Post by ny1pr2009 on Apr 12, 2010 13:52:33 GMT -5
My Review of the Kavent P-2200 Monoblocks and the comparison to the Emotiva XPA-1's.
First let me say that this review/comparison is based on my own listening experience between both monoblocks using my own interconnects/speaker cables and based on the sinergy of my system.
Someone else may experience different results depending on their own system.
The Kavent P-2200 monoblocks are by far the best monoblocks I have ever owned. Just for their built craftsmanship they deserve to be call "audiophile monoblocks". But we all know that looks only does not make a good monoblock amplifier. It mainly has to do with the way it sounds and its performance.
I have given my pair close to a 200 hours break in period enough to have a good listening period and write this review and also compare them to the Emotiva XPA-1's since I already know how good the Emotivas sound.
The first thing I am going to say is that the Kavent P-2200 monoblocks "very highly "surpassed my expectations in sound and performance. I have read an article in the web that was reviewing these monoblocks and at the end of the article they name the P-2200's the Krell killers and trust me they were not wrong.
I have previously owned a very high end line of monoblocks such as Parasound Halo JC1 monoblocks, Shengya/Vincent SP-991 monoblocks,Odyssey Stratos Extremes,Krell FPB 350cx,Bryston 7B SST2, and Treshold S/7000E monoblocks.
These Kavent P-2200's at only $1499 each make all those amplifiers sound like entry level monoblocks first with their built craftsmanship and mostly with their sound and performance.
I have been an audiophile for over 12 years and the finesse in sound reproduction that I have experienced with these amplifiers is the best I have ever heard in any monoblock with the exeption of the Parsound Halo JC1's and the Emotivas XPA-1's coming in third.
The clarity and transparency that you get from these amplifiers its impressive. Between the Emotivas XPA-1's and the Kavent P -2200's , the Kavents had a better balance between clarity, detail and control, performing best in creating a stronger presence or feel from the music. I can say that they are detailed and articulate and neither bright, lush nor overly warm.
The treble is well extended and relaxed, detailed but not etched, lithe and agile without sounding starkly clinical.These amps manage a balancing act that retains resolution and separation of musical strands while maintaining a level of detail that impresses. There's no grain or etch here, none of that 'coldness' that is sometimes evident in technically complex high-powered solid state amplifiers.
I have fallen in love with the finnese and control that these Kavent P-2200 monoblock posses.Very delicate detail in music reproduction down to the lowest sound.
While the XPA1's the music is clear with a nice wide soundstage I did noticed that they are a bit too warm for my taste. It is not a bad thing if you like a warm sound from an amplifer but been a little on the warm side did not take away from the detail and clarity that these Emotivas produce. They do sound a little like the Parasound Halo JC1 monoblocks and the rest of the monoblocks that I have mentioned before in this review coming only third to my Kavent's P-2200 Monoblocks.
The Bass performace on the P-2200 is outstanding. Bass was taut, well defined, fluid, dynamic and well extended.They communicate bass with full weight and authority, providing solid, precise, impactful bass. These Kavent P-2200 monoblocks bass performance are capable of recreating an instrument’s unique timbre, an intricate bass melody, and deep, visceral impact.
With the Emtoivas XPA-1's I experienced the bass to have more punch than with the Kavents but I didnt find them to be as tight and articulate as with the Kavents. Needless to say that the Emotivas has way much better bass extension and more refined than the others high end amplifiers that I have mentioned here but again not as articulated and tight as the Kavents.
One thing also is that both amplifiers are made different begining with crasfmantship,amplification and topology. The Kavent P-2200's run mostly in Class A while the Emotiva XPA-1's are class A/B amplifiers.Needless to say that the XPA-1's are a pair of well made monoblocks. No doubt about that.
In fact I have recommended to many of my "audiophile friends" that have owned many high end and more expensive amplifers, the Emotiva line and they have sold their more expensive high end amplifiers and purchased the Emotivas and they are very happy with their performance.
Most of them still can't believe that you can achive this kind of sound and performance with what these amplifiers cost.
Both, The Kavent P-2200's and the Emotiva XPA-'s are great amplifiers and the choice of getting one or the other depends on the listener. In my opinion I like the sound of the Kavent P-2200 over the XPA-1's because of the few differences that I experienced in my listening session.
The fact is that whether you chose the Kavent P-2200 or the Emotiva XPA-1 you are getting the same sound reproduction and performance that you will be getting from monoblocks costing two to three times as much. Trust me when I tell you this because I have owned more expensive high end monoblocks and the sound has not been as clear, transparent and natural as with these two monoblocks.
