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Post by pallpoul on Oct 3, 2018 8:11:44 GMT -5
Ok, so I bought a pair of XPA1's Gen-2 from Emotiva on the clearance sale in July of this year. I originally thought of using them with my La Scala's II. However I love how my speakers sound now with the Cary Audio CAD-120S MKII, (and Cary Audio DAC and Pre amp ) that I bought from Simpleman Scott (great guy BTW), and recently serviced by Cary Audio.
The La Scalla's are super sensitive, and I KNOW I don't need that much power, but I could not resist the temptation of buying the XPA-1's, just like many others here on this forum did.
My dilemma: should I open the boxes, set them up and try them out? or stick to what I love... keep them or sell them ?
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klinemj
Emo VIPs 
Honorary Emofest Scribe
Posts: 14,742
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Post by klinemj on Oct 3, 2018 8:44:23 GMT -5
I would take them out an listen...just for kicks. I would not be able to sell them without at least a listen.
Mark
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novisnick
EmoPhile
CEO Secret Monoblock Society
Posts: 27,223 
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Post by novisnick on Oct 3, 2018 9:22:20 GMT -5
Theres no resisting the power of the dark side.!
How in good Conscience could you state that they work and sound great?
Open them up and listen, geezzz! They’re in the house man!! 😁👍
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Post by boomzilla on Oct 3, 2018 9:38:01 GMT -5
The resale value will probably not change much since they're no longer current models. Try them out. If you don't like them, THEN sell them to me!  |
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Post by craigl59 on Oct 3, 2018 10:38:53 GMT -5
I'd keep them in the original unopened packages for 6 months and see what the market does. There are no other amps like these on the market and wouldn't be surprised to see their value shoot up markedly. If you decide not to sell them to Boom, give me a PM. Have bought 4 so far and could use a spare set.
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Post by creimes on Oct 3, 2018 11:03:29 GMT -5
The resale value will probably not change much since they're no longer current models. Try them out. If you don't like them, THEN sell them to me! Unless they follow the way of the Oppo haha, if Emotiva is done making them they should go up in value, especially unopened and nib |
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Post by jmasterj on Oct 3, 2018 11:25:45 GMT -5
My emotiva buddy for life snacker had some La Scala's he had them connected to our little fifty watts tube integrated amp, if my memory servers me correctly I believe he said that they were 102% efficiency he could only turn it up to number 2 on the volume. If he turned it up beyond that they played well outside the space. I think you already have the ideal set up for those speakers with the smaller Cary system. I have some 250 watt mono blocks that I rarely play because I too prefer the lower powered tube hybrid with more efficient speakers. If you're not hurting for money I'd suggest you leave them unopened in the box, hold on to the XPA-1's for a while, maybe you'll decide to build another system with less efficient speakers then they will come in handy. If not you can sell them I'm sure you won't have any trouble no matter how long you hold them. However, non of us would blame you if you decide that you just got to know what those XPA-1's sound like with the Cary pre amp decisions, decisions!
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Post by pedrocols on Oct 3, 2018 11:51:57 GMT -5
Decisions decisions. I would open them up and try them. Chances are they will sound good as well and probably you won't noticed much difference. I do like the idea of keeping them for a second system.
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Post by mgbpuff on Oct 3, 2018 11:56:22 GMT -5
Get an XSP-1. Start a new system with Magnaplanars, for instance. They work well with the XPA-1. Or try a speaker that needs more power like a Revel, Tekton, B&W, or anything other than another honker horn.
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Post by brubacca on Oct 3, 2018 11:58:20 GMT -5
So since you really like what you have I would leave them unopened and in the box. Enjoy what you have and sell them to buy something else. If your audio journey is over maybe feed a other hobby?
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Post by emofrmcgy on Oct 3, 2018 12:40:40 GMT -5
The resale value will probably not change much since they're no longer current models. Try them out. If you don't like them, THEN sell them to me! Unless they follow the way of the Oppo haha, if Emotiva is done making them they should go up in value, especially unopened and nib Doesn’t Emotiva gear appreciate in value already ?? I was sure I saw some 12 year old amps for msrp in the emporium. |
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Post by creimes on Oct 3, 2018 12:44:38 GMT -5
Unless they follow the way of the Oppo haha, if Emotiva is done making them they should go up in value, especially unopened and nib Doesn’t Emotiva gear appreciate in value already ?? I was sure I saw some 12 year old amps for msrp in the emporium. Blasphemy  All of those XPA amps I had and sold I should have put away to sell now, thjey are selling up here for more now than I got for them years back. Don't look at ebay then, last LPA-1 I saw was double the price from when new back in 2008 hahaha |
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Post by garbulky on Oct 3, 2018 14:01:04 GMT -5
Yeah I would listen. Those XPA-1 gen 2's are the best amps I've heard. Though embarrassingly a pair of 5 watt tube mono amps did compete very nicely at its level - though not in the same area.
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Post by leonski on Oct 3, 2018 14:42:12 GMT -5
No matter what you do, it is a crapshoot.
Some amps if found 'New In Box' are quite valuable. Maybe a Dynaco Stereo 70 (Hafler design?) in Kit Form and unopened would be a real $$$ propsition to outbid everyone else.
