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Post by seppo on Dec 24, 2014 10:23:14 GMT -5
Upside down allows for ALL OF THE GOODNESS to come out of the amps!!! I've heard that but never tried it. Perhaps I shall. Merry Christmas! Is that why Emo has so many fans in Australia?
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Post by thorcorps on Dec 24, 2014 12:36:56 GMT -5
So, i received my XPR-2 today, what a beast! I decided to go with the 2-channel instead of monoblocks for space issue, but i couldn't be happier. Just out of the box i heard what i was expecting to hear from my Dalis, since i got them, but i couldn't achieve with my Parasound A23 and/or XPA-2. At the end i was right, the Dalis needed a lot of clean power to shine. The difference from the XPR-2 compared to the XPA-2 at least for my ears and my speakers is big. The bells coming from "When i'm sixty four" from the Yellow Submarine remixed from the 2000's are right there, as they were lost in the background before with the XPA-2, plus the XPA-2 was less refined than the XPR-2 in all other songs. Well, i need to give it more time to find more differences but i will keep them posted Excellent news! If they made a smaller XPR (the height of the XPA-2) with less wattage, but the same sound quality, I'd get one instantly for my bedroom system. The XPR-1's in my main system simply sound fantastic every time I sit down to listen (running balanced off of a DC-1).
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Post by brutiarti on Dec 24, 2014 14:03:28 GMT -5
My friend, I've owned a few amps and to me they are worth every last penny, these were a burden to me to purchase and I've never owned the best of anything until now. That's how much these amps mean to me and in such high regard I hold them. Edit; they look so much better in person than any picture could ever do for them! Artwork is what comes to my mind, a true testament to Lonnie , Big Dan and the Emo team! View AttachmentI'd bet you'd like them even more if you didn't install them upside down.... It's weird, at least on my monitor your thumbnail is upside down, but when I click and get the larger version, it's correct. I put it upside down to get the last drop of juice, lol. I will update the pic very soon
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Post by solarrdadd on Dec 24, 2014 17:05:58 GMT -5
I've heard the XPA-1 L's and though they are fantastic, I'm not sure if that's necessary the route I would go. The XPR-2 adds a slight bit of laid back feel to the sound. If you ever heard an XPA-200 or a UPA-2 or 1 then that's the sound signature it has - just a bit better. It's a bit warmer in the mid-range and has a slightly laid back treble. It has a 3d like sound to it and a certain ease of power behind it. Basically instruments have a bit better of a 3 dimensional body to it. Now I won't lie, the best sound I have ever heard is this: an oppo 105 connected to an XSP-1 to an XPR-2 to an axiom m80 V4 with a PSA XV15 subwoofer. I've also heard it with the XPA-1 L's subsitituted and have also heard the XPA-2 connected to axiom m80's before. Now there is a sound signature difference between the XPR-2 and the XPA-2, but it's not necessarily going to be the kind of large difference you are likely looking for/expecting to. Neither is the XPA-1 L and the XPR-2 that huge of a difference. How I would classify it is as two different flavors. But not as a winner and loser. Sort of asking do you like strawberry or vanilla. Now..... in terms of electronics what makes a difference: Your DAC! Absolutely. The ERC-2 can be bettered. Just so you know. If there was a bottleneck it would be the ERC-2. But you dont have to get rid of it. You can use it as a capable transport to a nice DAC. Of the DAC's I've tried (note there has been a bit of controversy in my impressions that members have commented on. But nevertheless these are my honest impressions: The Oppo 105 has produced the best sound I have heard - but ONLY when coupled to a capable pre-amp and not direct to a large power amp. It has a whole lot of capability in producing an open very dynamic sound. I couldn't identify any fault to this fantastic unit other than it needed an XSP-1 to wake up. The DC-1 sounds really good - in my system. It had a significantly less impressive showing in large room. Though I haven't tried a third room, I would recommend it but not for systems that