Post by valkilm on Dec 12, 2009 6:07:14 GMT -5
Friends,
Finally yesterday after one month, I have received the Emotiva UPA-2 amplifier!
It came from the USA to the Azores islands through Lisbon, in a container and it arrived in perfect conditions, not even a single scratch or anything!!
This is just a first impressions review becasue I have not connected it to mains, I'm waiting 15 hours before doing this, so that the components get "used" to local temperature, humidity etc etc
Packaging:
Since many years I've been buying stuff to NAD, Marantz, B&W (Bowers & Wilkins), SONY and never found nothing that could be better packed than the Emotiva UPA-2.
As you all may well know the amp is inside 3 boxes, being the first the outside, followed by the white one inside and then surrounded by another one (not quite another box of course) of a semi hard foam. This very foam protection has it's surface covered by a card. Well this make's it a very well secured packaging.
Amplifier construction:
This is what impressed me. First the weight, because everyone here says "it's a fine little amplifier", little?? not quite, it's height is not very much, it's kind of a low profile, but it's certainly heavy, and is extremely long in it's dept, like 45 cms, much more than my NAD. And this weigh is very well distribuited, albeit the toroidal transformer is placed on the left side of the unit, when you lift it, it doesn't feel it's on the that side, so this is a very carefull though weight distribuiton unit, improving it's stability and preventing vibrations.
The box is very strong and hard, if you press it on the top it wont "float" up and down like my NAD, and the front faschia is made of brushed aluminum, a very thick plate, almost 1 cm, this is the very first time I see one that thick, even on high end gear. There is only 2 small things it could be improved, first is the bolts that are made of iron and painted in black, they could be made of brass, that would prevent rust to appear, and given the high humidity percentage on where I live (around 90%) this would be a welcome thing. Second is the speaker binding posts that the plastic parts (the red and black parts) could be of a better quality. These are minor things.
Looking at the inside, there are high quality components and that huge toroid that certainly will deliver high amounts of current.
The last but not least is again a thing that also could be bettered: the mains power cord, for me using the European type forces me to buy one power cord. For me it's kind of ok because I always upgrade on this as the power cords that comes with gear normally are not really good. Many of you say that it doesn't make a difference, but it does and a big one. So this is a very minor thing to me, but for those who doesn't upgrade the power cord will have to buy one, a tip: buy one like computer type, should be of similar quality of the one that comes with the Emotiva, but I advise to buy a dedicated audio power cord, it will compensate.
The manual is not a "factory printed" one like we see on other equipment, but given the really low price of the gear is more than enough, after all what really counts is what is inside of the UPA-2
Now I'm the first person in the whole Portugal to have a Emotiva!
Later on will follow the review of the sound as it's straith from the box without burn in
Finally yesterday after one month, I have received the Emotiva UPA-2 amplifier!
It came from the USA to the Azores islands through Lisbon, in a container and it arrived in perfect conditions, not even a single scratch or anything!!
This is just a first impressions review becasue I have not connected it to mains, I'm waiting 15 hours before doing this, so that the components get "used" to local temperature, humidity etc etc
Packaging:
Since many years I've been buying stuff to NAD, Marantz, B&W (Bowers & Wilkins), SONY and never found nothing that could be better packed than the Emotiva UPA-2.
As you all may well know the amp is inside 3 boxes, being the first the outside, followed by the white one inside and then surrounded by another one (not quite another box of course) of a semi hard foam. This very foam protection has it's surface covered by a card. Well this make's it a very well secured packaging.
Amplifier construction:
This is what impressed me. First the weight, because everyone here says "it's a fine little amplifier", little?? not quite, it's height is not very much, it's kind of a low profile, but it's certainly heavy, and is extremely long in it's dept, like 45 cms, much more than my NAD. And this weigh is very well distribuited, albeit the toroidal transformer is placed on the left side of the unit, when you lift it, it doesn't feel it's on the that side, so this is a very carefull though weight distribuiton unit, improving it's stability and preventing vibrations.
The box is very strong and hard, if you press it on the top it wont "float" up and down like my NAD, and the front faschia is made of brushed aluminum, a very thick plate, almost 1 cm, this is the very first time I see one that thick, even on high end gear. There is only 2 small things it could be improved, first is the bolts that are made of iron and painted in black, they could be made of brass, that would prevent rust to appear, and given the high humidity percentage on where I live (around 90%) this would be a welcome thing. Second is the speaker binding posts that the plastic parts (the red and black parts) could be of a better quality. These are minor things.
Looking at the inside, there are high quality components and that huge toroid that certainly will deliver high amounts of current.
The last but not least is again a thing that also could be bettered: the mains power cord, for me using the European type forces me to buy one power cord. For me it's kind of ok because I always upgrade on this as the power cords that comes with gear normally are not really good. Many of you say that it doesn't make a difference, but it does and a big one. So this is a very minor thing to me, but for those who doesn't upgrade the power cord will have to buy one, a tip: buy one like computer type, should be of similar quality of the one that comes with the Emotiva, but I advise to buy a dedicated audio power cord, it will compensate.
The manual is not a "factory printed" one like we see on other equipment, but given the really low price of the gear is more than enough, after all what really counts is what is inside of the UPA-2
Now I'm the first person in the whole Portugal to have a Emotiva!
Later on will follow the review of the sound as it's straith from the box without burn in
