Post by paintedklown on Nov 6, 2012 3:06:16 GMT -5
Hello, fellow lounge members.
Initially, I had planned to write a lengthy and concise review of the XSP-1. As time has passed this week, I have realized that there really isn’t much more than I can add to the discussion that hasn’t already been said. I like to use selected tracks to audition new gear, and generally, I will run down the list while “checking off the boxes” to note how a particular piece is performing.
Along with this, I wanted to do a bit of a double review to cover my new Audio Technica AT-LP60 turntable. As the week had progressed, I have found myself listening to more CDs than I have in a very long time…nearly a year, to be factual. With my limited vinyl library, I just haven’t put enough time into it as of yet, to fully flesh out my feelings regarding it. I simply cannot pry my hands off my CD collection at the moment...a very good problem to have IMO. Part of this can be attributed to the fact that the XSP-1 is a new piece in my system, so I feel I must listen to familiar material, and use the same source gear, to make the evaluation valid.
Either way, this review will be brief, in comparison to what I had originally thought I was going to do. I will explain further, later in the review.
For a quick background, I have used the Emotiva USP-1, an old Rotel processor (I apologize, but I cannot recall the model at the moment, and it currently resides in my storage unit), and my Yamaha RX-V667 receiver as a processor.
Current signal chain for this test is a Cambridge Audio Azur 340C CD player using six foot Monoprice Premium RCA outs to RCA input 1 on the XSP-1. From there, it is two meter Emotiva X series XLR cables into Emotiva XPA-1 mono-block amps. I am using roughly twelve foot Monoprice 12 gauge speaker wires to my B&W speakers. I am using the jumpers in my B&Ws, as opposed to bi-wiring.
The XSP-1 X-over settings are both set to full range, with the direct mode engaged. The B&Ws are placed with no toe in, and the grilles removed.
Now I will move to the meat of the review, the sound.
Truth be told, when I first powered up the XSP-1, I wasn't as "wowed" as I thought I would be. I am not sure what I was expecting, but the sound of my system wasn’t dramatically altered. Then again, after I thought about it, it really shouldn’t have been, unless my Yamaha was complete garbage or not functioning properly.
After listening to couple of selected tracks, I popped in a CD (not getting into detailed tracks and playlists with this review as I don’t feel it is necessary to express what I discovered) started playing it all the way through (I always like to play CDs all the way through, as I feel you cannot really get a feel for an album by listening to selected tracks, but that’s a different discussion altogether), while relaxing and posting on the lounge. This is literally, within 15-20 minutes of getting the XSP-1 into my system.
At this time, I was just doing some casual listening, giving everything time to warm up and so forth. What happened while doing this was completely unexpected. There I was, changing one word, when I suddenly noticed that my music was sounding more musical than I had ever heard it before. I found myself actually surprised/shocked a bit, and couldn’t help but perk up and take notice at what was happening in my system.
I often hear the words "holographic" and "airy" as descriptors, used to describe sound quality.
Airy, I have heard before, as the XPA-1s are pretty good at breathing life into the sound. This level of air, however, I had yet to experience. There is a separation of sound with the XSP-1 that I have never before had in my setup. Every nuance of detail is presented in its own space in the sound stage. No sounds felt crowded or mushed together as they have in the past. I had no idea that a pre-amp could have such a dramatic effect on the sound. I like to think of it as being similar to differences of a compressed MP3 vs. a well mastered CD. It sounds as if the "compression switch" was now turned off.
Holographic, on the other hand, is a sound quality I felt I had not yet experienced. I wasn't even sure, of what it was supposed to sound like. The XSP-1 introduced me to what I believe people are talking about when they say holographic. It is something to behold, to be sure. I have always been under the impression that the sound stage was generally created by your speakers. I have been wrong about how much the sound stage is affected by your pre-amp. There is now, what I feel, is definitely a holographic sound to my system now. The entire sound stage has become dramatically more pronounced, with sounds able to float left, right, front, back, and even high or low in my listening room.