are in large rooms. It's strength is a 3d like body to instruments and a nice left to right soundstage. However it's not as open and airy sounding as the oppo 105 having a slight veil to treble freqencies (though it has nice clarity to it). I think either of these units will be an upgrade to the ERC-2. The ERC-2 has similar internals to the XDA-1. Which though used to be a nice dac (I have one) is now supplaneted by the dacs I mentioned. These dacs have more presence, better soundstage integration and less treble glare. Pre-amp: A pre-amp can make clarity feel just a bit "squashed sounding/compressed". For instance a USP-1 to an XPA-2 sounded very dynamic, but it had a slight electronic-ish feel to it. Something about the tone was off, and the mid range seemed "agressive" or squashed together. It still felt clear but it just felt that it was just not as relaxed as it should have been. It's possible that your parasound p5 may be affecting the tone of your system in this way. The XSP-1 has really good balance between treble, midrange and bass. It has a slight laid back nature in the treble but only slightly. It expands the soundstage compared to dac direct to amp (which is a good thing) and has a very nice solid feel to the sound with all kinds of details. It was part of a system that easily took the best sound I have heard award and it was an integral part of providing it. I guess what I'm saying is that if you want to experiment: try out an oppo 105 and an XSP-1 on a 30 day trial to see if that would help any. BUT..... Having said that. That's usually not the issues that will fix things as much as these. 1. Room treatment. If you haven't done this already, you owe it to yourself. Throwing money at better stuff will not cause reflections to go away. They will hang around muddying up the brilliant sound of your gear like a leech. A leech of enjoyment! Even ONE acoustic panel placed behind your couch can help. It sure helped my room! (More is better). You don't have to be an expert! Just sticking it where you can helps! I promise! Different colors, comes as paintings if you want to spend the money etc. www.atsacoustics.com/item--ATS-Acoustic-Panel-24-x-48-x-2--1001.htmlNot even joking here. Get you some panels! Also....got wood floors? GET CARPET. Area rugs. Whatever! Cover it up however you are able to. Got large glass windows? Heavy drapes. And last of all - speaker positioning. AND couch positioning. A couch right against the rear wall will result in lackluster flat sound. Speakers pushed all the way back to the wall or obstructed by side couches coffee tables will also have muddied up sound. Toe in probably makes a bigger difference than anything I've mentioned. So let me mention that again. Experiment a LOT with toe in! Experiment with spreading your speakers farther apart. (Toe in goes hand to hand with spreading them far apart). Etc. The non-electronic stuff is MUCH cheaper to implement and also MUCH more effective even though it sounds boring and unlikely to succeed. Also....want a bit more depth. Invest in a nice subwoofer if you don't already have it. Solid bass extension (with authority) even at low volumes produces a better feeling of clarity, depth and leaves things feeling not as scratchy sounding. I've heard the PSA XV15 and it's pretty insane. there's probably other subs as good as it from SVS subwoofers. But the XV15 sounded fantastic. garbulky, would you mind elaborating on the highlighted portion. the pre-amp would be the middleman and based on that configuration and what you said about the sound. it's the pre-amp that has changed what you are hearing, which is i gather why you said it sounds better with a pre-amp and not direct to a power amp. i ask because i have a 105 and it's connected directly to an emotiva UPA-200 power amp and it sounds great. i would think, if i put a pre-amp between them, and then said that the with the pre-amp in place that it sounds better that the pre-amp must be doing something to the audio for that to be the case over the direct to the amp line up.
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Post by uthiker on Dec 24, 2014 17:25:23 GMT -5
I have the 105 & tried it straight into the XPA-1L's before I got the XSP-1. I found without the preamp my subwoofer was lacking. My sub is the weak link in my setup but sounds sounds sooo much better with the XSP in the chain.There will be new sub in my future!
