Post by audiofred on Sept 22, 2011 9:48:36 GMT -5
In the alternative uinverse of high end audio, where a high price is considered a virtue, it's hard to believe a 125 watt/ch amp that sells for under $400 could be any good. I've been using a Krell amp in my main system and never considered an Emotiva product, but when I started looking for a small amp for a new bedroom system and saw the UPA-2 was on a closeout sale I realized I could buy one for about what I would pay on Audiogon for a comparable spec used Parasound or Rotel. So I ordered the UPA-2 and it arrived a couple of weeks ago.
Even at the pre-closeout price I would have expected a product that looked like corners had been cut to reduce the cost-to-manufacture. Nothing could be further from the truth. The UPA-2 arrived double boxed in as good a package as any high end amp I've bought in the past. After removing the amp I noticed it was surprisingly heavy, and the fit and finish were excellent.
I set the amp in my main system, connected to a Cambridge Audio 840C player and a Parasound P3 preamp with Selah Audio XT-8 line array speakers. Even new, the amp sounded surprisingly good, and the sound only improved over the next few days.
Yesterday I got together with a Houston Audio Society friend who has some very accurate test equipment, and we set the UPA-2 on his test stand. The test results were consistent with my positive subjective impression of this amp. Here are the results: at 1v output - 0.03% distortion, at 3v output (about one watt) - .019% distortion, at 16v output (32 watts) - .01% distortion, and at 23 v output (64 watts) - .012% distortion. We also found the channels tracked almost identically at all input levels, even when the gain control on the back panel was adjusted to different levels. (the inexpensive potentiometers usually found on cheap amps often track inconsistently between channels).
So my conclusion is this is a very good component that I would expect to sell in the $800 range with a different label on it. At the original price and the sale price it is a steal. I realize this review is a bit late with the model on closeout sale, but it does indicate Emotiva offers great value for the money. If you've been thinking about getting a UPA-2 while they're still available, don't hesitate.
Even at the pre-closeout price I would have expected a product that looked like corners had been cut to reduce the cost-to-manufacture. Nothing could be further from the truth. The UPA-2 arrived double boxed in as good a package as any high end amp I've bought in the past. After removing the amp I noticed it was surprisingly heavy, and the fit and finish were excellent.
I set the amp in my main system, connected to a Cambridge Audio 840C player and a Parasound P3 preamp with Selah Audio XT-8 line array speakers. Even new, the amp sounded surprisingly good, and the sound only improved over the next few days.
Yesterday I got together with a Houston Audio Society friend who has some very accurate test equipment, and we set the UPA-2 on his test stand. The test results were consistent with my positive subjective impression of this amp. Here are the results: at 1v output - 0.03% distortion, at 3v output (about one watt) - .019% distortion, at 16v output (32 watts) - .01% distortion, and at 23 v output (64 watts) - .012% distortion. We also found the channels tracked almost identically at all input levels, even when the gain control on the back panel was adjusted to different levels. (the inexpensive potentiometers usually found on cheap amps often track inconsistently between channels).
So my conclusion is this is a very good component that I would expect to sell in the $800 range with a different label on it. At the original price and the sale price it is a steal. I realize this review is a bit late with the model on closeout sale, but it does indicate Emotiva offers great value for the money. If you've been thinking about getting a UPA-2 while they're still available, don't hesitate.