Am I hearing things, I wondered. Can this be possible? Is this just new gear excitement? To make sure, I wasn’t going crazy, I didn’t post my review right away. I have waited, and listened all week. Sure enough, disc after disc, I was being amazed at what I was hearing.
I have discs that are somewhat of a torture test for showing a components ability to resolve detail, and keep everything relaxed sounding when the material becomes “busy” with many layers of sound being played together. I have never, in the past, heard this amount of detail and “ease” from my system.
Often, when the sound stage gets busy like that, it often becomes a cluttered and incoherent mess that forces me to turn the volume down, as it is quite unpleasant to listen to. I am sure many of you have probably experienced something similar, where a track will begin with maybe an acoustic guitar and vocal. It will be quiet, intimate sounding, and very pleasing to the ear. By the time the track builds to its intense, and mighty crescendo, you find yourself frantically searching for the volume knob, as it quickly becomes too much to bear at higher listening levels.
With the XSP-1 in my system, I found that I never once had a sense that the sound stage was collapsing, or that it was becoming unbearable to listen to. Instead, I was treated to a highly resolved and nuanced passage of music, which was finally able to deliver the intense emotional connection the artists had intended. It was beautiful and soul stirring, to say the least. I found myself falling in love with the XSP-1.
Over the course of the week, I listened to poor recordings, just to be sure that the XSP-1 wasn’t imparting a sonic signature, or sound, that made everything sound good. Much to my delight, crappy recordings still sounded crappy, with all of their low fidelity glory fully intact. Cheap mics, crappy mic pres, and horrible mixes remain true to their sound when running through the XSP-1. In other words, you get out, what you put in. With nothing neither added, nor taken away from the source material you are listening to.
In my opinion, no review would be complete without also discussing the negatives, or “quibbles” you find as well. For me, these negatives are simple nit picking, and none of them have to do with the sound quality of the XSP-1. Even then, there is only a handful. All of these things have been mentioned elsewhere, but I felt it was important to have them in my summary as well.
First, was my confusion regarding the volume stepping on the XSP-1. In all of the printed materials, it is described as being .25db steps. In all actuality, the volume steps in 1.5db increments, before moving to .5bd increments. Having said that, it is merely a “visual” thing for me, as in usage, the volume stepping is excellent.
Second, the ability to turn all of lights/display off is missing. For me, this is a non-issue as I always run my gear lit up anyway. For some, this may very well be a deal breaker. I can’t imagine it would be after hearing it, but it may cause some users to not ever give it a listen.
Third, are the crossed left and right input/output terminals. To be quite honest, I didn’t even realize/notice this until it was pointed out by another user, though.
Lastly on my list of “quibbles”, is the actual volume knob itself. Since it doesn’t turn with the remote, nor does it indicate anything, why have the light? This, for me was the only thing I personally found to be an annoyance. My OCD just will not let me to look over at it in a random spot, and I can’t decide on where to set it, so that it makes sense to leave it sit there. As stated, though, that’s just my OCD talking.
On the product page for the XPA-1 amplifier, Emotiva describes the sound as effortless. I would like to say that is a perfect descriptor of the XSP-1s sound as well. Open, neutral, resolving, and nuanced can also be tossed on the list of adjectives that describe this amazing performer.
It has breathed a new life into my system, which I never thought was possible with a “volume knob”. I found myself listening to more music this past week, than I have in over a year. It is simply a stunning piece of gear that has become the crown jewel of my system. I feel it has done more for my systems sound quality than any other change I have made, since adding the XPA-1s.
Like some of you, I too am a believer in the “weakest link” theory, that a systems performance can be bottle-necked by a component that isn’t quite up to task. In my system, it has now become the strongest link. Surpassing the performance of everything else I own, including my beloved XPA-1 mono-blocks.
The XSP-1 is not only up to the task, is has a level of performance that allows it to become THE piece of gear you can purchase to build your reference system around.
