Joining the Ranks of Emotiva Users today!

[tvguy]

Well guys/gals, I did it! I pulled the trigger on the UPA-2 sale & it arrived today! This is a huge step for me since I have not purchased any new audio gear in almost 30 years! I am still running my old, custom modified Dynaco ST-150 along with an Art Stone Modified Crown IC-150 driving a pair of slightly modified Sony SSU-3000 3-way Speakers and a pair of rebuilt JBL L-19's stacked on top. I also have a Technics 1300 TT with a PowerPhactor 1 phono preamp that was custom built prototype by my late friend, Harry Krummins. He also did the mods to my Dynaco. All I know is everytime Harry would ask me if he could try another one of his new mods to my amp, it would come back sounding even better everytime and his phono preamp pulled sounds out of vinyl that I never heard before. I have a Shure V15-IV with a new Edward Sanders stylus, and nothing fancy in the CD/DVD player dept., but I have an old Magnavox CDB460 that actually has an 'analog meter style pivot and jewel' the moves the laser. This system still warms my heart & rocks the house, but I started to browse the audiophile review boards in search of who is making the hot gear today. That is when I stumbled upon Emotiva. Working as an engineer in the broadcast TV field for 25+ yrs. and having worked for a local Hi-fi retailer back in the late 70's and early 80's I have an appreciation for well-built, great sounding gear. When I began to look over the Emotiva line I was very impressed. The all one has to do is read the rave reviews from other fellow Emovites(is that a word?) and you will quickly become a believer. Now I may not have the budget that some of you are fortunate enough to enjoy, but I have made the most of what I have been blessed with.
I have been contemplating whether or not to get another ST-150, maybe one modified by AVA or even moving into a tube design. Now that the UPA-2 is on sale and I happened to have a little money tucked away(and the wife is cool with it) I just had to get this amp. Sure I would have loved the XPA-2, but I know that I will be pleasantly surprised and its a $1000 worth of sound for only $300. Great bang for the buck. I can't wait to get home and unpack my new amp! I will report back with my listening tests soon!

[NorthStar]

Hey welcome to the Lounge tvguy!

Do you have a Blu-ray player? An HDTV? About an SACD player?

[geebo]

Welcome to the Lounge! Congrats on the new gear.

[hemster]

Congrats and welcome to the forum!

[LCSeminole]

Wow, 30 years since your last piece of new gear!!! I'm lucky if I go 6 months! ;D Welcome to the Lounge and looking forward to your thoughts on the UPA-2.

[tvguy]

Thanks for the welcome. I have a Panasonic Blu-ray and an LG 42" Plasma upstairs in my living room, but not in my basement where my stereo system resides. And no SACD.
Now, my first impression:
BEAUTIFUL, DETAILED, MUSICAL, CRISP, CLEAR, FULL BODIED, VERY HAPPY. Now that was only for some low volume listening because I didn't get home from work until 9pm and get it swapped into my system until almost 10pm. The kids were in bed and I didn't want to disturb them on a school night. Hopefully tonight I will be able to get home by 7 so I can crank it up.

The first tune I put on was "Hotel California" from the Eagles live disc "Hell Freezes Over". I just love the sound of that disc and that tune has it all. The sound of the opening drum beat was deep and full-bodied. The sound stage was wide and deep as if I was transported to the venue. The guitars were incredible as were the vocals. I don't have the ability to A/B Switch between my Dynaco and my UPA-2(wish I did- I'm gonna see what I can configure- the Crown has 2 pre outs) because I know that both amps give me goosebumps on this track. I have never been disappointed by my Dynaco and my UPA-2 won't ever either. Once I do a little maintenance on my Dynaco(caps & meter lamps), it will probably move upstairs to the living room. I have an old 35W/Ch. Marantz reciever that I can pull the pre-main jumper and use it as a pre and allow my Dyna be the new power map- finally I will have a worthy amp mated with my Blu-ray & Plasma for an improved soundstage to go with the great HD pictures.

The next track was #11 "The Last Resort" which opens with strings and bells- ooooh the bells. The sound filled the room and made the speakers seem invisible. Again, I was blown away. Then I popped in some Allison Krause. OMG! AWESOME! It was so life-like I swear I could feel her breath on each vocal. This amp is world class IMHO. It was definitely worth the 30yr. wait. LOL. Tomorrow is my day off and everyone will be at school so I will be able to crank this baby up to see what she can do. Stay tuned for more impressions.

