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Post by thompson12 on Apr 22, 2015 21:51:02 GMT -5
I have the Pendargons with a XPA-5 and its way more then enough power. Im with the other guys on the room treatments. The dragons are bass heavy if you don't have a large room I think they will be to much boom without treatments. I have a 15'x16' room with a 6" opening on one side and windows on the opposite side and 10 panels. they took it from a heavy boom to a nice tight punch. the best punch I have ever had to date. Get treatments or make your own I did its not hard even if your only just a little handy. I was surprised they could Make such a difference.
Mitch
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Post by pop on Apr 22, 2015 21:55:10 GMT -5
Was the reason you got rid of the Pendragons sound related or not, if I may ask? Size. I miss them all the time. Best HT speakers I have ever heard. Actually had a few friends including my fiancée that prefer my stealths for music. I think they are either love them or don't for music. They have a fast and live quality to them. From my understanding the same general qualities are shared over Eric's whole line. If you loved the lores you are going to lose your mind with the Pendragons.
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Post by thompson12 on Apr 22, 2015 22:04:37 GMT -5
The Pendragons sound amazing. For two channel I listen in reference mode no subs no Dirac, I think they sound best on there own
Mitch
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Post by garbulky on Apr 22, 2015 22:18:40 GMT -5
Thank you guys! Garbulky - I have actually followed the other thread regarding the XSP-1 and the XDA-2 with interest and even called Emotiva to talk about it and was told that I would get a bit more tonal control (treble and bass), but it would not necessarily improve the sound, so I'm puzzled by all this. I do not have any analogue sources and do not plan on buying a turntable, so I do not know. :-( Ah well....that's easy to answer. They are wrong. Hehe. Sorry! Couldn't resist the humor. But think about it like this. I sure as heck wouldn't purchase a $1000 volume control to play about with tone controls. I never touch those things And it's on my to "dream of purchase" list after a very sucessful audition at my place. It's all that and a bag of chips. And it was auditioned mainly with an XDA-2. And that's all I can really speak for - my subjective experience with it.
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Post by bruinsguy on Apr 28, 2015 0:08:29 GMT -5
I drive Seas Pendragons with Xpa-1L's, and an XSP-1 and have always been extremely happy. These are extremly efficient speakers(95dB), meaning they will play loud without a lot of power. I am fairly certain that you would have to have very understanding neighbours if you think you will push these amps beyond the class A 35 watts with a pair of Pendragons. Enjoy!
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Post by mm on May 3, 2015 19:27:54 GMT -5
I want to thank all of you guys for your replies. Last week I made a decision to upgrade (I still could) my xpa-1L's to their bigger brother the xpa-1s. The new Pendragons arrived a couple days before the new amps, so I was able to enjoy the 1L's with the Pendragons for a little longer. The Lores were absolutely wonderful and I was afraid the difference in sound between the two models would not justify the price increase - well, the Pendragons are mind blowing!!! They are absolutely awesome! You guys were right, the 1L's were great with the Pendragons and I do not believe I needed more power for my listening levels, but what I noticed with the XPA-1's ( it could be in my head as I'm so happy with these monsters) is that the base seems to be tighter and nicer sounding. The clarity I'm hearing with this new combo is amazing. I also love "the light show" you get with the XPA-1s! I'm extremely, extremely, extremely happy!!!! I have also made space for the XSP-1, but I want to wait a bit longer and get familiar with the sound of the combination I have, so I can make an educated decision based on sound, not emotions when it comes to it. Is there always something else to get? Does it ever end? ? As a side note, when I first hooked up my new xpa-1s to the XDA-2 and ERC-3 and powered everything on, my heart almost stopped, from the right channel, I heard a buzz followed by a loud pop. Strangely enough, exactly the same thing happened when the original xpa-1L's first arrived and I had one amp replaced. I was certain the problem was the amp as I smelled something burning inside the amp. As it turns out, the culprit was the Monoprice RCA to RCA interconnect cable - it would work fine in some position, but not in other positions. I imagine there has to be a short within the cable - has anyone seen anything like this? Can you guys recommend great cables that do not cost an arm and a legg? Anyway, I'm ecstatic about my Emotiva gear and I'm sure ComEd will be happy as well.
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Post by brubacca on May 3, 2015 19:37:45 GMT -5
Just bite the bullit and get the Emotiva X-Series interconnects. In fact, take the opportunity to go balanced, because you can.
