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Post by whitwye on Apr 21, 2018 13:44:36 GMT -5
Just got an A-300 after 4 weeks of pre-order. Using it for the fronts with an Onkyo TX NR828, which are Fluance XL5Fs (a now-discontinued model on the lower end of their line). The Onkyo on the whole I've been happy with, and it handles the Polks I use for center and surrounds fine, but the Fluances always betrayed high-frequency distortion at moderately high volume, of the sort that causes detail to be lost and the ears to ring after a while. So I wasn't really sure if the right cure would be in the amplification, or maybe spendier speakers.
Well, even before giving it a chance to burn in, the improvement with the A-300 is incredible, way beyond what I should expect from the specs. Onkyo rates the 828 at 130 watts into 2 channels, so 150 watts into 2 channels should just be good for an extra decibel or so. But the clarity, the purity of tone and sensitivity to attack, is far greater with the A-300 across the full range from lowest volume to where clipping becomes slightly audible. The Fluances no long sound at all compromised (well, they'll never be great at the lowest frequencies, but I've got a sub, so ...).
My only prior Emotiva experience is the ERC-3 CD player that I got a year ago, which was a notable improvement on the Onkyo CD deck I used before (using the analog outputs of both, each have better DAC circuits that the AVR), yet not in the same proportion as this improvement in amplification. In other respects I still like the Onkyo AVR. It's got far better sound than the Denon AVR I had before it. And I doubt Onkyo is fudging what it claims in its specs. But I have to figure that this shows that the specs don't begin to cover all the possible types of distortion.
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Post by bahnstormer on May 15, 2018 15:22:41 GMT -5
My A-300 arrived recently. What a superb sounding amp. I could not be happier. Exceeds all my expectations. Many thanks to Dan and all the staff at Emotiva. If anybody reading this thread is thinking about buying one of these amps, just do it. You won't regret it.
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Post by boomzilla on May 16, 2018 10:48:09 GMT -5
^^^ What he said!
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Post by mfeust on May 16, 2018 12:03:48 GMT -5
My A-300 arrived recently. What a superb sounding amp. I could not be happier. Exceeds all my expectations. Many thanks to Dan and all the staff at Emotiva. If anybody reading this thread is thinking about buying one of these amps, just do it. You won't regret it. What amp did you have before the A-300 and what speakers are they driving? Mark
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Post by bahnstormer on May 16, 2018 16:07:58 GMT -5
Mark - Emotiva Fusion Flex amp powering a pair of Klipsch KSF 10.5 towers. Emotiva XDA-2 dac/pre amp, Emotiva ERC-3 cd transport, Klipsch R-12SW sub. Listening room is 11' x 11', 9 foot ceiling.
I do know what a good sounding solid state amp should sound like. I first started this whole audio thing back in the late 70's. The Emotiva A-300 is the best I've heard since my circa 1984 Harmon Kardon 65 watt per channel integrated amp which died a few years ago. I purchased the Fusion Flex amp as a test. I have pushed it hard since 2015. A great little amp - but I needed more clean power.
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Post by bahnstormer on May 20, 2018 20:51:15 GMT -5
I hooked up my Klipsch Forte II speakers (circa 1992) today to the Emotiva A-300. What a great combo. Sounds excellent! Moved the Klipsch KSF 10.5 towers back to my home theatre system.
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Post by dickhertz on May 23, 2018 15:15:02 GMT -5
a-300 to my new JBL 590s = that tingly feeling! YES
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Post by whitwye on May 24, 2018 16:47:51 GMT -5
Just connected the rest of the Onkyo's pre-outs to an A-700 (to better match the A-300 on the mains), put on a King Crimson 5-channel DVD, and ... excellent! The Frippertronics come through pretty close to live. Takes me back.
The Onkyo had once impressed me as being far better fidelity than the Denon before it. Now all I can say is the pre-amp side of it is clean. Hope the idle power amp circuits in it now aren't burning too much juice in their retirement.
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BasX-A300
Jun 14, 2018 7:55:33 GMT -5
via mobile
Post by cedludo on Jun 14, 2018 7:55:33 GMT -5
bonjour et merci pour l'ajout au groupe. je suis de france, désolé de mon petit anglais... je possede un bloc A300, et voudrais une information s'il vous plait. ou est la phase sur cet appareil ? a gauche ou a droite ? merci beaucoup.
hello and thank you for adding to the group. I am from France, sorry for my little english ... I have an A300 block, and would like some information please. where is the phase on this device? To the left or to the right ? thank you very much.
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BasX-A300
Jun 15, 2018 6:10:15 GMT -5
via mobile
Post by cedludo on Jun 15, 2018 6:10:15 GMT -5
Please bonjour et merci pour l'ajout au groupe. je suis de france, désolé de mon petit anglais... je possede un bloc A300, et voudrais une information s'il vous plait. ou est la phase sur cet appareil ? a gauche ou a droite ? merci beaucoup. hello and thank you for adding to the group. I am from France, sorry for my little english ... I have an A300 block, and would like some information please. where is the phase on this device? To the left or to the right ? thank you very much.
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Post by gzubeck on Jul 17, 2018 11:35:33 GMT -5
There is no phase switch on the a-300. If you want to change phase 180 degrees you can always change the positive to negative on your speakers. The a-300 is a very good amp but it is entry level so you wont get every feature available on the moon. Hope this helps.
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lotaz
Minor Hero
Posts: 70
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BasX-A300
Jul 30, 2018 19:04:17 GMT -5
via mobile
Post by lotaz on Jul 30, 2018 19:04:17 GMT -5
I am curious as to those of you that own the A300, does it put off much heat? I am thinking about adding one to my system.