Just a side note: I will say that even after 30yrs. my old Dyna still can take my breath away. My buddy Harry was a genius. It has served me well as I expect will my UPA-2 for the next 30.

[tvguy]

Second Impression with a little(alot) volume this time: I put the Kevin Spacey "Beyond the Sea" movie soundtrack CD on (great recording) and it was just clear and detailed as could be. Very wide and deep soundstage. The orchestra dynamics were phenominal! Once again the vocals sounded as if he were standing right there. Kevin does justice to Bobby Darin's tunes- I may even like him better! Then, I had to hear some Earth, Wind and Fire's "Fall in Love With Me" for some awesome bass, brass and harmonies. This song just rocked it. Even as I cranked it, the UPA-2 showed no signs of strain or harshness. Then I had to put on Micheal Jackson's "Jam". OMG, percussive, tight and lots of punch! It just shook the house effortlessly! Got the wife yelling, "Turn That Down!" LOL! I was surprised at all the detail in a very complicated mix. I seemed to notice this with many of the tunes I played. Any part of the track could be isolated coherently and almost any volume. Enough CD's. Now onto vinyl. I went straight for Dire Strait's "Brother's in Arms". The whole album is an exceptional recording. Side one sounded like food for my ears. Great sounding drums and guitar on "Money for Nothing". Once again wide and deep soundstaging. The UPA-2 just makes my speakers disapear and sound just fills the room. The I put on Donald Fagen's, "The Nightfly". My favorite cut is Ruby Baby". Punchy bass and a piano that sounded like it was in the room! I am truely sold on Emotiva and don't feel cheated that I was only able to afford the UPA-2 instead of the XPA-2. The UPA just proves that my old modified Crown IC-150 is still pulling plenty out of my music. My UPA can only reproduce what it is fed and it does that extremely well. It seems to be a perfect fit for my speaker compliment. My speakers never sounded better. I still wish I could do a true A/B comparison between my Dynaco and my UPA, but I do think that the UPA is a bit more detailed especially in the upper midrange and treble and provides a much wider and deeper soundstage. Sooo glad I made the decision to join the ranks of Emotiva users.

[tvguy]

Ok, so I've had my UPA-2 for about 4 yrs. now and recently I managed to get my hands on a FILTHY, yet mint, pair of Black Infinity Kappa 7.1 series 2 Speakers to replace my rebuilt Sony SSU-3000's with. I got them at an insanely low price ($175/pr.!) because the guy needed cash with a baby on the way was liquidating a ton of older, unused gear and because of their appearance. They were in some guys storage space, dirty dusty, grills full of cat hair, a few scratches in the cabinets and they smelled of cigarette smoke. The guy hooked them up in his main system for me and despite their appearance, they performed admirably. He also had an Adcom GTP-500II Preamp with a cut in the power cord and a common FM tuner issue that he offered to me for $75! So took them both home cleaned them up, restained the Black Ash cabinets, replaced the power cord, replaced the bad cap in the tuner section on the Pre and they all look and sound fabulous! The Sony's are extremely efficient and the EMO had no trouble driving them. I was concerned that the Kappas may pose a challenge for the EMO because the Kappa's are known to be a bit power hungry even though these are ported. Well, the EMO handled them like a champ and made the Kappa's come to life when I pushed the volume to levels the Sony's could never reach- cleanly. I was blown away! The highs were crsip and clean, vocals were even better than before and the bass was tight & went way down low. The Kappa's were $2K speaker in their day while the Sony were around $500 so I would expect them to outperform them. Even when I crank my EMO for a while with my Kappas, it is just warm to the touch. It was a major upgrade going to the EMO/Adcom/Kappa combination. The Adcom was a vast improvement. I like it so much that I found another on eBay and paired it with my Dynaco ST150 & the Sony's for my new living room system- which sounds even better than ever. So I am STILL REALLY Loving my UPA-2. Of course I now have 'EMO Fever' and keep hoping that I can bump up to the newer XPA or XPR series amps at some point although I am very happy with what I've assembled at bargain basement prices: UPA-2- $300, Adcom GTP-500II- $75 and Kappa 7.1's- $175 = $550!!

[pop]

Oct 5, 2011 21:08:27 GMT -5 LCSeminole said:

Wow, 30 years since your last piece of new gear!!! I'm lucky if I go 6 months! ;D Welcome to the Lounge and looking forward to your thoughts on the UPA-2.

I seem to be on a 6 week cycle. Yikes!!

[ÈlTwo]

Nice economy set up.
Looking forward to your next post in 2019 .

[goodfellas27]

AWESOME sales going on at their site.