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Post by creimes on May 3, 2015 19:41:38 GMT -5
I want to thank all of you guys for your replies. Last week I made a decision to upgrade (I still could) my xpa-1L's to their bigger brother the xpa-1s. The new Pendragons arrived a couple days before the new amps, so I was able to enjoy the 1L's with the Pendragons for a little longer. The Lores were absolutely wonderful and I was afraid the difference in sound between the two models would not justify the price increase - well, the Pendragons are mind blowing!!! They are absolutely awesome! You guys were right, the 1L's were great with the Pendragons and I do not believe I needed more power for my listening levels, but what I noticed with the XPA-1's ( it could be in my head as I'm so happy with these monsters) is that the base seems to be tighter and nicer sounding. The clarity I'm hearing with this new combo is amazing. I also love "the light show" you get with the XPA-1s! I'm extremely, extremely, extremely happy!!!! I have also made space for the XSP-1, but I want to wait a bit longer and get familiar with the sound of the combination I have, so I can make an educated decision based on sound, not emotions when it comes to it. Is there always something else to get? Does it ever end? ? As a side note, when I first hooked up my new xpa-1s to the XDA-2 and ERC-3 and powered everything on, my heart almost stopped, from the right channel, I heard a buzz followed by a loud pop. Strangely enough, exactly the same thing happened when the original xpa-1L's first arrived and I had one amp replaced. I was certain the problem was the amp as I smelled something burning inside the amp. As it turns out, the culprit was the Monoprice RCA to RCA interconnect cable - it would work fine in some position, but not in other positions. I imagine there has to be a short within the cable - has anyone seen anything like this? Can you guys recommend great cables that do not cost an arm and a legg? Anyway, I'm ecstatic about my Emotiva gear and I'm sure ComEd will be happy as well. I use XLR cables from my local music store, nicely priced and I enjoy the connection and build of an XLR cable over RCA. Chad
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Post by mm on May 3, 2015 20:27:27 GMT -5
Is there a difference in sound between balanced and unbalanced connections? I should have asked this before, but if there is no difference in sound, I would rather stay with RCA's. The cabinet where everything sits is just deep enough to fit the amps, but to connect power, RCA and triggers I had to drill through its back, so for XLRs I would have to drill new holes. As is I had to really reinforce the cabinet, so it does not crumble under this huge weight of over 150lbs
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Post by teaman on May 3, 2015 21:07:58 GMT -5
Any time I have a balanced amp with XLR available I use it. They always seem a little more precise in their fitment that an RCA to me.
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Post by Gary Cook on May 3, 2015 21:37:14 GMT -5
The main objective of using balanced interconnect is to remove any induced interference over the cable run. Obviously in an electronically noisy environment and/or for longer cable runs there is more chance of balanced cables being of some benefit. Long runs are usually referred to as those being more than 5 metres. For short runs in an electronically quiet room there is nothing to be gained sound wise. Some people prefer the more secure locking of an XLR connections, while others prefer the easier removal of RCA connections. For example when someone trips over the cable or gives it a good pull an RCA will disconnect whereas a locking XLR will not, which may result in big crash as the hardware hits the floor.
Cheers Gary
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Post by mm on May 3, 2015 22:55:29 GMT -5
My cable needs to be 1 meter long, so length is not a concern and I do not believe noise should be an issue either. Any particular brands I should be looking at or avoiding?
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hemster
Global Moderator
Particle Manufacturer
...still listening... still watching
Posts: 51,920
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Post by hemster on May 3, 2015 23:13:21 GMT -5
Emotiva cables are well made, look great and complement the rest of the Emo gear nicely! Bluejeans cables are very good too and can be ordered to length (although this is not a concern for you). Cheaper cables from monoprice work well too but can vary in quality. I've had 2 bad cables over the years.
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Post by brubacca on May 4, 2015 7:07:43 GMT -5
Get the Emotiva X-RCA and be done with it. Not worth drilling anything out at your distance.
I have heard really good things about Audio Art Canles ( the budget ones), but do not own them.
