My new XPA-200 -- what a difference!

[andyadler]

For anyone who believes that amplifiers properly-operating, non clipping amplifier sounds as good as another -- well, I'm going to say that after almost three days with a new XPA-200 in my system, I'm firmly in the opposite camp.

Admitedly, this is a relatively modest setup: Emotiva DC-1 into a Hsu Research 500-watt external subwoofer amp, which in turn feeds a pair of Spica TC-50s through an 80hz high-pass filter, with everything below going to a Hsu TN1220 sub tower. Source is various Red Book and high resolution files played via JRiver going bit-perfect through the DC-1's USB input.

Now, my previous amplifiers were themselves nothing too grand: either a Conrad-Johnson MV50 tube amp, or an NAD 2100 solid state unit. Both are around 25-30 years old. The C-J delivers about 50 watts of power per channel: the 2100 similar as a base rating, but with a generous 6db of instantaneous dynamic headroom. The XPA-200 is rated at 150 watts a side, 240 watts into the nominal 4 ohm load the Spicas present.

What can I say about an amp that cost me all of around $360 (including my E-club discount)? That in terms of dynamic control, low-end security, etc, it is a clear improvement over both existing amps. I have the Spicas (connected via Kimber 4TC cable; interconnects are mid-level Straightwire), about 7.5 feet apart, facing straight ahead on 28-inch Chicago Speaker Stands "Hercules" stands, each with four steel pillars filled with lead shot. My listening position is equidistant, in a 12x25x7 attic room with no acoustical treatments as of yet.

Playing demanding material (Mahler's Sixth and Seventh Symphonies, Ravel's Piano Concerto for the Left Hand, Copland's Third Symphony), the Spicas are throwing out a very wide, reasonably deep soundstage, with a clarity and dynamic range that haven't experienced in recent memory. They sound much bigger than they in fact are, and sitting in the near/mid field, where acoustical anomalies of the room can be deemphasized, the effect is immensely satisfying. The "O Helga Natt" cut from the celebrated Proprius "Cantate Domino" choral/organ recording -- which I've long cherished in its vinyl version -- was wrap-around lush without any extraneous warmth. Glory to God indeed, or at least to the engineers.


All this from a $360 amp that is barely warm after these trials. I had been thinking that the DC-1 was the component value of the Emotiva line. I may have to mark the XPA-200 as its co-champion.

[garbulky]

Glad to hear that you like your amp. Honestly all of Emotiva's amp line has fantasxtic value for the money.
I own the UPA-2 (which is different from the current UPA-200). The UPA-2 is esentially the old version of the XPA-200. It used to be - and this is a little shocking - emotiva's lowest priced amp next to the mini-x (BPA-1). When I purchased it for I think it was $250 or $350, I was worried. I thought, man I hope the thing performs, it was bought purely due to budget needs!
But I was so very wrong. This amp is fantastic (and so is yours). I kept thinking what a nutty steal it was at the price!

When they discontinued it, I was sad. But luckily it came back as the XPA-200 and it had a few minor upgrades like XLR connectors and 80,0000 mf of capacitance. It was also priced where it was supposed to. Your amp actually has two separate amp blades in it - each from an X-series amp the XPA-5.
The XPA-200 has very good resolution and a nice laid back sound signature imo.
It's bigger brother the XPA-2 - the gen 1 can be found used at amazing prices - brings more coherence, bit more bass and a lot of speed - the biggest differentiator being the speed at which it takes to get loud and then soft. But the XPA-200 is no slouch! I still have my UPA-2 from many years back and loving it.

Happy listening

[Dark Ranger]

What a great review and an enjoyable read.

I concur. The XPA-200 is still one of my favorite Emotiva amplifiers. Some days I actually miss it. If I ever need another two-channel amp, I'm going right back to the XPA-200 with no hesitation.

[frenchyfranky]

Nice review, I enjoyed read it, thanks. Enjoy listening music with your new toy.

[andyadler]

Interesting observation about the XPA-200's "laid back" character. I tend to agree, though Emotiva has managed to preserve excellent detail within a total aural picture that is revealing without sounding aggressive. It's almost like getting a bit of classic tube sound without the drawbacks, at least in less costly or older tube designs like my MV50. The XPA-200 is an amplifier that I can see (hear?) myself listening to for extended periods without fatigue setting in.

