The Emotiva Lounge - XPA-1 Review and Comparison

KrellAV
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XPA-1 Review and Comparison
« Thread Started on Dec 6, 2010, 8:36pm »

I had planned to write this a few weeks back but came under the weather and then Thanksgiving and this just got shoved out. Could get long-winded...................

I received 3 XPA-1s for LCR duty in my home theater. You can note the equipment I have in my signature. The purchase of these amps was a risk on my part as I have had some rather exclusive (expensive) amps in this system over the years.

A little background on me and this hobby. I am generally a guy that believes you get what you pay for as that has been my experience over the years. In other words, there is no "holy grail" of cheap audio out there! On the inexpensive side I have had B&K (stereo and mono) amps and Kenergetics (Chiro) amps. All of which were solid amplifiers and provided a level of sound quality that, at the time, was very good. As time has gone on I have moved from the entry level amps to Belles monos and Krell TAS. All of which have garnered a high level of praise from the audiophile media guys. I use the media as a data point but not the end all for making my audio purchasing decisions. Once these amps were installed in the system, I immediately recognized there was a different level of performance to be had. The performance level however did come with a price (Belles $16K for the 5 monos and $8K for the Krell TAS 5 channel amp). Sure, the point of diminishing returns will factor in for some. Others can easily justify it in the name of "audio nirvana"! I did (LOL). I had a combination of these amps for roughly 15 years. That should tell you I was quite satisfied with the performance. As this hobby goes, most of you can relate, there was a little desire to experiment with new options. I toyed with the thought of going with Krell monos. I shopped and new if would be expensive. The used market for Krell monos is readily available. After deciding which ones to go with the price came to >$20K for 5 used amps. Upon further review and remembering my KRS 200s generate HUGE amounts of heat. This would require several additional 20 amp lines/outlets to run them. This gave me pause.....................

My exposure to Emotiva!
Earlier in the year I added another theater system to another room and purchased the XPA-5 for it as an inexpensive alternative until I could get a "real" amplifier. Once I connected the XPA-5 I was pretty impressed! Recalling I had experience with the Krell TAS which is a 5 channel amp, the sonics from the XPA-5 were strikingly close! It doesn't have the power supply (4KVA) of the Krell to double power all the way to 2 ohms but for my application of 5 bookshelves and a self powered sub it was more than adequate for power. The sound was powerful, dynamic and without strain. I like very neutral sounding amps and believe you should here music as it was intended. This amp does that with ease! If you've read this far, this is not a review of the XPA-5 but felt I needed to give you a historical perspective on how I got to the XPA-1s. Without my exposure to the XPA-5, I would never have even considered the XPA-1s.

Meet the XPA-1s!
Now to the meat of the review. I mentioned my consideration of the Krell monos and the draw back to these amps. Sonically, I believe these are the best amps you can buy (MHO)! Again, this comes at a huge price and other issues including HEAT and current draw! I recalled the XPA-5 had many of the attributes of the Krell TAS with little heat and at an unbelievable price. So I asked a number of fine folks on this forum that had direct experience with the XPA-1s and Vincent from Emotiva. Also read a few professional reviews. The feedback from those owners and my personal experience with the XPA-5 is what spurred me to give the XPA-1s a try.

I received them on 11/12. I quickly unpacked them and connected them to the system at about 6PM. I powered them up and .......................... was not happy! They sounded thin and edgy! Just not good and thought back to "you get what you pay for" adage. I did not experience this with the XPA-5. Recalling my experience with other amps and equipment, I thought maybe a little break-in period would help. So I left them on at fairly high volume levels. I went about my business doing other things in the other parts of the house. Thank goodness I was off for 2 weeks and did not have to worry about time constraints. I popped back in where it was playing about 12AM. I quickly realized they had begun a transformation that would prove later to be worthy of elite status! With this in mind at 3AM I left them on at lower volume levels all night.

The next morning (uh, noon, LOL), I decided to give them a more serious listen. What I heard was simply amazing! I am so familiar with this system that it was easy to spot the differences. While I thought I had dynamics before, I now have it in spades. More POWER captain! The bass extension was most impressive! Depth, width and height were exceptional. Sound stage localization was more defined with clear placement within the sound stage. The cumulative effect was outstanding! Remember that I only have the LCR covered by the XPA-1s so I am not gaging the surrounds but expect the same performance if those amps are replaced. The voicing was more clear in the center channel with more weight.......fuller. It made the sound of the center channel actually have bass when run full range. Clarity, again a staple of these amps. If you are still with me after all this wind, you can tell I am quite pleased with the sound and feel it is very comparable to the Krell mono amps which is a true testament to the performance of these amps. You will note I have not mentioned price of the XPA-1s in this review section. I did that largely so it did not take away from the performance or place it in some sub-category. A lot of reviews will say things like “ this a great amp at this price” or “ if on a budget, this is a bargain” for products that are considered low-end. These amps could easily pass for $5K each or better with another “boutique” name on them with more aesthetic appeal. These amps are truly reference in performance! A must have for that last bit of detail, bass extension and sonic bliss! Highly recommended!

Now for the negatives, nitpicks really. (LOL) I will touch on price here. These amps while performing at a high level do not emit the visual appeal of the “boutique” amps. While the internal build quality may be very good, the packaging could stand a facelift. I believe I understand the Emotiva model of “giving great performance for the dollar”. I just feel these amps deserve that final touch of panache with a heavier/thicker faceplate and a nicer (thicker) cover that is not reminiscent of a Sony receiver. Not to knock Sony products. It vibrates if you tap on it. These are a true find in audio, not just in the budget arena and would like to see an option where these items could be addressed. Could it be a XPA-1SE! In most real world applications, I don’t see these taking much of a backseat to any amp! They don’t have the overbuild of a Krell amp with the use of 4KVA or greater power supplies to drive <1 ohm loads. For those with 2 ohm nominal or greater speaker loads these amps should perform very well and I believe that is >95% of the speaker market. They do this without massive amounts of heat going into the room. They run warm but not hot.

Well done Emotiva! Now I need to decide if I want 2 more XPA-1s or the XPA-2 to run my rear surrounds. If there is consideration for the XPA-1SE model, could I get a little recognition and get on the order list for 3? LOL!

Enjoy the music!

KrellAV

« Last Edit: Dec 6, 2010, 8:37pm by KrellAV »