My thoughts and experiences with my new XDA-2

[prosdds]

Hello everyone. I 'm a first time poster here at the Emotiva Lounge. Also a first time owner of Emotiva gear. What eventually brought me here was my dissatisfaction in wirelessly streaming my iTunes music library from my MacBook Pro, thru Airport Express to my 2 channel home stereo system. Although it worked well some of the time, there would be dropouts on a regular basis. I went thru the Apple boards and all the posts on how to optimize the set up. There were a lot of theories from posters with similar problems, and I tried many of the "fixes" that were recommended. Nothing worked. I soon came to the conclusion that the dropouts were because of broadband limitations that occurred at certain times of the day when there was really heavy traffic. Drop outs would always occur after about 5:30p, when people were getting home from work and going on the internet. Unfortunately that is also when I wanted to listen to music, Very frustrating. And since Netflix alone uses up about 35% of all broadband capacity, with a peak usage between 7:00p and 10:30p, trying to stream music at that time would also be ill-advised (at least for my location.)

So I decided I needed to bypass the internet if I wanted to maintain my sanity. After a lot of research on DACs I chose Emotiva and the XDA-2 for several reasons. I liked that it was only available thru the manufacturer. This increased it's true value as I did not need to pay for several middleman markups. I liked the fact that there seemed to be a good following of supporters for Emotiva. I liked the fact Emotiva does not make mystical claims about their equipment. Just good value and solid engineering. I liked the fact that the XDA-2 was a full size component that would stack well with the rest of my system. And I liked the general esthetics that was a good match to my mainly McIntosh system.

After I received the XDA-2 I was not disappointed. It is such a great value for the $249 sales price. The equivalent McIntosh D100 DAC retails for $2500. The Emotiva compares favorably to the rest of my McIntosh gear in both fit, feel and esthetics. I can't imagine any esoteric, more costly DAC being any more enjoyable or sounding any better under real world conditions and real world hearing acuity. In addition to the USB-MacBook Pro capabilities, playing my Tuner or CD player thru the Emotiva's DAC is also a plus. I feel it sounds better than using McIntosh's own DACs (although not sure that observation would stand up under double-blind scrutiny.)

After 4 weeks, I'm very happy with the XDA-2. I did have one concern that has seemed to disappear. During the first week when I would power on my system (power triggers thru McIntosh to Emotiva) sometimes no sound or greatly lowered volume would occur. Whether USB, CD, or Tuner output. I found that turning off the XDA-2 then turning it back on again would solve the problem. I contacted Emotiva, they thought maybe some of the codes the McIntosh gear sent to the Power trigger of the Emotiva were problematic. However since contacting Emotiva that problem has disappeared. No problems at all the last 2-3 weeks.  Reason??  In conclusion, I think I made a very good decision in purchasing the XDA-2.


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[audiobill]

Good writeup......

Wait till you hear the DC1!

[kse]

Wow. Beautiful system. Amazing.

[repeetavx]

Hi prosdds, welcome to the Lounge. Thanks for the review. Nice to know that our favorite brand holds up well in comparison to the legendary brands.

[Golden Ear]

The digitally controlled analog is the best volume control you can get as it eliminate channel balancing and maintain resolution in any given setting.

[garbulky]

Nice setup! What speakers do you use? Would you like some suggestions on how to improve the speaker placement (no cost!)? I believe it would help your sound.
I really like the features and the look of the XDA-2. It's a good does it all unit and the amount of digital inputs on it is a plus!
What audiobill said about the Emotiva DC-1 is right. It is audibly superior in my system. If you can deal with the form factor and reduced inputs, it is a noticeable upgrade (if you ever decide to).

[dksosku]

Welcome to the lounge. Nice gear and setup..