A second-hand Gen. 1 XPA-2 is an intriguing notion. I'll keep a look out, though in my room with the speakers I'm likely to be using, the power envelope of the XPA-200 is more than sufficient. I'm constrained to a degree by my low (7-foot) ceilings and the narrow (12 feet) dimensions of my listening space -- one consequence of living in a 150-plus-year-old house. Indeed, I've been wondering if larger speakers would work at all well in this kind of space. I favor big dynamics in much of my music, lots of large-scale orchestral repertoire, and my aged Spicas aren't measnt for this kind of thing, though with a subwoofer and high-pass filter easing the strain on the woofers, they can play pretty loudly without apparent breakup. I also have budgetary constraints (two children will do that to you). I can stretch to about $1,500, which is why the KEF LS50s loom as first-rung contenders. Again, noy a "big" loudspeaker, but for my space probably a good match. I've heard so many positive reports abut them that I'm close to ordering a pair from Amazon for an audition.

Take care...A. 

[garbulky]

Sept 10, 2014 17:35:36 GMT -5 andyadler said:

Interesting observation about the XPA-200's "laid back" character. I tend to agree, though Emotiva has managed to preserve excellent detail within a total aural picture that is revealing without sounding aggressive. It's almost like getting a bit of classic tube sound without the drawbacks, at least in less costly or older tube designs like my MV50. The XPA-200 is an amplifier that I can see (hear?) myself listening to for extended periods without fatigue setting in.

A second-hand Gen. 1 XPA-2 is an intriguing notion. I'll keep a look out, though in my room with the speakers I'm likely to be using, the power envelope of the XPA-200 is more than sufficient. I'm constrained to a degree by my low (7-foot) ceilings and the narrow (12 feet) dimensions of my listening space -- one consequence of living in a 150-plus-year-old house. Indeed, I've been wondering if larger speakers would work at all well in this kind of space. I favor big dynamics in much of my music, lots of large-scale orchestral repertoire, and my aged Spicas aren't measnt for this kind of thing, though with a subwoofer and high-pass filter easing the strain on the woofers, they can play pretty loudly without apparent breakup. I also have budgetary constraints (two children will do that to you). I can stretch to about $1,500, which is why the KEF LS50s loom as first-rung contenders. Again, noy a "big" loudspeaker, but for my space probably a good match. I've heard so many positive reports abut them that I'm close to ordering a pair from Amazon for an audition.

Take care...A. 

Interesting that we have the same electronics.
In a small room, a second hand set of axiom audio m80 v3's (or v2's with the v3 components in them) can be had for about $700 locally. They can definitely dish out the dynamics and all the bass you would want. In larger rooms, a subwoofer is a must, so it probably won't do great standalone with the 25 foot room you have.

An XPA-2 has a more forward sound signature (just a bit). It's ability to be fast in dynamics however is obvious even at low volumes - which is usually what I listen at. So whenever an instrument plays all the little loud and soft variations in the individual notes - say of an acoustic guitar - are shown vs it being all loud with some dynamics thrown in.
Lonnie the cheif designer said the XPA-2 has a good slew rate which ables it to go from zero to a high current fast. And this reflects in its ability to do so even in soft sound. However, the XPA-2 does benefit from a dedicated pre-amp lkike an XSP-1 to control it. Otherwise things can sound just a little bit weak. Luckily the DC-1 is a better pre-amp than most of the other DAC's that Emotiva has put out. So you don't lose a much with it

You may find this interesting. The XPR-2 has a sound signature very similar to the XPA-200 - that laid back sound. When I first listened to the UPA-2 (XPA-200) I also thought, well this must be sort of what tubes may be.
P.S.: the XPA-200 is a friend of tube pre-amps and tube buffers too
P.S.S.: Guess what Emotiva's coming out with? It starts with tube and ends with pre-amp.

[andyadler]

In my room I am most concerned about the low, 7-foot ceilings). There are also a large number of windows and doors on one long wall (it was built around 1860 as the third floor of the slave quarter adjacent to the main house. At least one visitor of ours is convinced there is a ghost present...

Anyway, I have computer equipment in the rear portin if the room, with the audio equipment and a listening chair in the front half. I intend to treat the front short brick wall and the windowed long wall with ATS acoustical panels to tame some pesky reflections. CDs and LPs, most in storage, will go along dry walled sections on this wall. as I've said, I listen "critically" from a seat in the near to mid field. I've experimented with various degrees of speaker toe-inn, concluding that imaging precision on certain instruments and voices is best when the tweeters are aimed toward the ears, but still often prefer the speakers pointing straight ahead, which throws a wider soundstage and a general sensation of openness, particularly in orchestral repertoire.