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Post by mm on May 4, 2015 8:44:15 GMT -5
Thank you! I had no idea Emotiva sold RCA cables, unfortunately it looks like X-RCA comes in 0.5m only - I will call them, maybe other lengths are out of stock, otherwise I will go for the Blue Jeans or the Audio Art Canles
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Post by pedrocols on May 4, 2015 11:05:34 GMT -5
I want to thank all of you guys for your replies. Last week I made a decision to upgrade (I still could) my xpa-1L's to their bigger brother the xpa-1s. The new Pendragons arrived a couple days before the new amps, so I was able to enjoy the 1L's with the Pendragons for a little longer. The Lores were absolutely wonderful and I was afraid the difference in sound between the two models would not justify the price increase - well, the Pendragons are mind blowing!!! They are absolutely awesome! You guys were right, the 1L's were great with the Pendragons and I do not believe I needed more power for my listening levels, but what I noticed with the XPA-1's ( it could be in my head as I'm so happy with these monsters) is that the base seems to be tighter and nicer sounding. The clarity I'm hearing with this new combo is amazing. I also love "the light show" you get with the XPA-1s! I'm extremely, extremely, extremely happy!!!! I have also made space for the XSP-1, but I want to wait a bit longer and get familiar with the sound of the combination I have, so I can make an educated decision based on sound, not emotions when it comes to it. Is there always something else to get? Does it ever end? ? As a side note, when I first hooked up my new xpa-1s to the XDA-2 and ERC-3 and powered everything on, my heart almost stopped, from the right channel, I heard a buzz followed by a loud pop. Strangely enough, exactly the same thing happened when the original xpa-1L's first arrived and I had one amp replaced. I was certain the problem was the amp as I smelled something burning inside the amp. As it turns out, the culprit was the Monoprice RCA to RCA interconnect cable - it would work fine in some position, but not in other positions. I imagine there has to be a short within the cable - has anyone seen anything like this? Can you guys recommend great cables that do not cost an arm and a legg? Anyway, I'm ecstatic about my Emotiva gear and I'm sure ComEd will be happy as well. I hope you realise that the XPA-1s are going to be only 3db louder than the XPA-1Ls so yeah is all in your head. If you want it twice as loud you going to need ten times the powaaaa.....
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Post by creimes on May 4, 2015 11:19:09 GMT -5
If drilling new holes is required than yes it sounds like RCA cables will be fine, I can easily use either or and prefer the lock and fit of the XLR but I don't have any mods to make to do this either.
Chad
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Post by mm on May 4, 2015 19:23:30 GMT -5
I ordered XDRCAs from Emotiva as the XRCAs are only available in 0.5m. Hopefully they work just as well.
Hemster - thanks for suggesting Bluejeans! I noticed they have nice 10 gauge speaker cables and it can be ordered in custom lengths - I ordered these as well, these should be nicer then my current ( by the spool ) Monster XPs
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Post by mm on May 5, 2015 12:55:46 GMT -5
I want to thank all of you guys for your replies. Last week I made a decision to upgrade (I still could) my xpa-1L's to their bigger brother the xpa-1s. The new Pendragons arrived a couple days before the new amps, so I was able to enjoy the 1L's with the Pendragons for a little longer. The Lores were absolutely wonderful and I was afraid the difference in sound between the two models would not justify the price increase - well, the Pendragons are mind blowing!!! They are absolutely awesome! You guys were right, the 1L's were great with the Pendragons and I do not believe I needed more power for my listening levels, but what I noticed with the XPA-1's ( it could be in my head as I'm so happy with these monsters) is that the base seems to be tighter and nicer sounding. The clarity I'm hearing with this new combo is amazing. I also love "the light show" you get with the XPA-1s! I'm extremely, extremely, extremely happy!!!! I have also made space for the XSP-1, but I want to wait a bit longer and get familiar with the sound of the combination I have, so I can make an educated decision based on sound, not emotions when it comes to it. Is there always something else to get? Does it ever end? ? As a side note, when I first hooked up my new xpa-1s to the XDA-2 and ERC-3 and powered everything on, my heart almost stopped, from the right channel, I heard a buzz followed by a loud pop. Strangely enough, exactly the same thing happened when the original xpa-1L's first arrived and I had one amp replaced. I was certain the problem was the amp as I smelled something burning inside the amp. As it turns out, the culprit was the Monoprice RCA to RCA interconnect cable - it would work fine in some position, but not in other positions. I imagine there has to be a short within the cable - has anyone seen anything like this? Can you guys recommend great cables that do not cost an arm and a legg? Anyway, I'm ecstatic about my Emotiva gear and I'm sure ComEd will be happy as well. I hope you realise that the XPA-1s are going to be only 3db louder than the XPA-1Ls so yeah is all in your head. If you want it twice as loud you going to need ten times the powaaaa..... But my XPA-1 now goes to eleven! ? Sorry, I could not resist. Hopefully you have seen Spinal Tap
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Post by pedrocols on May 5, 2015 13:05:02 GMT -5
I hope you realise that the XPA-1s are going to be only 3db louder than the XPA-1Ls so yeah is all in your head. If you want it twice as loud you going to need ten times the powaaaa..... But my XPA-1 now goes to eleven! ? Sorry, I could not resist. Hopefully you have seen Spinal Tap Yes I have...
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