Yes, it really is that good.
Initially, I had planned to write a lengthy and concise review of the XSP-1. As time has passed this week, I have realized that there really isn’t much more than I can add to the discussion that hasn’t already been said. I like to use selected tracks to audition new gear, and generally, I will run down the list while “checking off the boxes” to note how a particular piece is performing.
Along with this, I wanted to do a bit of a double review to cover my new Audio Technica AT-LP60 turntable. As the week had progressed, I have found myself listening to more CDs than I have in a very long time…nearly a year, to be factual. With my limited vinyl library, I just haven’t put enough time into it as of yet, to fully flesh out my feelings regarding it. I simply cannot pry my hands off my CD collection at the moment...a very good problem to have IMO. Part of this can be attributed to the fact that the XSP-1 is a new piece in my system, so I feel I must listen to familiar material, and use the same source gear, to make the evaluation valid.
Either way, this review will be brief, in comparison to what I had originally thought I was going to do. I will explain further, later in the review.
For a quick background, I have used the Emotiva USP-1, an old Rotel processor (I apologize, but I cannot recall the model at the moment, and it currently resides in my storage unit), and my Yamaha RX-V667 receiver as a processor.
Current signal chain for this test is a Cambridge Audio Azur 340C CD player using six foot Monoprice Premium RCA outs to RCA input 1 on the XSP-1. From there, it is two meter Emotiva X series XLR cables into Emotiva XPA-1 mono-block amps. I am using roughly twelve foot Monoprice 12 gauge speaker wires to my B&W speakers. I am using the jumpers in my B&Ws, as opposed to bi-wiring.
The XSP-1 X-over settings are both set to full range, with the direct mode engaged. The B&Ws are placed with no toe in, and the grilles removed.
Now I will move to the meat of the review, the sound.
Truth be told, when I first powered up the XSP-1, I wasn't as "wowed" as I thought I would be. I am not sure what I was expecting, but the sound of my system wasn’t dramatically altered. Then again, after I thought about it, it really shouldn’t have been, unless my Yamaha was complete garbage or not functioning properly.
After listening to couple of selected tracks, I popped in a CD (not getting into detailed tracks and playlists with this review as I don’t feel it is necessary to express what I discovered) started playing it all the way through (I always like to play CDs all the way through, as I feel you cannot really get a feel for an album by listening to selected tracks, but that’s a different discussion altogether), while relaxing and posting on the lounge. This is literally, within 15-20 minutes of getting the XSP-1 into my system.
At this time, I was just doing some casual listening, giving everything time to warm up and so forth. What happened while doing this was completely unexpected. There I was, changing one word, when I suddenly noticed that my music was sounding more musical than I had ever heard it before. I found myself actually surprised/shocked a bit, and couldn’t help but perk up and take notice at what was happening in my system.
I often hear the words "holographic" and "airy" as descriptors, used to describe sound quality.
Airy, I have heard before, as the XPA-1s are pretty good at breathing life into the sound. This level of air, however, I had yet to experience. There is a separation of sound with the XSP-1 that I have never before had in my setup. Every nuance of detail is presented in its own space in the sound stage. No sounds felt crowded or mushed together as they have in the past. I had no idea that a pre-amp could have such a dramatic effect on the sound. I like to think of it as being similar to differences of a compressed MP3 vs. a well mastered CD. It sounds as if the "compression switch" was now turned off.
Holographic, on the other hand, is a sound quality I felt I had not yet experienced. I wasn't even sure, of what it was supposed to sound like. The XSP-1 introduced me to what I believe people are talking about when they say holographic. It is something to behold, to be sure. I have always been under the impression that the sound stage was generally created by your speakers. I have been wrong about how much the sound stage is affected by your pre-amp. There is now, what I feel, is definitely a holographic sound to my system now. The entire sound stage has become dramatically more pronounced, with sounds able to float left, right, front, back, and even high or low in my listening room.
