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Post by Axis on Jun 25, 2014 11:46:10 GMT -5
Ok, I am going to spill a few beans here. The first thing I did in Atlanta was walk up to Lonnie and ask about Tubes. Lonnie said they are under glass. He said square cabinet but the tubes are under glass. My self, I do not want to know what they look like or a whole lot of other things about them. I enjoy it being a surprise. I know that sounds crazy to you guys but that is just me. Lonnie then went on to say "what's cool is how they open up" and he was talking about how the glass covers open. That is all I wanted to hear and all he said.
Later I said I have one more question. I ask what is the output and he ask in return, you mean the tubes? I said no, the wattage? He said 300 watts. I ask mono and he said yes. I said wow ! That's all I need to know. He then said, a lot of power!
I like that there are some surprise's coming but I am happy to know there is more than the 20 or 30 watts of usable power from them that most of the tube amps I look at in my price range have.
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novisnick
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Post by novisnick on Jun 25, 2014 12:13:03 GMT -5
Ok, I am going to spill a few beans here. The first thing I did in Atlanta was walk up to Lonnie and ask about Tubes. Lonnie said they are under glass. He said square cabinet but the tubes are under glass. My self, I do not want to know what they look like or a whole lot of other things about them. I enjoy it being a surprise. I know that sounds crazy to you guys but that is just me. Lonnie then went on to say "what's cool is how they open up" and he was talking about how the glass covers open. That is all I wanted to hear and all he said. Later I said I have one more question. I ask what is the output and he ask in return, you mean the tubes? I said no, the wattage? He said 300 watts. I ask mono and he said yes. I said wow ! That's all I need to know. He then said, a lot of power! I like that there are some surprise's coming but I am happy to know there is more than the 20 or 30 watts of usable power from them that most of the tube amps I look at in my price range have.
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novisnick
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Post by novisnick on Jun 25, 2014 12:14:24 GMT -5
Axis, is this true and is there a time line? Drooling here!
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Post by Axis on Jun 25, 2014 12:28:37 GMT -5
Axis, is this true and is there a time line? Drooling here! Sorry that is all the information I got. I knew not to ask to much. I kinda feel bad posting this info. I did not ask a lot and the things I did hear reinforced what I already believe. The future looks bright for Emotiva. Not only tubes but also digital. This talk of Emotiva failing is bull crap. They are growing and we are going to reap the benefits of a company that sales great equipment at great prices and builds it right here in the good old USA.
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novisnick
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Post by novisnick on Jun 25, 2014 12:34:33 GMT -5
Sweet, good enough for me!
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Post by Cogito on Jun 25, 2014 12:46:04 GMT -5
Tube amps? Pffft... So last century. You guys still watching yer CRT based televisions too??? Where's my damn kicka$$ integrated?
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Post by deltadube on Jun 25, 2014 13:18:25 GMT -5
Tube amps? Pffft... So last century. You guys still watching yer CRT based televisions too??? Where's my damn kicka$$ integrated? im watching a crt tv works great..
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Post by Axis on Jun 25, 2014 13:20:40 GMT -5
You want to know what Big Dan was talking about in Atlanta when I was around him. He was talking about his first major gear he had when he was young and good music with it. It was how we spent way more than we should but audio was all that matters and it was so cool. He talked about the first gear he made and how he was like The Dude in the Big Lebowski when the suits came to see where it was made in his garage.
I know this is not the thread to post this but Big Dan is that guy that just loves audio just like all of us here and is not out to screw anyone with bad information. I am sure he just wants to make great gear and if he thinks he can make an integrated amp, digital gear or anything else that will advance audio and it will be viable to his company he wants it too.
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Post by garbulky on Jun 25, 2014 14:15:32 GMT -5
Let me ask this then (devil's advocate), do you think they are losing sales because they have nothing between the XPA and XPR lines of amps? There is quite the big jump in power and price between the two. So is it better to lose sales outright or lose some sales on the higher priced amp in exchange for more amp purchases altogether. I think there is room for a line of electronics below the u-series. They were to call it the executive series. Sort of like the mini-x. But above the X-series. Not for me. I think it would rob too many sales from the XPR series. I mean it's possible they are losing sales due to it. But I doubt that's much of a concern. If I had to guess their biggest sellers are the UPA-500's and the XPA-5. As another poster mentioned in this kind of market which probably isn't massive, instead of gaining new buyers they may simply be shifting them to another flavor cannibalizing on the sales of one to feed the other. Remember for the longest time, Emo just ran two lines. The excellent U-series and the beefier X-series. And the u-series prices were dirt cheap! Now in their current lineup, it's obvious the prices have gone up for what you get across the board. So at the bottom end of the pricing, I think there is more opportunity to GAIN new buyers. People want cheap and they want it to do it all. So the execetive line mayt not be a bad idea.
