Impression of XPA-5

[ninjahifi]

So just wanted to post my recent experience with trying an external amp, the XPA-5. So for a long time I've had a set of JBL L Studio speakers (2 L890, LC 1, and 2 L830 with L8400 sub) that I was running off my Onkyo 805 AVR. For a couple of years now this setup was ok for me it sounded good and was better than anything I had previously had.

However, I always felt there was something missing, it just wasn't powerful or fully engrossing, if that makes any sense. I had always read about trying external amps and the benefits of having more headroom for your speakers, for some reason though I just thought that my speakers just weren't "high-end" enough to benefit from a separate amp. Also I know that the Onkyo 805 is famous for being a very efficient AVR, so I didnt really think any upgrades (short of a whole new set up) would help.

Anyway, I'm also a member of Blu-ray.com and I like looking at peoples setups on that site. I noticed that a lot of people are using these Emotiva Amps, so this past month while the Holiday sale was still going I decided to finally take the plunge. I figured with the return policy I could just send it back if I didn't notice a difference.

So I finally hooked up the Amp with the Onkyo Preouts and...WOW! My entire soundstage came alive. It wasn't just louder it was more precise, sort of hard to explain but it sounded more the way I always thought my large speakers should sound! After running Audyssey and setting ever thing back up, I'm enjoying all my favorite Blu-rays all over. Thank you Emotiva for making great products at prices people can afford.

Just wanted to post this to share my experience with everyone and in case there are people on the fence about these amps. I'm sure some other peoples set ups might not benefit as much as mine did but It is totall worth a shot.

My only problem now is I want more! Now that I know what my speakers really should sound like I'm wondering what else can I do to better my setup? Get a dedicated process instead of the 805? Or upgrade all of my speaker! Decisions, decisions!

[geebo]

Welcome to the Lounge and glad to hear you're enjoyin' the new amp. I had the same experience 2 - 3 years ago when I got an XPA-5 for my Onk 807. Never looked back, either.

[The Mad Norseman]

Those are really nice speakers (I'm bias though of course!), so nothing wrong there! You're only now realizing what they're actually capable of sounding like.

If I were you, I'd consider two things next - first a surround processor/tuner (like the Marantz AV7701), and then next - add a second L8400P subwoofer.
Those two changes would make the most and best difference I think.
Welcome aboard, and good luck!

[ninjahifi]

Thanks for responding guys. I really am happy with my set up but now that I've had a taste of what "better" sounds like I have a case of upgradeitis.

Norseman thanks for the recommendation. I also considered adding another 8400 sub but like I said I'm not sure what would be the best upgrade. You recommended the Marantz av7701 any particular reason why this pre/pro would be better than say an Onkyo 5509 which I was considering.

Also, I really like my speakers but do you guys think I'm missing anything by not having higher end speakers? My setup is used almost exclusively for HT I've heard the klipsch reference line is highly regarded for HT. Would a speaker like the Klipschs with my emotiva amp give me a more "cinematic" experience? Or would adding another sub and a processor make more sense?

[USAFRetired]

Boy do I (we) know that feeling. Enjoy the XPA-5. It really brings out the best in my speakers.

[Deleted]

You do not mention what you are using for your source(s) - Bluray/DVD/CD player etc. If you have a lower-end product, you might want to consider stepping up to something like an Oppo BDP-103 or BDP-93 or BDP-95.

They are *marvelous* players and will give you the ability to playback every shiny disc format available today. In addition, you will be able to also playback music and videos that are located on the Internet, your PC or a USB drive. If you look at the various members' setups, you will find that *many* of them use the Oppo players. There are some very good reasons for that, despite the fact that the Oppos cost a bit more than your average Sony, Panasonic, or LG player.

I have seen gently used BDP-93s going for as low as $325-350 and the new BDP-103 is available direct from Oppo for $495. The picture and sound quality of these units is absolutely first-rate, they are very well-built and weigh twice as much as most of their competitors, and Oppo's Customer Service is the best in the business. Highly recommeded!

-RW-

[USAFRetired]

BDP-93, no looking back.

[Deleted]

ninjahifi, welcome to the Lounge. Those JBL's are very good speakers for the price and have excellent dynamic range (ability to play loud!) and strong bass.

The 805 Onkyo was one of the last of the AVR's with a strong amp rated with all five channels operating. However, it can't compare to a beast like the XPA-5 for 5 channel home theater. Your JBL L890's are actually more in the 4-5 ohm nominal range than the 8 ohm spec. That means the XPA-5 is able to pump about 300 watts per channel RMS.

Don't overlook the Emo UMC-200 pre-pro. Right now $100 off at $599.

shop.emotiva.com/collections/processors/products/umc200


;D

[The Mad Norseman]

Feb 17, 2013 18:58:29 GMT -5 ninjahifi said:

Norseman thanks for the recommendation. I also considered adding another 8400 sub but like I said I'm not sure what would be the best upgrade. You recommended the Marantz av7701 any particular reason why this pre/pro would be better than say an Onkyo 5509 which I was considering.

Also, I really like my speakers but do you guys think I'm missing anything by not having higher end speakers? My setup is used almost exclusively for HT I've heard the klipsch reference line is highly regarded for HT. Would a speaker like the Klipschs with my emotiva amp give me a more "cinematic" experience? Or would adding another sub and a processor make more sense?

The Marantz is a higher quality unit than the Onkyo.
The Klipsch speakers are nice, but frankly I think the JBL Studio L line is better,...so instead you might strongly consider adding the 2nd subwoofer and another pair of L830s and go to a 7 channel system. Then add an XPA-2 to drive your fronts.