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Post by garbulky on Dec 25, 2014 11:38:34 GMT -5
I've heard the XPA-1 L's and though they are fantastic, I'm not sure if that's necessary the route I would go. The XPR-2 adds a slight bit of laid back feel to the sound. If you ever heard an XPA-200 or a UPA-2 or 1 then that's the sound signature it has - just a bit better. It's a bit warmer in the mid-range and has a slightly laid back treble. It has a 3d like sound to it and a certain ease of power behind it. Basically instruments have a bit better of a 3 dimensional body to it. Now I won't lie, the best sound I have ever heard is this: an oppo 105 connected to an XSP-1 to an XPR-2 to an axiom m80 V4 with a PSA XV15 subwoofer. I've also heard it with the XPA-1 L's subsitituted and have also heard the XPA-2 connected to axiom m80's before. Now there is a sound signature difference between the XPR-2 and the XPA-2, but it's not necessarily going to be the kind of large difference you are likely looking for/expecting to. Neither is the XPA-1 L and the XPR-2 that huge of a difference. How I would classify it is as two different flavors. But not as a winner and loser. Sort of asking do you like strawberry or vanilla. Now..... in terms of electronics what makes a difference: Your DAC! Absolutely. The ERC-2 can be bettered. Just so you know. If there was a bottleneck it would be the ERC-2. But you dont have to get rid of it. You can use it as a capable transport to a nice DAC. Of the DAC's I've tried (note there has been a bit of controversy in my impressions that members have commented on. But nevertheless these are my honest impressions: The Oppo 105 has produced the best sound I have heard - but ONLY when coupled to a capable pre-amp and not direct to a large power amp. It has a whole lot of capability in producing an open very dynamic sound. I couldn't identify any fault to this fantastic unit other than it needed an XSP-1 to wake up. The DC-1 sounds really good - in my system. It had a significantly less impressive showing in large room. Though I haven't tried a third room, I would recommend it but not for systems that are in large rooms. It's strength is a 3d like body to instruments and a nice left to right soundstage. However it's not as open and airy sounding as the oppo 105 having a slight veil to treble freqencies (though it has nice clarity to it). I think either of these units will be an upgrade to the ERC-2. The ERC-2 has similar internals to the XDA-1. Which though used to be a nice dac (I have one) is now supplaneted by the dacs I mentioned. These dacs have more presence, better soundstage integration and less treble glare. Pre-amp: A pre-amp can make clarity feel just a bit "squashed sounding/compressed". For instance a USP-1 to an XPA-2 sounded very dynamic, but it had a slight electronic-ish feel to it. Something about the tone was off, and the mid range seemed "agressive" or squashed together. It still felt clear but it just felt that it was just not as relaxed as it should have been. It's possible that your parasound p5 may be affecting the tone of your system in this way. The XSP-1 has really good balance between treble, midrange and bass. It has a slight laid back nature in the treble but only slightly. It expands the soundstage compared to dac direct to amp (which is a good thing) and has a very nice solid feel to the sound with all kinds of details. It was part of a system that easily took the best sound I have heard award and it was an integral part of providing it. I guess what I'm saying is that if you want to experiment: try out an oppo 105 and an XSP-1 on a 30 day trial to see if that would help any. BUT..... Having said that. That's usually not the issues that will fix things as much as these. 1. Room treatment. If you haven't done this already, you owe it to yourself. Throwing money at better stuff will not cause reflections to go away. They will hang around muddying up the brilliant sound of your gear like a leech. A leech of enjoyment! Even ONE acoustic panel placed behind your couch can help. It sure helped my room! (More is better). You don't have to be an expert! Just sticking it where you can helps! I promise! Different colors, comes as paintings if you want to spend the money etc. www.atsacoustics.com/item--ATS-Acoustic-Panel-24-x-48-x-2--1001.htmlNot even joking here. Get you some panels! Also....got wood floors? GET CARPET. Area rugs. Whatever! Cover it up however you are able to. Got large glass windows? Heavy drapes. And last of all - speaker positioning. AND couch positioning. A couch right against the rear wall will result in lackluster flat sound. Speakers pushed all the way back to the wall or obstructed by side couches coffee tables will also have muddied up sound. Toe in probably makes a bigger difference than anything I've mentioned. So let me mention that again. Experiment a LOT with toe in! Experiment with spreading your speakers farther apart. (Toe in goes hand to hand with spreading them far apart). Etc. The non-electronic stuff is MUCH cheaper to implement and also MUCH more effective even though it sounds boring and unlikely to succeed. Also....want a bit more depth. Invest in a nice subwoofer if you don't already have it. Solid bass extension (with authority) even at low volumes produces a better feeling of clarity, depth and leaves things feeling not as scratchy sounding. I've heard the PSA XV15 and it's pretty insane. there's probably other subs as good as it from SVS subwoofers. But the XV15 sounded fantastic. garbulky, would you mind elaborating on the highlighted portion. the pre-amp would be the middleman and based on that configuration and what you said about the sound. it's the pre-amp that has changed what you are hearing, which is i gather why you said it sounds better with a pre-amp and not direct to a power amp. i ask because i have a 105 and it's connected directly to an emotiva UPA-200 power amp and it sounds great. i would think, if i put a pre-amp between them, and then said that the with the pre-amp in place that it sounds better that the pre-amp must be doing something to the audio for that to be the case over the direct to the amp line up. Yes, but not necessarily that the pre-amp is "Coloring" the sound - though I'm sure that any electronics in the path contribute to a color. It could be that there is something in the pre-amp that provides a more uh...robust signal path. Now this is not based on anything that I actually know to be true. But here's my guess: Different devices have different impedance output. Maybe a power amp requires different requirements from a source unit than soemthing else. I imagine they designed th4e oppo to run into an AVR which may have different settings. Either way, from my experience the Oppo 105 experiences an improvement with an XSP-1 in the mix. One that is actually pretty worth the price of admission - which granted is quite high. And I've foun d that true of the XDA-1, and especially the XDA-2. Now you have a UPA-200 so there is a price factor to consider. I've tried it on an old UPA-2 and experienced a very nice improvement. Hooking it up to a larger XPA-1 L (and also an XPR-2) provided some very nice enjoyment.