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lotaz
Minor Hero
Posts: 70
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BasX-A300
Jul 30, 2018 19:25:12 GMT -5
via mobile
Post by lotaz on Jul 30, 2018 19:25:12 GMT -5
I am curious as to those of you that own the A300, does it put off much heat? I am thinking about adding one to my system. Never mind after reading 4 pages i got my answer.
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BasX-A300
Aug 7, 2018 4:57:00 GMT -5
via mobile
Post by boomzilla on Aug 7, 2018 4:57:00 GMT -5
...The a-300 is a very good amp but it is entry level so you wont get every feature available on the moon. Hope this helps. gzubeck is correct in saying that the A300 is entry-level in terms of features (no phase switch or balanced circuitry), but that doesn’t mean entry-level in performance!
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lotaz
Minor Hero
Posts: 70
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BasX-A300
Sept 12, 2018 16:13:24 GMT -5
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Post by lotaz on Sept 12, 2018 16:13:24 GMT -5
I have had my A-300 for a few weeks now, it is a great amp. I have it in a cabinet with glass doors and it stays cool even when stacked with the TA-100 and CD-100. I havent noticed the fan turning on at all. My RF7 IIs love the A-300! Maybe entry level but sure doesn't sound entry level.
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kevinc
Seeker Of Truth
Posts: 1
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Post by kevinc on Nov 10, 2018 0:52:02 GMT -5
I will be in the market for a used home stereo amp ( my first) and was comparing the Emotiva BasX A-300 to the XPA-200. I noticed that even though they have similar output into 8 ohms and 4 0hms, the A-300 shows 350 watts max on the back of the amp while the XPA-200 shows 450 watts max power usage. I readily admit that I'm a noob at these things and I'm not trying to get too hung up on the specs, but is the XPA-200 really that less efficient compared to the A-300 ( 450 watts max vs 350 watts ) that it can use up to 30% more power to output less watts to the speakers ? Has anyone compared the two amplifiers and found one to sound better than the other as I see both of these amps used on ebay for around the same price? Thanks!
*edit* Okay I have a theory now. Since the UPA-2 vs the UPA-200 seem to have a similar situation going on.. is the extra wattage consumed per similar max output mostly due to the passive cooling? Or could the XPA-200 possibly have more dynamic headroom than the A-300? Thanks again!
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Post by jimcreek on Dec 3, 2018 12:42:58 GMT -5
Well, I am back after a year and 4 months of ownership of my BASX A300. It’s been 16 months of trouble free and blissful listening. I love this amp. It is a simple piece of equipment without a lot of features. But the performance is just superb. I am sooooo damn glad I made the move to buy this amp. I just thought I would check in to this forum and express my full endorsement of the BASX A300.
Time is the true test of audiophile equipment. I am as enthusiastic about the A300 now as I was when I first bought it. I had to tell you guys that.
Peace....Jim
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BasX-A300
Dec 3, 2018 14:20:46 GMT -5
via mobile
Post by garbulky on Dec 3, 2018 14:20:46 GMT -5
I will be in the market for a used home stereo amp ( my first) and was comparing the Emotiva BasX A-300 to the XPA-200. I noticed that even though they have similar output into 8 ohms and 4 0hms, the A-300 shows 350 watts max on the back of the amp while the XPA-200 shows 450 watts max power usage. I readily admit that I'm a noob at these things and I'm not trying to get too hung up on the specs, but is the XPA-200 really that less efficient compared to the A-300 ( 450 watts max vs 350 watts ) that it can use up to 30% more power to output less watts to the speakers ? Has anyone compared the two amplifiers and found one to sound better than the other as I see both of these amps used on ebay for around the same price? Thanks! *edit* Okay I have a theory now. Since the UPA-2 vs the UPA-200 seem to have a similar situation going on.. is the extra wattage consumed per similar max output mostly due to the passive cooling? Or could the XPA-200 possibly have more dynamic headroom than the A-300? Thanks again! I would take the xpa 200 any day.
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stiehl11
Emo VIPs
Give me available light!
Posts: 7,261
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Post by stiehl11 on Dec 3, 2018 21:37:40 GMT -5
I will be in the market for a used home stereo amp ( my first) and was comparing the Emotiva BasX A-300 to the XPA-200. I noticed that even though they have similar output into 8 ohms and 4 0hms, the A-300 shows 350 watts max on the back of the amp while the XPA-200 shows 450 watts max power usage. I readily admit that I'm a noob at these things and I'm not trying to get too hung up on the specs, but is the XPA-200 really that less efficient compared to the A-300 ( 450 watts max vs 350 watts ) that it can use up to 30% more power to output less watts to the speakers ? Has anyone compared the two amplifiers and found one to sound better than the other as I see both of these amps used on ebay for around the same price? Thanks! *edit* Okay I have a theory now. Since the UPA-2 vs the UPA-200 seem to have a similar situation going on.. is the extra wattage consumed per similar max output mostly due to the passive cooling? Or could the XPA-200 possibly have more dynamic headroom than the A-300? Thanks again! I would take the xpa 200 any day. The XPA-200 and UPA-2 were very similar. Want to buy my UPA-2? It'll be for sale shortly.
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Post by teaman on Dec 3, 2018 21:48:39 GMT -5
I would take the xpa 200 any day. The XPA-200 and UPA-2 were very similar. Want to buy my UPA-2? It'll be for sale shortly. Similar yes, the XPA-200 added balanced inputs though.
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