UPA-2 or 2 x UPA-1

[VisN]

Good day everyone,

I am hoping that someone here can help me decide between the two amplifiers mentioned in the subject. Being in South Africa I really cannot take advantage of the 30 day trial as shipping costs are pretty steep coupled to the fact that there are import duties that will be attached to my purchase so I will end up losing out on a fair amount of money. Therefore I pretty much need to get it right the first time.

This is purely for 2 channel listening to CDs and later on vinyl. My listening area is roughly 13 x 13 feet or 4 x 4 metres, this is open plan so it extends lengthwise by another 20 feet. The room is far from perfect for music reproduction with tiled floors, windows behind where the speakers will be positioned and a glass sliding door on one side. I will not be using the system for serious critical listening. My music preferences range from current pop and rock to Dylan, Crosby Stills and Nash, James Taylor, REM etc. Very little classical or rap and hip hop. The listening is usually done at moderate to beer induced loud levels. I am not looking to extract every last bit of detail from the source but rather a sound with no exaggerated highs, mids or lows, something that brings a smile to my face. Goosebumps will be an added bonus. Clear and non fatiguing.

The upgrade to my current system will be done in a few phases. The amps will be fed from a really old NAD 5440 player into Mission 703 floor standers. I intend adding on an ERC-1 and USP-1 later. I would like to change my speakers at some time thereafter to a decent set of bookshelfs like the NHT Classic 3 or someting like the Magnepan MMG.

So the question I have is given the above is there that much of a noticeable difference in sound between the UPA-1 and UPA-2 to warrant me spending the extra money on the 2 X UPA-1?

Thanks in advance.

[briank]

I have both and I think the UPA-1's are definitely worth the extra money. The most significant difference is the greater detail you get with the UPA-1's. Highly recommended.

[VisN]

briank,

I was hoping you'd comment seeing as you've got both the amps. Would you describe the UPA-1s as being smoother/less bright?

[broncsrule21]

Oct 4, 2010 20:51:56 GMT -5 VisN said:

briank,

I was hoping you'd comment seeing as you've got both the amps. Would you describe the UPA-1s as being smoother/less bright?

I also have both. For me the biggest differences are soundstage and detail. If your upgrade path includes the USP-1 and ERC-1, I would say go with the UPA-1s now and save yourself the trouble of doing it later. Maybe get some area rugs to help with the room acoustics.
I purchased an RPA-1, after I already had the UPA-1s, and i think they compare favorably to the RPA-1. Thats how good those little monoblocks are.

[VisN]

broncsrule21,

Yup, I was awaiting your response as well, knowing you have both the units.

Thanks to both of you guys, you've convinced me to go the UPA-1 route.

B.T.W. Superb forum and hopefully I can report back and say "superb products".

Thanks once again.

[broncsrule21]

No problem. I've run across very few people that were not MORE than satisfied with the UPA-1s. With anything but very power-hungry speakers, they more than do the job.

[briank]

Sorry, I went to bed early. :-( Regarding smoothness/brightness, I don't think their's much difference there. The UPA-1's maybe a tad smoother and quieter so you can hear "deeper" into the music and the background. Totally agree with Broncs Rule though, the main difference is overall resolution(detail) and soundstage. I think you'll be very happy with the UPA-1's.

[jackfish]

If you are looking at the possibility of Magnepan MMGs in the future then the UPA-1s would almost be a necessity.

[VisN]

briank,
No problem at all. I value the input you gave me from your first hand experience.

jackfish,
I dream of owning a pair of Maggies which is why I was leaning towards the UPA-1. I'm not sure if Magnepan ship to South Africa though. Are you happy with your UPA-1 and MMG combo?

Thanks again guys.

[jackfish]

Oct 5, 2010 15:40:26 GMT -5 VisN said:

jackfish,
I dream of owning a pair of Maggies which is why I was leaning towards the UPA-1. I'm not sure if Magnepan ship to South Africa though. Are you happy with your UPA-1 and MMG combo?

Oh yeah!

[two89w]

Have you considered the XPA 2 ?

[VisN]

two89w,

The XPA-2 was my original choice, however it would be overkill in my situation. There have been a few comments in the forum describing the UPA-1 as being warmer sounding than the XPA-2 which would be more suited to my listening environment.

And lastly I just didn't fancy lugging that monster around.

BTW. my UPA-1s and X series RCAs are intransit at the moment, should be here pretty soon.

Thanks for the post.

[broncsrule21]

you wont be disapointed

[VisN]

broncsrule21,

If I am disappointed I'll be seeking compensation from you and briank, maybe something like a Magnepan MMG or Ascend Sierra-1.

You guys have been unbelievable, I really cannot tell you how much I appreciate your input. If you're ever in SA please give me a shout.

[VisN]

Got my kit today, it all arrived intact. It took just 8 days from date of payment to arrival at my door, incredible efficiency by Emotiva and Fedex. Emotiva were also thoughtful enough to pack the RCAs together with one of the monoblocks which helped keep the shipping price down as well. Thank you Sarah Terry for your great service.

Total including shipment of the 2 monoblocks and X series RCAs amounted to $1031. Duties here was about $198 (R1386). So altogether $1229, still an incredible deal compared to prices I was quoted by local dealers for amps that they carried (about $3285 for the Anthem Integrated 225 and about $4714 for the Krell Integrated). They both also called them absolute bargains.

However it is not all good news from my side. I was hoping to temporarily use my existing amp's (Proton AM455 Pro) pre outs but as I've just discovered one of the channels on the amp is dead. This put's me in a bit of a quandry because I'm a bit bewildered by all the pre/pro equipment available from Emotiva. My listening is going to be from a single source which is CD for the next year or so thereafter I'm hoping to get a decent entry level deck for vinyl probably one of the Pro-ject offerings. With this in mind is it OK to connect a CD player with a variable output directly to the UPA-1s and if so which player would you suggest?

[two89w]

I am hanging out to hear you thoughts on these amps.

[VisN]

two89w,

I couldn't help listening to it thru' just the one crippled channel and I now understand what the guys mean when they say 'relaxed', 'easy', 'laid back', 'warm', but still 'dynamic'. The only things I changed in my setup were the power amps. I had stopped listening to my system for almost a year now because they were unbearably bright and harsh. However with just that single change it is a night and day difference.

I also bought a tube buffer from ebay in anticipation of some harshness from the setup, I think I wasted my money but it will be fun playing around with it in anycase.

[iceman66]

Oct 15, 2010 21:01:08 GMT -5 VisN said:

two89w,

I couldn't help listening to it thru' just the one crippled channel and I now understand what the guys mean when they say 'relaxed', 'easy', 'laid back', 'warm', but still 'dynamic'. The only things I changed in my setup were the power amps. I had stopped listening to my system for almost a year now because they were unbearably bright and harsh. However with just that single change it is a night and day difference.

I also bought a tube buffer from ebay in anticipation of some harshness from the setup, I think I wasted my money but it will be fun playing around with it in anycase.

Congrats! Just wait till the amps 'burn-in'

[briank]

Hey Visn, If your only source right now is a cd player, then you might want to try the new XDA-1 DAC. It would be great using any cd player with a digital output as a transport, the DAC has a remote control for volume, and then you can add the XSP-1 later when you're ready for vinyl.

[VisN]

iceman66,
You mean it gets even better? Thanks, it was almost surreal receiving these amps, something I've just been reading about for months.

briank,
Glad you're here mate, those are my thoughts exactly but the XDA is just on pre-order now, when will it ship?

BTW. Those X seies interconnects are great. Glad I decided to try them because I couldn't find my Van Den Huls that I had.