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Post by Gary Cook on Jun 25, 2014 16:40:16 GMT -5
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Post by AudioHTIT on Jun 25, 2014 16:59:53 GMT -5
No, I understand the difference and that both have advantages (I advocate using balanced connections even if the device isn't fully balanced). The only reason I challenged your assertion was that I also believe n9eryeah understands the difference and that he is looking for what the rest of the industry just (generally) calls a fully balanced amp - hence his reference to the XPA-1L - it's that the XPA-x00 amps aren't balanced in this context. However I could have misunderstood his needs.
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Post by Nodscene on Jun 25, 2014 19:20:32 GMT -5
Looking at it from a power perspective there's about 3 dB of increase between the lines. XPA-1 @ 500W to XPR-1 @ 1000W, XPA-2 @ 300W to XPR-2 @ 600W, XPA-5 @ 200W to XPR-5 @ 400W. There's a power option for just about every need, and having more options between these doesn't make much sense from an SPL perspective. I doubt they're loosing sales – I think your grasping at straws on this one. I really don't think I'm grasping at straws when looking at this from a 5 channel perspective. Sure it looks like they have all the gaps filled when you just list how many watts they have but you haven't said anything about the prices and that's where your argument breaks down. For 300 watts per channel you would need to purchase 2 XPA-2's and an XPA-1L (which still doesn't give you the 300 watts). For that price you can get an XPR-5. I guess my points are moot since so many of you don't think there is room for something else.
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Post by brians7 on Jun 25, 2014 19:27:31 GMT -5
How about XPA-5 and just use 3 channels and then you got 250 watts. Just a thought and then you have 2 channels for the future.
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Post by knucklehead on Jun 25, 2014 20:01:24 GMT -5
I would love a smaller balanced stereo amp. Maybe the 75-125 wpc. If you want balanced circuitry you have to jump to dual xpa-1ls. Something similar to the Bel Canto REF 150s. I think stereo set ups are moving towards balanced dacs with volume control direct to amps. Just my opinion, thanks for asking. XPA-200? They're fully discrete, dual differential, balanced and 150 wpc into 8 ohms. Cheers Gary How about an XPA-300 three channel amp? I'd buy one to match up with that integrated amp Emo is going to build some day - the one that will have all the features I have in my HK990 with similar power - but cheaper. I'd probably go back to something like the UMC-200 or the one that seems like vaporware now - the UMC-500. Anyone remember that one? No word for a very long time now. Anyway thats what I'd like to see - an XPA-300 and an integrated amp similar to the Harman Kardon HK990 with XPA-200 power to match up with the XPA-300.
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Post by AudioHTIT on Jun 25, 2014 21:00:30 GMT -5
Looking at it from a power perspective there's about 3 dB of increase between the lines. XPA-1 @ 500W to XPR-1 @ 1000W, XPA-2 @ 300W to XPR-2 @ 600W, XPA-5 @ 200W to XPR-5 @ 400W. There's a power option for just about every need, and having more options between these doesn't make much sense from an SPL perspective. I doubt they're loosing sales – I think your grasping at straws on this one. I really don't think I'm grasping at straws when looking at this from a 5 channel perspective. Sure it looks like they have all the gaps filled when you just list how many watts they have but you haven't said anything about the prices and that's where your argument breaks down. For 300 watts per channel you would need to purchase 2 XPA-2's and an XPA-1L (which still doesn't give you the 300 watts). For that price you can get an XPR-5. I guess my points are moot since so many of you don't think there is room for something else. I won't dwell on this but my point was more that if you have a 200W amp, a 300W amp would only buy you a little over 1 dB of increased SPL – barely noticeable. Now many may not understand this and just want a 300W amp because it's 100 more Watts, but if Emo had both 200 and 300 Watt models of equal quality then (in most cases) it would be difficult to recommend the more expensive model.
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klinemj
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Post by klinemj on Jun 25, 2014 21:09:42 GMT -5
There is for sure room for the "executive" series and for a tube line (full or hybrid). And, there's line for a whole series of small, powerful Class D's also (ala Hypex).