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Post by solarrdadd on Dec 25, 2014 15:20:05 GMT -5
garbulky, would you mind elaborating on the highlighted portion. the pre-amp would be the middleman and based on that configuration and what you said about the sound. it's the pre-amp that has changed what you are hearing, which is i gather why you said it sounds better with a pre-amp and not direct to a power amp. i ask because i have a 105 and it's connected directly to an emotiva UPA-200 power amp and it sounds great. i would think, if i put a pre-amp between them, and then said that the with the pre-amp in place that it sounds better that the pre-amp must be doing something to the audio for that to be the case over the direct to the amp line up. Yes, but not necessarily that the pre-amp is "Coloring" the sound - though I'm sure that any electronics in the path contribute to a color. It could be that there is something in the pre-amp that provides a more uh...robust signal path. Now this is not based on anything that I actually know to be true. But here's my guess: Different devices have different impedance output. Maybe a power amp requires different requirements from a source unit than soemthing else. I imagine they designed th4e oppo to run into an AVR which may have different settings. Either way, from my experience the Oppo 105 experiences an improvement with an XSP-1 in the mix. One that is actually pretty worth the price of admission - which granted is quite high. And I've foun d that true of the XDA-1, and especially the XDA-2. Now you have a UPA-200 so there is a price factor to consider. I've tried it on an old UPA-2 and experienced a very nice improvement. Hooking it up to a larger XPA-1 L (and also an XPR-2) provided some very nice enjoyment. bulky, the 105 is a pre-amp by design. it has HDMI inputs, digital coax & optical inputs, a USB DAC input, and analog volume control. i have mine connected directly to the dedicated 2 channel DAC's output. the 105 puts out 2.1vrms RCA & 4.2rms XLR, it can drive any amp directly to it's limits. i don't need a sub, my SDA-2 can go down below 30hz easily which is plenty for music and most movies. i have nothing but pure silver conductor between my 105 & the UPA-200 it can't get more cleaner than that. no electronics, no extended signal path between the output stage and the amp. i'm getting nothing but pure signal, no crossover, no nothing, i'm getting everything from those 2 channels. i respect what you say, and the bottom line is, if you enjoy having your pre-amp between the source & amp, then that is what is right for you.
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Post by seppo on Dec 25, 2014 15:21:19 GMT -5
So, i received my XPR-2 today, what a beast! I decided to go with the 2-channel instead of monoblocks for space issue, but i couldn't be happier. Just out of the box i heard what i was expecting to hear from my Dalis, since i got them, but i couldn't achieve with my Parasound A23 and/or XPA-2. At the end i was right, the Dalis needed a lot of clean power to shine. The difference from the XPR-2 compared to the XPA-2 at least for my ears and my speakers is big. The bells coming from "When i'm sixty four" from the Yellow Submarine remixed from the 2000's are right there, as they were lost in the background before with the XPA-2, plus the XPA-2 was less refined than the XPR-2 in all other songs. Well, i need to give it more time to find more differences but i will keep them posted Excellent news! If they made a smaller XPR (the height of the XPA-2) with less wattage, but the same sound quality, I'd get one instantly for my bedroom system. The XPR-1's in my main system simply sound fantastic every time I sit down to listen (running balanced off of a DC-1). My understanding is that that amp already exists and is called SA-250 (clean 400 wpc at 4 Ohm). Less power than on the XPR line, but aiming for even better sound quality via design and components. Lonnie? says in the latest podcast that it is their best amp at the moment: "nothing they have in production at the moment can touch it". Implying that SA-250 would be even better than (the more expensive) XPR line, go figure???. It was designed to be the flagship amp for their new high-end studio amp line. I have SA-250 driving low impedance high-end vintage Infinity RS-IIs, and the combo sounds fantastic, The bass is very tight and solid, and the mids and highs form very spatial 3D soundscape (RS-IIs have full dipole mids and highs so 3D imaging was already very good with my previous Onkyo A-9070, and SA-250 seems to work very well too). Moreover, there is no lack of power whatsoever driving these current hungry speakers. I have not had a chance to compare SA-250 to any other Emo gear though.