I know you favor the Axioms, and have seen that the current version of the M80s are available from the factory outlet for about $1,500 (base configuration). The company's direct-sale auditon model is attractive, but I wonder if this is too much loudspeaker for my low-ceilinged space? Perhaps I'm misstating the room's potential drawbacks, but a smaller point-source stand monitor like the KEF LS50s "seems" a likely superior match, conceding the ultimate dynamic limitations of this model.

I see that the Focal 908 is being closed out for $1,000/pair ($3,000 new), and I'm tempted to try that. Then there are Emotiva's own Stealth 6s, which continue to tempt me to try out. But I hesitate to be "locked into" an active loudspeaker, as opposed to the traditional external amplifier with passive speaker setup. If I liked the Stealth 6s enough to keep them, I'd return the XPA-200. Simply keeping it and limiting myself to passive speakers allows lots of experimentation. Still, the positive notices from Emotiva owners make we want to go ahead and audition a pair. I've never owned active loudspeakers, always considering them less than "audiophile" quality and tailored specifically for a studio environment where near-field monitoring is the norm. Again, however, I may be operating under a false premise.

And no matter what happens, I feel I must sample the LS50s. Meanwhile, at the other end of the loudspeaker price spectrum, I just picked up a pair of Pioneer's Andrew Jones-designed "bookshelves" for use with my computer. Remarkable performance for $100/pair. The accolades are deserved.

Are your M80s currently in use? Maybe I should ring your doorbell sometime...  :-)

A.

[garbulky]

Yes they are in use. And you should come visit! Also Boomzilla on this forum who lives very close by has the latest version of the m80's the v4 - in a larger space. And has it coupled to some very nice electronics (XPA-5, Oppo 105, audio research tube pre-amp) He recently added a tube buffer that he is raving about.

I have the m80 v2 (which just so happens to have all the electronics and components of the v3 thanks to axioms generosity).
I found the ats acoustics panels made a large difference when placed behind the couch. But they do make a difference in other places too. But that's where I would start.

You would think that a smaller room will want smaller speakers etc. But....well, it's just not been my experience. It really depends on the speakers. I personally prefer towers though I have heard some nice bookshelves and airmotiv units. Despite your low ceilings I don't think your space is all that small.

I haven't heard the 6's but I have heard the airmotiv 4's. For the price they command it's a NO BRAINER with them. A very nice sound with almost a tube like coloration to them. The airmotiv tweeter - though slightly colored - is very fast and has quite a good bit of resolution. Of course there are limits due to price and speaker size but what a value! So I can only imagine what the 6's are. If you are thinking about them, I think they are very good deals. (If I could, I would go with the 8's though). If you are concerned about "colored" don't worry about that as that was the lowest model emo sold. The bigger models have different tweeters.

[garbulky]

Also the ERT 8's of Emotiva's go on sale pretty often around here and its quality is supposed to be as good or maybe slightly better than the axioms. They are sealed large tower units. Don't go quite as low but "enough". Emotiva is also set to launch a new speaker line with airmotion tweeters. So I am pretty excited about that.

[andyadler]

I'm not considering the Stealth 8s, which seem considerably less of a value than the 6s. Yes, they go a bit lower and louder, but as I already have a pretty good sub, this isn't critically relevant. The ERT 8.3s are long discontinued, right? They didn't appear to get much marketplace traction. 

What's the great appeal of these Axioms? Lots of drivers -- is the sound truly coherent?


Thanks...A. 

[garbulky]

Sept 11, 2014 0:14:27 GMT -5 andyadler said:

I'm not considering the Stealth 8s, which seem considerably less of a value than the 6s. Yes, they go a bit lower and louder, but as I already have a pretty good sub, this isn't critically relevant. The ERT 8.3s are long discontinued, right? They didn't appear to get much marketplace traction. 

What's the great appeal of these Axioms? Lots of drivers -- is the sound truly coherent?


Thanks...A. 

Well sound quality is subjective. They are picky in their placement. They sound pretty good but tweak the placement and set it up with gear that mates well with it and they sound quite nice. There are lot of speakers that can come close to it. But they have to be carefully picked. For instance, your towers may well be as good - who knows.

