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Post by pawsman on Apr 23, 2011 19:37:05 GMT -5
I first heard about Emotiva on the Ascend Acoustics Forum; several people are big fans of the Emotiva Amps. Dave F. recommended the UPA1 to drive the new Sierra Towers, so I thought I'd take a look. The equipment on their website looked well built with quality construction and good specs (But there seemed to be a digit missing on the prices  ). The reviews on the Emotiva forum looked very good for the most part, so at the Axpona Atlanta Show, I ordered a pair of UPA 1s (with a nice show discount). I'm in the process of upgrading my speakers, to either Sierra 1 NRT, Tyler Acoustics monitors or possibly the Legacy Classic HD. I've still got a 15 year old pair of Sound Dynamics 300ti that I'm using for now. Well, the bass and dynamics are on a different level than my old amp (the NAD 326 BEE), and the Amps are detailed, powerful and musical at the same time. I did find it best to leave them on all day before auditioning. I've been very impressed so far with the sound quality; and the performance/price ratio is off the charts. More to follow when I get my new speakers in. pawsman |
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Post by hawk14 on Apr 25, 2011 7:34:43 GMT -5
Congrats on your purchase. I think you will come to be amazed with what the UPA-1's can do. In my opinion, a pair of UPA-1's has to be one of the top five values in all of audio today. I've become accustomed to various pieces of gear performing above their price-point, but I believe that the UPA-1's take the price/performance ratio to new levels.
Enjoy!
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Post by BillBauman on Apr 25, 2011 8:21:06 GMT -5
In my opinion, a pair of UPA-1's has to be one of the top five values in all of audio today. I've become accustomed to various pieces of gear performing above their price-point, but I believe that the UPA-1's take the price/performance ratio to new levels. I completely agree. I'm a huge UPA-1 fan, slowly replacing every amp in my life with them. I just love its sound. For the price, its really an unbelievable amp. |
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geebo
Emo VIPs 
"Too bad that all the people who know how to run the country are driving taxicabs and cutting hair"
Posts: 24,181
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Post by geebo on Apr 25, 2011 8:23:57 GMT -5
I first heard about Emotiva on the Ascend Acoustics Forum; several people are big fans of the Emotiva Amps. Dave F. recommended the UPA1 to drive the new Sierra Towers, so I thought I'd take a look. The equipment on their website looked well built with quality construction and good specs (But there seemed to be a digit missing on the prices ). The reviews on the Emotiva forum looked very good for the most part, so at the Axpona Atlanta Show, I ordered a pair of UPA 1s (with a nice show discount). I'm in the process of upgrading my speakers, to either Sierra 1 NRT, Tyler Acoustics monitors or possibly the Legacy Classic HD. I've still got a 15 year old pair of Sound Dynamics 300ti that I'm using for now. Well, the bass and dynamics are on a different level than my old amp (the NAD 326 BEE), and the Amps are detailed, powerful and musical at the same time. I did find it best to leave them on all day before auditioning. I've been very impressed so far with the sound quality; and the performance/price ratio is off the charts. More to follow when I get my new speakers in. pawsman Congrats on the purchase. Glad to hear you're enjoyin' the amps. And welcome to the Lounge!!! |
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Post by Nemesis.ie on Apr 25, 2011 9:39:06 GMT -5
I love mine, I just hope they look at beefing up the RCA connectors - I think the problem is if the UPA-1 is made too well, it might step on the toes of the XPA-1. IMO they should be made equally well and folks that are driving big towers will likely go for the XPA-1 anyway.
I really want to get another 4, but will have to wait for a match between funds and a sale price.
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Post by pawsman on Apr 25, 2011 12:52:48 GMT -5
Nice to have my opinion verified by others. Waiting anxiously for the Sierra 1 NRT. The UPA 1 is probably overkill for the Sierra 1, but I've found you can ever have too much power. The more headroom, the better. If I like the Sierras, I might trade up to the Seirra Tower eventually, which can definitely take advantage of the UPA 1's power. Since I listen almost exculsively to Classical Music, Vincent recommended the UPA 1 over the XPA2 (which I was considering) as being a bit more musical and involving. Hey, my Sound Dynamics 300ti sound so much better, I'm wondering if I need a Speaker upgrade after all  . pawsman |
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Post by gatortank on May 19, 2011 19:39:04 GMT -5
Just got my two..UPA-1s in today..this will be a lil short...i will add photo's soon..But i got them hook up too myH/K3490 in a 2.1set'up..with Polk Monitor 70s and Polk 10" sub..useing the H/K3490 as my Per-Amp..Now i know what my Polk 70s are suppose to sound like!..Not that they did not sound good before..The low end is very tight..really get's low!..Drum roll,s Oh..sooo..sweet!..Low Mids..and upper Mid's.are very smooth!..Pristine High!..Too all the people who help me with picking out the best way too go with the Amps...I can't thank you enough!...Vincent...really big HI-5 at ya!I see and hear now what you where telling me over our phone conversation...Like i said..i will post real soon..with photo's ..Karen Carpenter and the Eagles just had a live performance in my living room!
