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Post by ravingndrooling on Jan 23, 2011 18:41:24 GMT -5
Does anybody use them? Im not trying to open a can of "snake oil", just wondering. The power cord I received with my XDA was thicker then either of the power cords I received with either my XPA-5 or 2. I'm not looking to spend serious money(>$150). It seems to me, for all the juice the amps need, they would have a thicker cord. It's been my experience with other amps(Parasounds,Adcom,Anthem,Outlaw)that they all came with thicker power cords. All opinions are appreciated.
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amg55
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Post by amg55 on Jan 23, 2011 18:49:29 GMT -5
I had a thicker cord from another device already, so when I got my XPA I just used that. But I guess it wouldn't hurt to have a bigger cable especially if you are going to be pushing the amp to the limits. I'd rather trip a breaker then light my house on fire because of a power cable that was insufficient.
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Post by ScudDawg on Jan 23, 2011 18:50:18 GMT -5
I have a Pangea AC-9 on my XPA-3 and an AC-14 on my UPA-5. I honestly do not think they do anything different than the stock cords. The AC-9 is huge and tough to get into place but is a nice quality cable, just my two cents.
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Post by USNRet on Jan 23, 2011 19:40:15 GMT -5
I am a believer in gauge vs. amperage drawn. Since my current situation demands a few feet of separation between outlets I constructed power cables using decent plugs and quality 12 ga. (aircraft spec) wiring because it was given to me.
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Post by paintedklown on Jan 23, 2011 21:27:02 GMT -5
In speaking with Lonnie, prior to purchasing my XPA-1s, I gathered that everything behind the receptacle was more of a concern than the stock power cable on these amps. When really pushed to its limits, the XPA-1 requires quite a bit of juice, more juice in fact, than a typical 110v 15a circuit is capable of. If you are seriously concerned about pushing these to their limits/getting all you can from them, I would look into having an electrician run a dedicated 230v 20a circuit. That is going to be your best option for increasing the performance of these amazing amplifiers. The stock power cable will still be just fine in this scenario. I may be wrong about this, but I honestly believe that Emotiva wouldn't send a power cable out with their flagship amplifier that did nothing more than hold it back from being able to reach its full potential. I also noticed that the stock cable was quite a bit more hefty than the ones on the XPA-5, UPA-1s, and their subs...this made me smile.
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kse
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Post by kse on Jan 23, 2011 22:01:20 GMT -5
You've seen the little white wire feeding your power outlets, right?
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Post by ravingndrooling on Jan 23, 2011 22:58:16 GMT -5
Yes, the little wires behind my outlet really make me wonder! Lol To be perfectly honest, I barely even get the lights to blink past 3 and it's already LOUD! That's a couple hundred bucks I will put to good use somewhere else then.
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Post by moodyman on Jan 24, 2011 16:33:59 GMT -5
When really pushed to its limits, the XPA-1 requires quite a bit of juice, more juice in fact, than a typical 110v 15a circuit is capable of. baloney
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jan 25, 2011 12:21:22 GMT -5
So, that $70 x-series IEC power cable emotiva sells is for what purpose? Are they saying to get the best performance from your purchased emo gear you have to upgrade to a 'better' quality power cable? Is Emotiva selling crappy power cables that could potentially cause your gear to fail or cause a fire? If hope not. Can someone explain the reasoning for $70 power cable? I just want to sleep better tonight and not be afraid that my XPA-3 will set my house on fire because I'm using the stock cable packed into the box.
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Post by broncsrule21 on Jan 25, 2011 12:47:55 GMT -5
They probably sell them because other people offer them. Why not get into a market where there is probably a high profit margin? Nobodys house has burned down yet. LOL
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iceman66
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Post by iceman66 on Jan 25, 2011 12:50:12 GMT -5
So, that $70 x-series IEC power cable emotiva sells is for what purpose? Because they can, and because some customers want it. no one has said that of course not, why would they open themselves up to that kind of liability? See my 1st answer
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Post by paintedklown on Jan 25, 2011 12:56:04 GMT -5
When really pushed to its limits, the XPA-1 requires quite a bit of juice, more juice in fact, than a typical 110v 15a circuit is capable of. baloney You do not have to believe me, but my information came from a professional reviewer who measured this amplifier. Here is a link to that review. www.hometheaterhifi.com/power-amplifiers/520-a-secrets-power-amplifier-review.htmlYou can also get to this review from a link on Emotivas product page. Quoted form Chris Groppi's review from "Secrets of HT & HI-FI" The specifications are quite impressive: 500W RMS into 8 Ohms, 1000W RMS into 4 Ohms. As we’ll see later in the measurements section, these are very conservative ratings. It will drive a 2 Ohm load, but requires a 20A 115V circuit or a 10A 230V circuit to reach its maximum output into that load. If you’d want to try to run a pair of them into 2 Ohms at or near full power, you’d want a dedicated 20A 230V circuit. That’s combined with a fully differential design that takes full advantage of the balanced inputs.I do like to post information unless I am sure it is true.
