Post by sounder on May 6, 2009 21:25:52 GMT -5
For those who don't know my story, I'll give a brief rundown. I have an MMC / IPS combo with B&W 9NT speakers. I've been extremely happy with the setup! Both MMC and IPS are truly outstanding. But, this review isn't about them.
In a separate area, I have a two channel setup with a Projekt turntable. I've had several amps there, plus a couple old two channel receivers. All sounded good, but didn't have that something special I wanted out of the vinyl. I went on the hunt for a tube amp. I took my speakers (B&W CDM 7SE) to the local dealer and auditioned a bunch of Jolida tube amps. I wasn't that impressed. Then, I saw a demo Marantz Reference Integrated amp, the PM15S1. This one was a standout above the Jolidas, with my speakers, with vinyl. Even the dealer guy agreed, even though he prefers tubes. So I bought it, and have been pretty happy with it. But, it lacks a little something in the bass. Overall, the sound is wonderful, especially with vocals and with jazz. This is a pretty nice integrated amp.
Now, due to circumstances, I could use a little money, but didn't want to sacrifice quality. And, I wasn't really totally satisfied with the Marantz anyway. I thought I'd sell the Marantz and try to find a used RPA (yeah, right). I considered a used LPA to biamp. The XPA sale came and went. Then came the UPA2. The reviews I've read made me think this is a good amp, but maybe a little underpowered. Someone suggested that it would be good to use the UPA for the surround speakers, and use the IPS to power the two channels. But, I really prefer to keep the IPS powering all five channels (fronts are biamped) to keep the sound balanced.
A little luck seemed to be on my side. Last week (after trying for a month) I found a buyer for the Marantz (thanks to CraigsList). The very next day I see the popup on emotiva.com with the B Stock sale. Lo and behold, there is a UPA in the stack! A few days later, here comes the FedEx man with a heavy box. In the end, I think I improved the overall system, and I stuffed several hundies back in my pocket!
Well, it took a long time to work it all out and connect everything the way I wanted. I am using the MMC in a two zone configuration. I have a Jolida tube preamp, so don't use the MMC's phono stage. The second zone drives into the UPA, which runs the 7SEs. If anyone has any doubts about the ability of the MMC used this way, fageddaboudit. This thing sounds terrific! Zero noise, excellent stage, great two channel preamp.
So, first I put on a few CDs. James Taylor, Carole King. And, I see that it's true, the sound is a little flat, and there isn't much bass. Pretty similar to the Marantz. But, wait, let's try some other music. DVD-Audio of Clapton and BB King. Whoa! Now, we're talking! The speakers are opening up like never before! The highs are crisp and smooth. Mids sound incredible, like they are here in the room. And, the lack of bass? Well, let's just say I'll be saving my pennies for a new CD player. Clearly that was the weak link here. The bass is punchy, powerful, and fills the room perfectly. And, I have a big room, so if it were lacking, it would be obvious.
Then, on to the vinyl. Some jazz... Grover Washington... for the sax. It just sounds terrific! Then, some Supertramp Crime of the Century. Terrific as well! The bass is all there, the sound is full and nice. The staging is wonderful, great separation, deep soundstage. I will hold back from all the flowery audio words I read by everyone who does reviews here. But, let's just say that I'm extremely impressed with this setup. Compared to the Marantz (which is considered a reference unit, retail $2000), the emotiva sounds better. The mids and highs are easily equals, and I think the soundstage is a little better with the emo. But, the bass is no comparison. Hands down, the emo has more bass, more authority, more overall control of the bass. It's tight, clean, controlled. And, I thought part of the problem was that the CDM 7SEs were just not able to produce deep tight bass. Clearly I've been using the wrong amps all along. With this new amp, these speakers have really come to life! What's that they say? "Like a veil was lifted from my speakers." Whatever... it sounds great!
So, if you are still reading this long, boring story, and have wondered if you really have to jump up to the XPA to get the power you need, well... wonder no more. This little amp is the real deal! If you were thinking that it was designed only to be a surround speaker amp, forget that too. And, contrary to the AA review I read, it's got a lot more value than just to use as an amp to hook up to an underpowered receiver. Yes, it would be great for all those things. But, this amp has the finesse and the power to bring your music to life. Now, will it play loud enough to wake the neighbors a mile away? I don't know, I didn't push that hard. But, will it make you sit down and listen to your music all over again? I think so. In fact, I am going to go back out there and check out some more of that old vinyl.
I'm certainly not knocking the XPA amps. I'm sure they are outstanding as well. But, not everyone needs maximum power in all situations. I wouldn't trade my IPS for the UPA7 (or anything else for that matter), but that's a whole other story.