[prosdds]

Hi Garbulky.'
Thanks…. the speakers are POLK's SDA-SRS.  1987 Vintage.  Polk's flagship speaker of the time.  They are different from conventional speakers in that their "Stereo Dimensional Array" uses some of the sound from the left channel to play thru dedicated drivers in right speaker, and visa versa.  There is an interconnecting cable between the two speakers that carries that cross signal.  An interesting concept that you can google if you are unfamiliar. Basically it helps pin point and locate sound well beyond the confines of the speakers.  Similar to Carver's Sonic Hologram but more effective in my experience. Even without that feature the speakers are awesome. Each speaker has 4 tweeters, 8 midranges and a  15" passive radiator that creates exceptional lows useful to around 31 hz according to my real time analyzer and test tones.  An amazing speaker even without the SDA feature.  Not quite as low as the HSU Research 18" powered subwoofer in my Home Theater but still pretty impressive with the right source material. 

I would be glad to hear your suggestions on speaker placement.  They may not entirely apply due to the unique SDA features, and of course must comply with WAF (wife acceptance factor.) I'd  be happy to try improving  my listening enjoyment.  Thanks for your help!

[garbulky]

Feb 13, 2014 14:58:01 GMT -5 prosdds said:

Hi Garbulky.'
Thanks…. the speakers are POLK's SDA-SRS.  1987 Vintage.  Polk's flagship speaker of the time.  They are different from conventional speakers in that their "Stereo Dimensional Array" uses some of the sound from the left channel to play thru dedicated drivers in right speaker, and visa versa.  There is an interconnecting cable between the two speakers that carries that cross signal.  An interesting concept that you can google if you are unfamiliar. Basically it helps pin point and locate sound well beyond the confines of the speakers.  Similar to Carver's Sonic Hologram but more effective in my experience. Even without that feature the speakers are awesome. Each speaker has 4 tweeters, 8 midranges and a  15" passive radiator that creates exceptional lows useful to around 31 hz according to my real time analyzer and test tones.  An amazing speaker even without the SDA feature.  Not quite as low as the HSU Research 18" powered subwoofer in my Home Theater but still pretty impressive with the right source material. 

I would be glad to hear your suggestions on speaker placement.  They may not entirely apply due to the unique SDA features, and of course must comply with WAF (wife acceptance factor.) I'd  be happy to try improving  my listening enjoyment.  Thanks for your help!

Ah I didn't realize they were the SDA's. I've heard really good things about them! I wish I could hear a pair. I like the whole idea behind them and I like the large size.

You're right about that they are different and my advice may well not apply to them. And also WAF does of course make a difference.

Anyway, what I was going to suggest was
- Pull the speakers forward away from the plane of the equipment rack into the living room.
- Get rid of the side couch and side tables
- Buy these. Just one or two even can make a difference. I had mine setup behind my couch (which was close the rear wall) but there are multiple ways of doing them. They come in different colors and even come as paintings at reasonable prices. I found using them was like buying new gear.
www.atsacoustics.com/item--ATS-Acoustic-Panel-24-x-48-x-2--1001.html
- experiment obsessively with toe in. (maybe unnecessary for your type of speaker)
- If one speaker is jammed against a corner wall pull it away by offsetting everything to the side.

[prosdds]

Thanks Again garbulky. All your points are quite valid and would be applied if I were able. You can see from the additional attached photos the location of the stereo system in relation to bay windows, a combination of soft and hard reflective surfaces, asymmetrical open spaces and vaulted ceilings. I can easily change the position of the front of the speakers a few inches forward of the stereo credenza and see if I can tell a difference. Also I will vary the toe-in angle by a bit and see how things turn out . I do have a dedicated Home Theater on the bottom floor of my house. Down there I am not constrained by decorating norms and have been a lot more mindful of trying to optimize with room treatments.


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[garbulky]

Very nice pictures btw. Really enjoyed the last ones. They really look nice.

[Lsc]

Feb 13, 2014 12:34:55 GMT -5 audiobill said:

Good writeup......

Wait till you hear the DC1!

Probably a marginal upgrade over the XDA-2. Happy trolling.