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Post by monkumonku on Jan 25, 2011 13:22:45 GMT -5
So, that $70 x-series IEC power cable emotiva sells is for what purpose? Are they saying to get the best performance from your purchased emo gear you have to upgrade to a 'better' quality power cable? Is Emotiva selling crappy power cables that could potentially cause your gear to fail or cause a fire? If hope not. Can someone explain the reasoning for $70 power cable? I just want to sleep better tonight and not be afraid that my XPA-3 will set my house on fire because I'm using the stock cable packed into the box. If you look at the cord they are selling you will see it is a very heavy duty, sturdy and nicely made cord. Some people have a thing for fancy power cords. I bought one because I needed a longer cord than the stock one that came with my XPA-2 and it was on sale so I figured what the heck, I will splurge. But the stock cords that come with Emo gear are just like what other manufacturers who make quality products sell. Emo never said or implied or inferred that using the separate cord would improve the performance. I have an Onkyo AVR and the cord that comes with that, which is permanently attached, is thin and pathetic. Yet it serves its purpose.
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Post by moodyman on Jan 25, 2011 21:14:48 GMT -5
You do not have to believe me, but my information came from a professional reviewer who measured this amplifier. Here is a link to that review. www.hometheaterhifi.com/power-amplifiers/520-a-secrets-power-amplifier-review.htmlYou can also get to this review from a link on Emotivas product page. Quoted form Chris Groppi's review from "Secrets of HT & HI-FI" The specifications are quite impressive: 500W RMS into 8 Ohms, 1000W RMS into 4 Ohms. As we’ll see later in the measurements section, these are very conservative ratings. It will drive a 2 Ohm load, but requires a 20A 115V circuit or a 10A 230V circuit to reach its maximum output into that load. If you’d want to try to run a pair of them into 2 Ohms at or near full power, you’d want a dedicated 20A 230V circuit. That’s combined with a fully differential design that takes full advantage of the balanced inputs.I do like to post information unless I am sure it is true. Emo says that 15amps is sufficient. There's nothing in any EMO literature saying a 20 amp circuit would be required. Two XPA-1's at full power into 2 Ohms on one circuit..yeah that might trip a 15a breaker.
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Post by patmacav on Jan 25, 2011 23:26:55 GMT -5
You do not have to believe me, but my information came from a professional reviewer who measured this amplifier. Here is a link to that review. www.hometheaterhifi.com/power-amplifiers/520-a-secrets-power-amplifier-review.htmlYou can also get to this review from a link on Emotivas product page. Quoted form Chris Groppi's review from "Secrets of HT & HI-FI" The specifications are quite impressive: 500W RMS into 8 Ohms, 1000W RMS into 4 Ohms. As we’ll see later in the measurements section, these are very conservative ratings. It will drive a 2 Ohm load, but requires a 20A 115V circuit or a 10A 230V circuit to reach its maximum output into that load. If you’d want to try to run a pair of them into 2 Ohms at or near full power, you’d want a dedicated 20A 230V circuit. That’s combined with a fully differential design that takes full advantage of the balanced inputs.I do like to post information unless I am sure it is true. I'd have to agree with moodyman on this point. I'm not saying; I'm just saying, I run two XPA-1s and a Pioneer Elite VSX 59TXi A/V receiver as my pre/pro/surround amp and all my other gear except the TV through a Panamax M5400-PM, which displays the amount of amperage and voltage running through it and used by all the equipment connected to it. I was pleasantly surprised by what I saw; at normal volumes it hangs in the 2.6 amp range and when pushed very hard it sometimes reaches +6. amps for some very dynamic material, with everything I listed above connected and powered. I'm sure that if I cranked things loud enough, I could probably blow something up (the circuit breaker first I would hope), but I'd have to be wearing earplugs and I'd wonder what all those sound waves might be doing to my internal organs. Oh, and I'm pushing a 4 ohm load of two Magnepan IIIAs up front with the XPA-1s and three Maggie IIIAs for the surrounds. By the way, the XPA-1s were the best improvement made to my system in a long time. THEY ROCK! YMMV