They are good at reproducing a lot of detail and soundstage placement to minute details. They can do depth. On acoustic material they are delicate. In the wrong space they can sound a little shouty/bright.
The best I've EVER heard them is with an oppo 105->XSP-1 (this made a BIG difference) -> XPR-2 coupled to a PSA XV15 subwoofer. And it was the best sound i've ever heard. Tons of dynamics and a huge amount of detail. It felt like there was a band right there in my living room. My setup doesn't quite do what it did in that room/setup.

In terms of coherence. I haven't experienced any problems with it. It looks like it should have coherence problems as there are so many drivers but not for me.
It's hard to describe it and I don't want to oversell it as I don't want you to come over and give me a look and say "really?!" haha. But rest assured, I like it! For instance they have nearly as much detail as Magnepan 1.7's though in certain sections the magnepan's did do things a little "faster". One thing I can tell you is that female voices and acoustic instruments sound good on them. In fact, my DC-1 review was titled " a love song to the female voice!"

[garbulky]

This may help: my friend tries speakers all the time. He enjoys all of them but they tend not to stay too long. He got the axiom m80 V4 afer hearing them at my place.

In his room he has tried spendor LS3/5a, Klipsch heresy, Klipsch Lascala's ($3500), Magnepan 1.6, Martin Logan Aerius ($2000) speakers, Definitive technology SM65, airmotiv 4, paradigm studio 20 (I think), Polk LSI7, Polk lsi 9 bookshelf etc I think he even had the KEF LS50
I can't speak for him but he appears to like his axiom m80 speakers quite a bit. Probably more than the previous offerings. He got them some time back and they haven't been switched out yet.
I always reccomend auditions. They have a 30 day trial on them. (And you can come take a listen at my place if you like).

[Boomzilla]

I'd agree with Garbulky point for point about the Axiom speakers. The Axioms (being front-radiating speakers) are easier to place than speakers like the Magneplanars and Martin-Logans that emit sound from both the front and back. Of course, this "virtue" isn't specific to the Axioms since the majority of speakers on the market are also front-radiating. Nevertheless, I liked the sound of Garbulky's speakers enough to buy myself a pair.

My room is larger than Gar's but the Axioms (particularly with a subwoofer) work great.

Cheers - Boomzilla

[edrummereasye]

Sept 10, 2014 16:29:56 GMT -5 garbulky said:

Glad to hear that you like your amp. Honestly all of Emotiva's amp line has fantasxtic value for the money.
I own the UPA-2 (which is different from the current UPA-200). The UPA-2 is esentially the old version of the XPA-200. It used to be - and this is a little shocking - emotiva's lowest priced amp next to the mini-x (BPA-1). When I purchased it for I think it was $250 or $350, I was worried. I thought, man I hope the thing performs, it was bought purely due to budget needs!
But I was so very wrong. This amp is fantastic (and so is yours). I kept thinking what a nutty steal it was at the price!

When they discontinued it, I was sad. But luckily it came back as the XPA-200 and it had a few minor upgrades like XLR connectors and 80,0000 mf of capacitance. It was also priced where it was supposed to. Your amp actually has two separate amp blades in it - each from an X-series amp the XPA-5.
The XPA-200 has very good resolution and a nice laid back sound signature imo.
It's bigger brother the XPA-2 - the gen 1 can be found used at amazing prices - brings more coherence, bit more bass and a lot of speed - the biggest differentiator being the speed at which it takes to get loud and then soft. But the XPA-200 is no slouch! I still have my UPA-2 from many years back and loving it.

Happy listening

Interesting stuff, Garbulky...I did not know that the XPA-200 was essentially two XPA-5 blades. Minor point though, I believe it's rated at 90,000uF capacitance?

To both of you...and everyone else...I, too recently grabbed an XPA-200, which for now is pulling front-speaker duty in my basement system. The XPA-200 came in shortly before my XMC-1 arrived, and a few items (XSP-1 replacing USP-1, XDA-1 being added, UMC-200 replacing UMC-1) trickled down to the basement system. I chose the XPA-200 because I thought it would be a good match for my UPA-5. Looking at the specs, it was a difference of 25 wpc, and 90k capacitance for two channels vs 90k capacitance for 5 channels. I figured,(ahem), "as long as it was operating properly and not clipping etc"., I wouldn't hear a difference. Nonetheless, since the specs were slightly better, it made sense to use it to drive my Norh's on the front L/R, and slide the SAE 2200 that had been driving the L/R rears back into "System 3".