Although every other amplifier that I have mentioned may have their own attributes in their own way I can honestly say that the Kavent P-2200 are to me the most complete pair of monoblocks in music reproduction that I have ever owned. Only the Parasound Halo JC1's come very close to the sound of the Kavents P-2200 Monoblocks.
The Kavents P-2200's have become by favorites Class A monoblock amplifiers of all times.Together with their S-33 Preamplifier I have put together by far the best two channel systems that I have ever owned.
Not to say that the Emotivas XPA-1's are my third best as far as monoblocks.
I just want to remind everyone that the Kavent's P-2200 monoblocks run a little on the hot side. Not that you are going to burn yourself touching them but I do not recommed to put them in an eclosed cabinet. They are a class A monoblocks and therefore they do run a little on the hot side. They do disipate heat which is a very good thing when considering that the first 100 watts are in pure class A @ 8 ohms and almost 200 Watts in class A @ 4 ohms.
I have mine placed at each end of my open audio rack and I do not even feel the heat unless i place my hand on top of them and thats when I can feel that they are a little hot. I just wanted mention this in case anyone was interested in purchasing these monoblocks.
The Emotivas XPA-1's hardly get even warm even after having them on for hours but then again they are a consider a Class A/B amplifiers. I had my pair running for almost 24 hours one day while breaking them in and when I touched them they were not even warm.
I just want to make one last thing clear. I am not in any way bashing any company or amplifier that I have had the priviledge of owning or auditioning.
This review has been based solely on my listening session and on my personal opinion.
If there is anything I can help any of my Emotiva peers please do not hesitate to send me either a PM or an email.
Best regards to all.
Carlos
Specifications on the Kavent P-2200 Monoblocks,
A Pair of Kavent P-2200 Class A Monoblock Amplifiers
THE FIRST 100 WATTS AND IN PURE CLASS A
P-2200 Monaural Amplifier
First 100W are in Pure Class A
Output Power..........................300W (8 ohms), 600W (4 ohms),900W (2 ohms) and can also go down to 1 omh loads
Class-A Power........................100W (8 ohms) and almost 200 Pure Class A (4 ohms).
Frequency Response..............5Hz - 40kHz (+/- 1dB)
Input Sensitivity......................1 V
THD..........................................¡Ü 0.01%
S/N Ratio.................................97 dB
Input Impedance.....................47k¦¸ Unbalanced 100k Balanced
Dimension (WHD)...................17" x 7" x 21"
Weight....................................80 lbs
The power amplifier P-2200 is a monaural design to address the most challenging applications with 600W into 4Ohm load. 24 high-current biased Sanken power transistors work in parallel under Class-A mode for the extreme current handling. 1500VA toroidal transformer and 120,000uF capacitance used in a single mono section is truly hi-end power supply concept.
Emotiva XPA-1 Specifications,
• Topology: Fully Discrete, Dual Differential, High Current, Short Signal Path Class A/B
• Power output
(all channels driven):
1,000 watts RMS @ 4 ohm (0.1% THD)
500 watts RMS @ 8 ohm (0.1% THD)
• Power Band Response: 20 Hz to 20 kHz with less than .05db deviation at rated power
• Broadband Frequency Response: (-3db): 5Hz to 150kHz
• Amplifier Gain: 32db
• Signal to Noise Ratio
1 watt: >89db
Full Power: >117db
• Input Impedance:
Unbalanced – 20kohms
Balanced – 18kohm
• Transformer Size: 1,200VA
• Secondary capacitance: 120,000uF
• Output Devices: 24
Gear used for this review,
Kavent S-33 Class A Circuit Monaural Preamplifier
Kavent P-2200 Class A monoblock Amplifers
Emotiva XPA-1 Monoblock Amplifiers
Marantz SA-8003 SACD/CD Player
Dali Helicon MK1 Full Range Speakers
Acoustic Zen Silver Reference II Interconnects from CD player to Kavent S-33 Preamplifier via RCA
Acoustic Zen Matrix Reference II Interconnects from Preamplifier to Kavent P-2200 Monoblock amplifers via XLR
Acoustic Zen Satori Shotgun Biwired 6ft. pair for both speakers via spades from Kavent Monoblocks to each speaker.
Acoustic Zen Tsunami Plus Power cords (4) for all components.
P.S. Here are pictures of both systems,
My XPA-1's in my system
My Kavent P-2200 Class A Monoblocks
Look at the Heavy Duty Solid Brass 5 way binding posts
The Huge 1500VA Toroidal Transformer
Look at those beautiful 12 High Current Biased Sanken Power Transistors working in parallel under class A mode for extreme current handling. There is another 12 on the other side for a total of 24.