OTOH? Some amps, even good ones, just don't have the attraction needed to appreciate in value or have a following. Dont' mistake the EMO fans for 'mainstream' hifi, though some of the audio lunatics DO use EMO
amps as either part of a biamp system (a buddy of mine does that) or as part of what would appear to be an unbalanced system, Expense-Wise. I saw a pair of inexpensive EMO monoblocks driving a pair of 7000$ speakers to good effect.
Bottom line? If you are an INVESTOR and willing to take a chance and wait, leave 'em in the boxes and sealed. Otherwise? Give 'em a try. I think the mismatch with the higher sensitivity Klipsch speakers is a non-starter, but that's just me.
For your speakers? I'd invest 320$ in the DIY Audio, Amp Camp Amp in KIT form. Depending on your skillset, you could assemble a working amp in a week of evenings or a marathon weekend. And at 8 watts per side, should be plenty of power
for your Klipsch. And it has about 2db higher output than garbulky's 5 watt tube mono amps. Which I'll bet sounded REAL good thru the appropriate high damping / high sensitivity speaker.
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Post by vcautokid on Oct 3, 2018 15:09:49 GMT -5
It depends on your expectations. The XPA-1 will be very articulate and have great control and damping. Outdoing any Tube amplifier there. Dynamics will be amazing.
Now I am not taking anything away from the Cary. The Cary brings allot to the table too. I enjoyed my experiences listening to Carys. It is a different vibe. We can tell all kinds of stuff. But the listening will tell all you need.
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Post by knucklehead on Oct 3, 2018 15:38:19 GMT -5
I would take them out an listen...just for kicks. I would not be able to sell them without at least a listen. Mark I did that with a pair of Polk speakers I got in a combo deal with the Yamaha 2070. I should have left them in the box until someone bought them. Look where that got me! |
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Post by leonski on Oct 3, 2018 20:28:20 GMT -5
It depends on your expectations. The XPA-1 will be very articulate and have great control and damping. Outdoing any Tube amplifier there. Dynamics will be amazing. Now I am not taking anything away from the Cary. The Cary brings allot to the table too. I enjoyed my experiences listening to Carys. It is a different vibe. We can tell all kinds of stuff. But the listening will tell all you need. The question than becomes:: 'Do the La Scala's actually benefit from a High DF amp?' I don't know, but it is just possible that they Don't. If they have sufficient self-damping to be good with tubes, (notoriously Low DF) than you may not actually need what the XPA-1 brings to the table. Or listening room. The Sam Tellig 'road test' of the LaScallaII even used 'flea watt' amps down to <2 watts to great effect. I rather suspect, not seeing any lab measures, that this speaker is fairly low reactance and being such high sensitivity, the XPA would be nearly a complete waste. But the OP doesn't want to hear THAT, now does he? Sam even used a Cary amp and loved it. Is that where the OP got the idea for his Cary amp? I suspect the AmpCampAmp I'm infatuated with would be wonderful with such high sensitivity speakers. Low cut the mains speakers and add a sub? Now 'yer talkin'........Single ended Class 'A' rules! |
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Post by gus4emo on Oct 3, 2018 20:54:39 GMT -5
Theres no resisting the power of the dark side.! How in good Conscience could you state that they work and sound great? Open them up and listen, geezzz! They’re in the house man!! 😁👍 Please, stay away from the dark side, history is not good with it, even if it is fun, lol.... |
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Post by 405x5 on Oct 4, 2018 8:12:11 GMT -5
Ok, so I bought a pair of XPA1's Gen-2 from Emotiva on the clearance sale in July of this year. I originally thought of using them with my La Scala's II. However I love how my speakers sound now with the Cary Audio CAD-120S MKII, (and Cary Audio DAC and Pre amp ) that I bought from Simpleman Scott (great guy BTW), and recently serviced by Cary Audio. The La Scalla's are super sensitive, and I KNOW I don't need that much power, but I could not resist the temptation of buying the XPA-1's, just like many others here on this forum did. My dilemma: should I open the boxes, set them up and try them out? or stick to what I love... keep them or sell them ? If you’re in a position to make choices like that; any decision you make here will be the right one! That being said between the two, one could only hope the latter will sound equally good at best. Bill |
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Post by pallpoul on Oct 29, 2018 22:20:48 GMT -5
Ok, so I did open the XPA-1 Gen2 boxes, and installed them. First surprise was how pleasant and elegant looking those babies are,..!
In my setup, I kept the NAD M-12, used as DAC and streamer, and the Cary Audio SL-100 preamp, and listened to CD's through Marantz SA8005, then to Spotify, and some of my favorites LP's.
I have to say, first the Amp's front LED meters never moved from the corner at listening levels, as expected since my speakers power requirement never exceeded few watts,...But Man did the sound stage open up and the sound became full of details and clarity. To my ears, the music became much more present, and pronounced and engaging.
On some tracks I am very familiar with, I heard nuances I did not perceive before. I was dumbfounded,...to say the least. I was not expecting this coming from a nice Hi-Fi tube amplifier costing more then twice the xpa-1's pair.
I never expected the SS amps to sound better to my ears then the tube amps I have so far used for the La Scala II's,.. But to my surprise, I found myself liking the sound better, a lot better..
I may experiment later, by adding a tube preamp before the XPA-1's and see. Although I don't feel there is any loss of the warm sound the tubes delivered, while using those SS amps.
I may be wrong, but, to my ears, and in this setup, those babies are keepers.
Ty all for all your inputs.
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