This amp would be a great buy at a much higher price. But, compared to the $2k Marantz, at $300 (or less if you are lucky enough to find a B Stock), it's just a no-brainer. What a bargain!
If you are on the fence... just get one. You won't be sorry.
In a separate area, I have a two channel setup with a Projekt turntable. I've had several amps there, plus a couple old two channel receivers. All sounded good, but didn't have that something special I wanted out of the vinyl. I went on the hunt for a tube amp. I took my speakers (B&W CDM 7SE) to the local dealer and auditioned a bunch of Jolida tube amps. I wasn't that impressed. Then, I saw a demo Marantz Reference Integrated amp, the PM15S1. This one was a standout above the Jolidas, with my speakers, with vinyl. Even the dealer guy agreed, even though he prefers tubes. So I bought it, and have been pretty happy with it. But, it lacks a little something in the bass. Overall, the sound is wonderful, especially with vocals and with jazz. This is a pretty nice integrated amp.
Now, due to circumstances, I could use a little money, but didn't want to sacrifice quality. And, I wasn't really totally satisfied with the Marantz anyway. I thought I'd sell the Marantz and try to find a used RPA (yeah, right). I considered a used LPA to biamp. The XPA sale came and went. Then came the UPA2. The reviews I've read made me think this is a good amp, but maybe a little underpowered. Someone suggested that it would be good to use the UPA for the surround speakers, and use the IPS to power the two channels. But, I really prefer to keep the IPS powering all five channels (fronts are biamped) to keep the sound balanced.
A little luck seemed to be on my side. Last week (after trying for a month) I found a buyer for the Marantz (thanks to CraigsList). The very next day I see the popup on emotiva.com with the B Stock sale. Lo and behold, there is a UPA in the stack! A few days later, here comes the FedEx man with a heavy box. In the end, I think I improved the overall system, and I stuffed several hundies back in my pocket!
Well, it took a long time to work it all out and connect everything the way I wanted. I am using the MMC in a two zone configuration. I have a Jolida tube preamp, so don't use the MMC's phono stage. The second zone drives into the UPA, which runs the 7SEs. If anyone has any doubts about the ability of the MMC used this way, fageddaboudit. This thing sounds terrific! Zero noise, excellent stage, great two channel preamp.
So, first I put on a few CDs. James Taylor, Carole King. And, I see that it's true, the sound is a little flat, and there isn't much bass. Pretty similar to the Marantz. But, wait, let's try some other music. DVD-Audio of Clapton and BB King. Whoa! Now, we're talking! The speakers are opening up like never before! The highs are crisp and smooth. Mids sound incredible, like they are here in the room. And, the lack of bass? Well, let's just say I'll be saving my pennies for a new CD player. Clearly that was the weak link here. The bass is punchy, powerful, and fills the room perfectly. And, I have a big room, so if it were lacking, it would be obvious.
Then, on to the vinyl. Some jazz... Grover Washington... for the sax. It just sounds terrific! Then, some Supertramp Crime of the Century. Terrific as well! The bass is all there, the sound is full and nice. The staging is wonderful, great separation, deep soundstage. I will hold back from all the flowery audio words I read by everyone who does reviews here. But, let's just say that I'm extremely impressed with this setup. Compared to the Marantz (which is considered a reference unit, retail $2000), the emotiva sounds better. The mids and highs are easily equals, and I think the soundstage is a little better with the emo. But, the bass is no comparison. Hands down, the emo has more bass, more authority, more overall control of the bass. It's tight, clean, controlled. And, I thought part of the problem was that the CDM 7SEs were just not able to produce deep tight bass. Clearly I've been using the wrong amps all along. With this new amp, these speakers have really come to life! What's that they say? "Like a veil was lifted from my speakers." Whatever... it sounds great!
So, if you are still reading this long, boring story, and have wondered if you really have to jump up to the XPA to get the power you need, well... wonder no more. This little amp is the real deal! If you were thinking that it was designed only to be a surround speaker amp, forget that too. And, contrary to the AA review I read, it's got a lot more value than just to use as an amp to hook up to an underpowered receiver. Yes, it would be great for all those things. But, this amp has the finesse and the power to bring your music to life. Now, will it play loud enough to wake the neighbors a mile away? I don't know, I didn't push that hard. But, will it make you sit down and listen to your music all over again? I think so. In fact, I am going to go back out there and check out some more of that old vinyl.
I'm certainly not knocking the XPA amps. I'm sure they are outstanding as well. But, not everyone needs maximum power in all situations. I wouldn't trade my IPS for the UPA7 (or anything else for that matter), but that's a whole other story.
This amp would be a great buy at a much higher price. But, compared to the $2k Marantz, at $300 (or less if you are lucky enough to find a B Stock), it's just a no-brainer. What a bargain!
If you are on the fence... just get one. You won't be sorry.