The 12 Gorgeous 10,000uF each Rubycon Capacitors for a total of 120,000uF Capacitance used in each monoblock for truly high end power supply concept
First let me say that this review/comparison is based on my own listening experience between both monoblocks using my own interconnects/speaker cables and based on the sinergy of my system.
Someone else may experience different results depending on their own system.
The Kavent P-2200 monoblocks are by far the best monoblocks I have ever owned. Just for their built craftsmanship they deserve to be call "audiophile monoblocks". But we all know that looks only does not make a good monoblock amplifier. It mainly has to do with the way it sounds and its performance.
I have given my pair close to a 200 hours break in period enough to have a good listening period and write this review and also compare them to the Emotiva XPA-1's since I already know how good the Emotivas sound.
The first thing I am going to say is that the Kavent P-2200 monoblocks "very highly "surpassed my expectations in sound and performance. I have read an article in the web that was reviewing these monoblocks and at the end of the article they name the P-2200's the Krell killers and trust me they were not wrong.
I have previously owned a very high end line of monoblocks such as Parasound Halo JC1 monoblocks, Shengya/Vincent SP-991 monoblocks,Odyssey Stratos Extremes,Krell FPB 350cx,Bryston 7B SST2, and Treshold S/7000E monoblocks.
These Kavent P-2200's at only $1499 each make all those amplifiers sound like entry level monoblocks first with their built craftsmanship and mostly with their sound and performance.
I have been an audiophile for over 12 years and the finesse in sound reproduction that I have experienced with these amplifiers is the best I have ever heard in any monoblock with the exeption of the Parsound Halo JC1's and the Emotivas XPA-1's coming in third.
The clarity and transparency that you get from these amplifiers its impressive. Between the Emotivas XPA-1's and the Kavent P -2200's , the Kavents had a better balance between clarity, detail and control, performing best in creating a stronger presence or feel from the music. I can say that they are detailed and articulate and neither bright, lush nor overly warm.
The treble is well extended and relaxed, detailed but not etched, lithe and agile without sounding starkly clinical.These amps manage a balancing act that retains resolution and separation of musical strands while maintaining a level of detail that impresses. There's no grain or etch here, none of that 'coldness' that is sometimes evident in technically complex high-powered solid state amplifiers.
I have fallen in love with the finnese and control that these Kavent P-2200 monoblock posses.Very delicate detail in music reproduction down to the lowest sound.
While the XPA1's the music is clear with a nice wide soundstage I did noticed that they are a bit too warm for my taste. It is not a bad thing if you like a warm sound from an amplifer but been a little on the warm side did not take away from the detail and clarity that these Emotivas produce. They do sound a little like the Parasound Halo JC1 monoblocks and the rest of the monoblocks that I have mentioned before in this review coming only third to my Kavent's P-2200 Monoblocks.
The Bass performace on the P-2200 is outstanding. Bass was taut, well defined, fluid, dynamic and well extended.They communicate bass with full weight and authority, providing solid, precise, impactful bass. These Kavent P-2200 monoblocks bass performance are capable of recreating an instrument’s unique timbre, an intricate bass melody, and deep, visceral impact.
With the Emtoivas XPA-1's I experienced the bass to have more punch than with the Kavents but I didnt find them to be as tight and articulate as with the Kavents. Needless to say that the Emotivas has way much better bass extension and more refined than the others high end amplifiers that I have mentioned here but again not as articulated and tight as the Kavents.
One thing also is that both amplifiers are made different begining with crasfmantship,amplification and topology. The Kavent P-2200's run mostly in Class A while the Emotiva XPA-1's are class A/B amplifiers.Needless to say that the XPA-1's are a pair of well made monoblocks. No doubt about that.
In fact I have recommended to many of my "audiophile friends" that have owned many high end and more expensive amplifers, the Emotiva line and they have sold their more expensive high end amplifiers and purchased the Emotivas and they are very happy with their performance.
Most of them still can't believe that you can achive this kind of sound and performance with what these amplifiers cost.
Both, The Kavent P-2200's and the Emotiva XPA-'s are great amplifiers and the choice of getting one or the other depends on the listener. In my opinion I like the sound of the Kavent P-2200 over the XPA-1's because of the few differences that I experienced in my listening session.
The fact is that whether you chose the Kavent P-2200 or the Emotiva XPA-1 you are getting the same sound reproduction and performance that you will be getting from monoblocks costing two to three times as much. Trust me when I tell you this because I have owned more expensive high end monoblocks and the sound has not been as clear, transparent and natural as with these two monoblocks.
Although every other amplifier that I have mentioned may have their own attributes in their own way I can honestly say that the Kavent P-2200 are to me the most complete pair of monoblocks in music reproduction that I have ever owned. Only the Parasound Halo JC1's come very close to the sound of the Kavents P-2200 Monoblocks.