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Post by garbulky on Dec 25, 2014 15:45:08 GMT -5
Yes, but not necessarily that the pre-amp is "Coloring" the sound - though I'm sure that any electronics in the path contribute to a color. It could be that there is something in the pre-amp that provides a more uh...robust signal path. Now this is not based on anything that I actually know to be true. But here's my guess: Different devices have different impedance output. Maybe a power amp requires different requirements from a source unit than soemthing else. I imagine they designed th4e oppo to run into an AVR which may have different settings. Either way, from my experience the Oppo 105 experiences an improvement with an XSP-1 in the mix. One that is actually pretty worth the price of admission - which granted is quite high. And I've foun d that true of the XDA-1, and especially the XDA-2. Now you have a UPA-200 so there is a price factor to consider. I've tried it on an old UPA-2 and experienced a very nice improvement. Hooking it up to a larger XPA-1 L (and also an XPR-2) provided some very nice enjoyment. bulky, the 105 is a pre-amp by design. it has HDMI inputs, digital coax & optical inputs, a USB DAC input, and analog volume control. i have mine connected directly to the dedicated 2 channel DAC's output. the 105 puts out 2.1vrms RCA & 4.2rms XLR, it can drive any amp directly to it's limits. i don't need a sub, my SDA-2 can go down below 30hz easily which is plenty for music and most movies. i have nothing but pure silver conductor between my 105 & the UPA-200 it can't get more cleaner than that. no electronics, no extended signal path between the output stage and the amp. i'm getting nothing but pure signal, no crossover, no nothing, i'm getting everything from those 2 channels. i respect what you say, and the bottom line is, if you enjoy having your pre-amp between the source & amp, then that is what is right for you. It may not be the voltage but the impedance output. Oppo reccomends a 47 k ohm input impedance. And outputs at 100 ohms. Heck it may be something else. I don't know. Anyway, one would imagine the shorter and more direct signal path is the obvious choice - ESPECIALLY if the oppo can pretty much max out the volume on the amp. Why add more circuitry to the mix right? But (in my observation) that's not necessarily the case. I'm not the only one, the reviewer at part time audiophile and at least one other magazine constantly mentions that. There are also products called Linestages that are designed specifically to adress this "issue". I heartily reccomend trying it out and seeing if you notice a difference. Also at b'zilla's house, the same thing is noted. I recommend giving it a try if you ever get the chance. The oppo + XSP-1 combination produced the best sound I have ever heard so far. And I am very picky about my sound! The oppo by itself to the power amp didn't do it.
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Post by thorcorps on Dec 27, 2014 17:44:46 GMT -5
Excellent news! If they made a smaller XPR (the height of the XPA-2) with less wattage, but the same sound quality, I'd get one instantly for my bedroom system. The XPR-1's in my main system simply sound fantastic every time I sit down to listen (running balanced off of a DC-1). My understanding is that that amp already exists and is called SA-250 (clean 400 wpc at 4 Ohm). Less power than on the XPR line, but aiming for even better sound quality via design and components. Lonnie? says in the latest podcast that it is their best amp at the moment: "nothing they have in production at the moment can touch it". Implying that SA-250 would be even better than (the more expensive) XPR line, go figure???. It was designed to be the flagship amp for their new high-end studio amp line. I have SA-250 driving low impedance high-end vintage Infinity RS-IIs, and the combo sounds fantastic, The bass is very tight and solid, and the mids and highs form very spatial 3D soundscape (RS-IIs have full dipole mids and highs so 3D imaging was already very good with my previous Onkyo A-9070, and SA-250 seems to work very well too). Moreover, there is no lack of power whatsoever driving these current hungry speakers. I have not had a chance to compare SA-250 to any other Emo gear though. While I'll probably go ahead and order one, and have thought about doing so several times over the past few weeks (have to work out timing so that I can work from home that day in order to sign for it), I'm not sure that it will have the same relaxed, yet clean, dynamic sound that I get from the XPR-1's. I know Lonnie said that nothing they currently build can touch it, referring to how it measures (as he mentioned THD, SNR, etc.). Also, Big Dan mentioned that it was a completely different "mechanical package", and I'm not sure what that means, although as many folks have mentioned it appears to have been loosely based on the Sherbourn PA-250. With all that said, it may be a great amp, but I'm not sure that it will sound like a baby XPR, thus my not pulling the trigger yet. If only the crystal ball showed what Lonnie and Dan were getting up to next........