Am I hearing things, I wondered. Can this be possible? Is this just new gear excitement? To make sure, I wasn’t going crazy, I didn’t post my review right away. I have waited, and listened all week. Sure enough, disc after disc, I was being amazed at what I was hearing.
I have discs that are somewhat of a torture test for showing a components ability to resolve detail, and keep everything relaxed sounding when the material becomes “busy” with many layers of sound being played together. I have never, in the past, heard this amount of detail and “ease” from my system.
Often, when the sound stage gets busy like that, it often becomes a cluttered and incoherent mess that forces me to turn the volume down, as it is quite unpleasant to listen to. I am sure many of you have probably experienced something similar, where a track will begin with maybe an acoustic guitar and vocal. It will be quiet, intimate sounding, and very pleasing to the ear. By the time the track builds to its intense, and mighty crescendo, you find yourself frantically searching for the volume knob, as it quickly becomes too much to bear at higher listening levels.
With the XSP-1 in my system, I found that I never once had a sense that the sound stage was collapsing, or that it was becoming unbearable to listen to. Instead, I was treated to a highly resolved and nuanced passage of music, which was finally able to deliver the intense emotional connection the artists had intended. It was beautiful and soul stirring, to say the least. I found myself falling in love with the XSP-1.
Over the course of the week, I listened to poor recordings, just to be sure that the XSP-1 wasn’t imparting a sonic signature, or sound, that made everything sound good. Much to my delight, crappy recordings still sounded crappy, with all of their low fidelity glory fully intact. Cheap mics, crappy mic pres, and horrible mixes remain true to their sound when running through the XSP-1. In other words, you get out, what you put in. With nothing neither added, nor taken away from the source material you are listening to.
In my opinion, no review would be complete without also discussing the negatives, or “quibbles” you find as well. For me, these negatives are simple nit picking, and none of them have to do with the sound quality of the XSP-1. Even then, there is only a handful. All of these things have been mentioned elsewhere, but I felt it was important to have them in my summary as well.
First, was my confusion regarding the volume stepping on the XSP-1. In all of the printed materials, it is described as being .25db steps. In all actuality, the volume steps in 1.5db increments, before moving to .5bd increments. Having said that, it is merely a “visual” thing for me, as in usage, the volume stepping is excellent.
Second, the ability to turn all of lights/display off is missing. For me, this is a non-issue as I always run my gear lit up anyway. For some, this may very well be a deal breaker. I can’t imagine it would be after hearing it, but it may cause some users to not ever give it a listen.
Third, are the crossed left and right input/output terminals. To be quite honest, I didn’t even realize/notice this until it was pointed out by another user, though.
Lastly on my list of “quibbles”, is the actual volume knob itself. Since it doesn’t turn with the remote, nor does it indicate anything, why have the light? This, for me was the only thing I personally found to be an annoyance. My OCD just will not let me to look over at it in a random spot, and I can’t decide on where to set it, so that it makes sense to leave it sit there. As stated, though, that’s just my OCD talking.
On the product page for the XPA-1 amplifier, Emotiva describes the sound as effortless. I would like to say that is a perfect descriptor of the XSP-1s sound as well. Open, neutral, resolving, and nuanced can also be tossed on the list of adjectives that describe this amazing performer.
It has breathed a new life into my system, which I never thought was possible with a “volume knob”. I found myself listening to more music this past week, than I have in over a year. It is simply a stunning piece of gear that has become the crown jewel of my system. I feel it has done more for my systems sound quality than any other change I have made, since adding the XPA-1s.
Like some of you, I too am a believer in the “weakest link” theory, that a systems performance can be bottle-necked by a component that isn’t quite up to task. In my system, it has now become the strongest link. Surpassing the performance of everything else I own, including my beloved XPA-1 mono-blocks.
The XSP-1 is not only up to the task, is has a level of performance that allows it to become THE piece of gear you can purchase to build your reference system around.
Yes, it really is that good.