The Kavents P-2200's have become by favorites Class A monoblock amplifiers of all times.Together with their S-33 Preamplifier I have put together by far the best two channel systems that I have ever owned.
Not to say that the Emotivas XPA-1's are my third best as far as monoblocks.
I just want to remind everyone that the Kavent's P-2200 monoblocks run a little on the hot side. Not that you are going to burn yourself touching them but I do not recommed to put them in an eclosed cabinet. They are a class A monoblocks and therefore they do run a little on the hot side. They do disipate heat which is a very good thing when considering that the first 100 watts are in pure class A @ 8 ohms and almost 200 Watts in class A @ 4 ohms.
I have mine placed at each end of my open audio rack and I do not even feel the heat unless i place my hand on top of them and thats when I can feel that they are a little hot. I just wanted mention this in case anyone was interested in purchasing these monoblocks.
The Emotivas XPA-1's hardly get even warm even after having them on for hours but then again they are a consider a Class A/B amplifiers. I had my pair running for almost 24 hours one day while breaking them in and when I touched them they were not even warm.
I just want to make one last thing clear. I am not in any way bashing any company or amplifier that I have had the priviledge of owning or auditioning.
This review has been based solely on my listening session and on my personal opinion.
If there is anything I can help any of my Emotiva peers please do not hesitate to send me either a PM or an email.
Best regards to all.
Carlos
Specifications on the Kavent P-2200 Monoblocks,
A Pair of Kavent P-2200 Class A Monoblock Amplifiers
THE FIRST 100 WATTS AND IN PURE CLASS A
P-2200 Monaural Amplifier
First 100W are in Pure Class A
Output Power..........................300W (8 ohms), 600W (4 ohms),900W (2 ohms) and can also go down to 1 omh loads
Class-A Power........................100W (8 ohms) and almost 200 Pure Class A (4 ohms).
Frequency Response..............5Hz - 40kHz (+/- 1dB)
Input Sensitivity......................1 V
THD..........................................¡Ü 0.01%
S/N Ratio.................................97 dB
Input Impedance.....................47k¦¸ Unbalanced 100k Balanced
Dimension (WHD)...................17" x 7" x 21"
Weight....................................80 lbs
The power amplifier P-2200 is a monaural design to address the most challenging applications with 600W into 4Ohm load. 24 high-current biased Sanken power transistors work in parallel under Class-A mode for the extreme current handling. 1500VA toroidal transformer and 120,000uF capacitance used in a single mono section is truly hi-end power supply concept.
Emotiva XPA-1 Specifications,
• Topology: Fully Discrete, Dual Differential, High Current, Short Signal Path Class A/B
• Power output
(all channels driven):
1,000 watts RMS @ 4 ohm (0.1% THD)
500 watts RMS @ 8 ohm (0.1% THD)
• Power Band Response: 20 Hz to 20 kHz with less than .05db deviation at rated power
• Broadband Frequency Response: (-3db): 5Hz to 150kHz
• Amplifier Gain: 32db
• Signal to Noise Ratio
1 watt: >89db
Full Power: >117db
• Input Impedance:
Unbalanced – 20kohms
Balanced – 18kohm
• Transformer Size: 1,200VA
• Secondary capacitance: 120,000uF
• Output Devices: 24
Gear used for this review,
Kavent S-33 Class A Circuit Monaural Preamplifier
Kavent P-2200 Class A monoblock Amplifers
Emotiva XPA-1 Monoblock Amplifiers
Marantz SA-8003 SACD/CD Player
Dali Helicon MK1 Full Range Speakers
Acoustic Zen Silver Reference II Interconnects from CD player to Kavent S-33 Preamplifier via RCA
Acoustic Zen Matrix Reference II Interconnects from Preamplifier to Kavent P-2200 Monoblock amplifers via XLR
Acoustic Zen Satori Shotgun Biwired 6ft. pair for both speakers via spades from Kavent Monoblocks to each speaker.
Acoustic Zen Tsunami Plus Power cords (4) for all components.
P.S. Here are pictures of both systems,
My XPA-1's in my system
My Kavent P-2200 Class A Monoblocks
Look at the Heavy Duty Solid Brass 5 way binding posts
The Huge 1500VA Toroidal Transformer
Look at those beautiful 12 High Current Biased Sanken Power Transistors working in parallel under class A mode for extreme current handling. There is another 12 on the other side for a total of 24.
The 12 Gorgeous 10,000uF each Rubycon Capacitors for a total of 120,000uF Capacitance used in each monoblock for truly high end power supply concept