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Post by Gary Cook on Dec 27, 2014 19:03:08 GMT -5
I think we need to debunk the "nothing between the Oppo and the power amp" "no electronics", "direct path" etc myths. If we have our Oppo connected via analogue directly to the power amp/s then we are using the pre amp and volume controls inbuilt in the Oppo. There is still a pre amp and a volume control in the circuit. So the question is is the Oppo pre amp and volume control better than an Emotiva pre amp and volume control? Nothing to do with less electronics or direct paths.
My view is the Emotiva pre amps and volume controls are better than the Oppo pre amps, for me my ears my speakers my room it is more dynamic, punchy, responsive, has more presence and sound stage depth.
Happy New Year Gary
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Post by moko on Dec 27, 2014 23:54:06 GMT -5
bulky, the 105 is a pre-amp by design. it has HDMI inputs, digital coax & optical inputs, a USB DAC input, and analog volume control. i have mine connected directly to the dedicated 2 channel DAC's output. the 105 puts out 2.1vrms RCA & 4.2rms XLR, it can drive any amp directly to it's limits. i don't need a sub, my SDA-2 can go down below 30hz easily which is plenty for music and most movies. i have nothing but pure silver conductor between my 105 & the UPA-200 it can't get more cleaner than that. no electronics, no extended signal path between the output stage and the amp. i'm getting nothing but pure signal, no crossover, no nothing, i'm getting everything from those 2 channels. i respect what you say, and the bottom line is, if you enjoy having your pre-amp between the source & amp, then that is what is right for you. It may not be the voltage but the impedance output. Oppo reccomends a 47 k ohm input impedance. And outputs at 100 ohms. Heck it may be something else. I don't know. Anyway, one would imagine the shorter and more direct signal path is the obvious choice - ESPECIALLY if the oppo can pretty much max out the volume on the amp. Why add more circuitry to the mix right? But (in my observation) that's not necessarily the case. I'm not the only one, the reviewer at part time audiophile and at least one other magazine constantly mentions that. There are also products called Linestages that are designed specifically to adress this "issue". I heartily reccomend trying it out and seeing if you notice a difference. Also at b'zilla's house, the same thing is noted. I recommend giving it a try if you ever get the chance. The oppo + XSP-1 combination produced the best sound I have ever heard so far. And I am very picky about my sound! The oppo by itself to the power amp didn't do it. yup, the ideal is low output impedance from source and high input impedance on destination. this will make it easy to drive and the result is a more dynamic presentation. also, on the input of every amp usually there's capasitor to block DC. the bigger the cap, more harder to drive. amps with DC servo to block DC voltage (no coupling cap) usually only have few nano farad of capacitance so they are more easy to drive. like Gary Cook said, i also believe that there's no such things as no pre amp. dac analog outputs, pre-outs from receivers and all analog outputs from electronics have adding gain to audio signals, hence called pre amps.
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Post by brutiarti on Dec 28, 2014 12:11:50 GMT -5
The XPR-2 was the way to go for my power hungry Dalis. Currently waiting for gaungnir DAC to check for any improvements in the instrument separation section, if it is not worth the $750 improvement I'm ok paying the 5% restocking for the test. Impressions for the complete system are coming.... I had to give the XPR more room for ventilation as it gets hot,hot,hot. If I move and get a bigger room I will move to floorstanders and definitely I will go with XPR-1 monoblocks and never look back... Attachments:
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Post by brutiarti on Dec 28, 2014 12:16:22 GMT -5
Also, I noticed some issues with the sound specially on the bass areas but I know for sure that's is the room acoustics. So after the DAC test, my 2ch system will be done and the improvements will go on room treatment only, always looking for the audio nirvana....