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Post by pawsman on May 21, 2011 10:13:53 GMT -5
This will be another interim Review, since I just got my new Speakers in (Selah Audio Veritas) and I've spent the last several days playing cuts from all my reference CDs. Folks, I'm glad I ran across Selah Audio on Audio Circle - Rick Craig builds some world class monitors with some of the best drivers available (the Verita has Scanspeak Illuminator 7" aluminum cone mids/Raal ribbon tweeters) at ridiculously low prices. They're in the same league as the best monitors I've heard (i.e. Sonus Faber Extremas and the Joseph Audio Pulsars) at a fraction of the price (see http://www.selahaudio.com). Matched up with my Sony transport/Benchmark DAC1/NAD 326BEE preamp/UPA 1's - it's a dynamite combination. I can now hear the tremendous dynamics on my best CDs, i.e. the Keith Johnson Reference Recordings. The Kabalevsky Colas Breugnon Overture (RR-92CD) sounds spectacular, with stunning dynamics, great detail and beautiful string sound. The Big Band Basie CD (RR-63CD) cut "Shiny stockings" used to be an Audio Demo cut in the 90's, and it never sounded so good. I played excerpts from the Solti/Wagner Ring - specifically the Funeral March from Gotterdammerung, and the Horns and Brass ring true, with huge dynamic swings. Probably my favorite orchestral recording, the Chadwick Symphonic sketches/Melpomene overture/Tam O'shanter CD (RR-64CD) does as good a job of capturing a real orchestra in the Concert Hall space as any recording I've got, with a tremendous sense of Hall ambience and realistic string sound. The UPA1's never came close to hitting it's limits, or running out of power, always sounding clean, pure and dynamic. I'm still amazed at the performance per dollar ratio. Maybe I'll add another followup when I've lived with my new system for a while-
pawsman
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Post by Micro1 on May 21, 2011 16:33:27 GMT -5
I am glad both of you appreciate(GATORTANK,PAWSMAN) the sound of the UPA 1s, as I do too .We have amps that truly bang for the buck!And I mean that literally, bang for the buck!Happy listening with your new Emo amps.
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Post by briank on May 21, 2011 16:54:07 GMT -5
This will be another interim Review, since I just got my new Speakers in (Selah Audio Veritas) and I've spent the last several days playing cuts from all my reference CDs. Folks, I'm glad I ran across Selah Audio on Audio Circle - Rick Craig builds some world class monitors with some of the best drivers available (the Verita has Scanspeak Illuminator 7" aluminum cone mids/Raal ribbon tweeters) at ridiculously low prices. They're in the same league as the best monitors I've heard (i.e. Sonus Faber Extremas and the Joseph Audio Pulsars) at a fraction of the price (see http://www.selahaudio.com). Matched up with my Sony transport/Benchmark DAC1/NAD 326BEE preamp/UPA 1's - it's a dynamite combination. I can now hear the tremendous dynamics on my best CDs, i.e. the Keith Johnson Reference Recordings. The Kabalevsky Colas Breugnon Overture (RR-92CD) sounds spectacular, with stunning dynamics, great detail and beautiful string sound. The Big Band Basie CD (RR-63CD) cut "Shiny stockings" used to be an Audio Demo cut in the 90's, and it never sounded so good. I played excerpts from the Solti/Wagner Ring - specifically the Funeral March from Gotterdammerung, and the Horns and Brass ring true, with huge dynamic swings. Probably my favorite orchestral recording, the Chadwick Symphonic sketches/Melpomene overture/Tam O'shanter CD (RR-64CD) does as good a job of capturing a real orchestra in the Concert Hall space as any recording I've got, with a tremendous sense of Hall ambience and realistic string sound. The UPA1's never came close to hitting it's limits, or running out of power, always sounding clean, pure and dynamic. I'm still amazed at the performance per dollar ratio. Maybe I'll add another followup when I've lived with my new system for a while- pawsman Congrats on your UPA-1's and your Selahs. They make a damn good combo. The RAAL is the best ribbon tweeter I've ever come across. They do especially well with classical and jazz and put you right in the venue with good recordings. |
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Post by pawsman on May 21, 2011 19:10:24 GMT -5
Thanks, briank; eventually if (when) Emotiva comes out with a next generation Preamp/DAC combo that does hi-rez USB, I want to have an all Emotiva front end as you do. The Raal ribbon is amazing, it's very detailed yet very musical and a tad laid back. BTW, are the Selah Prestigio towers a Custom build job?
pawsman
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Post by briank on May 21, 2011 20:16:48 GMT -5
Thanks, briank; eventually if (when) Emotiva comes out with a next generation Preamp/DAC combo that does hi-rez USB, I want to have an all Emotiva front end as you do. The Raal ribbon is amazing, it's very detailed yet very musical and a tad laid back. BTW, are the Selah Prestigio towers a Custom build job? pawsman Yes, the Prestigio towers are custom. Rick built them last year for a guy as part of a home theater set-up. The guys wife didn't like having a separate sub or the large surrounds so he had to sell them and I was able to get a good deal. I bought everything but the sub. I posted pics in the new gear section. I like those Veritas too, I was looking hard at those before I bought these. |
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). The reviews on the Emotiva forum looked very good for the most part, so at the Axpona Atlanta Show, I ordered a pair of UPA 1s (with a nice show discount). I'm in the process of upgrading my speakers, to either Sierra 1 NRT, Tyler Acoustics monitors or possibly the Legacy Classic HD. I've still got a 15 year old pair of Sound Dynamics 300ti that I'm using for now. Well, the bass and dynamics are on a different level than my old amp (the NAD 326 BEE), and the Amps are detailed, powerful and musical at the same time. I did find it best to leave them on all day before auditioning. I've been very impressed so far with the sound quality; and the performance/price ratio is off the charts. More to follow when I get my new speakers in.
.