Post by keithfromcanada on Dec 21, 2010 15:05:37 GMT -5
Well, it's been over a month since I purchased the XPA-5 and I've watched a ton of Blu Rays and listened to my entire music collection over again to see how it's changed my system. First off, my system consisted of the following:
- Yamaha RX-V1800 (now the processor)
- Swan Diva 6.1 mains
- Swan Diva C3 center
- PSB Alpha rears
- Western Digital Live with 1TB HD with all my music (FLAC) and some movies
As for the aesthetics, this thing looks cool in my cabinet! It also almost killed me to get it in...this thing is a beast!
Listening - at first, I didn't notice much of a difference at all. After a while, I put the receiver into Direct mode and that's when the difference became much more pronounced. True, running Direct with the Yammy amps also made the music 'cleaner' but there was a noticeable difference with the Emotiva. At lower volumes the difference isn't big. At moderate volumes there is a definite boost in the lower-end and the soundstage sounds wider. At higher volumes, this amp makes a huge difference. Nice wide soundstage and tons of depth.
Movies are similar - lower volumes the difference is there but minimal. At moderate and loud volumes, the difference is more pronounced.
Bottom line - When I bought my Swan Diva's, there were others that I wanted to try but feared the Yammy wouldn't drive them. This will never be a problem again. Music and movies all sound fantastic and better than with the receiver. Sometimes the difference is minimal, other times it's big.
- Yamaha RX-V1800 (now the processor)
- Swan Diva 6.1 mains
- Swan Diva C3 center
- PSB Alpha rears
- Western Digital Live with 1TB HD with all my music (FLAC) and some movies
As for the aesthetics, this thing looks cool in my cabinet! It also almost killed me to get it in...this thing is a beast!
Listening - at first, I didn't notice much of a difference at all. After a while, I put the receiver into Direct mode and that's when the difference became much more pronounced. True, running Direct with the Yammy amps also made the music 'cleaner' but there was a noticeable difference with the Emotiva. At lower volumes the difference isn't big. At moderate volumes there is a definite boost in the lower-end and the soundstage sounds wider. At higher volumes, this amp makes a huge difference. Nice wide soundstage and tons of depth.
Movies are similar - lower volumes the difference is there but minimal. At moderate and loud volumes, the difference is more pronounced.
Bottom line - When I bought my Swan Diva's, there were others that I wanted to try but feared the Yammy wouldn't drive them. This will never be a problem again. Music and movies all sound fantastic and better than with the receiver. Sometimes the difference is minimal, other times it's big.