I never did listen to a lot of music or watch _any_ tv during the brief time that the XPA-200 was the only change...I did, however, do a fair amount of guitar practice via Rocksmith on the 360, and subjectively speaking, wow! I noticed a difference immediately. Just seemed faster, a bit louder at the same spot on the dial (I would've expected the opposite, due to gain structure), crunchier, more defined...I never bothered with any A/Bs or DBTs or anything, it's all subjective, but I can tell you expectation bias wasn't a factor, my expectation was that the two would be indistinguishable. Very impressed with the XPA-200, and considering the Clearance/E-Club pricing...it's a crazy sweet deal!

[garbulky]

Sept 11, 2014 22:26:28 GMT -5 edrummereasye said:

Sept 10, 2014 16:29:56 GMT -5 garbulky said:

Glad to hear that you like your amp. Honestly all of Emotiva's amp line has fantasxtic value for the money.
I own the UPA-2 (which is different from the current UPA-200). The UPA-2 is esentially the old version of the XPA-200. It used to be - and this is a little shocking - emotiva's lowest priced amp next to the mini-x (BPA-1). When I purchased it for I think it was $250 or $350, I was worried. I thought, man I hope the thing performs, it was bought purely due to budget needs!
But I was so very wrong. This amp is fantastic (and so is yours). I kept thinking what a nutty steal it was at the price!

When they discontinued it, I was sad. But luckily it came back as the XPA-200 and it had a few minor upgrades like XLR connectors and 80,0000 mf of capacitance. It was also priced where it was supposed to. Your amp actually has two separate amp blades in it - each from an X-series amp the XPA-5.
The XPA-200 has very good resolution and a nice laid back sound signature imo.
It's bigger brother the XPA-2 - the gen 1 can be found used at amazing prices - brings more coherence, bit more bass and a lot of speed - the biggest differentiator being the speed at which it takes to get loud and then soft. But the XPA-200 is no slouch! I still have my UPA-2 from many years back and loving it.

Happy listening

Interesting stuff, Garbulky...I did not know that the XPA-200 was essentially two XPA-5 blades. Minor point though, I believe it's rated at 90,000uF capacitance?

To both of you...and everyone else...I, too recently grabbed an XPA-200, which for now is pulling front-speaker duty in my basement system. The XPA-200 came in shortly before my XMC-1 arrived, and a few items (XSP-1 replacing USP-1, XDA-1 being added, UMC-200 replacing UMC-1) trickled down to the basement system. I chose the XPA-200 because I thought it would be a good match for my UPA-5. Looking at the specs, it was a difference of 25 wpc, and 90k capacitance for two channels vs 90k capacitance for 5 channels. I figured,(ahem), "as long as it was operating properly and not clipping etc"., I wouldn't hear a difference. Nonetheless, since the specs were slightly better, it made sense to use it to drive my Norh's on the front L/R, and slide the SAE 2200 that had been driving the L/R rears back into "System 3".

I never did listen to a lot of music or watch _any_ tv during the brief time that the XPA-200 was the only change...I did, however, do a fair amount of guitar practice via Rocksmith on the 360, and subjectively speaking, wow! I noticed a difference immediately. Just seemed faster, a bit louder at the same spot on the dial (I would've expected the opposite, due to gain structure), crunchier, more defined...I never bothered with any A/Bs or DBTs or anything, it's all subjective, but I can tell you expectation bias wasn't a factor, my expectation was that the two would be indistinguishable. Very impressed with the XPA-200, and considering the Clearance/E-Club pricing...it's a crazy sweet deal!

That's interesting! I guess they did "upgade the XPA-200 slightly! It does have some differences. I think the main one being it is 29 db of gain. And also more capacitance. In the XPA-200 they took away the gain knob (volume) at the back as well as the daisy chain pre-amp passthroughs. Maybe it helped with the sound.

[Deleted]

Agree with the OP, the XPA 200 is a very musical amp indeed.
Just installed one a few hours ago Clean very smooth detailed amp
Low end tight, mids and upper end smooth nice soundstage.
CD: "Fleetwood Mac very best of" on CD Onkyo C7030 player in 2.1 set.
Man don't know how Big Dan and Lonnie keep doing this?
Anyone looking for a Nice smooth clean lots of headroom for a Very Good price
I highly recommend this amp....Just a note I have owned the XPA-5, XPA-2 and two UPA-1,s
Son has all of them now, so this isn't my first amp from EMO.

Mike               ( for some reason can't upload a Photo when I click on the "add attachment" nothing happens anyone else have this happen?)