And, if the executive series were the right price, I'd certainly have been a customer to have some great amps following my Sonos units and would buy them & a Sonos Connect instead of a Sonos Amp for each of my outdoor zones. And, if they came out with the right models, I'd sell 2 Sonos Amps, buy 2 Sonos Connects + 2 of the tiny Emo amps and be rocking out more in the pool!
Mark
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Post by Gary Cook on Jun 25, 2014 21:25:09 GMT -5
I believe that you may be getting balanced connections confused with differential input stages, differential amps, dual differential and quad differential. All of the XPA and XPR series amps have balanced connections and dual differential inputs. No, I understand the difference and that both have advantages (I advocate using balanced connections even if the device isn't fully balanced). The only reason I challenged your assertion was that I also believe n9eryeah understands the difference and that he is looking for what the rest of the industry just (generally) calls a fully balanced amp - hence his reference to the XPA-1L - it's that the XPA-x00 amps aren't balanced in this context. However I could have misunderstood his needs. I'm trying really hard not to come across as argumentative, please excuse me if it appears that way. My understanding is that all of the XPA and XPR ranges have balanced connections and feature dual differential inputs. Only the XPR-1, XPA-1 and XPA-1L feature quad differential inputs. The top of the line stereo amp, the XPR-2 features dual differential inputs. Going back to the original suggestion, which was specifically about a adding to the range "a smaller balanced stereo amp"; I would love a smaller balanced stereo amp. Maybe the 75-125 wpc. If you want balanced circuitry you have to jump to dual xpa-1ls.Something similar to the Bel Canto REF 150s. I think stereo set ups are moving towards balanced dacs with volume control direct to amps. Just my opinion, thanks for asking. I can't find anywhere were it specifies whether the Bel Canto Ref 150 is dual differential or quad differential. So it's hard to detect a meaning from that comparison, as a result I see two possibilities; If by "balanced" he means quad differential then there isn't a larger one (to add a smaller one to). If by "balanced" he means dual differential then the XPA-200 fits his requirements. Personal view, the XPA-n00 range suffers from being stuck in the middle (good title for a song), with higher cost than the UPA range and lower spec than the XPA-n range. But based on my experience with the XPA-100 that's unfortunate if it means that they get overlooked, because they are an outstanding power amp, regardless of price, that's just the icing on the cake. Cheers Gary
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Post by n9eryeah on Jun 25, 2014 23:40:12 GMT -5
I may be confused but I never thought of the xpa-100 or xpa-200 (I own both) as balanced. With Emotiva adding xlr connections to non balanced amps i feel it even confuses some knowledgable clients such as the 2 of you. I do prefer using the xlr anyways even if not balanced. With other manufacturers it's a bit easier to tell, from what I have seen xlr means balanced. Also by smaller I meant the size of the Emotiva mini-x 100. In my bedroom setup I am using a Moon Mind 180 to Nad M51 to mini-x. It would be nice if Emotiva had something small at the end of that chain that could take advantage of the balanced out of the Nad as space is limited that I want to allocate to a stereo in the bedroom.
Adam
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Post by AudioHTIT on Jun 26, 2014 0:02:45 GMT -5
I may be confused but I never thought of the xpa-100 or xpa-200 (I own both) as balanced. With Emotiva adding xlr connections to non balanced amps i feel it even confuses some knowledgable clients such as the 2 of you. I do prefer using the xlr anyways even if not balanced. With other manufacturers it's a bit easier to tell, from what I have seen xlr means balanced. Also by smaller I meant the size of the Emotiva mini-x 100. In my bedroom setup I am using a Moon Mind 180 to Nad M51 to mini-x. It would be nice if Emotiva had something small at the end of that chain that could take advantage of the balanced out of the Nad as space is limited that I want to allocate to a stereo in the bedroom. Adam I agree some of the terminology used is confusing, but it's not uncommon to have an unbalanced amp with XLR inputs (many besides Emo do it). After Gary C. mentioned it above I looked up the Bel Cantro and while I didn't read the whole sheet, I think he's right and that it only has balanced inputs and doesn't sound like a fully balanced (quad-differential) amp – but feel free to correct me if I'm wrong. Though I'm not sure I'd be so concerned about a balanced amp with short runs in a small space like a bedroom – but I also understand wanting it anyway.
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Post by repeetavx on Jun 26, 2014 0:07:12 GMT -5
I voted no, but.
I could see a niche for a quad-differential stereo amp. Especially for people like me who vertically bi-amp.
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