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Post by paintedklown on Jan 26, 2011 0:06:27 GMT -5
I never said 20 amp circuits were required. I was just sharing some information I read. I was merely stating this information to inform readers that the stock power cable is just fine and more than adequate for the job at hand. IF someone were to be concerned about how much juice their amplifiers are receiving, then they can run a dedicated 20a circuit for them. They certainly do not have to. I too, am running all of my gear, including 2 XPA-1s and an XPA-5, all from the same 15a circuit without any issues at all. Just sharing (what I thought was helpful) info here guys, not trying to start an argument about the power requirements of Emo amps. I do not have an electrical background and I don't care to argue a point that I am completely indifferent (and un-educated) on. If you would like to ask Chris Groppi, he would probably be able to give you his reason for making that statement, as stated I am not an electrician so I don't know why he said that an upgraded circuit would better serve these amplifiers in specific instances. Maybe Lonnie will chime in...
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Post by moodyman on Jan 26, 2011 0:40:32 GMT -5
^^^ See what you started.
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Post by steve1616 on Jan 26, 2011 2:08:42 GMT -5
What does it mean when people are saying to install a 20 amp 230 volt circuit? A 240 volt circuit requires a different plug end to the wall socket in the USA. 230 is actually the motor or transformer rating. 240 volts is the circuit rating so that with voltage drop you don't go below the 208,230 motor ratings. It just seems silly to me to install a 240 volt circuit when your amp is going to use a transformer to bring the voltage back down to where it needs to be. Your only gain is the voltage drop from your breaker box to your receptacle which is hardly an issue with any of these amps.
If Emotiva wanted to, they could get by with a pretty small guage power chord. At 120 volts, if the power chord is 14 gauge it is probably better than the circuitry after the transformer which will drop amperage and up the current which requires much bigger wire. A 14 guage power chord would probably be more than enough even on the 20 amp circuit. 20 amps circuits require 12 guage wire unless the run is very long. This is from your breaker box to your receptacle. I am sure it would be more than fine for 14 guage on small run from your receptacle to your amp.
The reviewer probably mentioned the need for a 220 volt circuit because he would like to stay at home and do resistor tests for multiple amps into one socket all day long. Other wise it would be very hard to pull that much juice from any of these amps. Any 2 amps will shut down long before the circuit breaker trips, especially if you have a 20 amp circuit.
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Erwin.BE
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Post by Erwin.BE on Jan 26, 2011 3:31:53 GMT -5
Yes, I use them aftermarket cords. Them USA plugs don't work in EU, do they? ;D I both got €20 and €100 worth. The expensive ones look nicer, but I don't think they perform better. In fact, it surprises me that the various cords I have don't really "stick" to the devices like they stick in the wall socket. They are looser than the interconnects.
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cawgijoe
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Post by cawgijoe on Jan 26, 2011 7:57:30 GMT -5
Yes, I use them aftermarket cords. Them USA plugs don't work in EU, do they? ;D I both got €20 and €100 worth. The expensive ones look nicer, but I don't think they perform better. In fact, it surprises me that the various cords I have don't really "stick" to the devices like they stick in the wall socket. They are looser than the interconnects. I have the same problem with IEC connectors......I made my own power cords using high quality power cable bought at Lowes here in the US and connectors from Parts Express....Marinco brand. They are a bit loose at the IEC end in some of my components such as the Sony PS3.........I have not used Wattgate, but I've heard the same for them. Most of the time everything is fine, it's only when you move the componet to dust that the connector pops out. Solution may be to add some electrical tape to the IEC plug end. As to sound quality improvement......I don't believe there is any. The beefier cords with nice looking plugs and connectors certainly look nice though!
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