Someone else mentioned the addition of an Oppo BDP-93, or 103 Blu-ray/Universal player which is an excellent upgrade as well.

[audiofile]

Now that you know what your speakers can really do, time to improve your source. What kind of music source are you using? What about the DVD source? And lastly, what translated your digital sources to analog for your amp?

[ninjahifi]

Thanks everyone again for the input.

I'm surprised the Oppo player came up as a recommendation. I know they're great players and if I didn't have my PS3 I would definitely upgrade to one. The way I understand it though the picture quality from the Oppo and PS3 is exactly the same (yes, no?). What other benefits would the Oppo give me?

My set up is as follows-
Blu ray - PS3 slim
Xbox 360 for gaming
Comcast cable box
Onkyo 805 AVR
Emotiva XPA - 5
Panasonic 65" VT50

To be honest with you guys I was already pretty close to moving up to the Klipsch Rf-7 ii with the Rc-64ii center and matching surrounds. However it is a lot of money and I don't know if something like that is worth it. Also I've heard the Klipsch speakers can be fatiguing so I want to listen to them first. I actually went to a high end shop here in suburban Chicago to listen to the speakers, unfortunately I was greeted with the reason why I hate high end shops. When I told the salesman I had an emotiva XPA-5 he told me it was the weak link in my set up!? And that I should consider upgrading it, for now his best option was to upgrade interconnects (currently using all emotiva stuff) including hdmi cables!? His hdmi cable - $100!! Worse of all he didn't demo the speakers I wanted to hear!

Right now I'm stuck wanting to either look for and listen to more speakers. Get a second sub and a stand alone pre/pro. Or just enjoy what I got and not worry about it. Well see, my wife and my wallet would prefer the last option.

[tchaik]

ninjahifi......

high end shops are there to sell product and make money. of course they are going to dis the emotiva. they can't sell it. i used to frequent the high end shops with my time and dollars. not any more. i find the information i get through this and other forums and the equipment to be of higher quality. my emotiva stuff is the best sounding stuff i have ever owned and i owned many of the top dollars products in the past. krell, infinity, audio research, vpi, spectral, oracle, adcom, rotel, and others. stick with the emo-gear. you will not be disappointed.


tchaik.............

[Deleted]

Ninja,

The PS3 is *not* as good as the Oppo 9x or 10x series players in many ways. First, the Sony will not playback DVD-Audio. Nor will it playback HDCDs. Same for FLACs, DTS, any of the newer (lossless!!) DTS and Dolby Digital formats (DTS-ES, DTS HD-MA, and Dolby TrueHD). And you have not really heard how good your system can sound until you play back a really nice DVD-Audio (or DTS HD-MA/Dolby Digital TrueHD on a Bluray) surround sound disc - it will blow you away!!

Additionally, there are several video formats supported by the Oppo and not by the Sony: Bluray (older models, new Slim supports this), AVCHD, MKV, Kodak Picture CD, and probably several others that I cannot remember right now. And the Oppos also support USB drive connections - just jack a USB drive into the Oppo and playback any supported file format found on that disc. You could buy a $90 1TB USB drive and have a library of over 10,000 (true high-quality, *not* MP3 quality) songs available to you. Also, the 10x series of Oppos have a nice headphone preamp built-in, no need to spend $100+ for that.

The Sony was a nice unit in its day, and it is still a very good game machine. But when it comes to having a unit that will act as the Master Playback Center for all of your Audio and Video playback needs, the Oppo wins that contest hands-down. Just keep the Sony and xBox so you can satisfy your game-playing Jones...

-RW-

PS: I really am starting to love my new XPA-5! It is a terrific HT amp, and its audio playback is not too shabby, either. It has a wee bit of sibilance (in comparison to my recently-departed Butler) but I will probably keep it for the next 4-5 years and maybe longer unless I can find another smokin' deal on a Butler TDB-5150...

[repeetavx]

ninjahifi,

I bought the PS-3 slim 120 just before I bought my Hi-def display so that I could watch Blu-rays. I used it for DVDs because it up-converts so well and has a fast loading time. I also used it as my CD player.

Then I started hearing about the "Oppos". What made me decide to spend the money on one was all of the testimony about how much better the audio was.

So I bought one. The picture didn't look that much different. The loading time was about the same. But oh the sound.

The improvement in the sound of CDs was night and day. And movies sounded bigger and more solid.

They also offer a 30 day money back guarantee if you buy directly from them. (you pay for shipping).

[Deleted]

The newer ps3 slims that have been out for several years now does decode the lossless formats. I am sure that the Oppo's do alot of things better though.

[audiohead]

Nice review on your XPA-5 ninjahifi,I get up everyday @4:30 am cause well I am retired but my Emo amps are on all day way into the nite with out fail.You are right when I added the XPA-5 the sound stage opened up like I had never heard before.Cheers!

[klinemj]

Welcome to the Lounge - the XPA-5 is a great start into Emotiva gear...great stuff at a great price!

Mark

[LCSeminole]

ninjahifi,

First of all, let me welcome you to the Lounge!

Your PS3 is every bit as good as any Oppo player, IF, all you are using it for is blu-ray or dvd movies. I realize that some of the PS3's only send multi-channel pcm, but again that is bit for bit just as good as the Dolby TrueHD or DTS-HD MA tracks that other players decode. So again, if all you are using your PS3 for is playing blu-ray's and dvd's, and you won't be using any of the other features of an Oppo player then just stick with your PS3.

[creimes]

Welcome to the lounge and getting a great amp to boot.

[Deleted]

Welcome! I made the exact same realization a little over a month ago. My only regret of buying the xpa-5 was not trying one sooner! I still get excited just looking at it music and movies have never sounded as good.