in class A at all times? If you play so loud in class A that you exceed 35W peaks, is there any indication from the amp of this? I suppose in that case, the bias would not change, so it'd be much like a normal A/B amp leaving the class A portion (which happens constantly for most A/B amps where the bias is much lower).
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Post by Gary Cook on Mar 15, 2013 0:38:31 GMT -5
Well, I will be the first to go on record here: I cannot discern a difference between Class A mode and Class A/B mode. The amp is right beside me, so I am not moving from my listening position to flip the switch. No other speakers are engaged, only the center channel. UMC-1 is configured to output a full-range signal to my center. No sub. I figured if I could isolate the center speaker, it would be easier to detect a difference. The amp sounds fantastic, I just cannot hear a difference between the two modes. Let me make this abundantly clear: I have zero regrets about buying this amp, I was just hoping to hear a difference. Perhaps others will. Content used so far: - Dido - Live at Brixton Academy (DTS) - Diana Krall - Live in Paris (DTS) - Celtic Woman - Songs from the Heart (DTS) Center speaker: Ascend Acoustics Sierra Horizon with custom RAAL 70-20XR ribbon tweeter and amorphous core transformer Perhaps it's just me. ;D Material perhaps, I recall, it has been a few years, that my Class A amps really showed out at high frequencies, violin, picolo, clarinet and most noticeably on cymbals. No so much with human voice, particulary male. Cheers Gary
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Post by Dark Ranger on Mar 15, 2013 0:42:59 GMT -5
Ranger haven't you heard...?, class A amps take 10 times longer to break in then the class A/B amps do........lol gotcha....enjoy the music my friend. Chad Ah yes, I completely forgot about that. Are you still measuring power draw? Assuming that "click" (and associated idle power drop) occur because the internal sensors are forcing A/B mode, are you certain you're actually listening in class A at all times? If you play so loud in class A that you exceed 35W peaks, is there any indication from the amp of this? I suppose in that case, the bias would not change, so it'd be much like a normal A/B amp leaving the class A portion (which happens constantly for most A/B amps where the bias is much lower). I've finished measuring power for tonight. Going to bed, actually. I have a few more tests to run tomorrow. Regarding your question, yes, I am absolutely certain the amp was in Class A. Listening to just the center speaker, I was measuring 75-85 dBC at my listening position (approximately 5 feet back). The speaker sensitivity is approximately 90 dB (anechoic). There is no indication from the amp regarding the current operating mode except the front panel switch. I first noticed something was different because my Furman ammeter suddenly dropped. I had also heard a click just a second before the power draw went way down. I've kept the amp in Class A mode for most of my listening session and the power draw has not increased again, it's still running like it's in A/B mode. If I turn it off for 5 - 10 minutes, and then turn it on again in Class A mode, it will start eating ~2.5 amps again for 4-6 minutes, and then it will click, and the power draw meter will show it back to to ~1 amp. Strange. I must be misunderstanding something. For a moment I thought it had an intelligent switch so that it conserves power while idling. Perhaps after ~5 minutes of idling with no input, it would switch to Class A/B mode. That would be kind of clever. I tested the theory by playing content. - Turn off amp for 10 minutes - Turn on amp in Class A mode - Start playing music - Amp clicks about 4-6 minutes in and power draw goes way down again So that theory seems to be out. I guess my biggest question at this point is, do I just misunderstand how the 1L works in Class A mode or is the amp really throttling down due to temperature or some other condition? I can't believe that after ~5 minutes of idling with no input signal, it would throttle down due to heat (yes, I understand that the output devices are always on). This raises the question, how much Class A am I really getting if it's not chewing up power like a traditional Class A amp? EDIT: By the way, when the amp is turned on for the first 4-6 minutes, I can toggle between Class A and A/B modes and watch the Furman meter/Kill-A-Watt change accordingly. From A to A/B, the amperage draw decreases significantly, as expected. When I switch back to Class A, amperage increases significantly, as expected. However, once the internal click occurs, switching between Class A and A/B doesn't blip the Furman ammeter or Kill-A-Watt. There is no change, the amperage draw remains nearly constant regardless of what mode is selected. EDIT #2: In case anyone wonders, the amp does NOT click after ~5 minutes when in A/B mode. I tested this, twice. It only clicks in Class A mode. Perhaps this is an anomaly with my amp alone. I would appreciate if someone could test this to verify my results. You'll need a Kill-A-Watt (or other method of measuring current) and a Stopwatch. Turn on the amp in Class A mode, start the Stopwatch, and note the current amperage draw. You can do this test during idle state or while playing music, but it will be easier to hear the click without an input signal. Note the time when/if you hear an internal click (rear part of the amp, on the right side). My testing was with a warm amp, so 4-6 minutes was all it took. If you're starting from a cold or cool amp, it may take 10 - 15 minutes for the click to occur. I just tested it again from a "cool" state and it took 11 minutes, but it clicked. After you hear the click, look at the current draw meter. It should drop significantly. OK, I'm going to bed now. Really.
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Post by rocky500 on Mar 15, 2013 3:50:07 GMT -5
Dark Ranger it sounds like you are only getting 5 minutes of Class A operation. Can you try putting a fan blowing on the amp (heatsinks through vents) and see if you get longer in ClassA before the click over to AB. Then you could see if this may be a temperture thing. Wether it is idling or running at 35 watts (classA), would it not use the same power and cause the same heat.
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Post by briank on Mar 15, 2013 5:43:20 GMT -5
Per a previous comment from Lonnie, the amp will switch from Class A to Class A/B when it reaches a certain temperature to protect the Amp.
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klinemj
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Post by klinemj on Mar 15, 2013 6:46:34 GMT -5
DR...do you have one of those non contact meat thermometers? It would be interestesting to track temp along with time to see if that relates. I bet it does. If so, the idea of a fan makes sense. But it would seem odd that it would only run 5 minutes in class A at low volumes before it switches.
Mark
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Post by ocezam on Mar 15, 2013 6:50:38 GMT -5
Per a previous comment from Lonnie, the amp will switch from Class A to Class A/B when it reaches a certain temperature to protect the Amp. Do you think that switch should after come 4 to 6 minutes of idling? There has been a lot of Emotiva involvement in this thread. I'm interested to hear a reply on this issue.
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Post by garbulky on Mar 15, 2013 6:57:30 GMT -5
Well I hope it's not cutting in so soon for temperature. Where is the xpa-1 L being stored? Is it on another amp? It's also possible that your current influx measurements you got was simply due to something that needed slow charging and then dropped off after it was done maybe?
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Post by briank on Mar 15, 2013 6:59:41 GMT -5
Per a previous comment from Lonnie, the amp will switch from Class A to Class A/B when it reaches a certain temperature to protect the Amp. Do you think that switch should after come 4 to 6 minutes of idling? There has been a lot of Emotiva involvement in this thread. I'm interested to hear a reply on this issue. Not unless they've incorporated some kind of power save feature.
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