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Post by brutiarti on Dec 28, 2014 12:22:01 GMT -5
Here is a pic to have a better idea of the room layout Attachments:
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Post by Gary Cook on Dec 28, 2014 14:32:05 GMT -5
Ouch, acoustically not so good. Before you do any more electronics upgrades I'd strongly suggest fixing the room acoustics.
Happy New Year Gary
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Post by solarrdadd on Dec 28, 2014 17:43:56 GMT -5
I think we need to debunk the "nothing between the Oppo and the power amp" "no electronics", "direct path" etc myths. If we have our Oppo connected via analogue directly to the power amp/s then we are using the pre amp and volume controls inbuilt in the Oppo. There is still a pre amp and a volume control in the circuit. So the question is is the Oppo pre amp and volume control better than an Emotiva pre amp and volume control? Nothing to do with less electronics or direct paths. My view is the Emotiva pre amps and volume controls are better than the Oppo pre amps, for me my ears my speakers my room it is more dynamic, punchy, responsive, has more presence and sound stage depth. Happy New Year Gary and gary, that's your view and i respect that. it is up to the individuals taste, i'm not here to try to say oppo is better than emotiva, i'm not here to push oppo or emotiva. i have only said as the bottom line everyone has to enjoy what's best for them sound wise. it's not impossible for someone to like a pre-amp other than emotiva. the only truth is there is no such thing as the best as far as anything goes, it's what the individual likes the best; to them, that becomes the best. there is nothing to "debunk" and no "myths either. as in our post, at some point we have both said "our ears" as in i don't hear what you hear and you don't hear what i hear. emotiva doesn't provide a better bath or control over oppo, what it does provide is a sound signature that you prefer over the oppo. i don't think oppo is better as emotiva, i just prefer the sound of the oppo as a preamp.
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Post by Gary Cook on Dec 29, 2014 14:25:05 GMT -5
I think we need to debunk the "nothing between the Oppo and the power amp" "no electronics", "direct path" etc myths. If we have our Oppo connected via analogue directly to the power amp/s then we are using the pre amp and volume controls inbuilt in the Oppo. There is still a pre amp and a volume control in the circuit. So the question is is the Oppo pre amp and volume control better than an Emotiva pre amp and volume control? Nothing to do with less electronics or direct paths. My view is the Emotiva pre amps and volume controls are better than the Oppo pre amps, for me my ears my speakers my room it is more dynamic, punchy, responsive, has more presence and sound stage depth. and gary, that's your view and i respect that. it is up to the individuals taste, i'm not here to try to say oppo is better than emotiva, i'm not here to push oppo or emotiva. i have only said as the bottom line everyone has to enjoy what's best for them sound wise. it's not impossible for someone to like a pre-amp other than emotiva. the only truth is there is no such thing as the best as far as anything goes, it's what the individual likes the best; to them, that becomes the best. there is nothing to "debunk" and no "myths either. as in our post, at some point we have both said "our ears" as in i don't hear what you hear and you don't hear what i hear. emotiva doesn't provide a better bath or control over oppo, what it does provide is a sound signature that you prefer over the oppo. i don't think oppo is better as emotiva, i just prefer the sound of the oppo as a preamp. The last sentence was my exact point, you "prefer the sound of the Oppo as a pre amp". Which I have absolutely no issue with, everyone's ears are different, we have different tastes and preferences. What I do have issue with is the claim made by many that by connecting the Oppo to a power amplifier we are somehow eliminating the need for a pre amp, having a direct path, minimising the electronics, less interfering with the sound etc etc. In your case you prefer the sound when using the Oppo as a pre amp, wheras in my case I prefer the sound of an Emotiva pre amp. There's no right or wrong, personal preference is exactly that, personal. It's the false claims that I object to. Happy New Year Gary
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Post by drtrey3 on Dec 29, 2014 21:39:14 GMT -5
First, those speakers look great! And that is quite a system you have assembled! Congratulations!
Have you tried moving the speakers out more from the front wall? I have not heard those speakers, just read about them, but they may want a bit of room to breathe.
Trey
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