using XPA-1 pair with ERM 6.2 a good idea?

[sancho89]

anyone else tried pairing the xpa-1 pair with ERM 6.2?
The bass would be taken care of with a subwoofer and usp1.

The goal is to get realistic high quality sound.

[NorthStar]

Why don't you get the UPA-1s instead?

[sancho89]

because the xpa-1 makes me drool.
Power and headroom. I would like to find out what headroom means too.

[broncsrule21]

Generally, people are going to say, "if you have the XPA-1s, you would want some better speakers to do those amps justice". I say if you have the cash for the XPA-1s, do it. It may make you want to upgrade your speakers more sooner than later though. I will add, that I love the combo of UPA-1s and ERM-1s.

[Deleted]

I think that because the 6.2s drop off at 80hz that you dont need the head room the xpa-1s give you,but if you have the cash why not make sure that what ever speaker comes down the road they will sound fantastic.

[paintedklown]

Nov 15, 2010 10:14:30 GMT -5 sancho89 said:

because the xpa-1 makes me drool.
Power and headroom. I would like to find out what headroom means too.

Headroom, my favorite quality in an amplifier. Seriously.

Headroom (in my non-tech description) is the ability of an amp to achieve greater dynamics and play louder while remaining clean, controlled, and detailed. It gives every nuance of sound the room to "breathe" It adds to the sound stage width and depth as well as providing more "presence" for every last detail on the source material.

I currently own the UPA-1s and they are great amps, but like you, I found the extra power and headroom the XPA-1 to be too enticing. You really cannot go wrong either way and with your current speakers, the UPA-1 will suit you just fine! Good luck with whatever you choose.

[sancho89]

thanks for the input everybody.
I think with the xpa-1, I can finally scream "I have, the power!!!" (He-man)

[strindl]

Nov 15, 2010 21:24:46 GMT -5 sancho89 said:

thanks for the input everybody.
I think with the xpa-1, I can finally scream "I have, the power!!!" (He-man)

lol..you can indeed...plus you can make that grunting sound that the tool time Tim guy makes...no such thing as too much power.

In my case, I switch off between my XPA-1's and a Threshold SA/4e pure class A power amp for my Thiel 3.6's. The Threshold is 100 watts per channel of pure class A power, but those XPA-1's can put a thousand watts each into my 4 ohm Thiels...and that is a noticeable difference. Effortless sound is the descriptive phrase for them.

[NorthStar]

Get 4 of them, and bi-amp your ERM 6.2s! ;D
...Then not only you can scream, but also live way up there above the clouds!

[sancho89]

my lpa will do, no?
since 80hz is as far as the erm will go, the lpa can be used for the bottom and the xpa for the top for crisp, airy clean sound?

[roadrunner]

Nov 15, 2010 23:11:05 GMT -5 sancho89 said:

my lpa will do, no?
since 80hz is as far as the erm will go, the lpa can be used for the bottom and the xpa for the top for crisp, airy clean sound?

Actually, that is backward of what would provide the best sound quality from your speakers. If you decide to bi-wire/bi-amp your speakers, you should drive the 6.5" woofers with the XPA-1 and use the LPA to drive the silk dome tweeter. I really don't think you will gain any advantage by bi-wiring your ERM-6.2, but go ahead and give it a try. You never know until you try it out.

My brother has a pair of ERM-6.2 speakers (XPA-1s too) and they start rolling off at about 80 Hz, but they still have usable output down to about 50 Hz. You will need a musical sub woofer with them if you wish to listen to material that goes down another octive. With a good sub woofer those are really pretty darn good speakers. You will love what the XPA-1 does for you now and when you upgrade speakers, if you ever do. The ERM-6.3 and ERT-8.3 are outstanding speakers should you decide to move up to something better. Congrats. ;D