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Post by jazzpit on Oct 9, 2011 22:22:57 GMT -5
hellow good people. I am new to this world of hi fi sound and until recently was ignorant to the subject but the xpa-1 changed that. I haven't got the words to accurately describe what i'm hearing but let me just say i'm sooooo happy with them. They made the b&w 683's come to life,it was if i had replaced them with something i could not have afforded. at first i was powering them with the yamaha rxa-3000 and i thought that was great. then i found emotiva's website and started reading ,the forum members enthusiasm convenced me and i purchased 2 upa-1's and hooked them up, i immediately understood,the light came on. so without question i went to the xpa-1, three of them!!!. wow amazing sound, the headroom is endless, the soundstage is real and my vocabulary is expanding. thanks to all of you on this forum,and thanks to emotiva for makeing a product so valuable and yet so affordable. rx-a3000 xpa-1 x3 left right center :) upa-1 x2 surrounds b&w683 mains b&w684 surrounds b&w htm61 center all biwire with copper 14awg strandedx2 per term. Well, now he has the power. All he needs are better speakers. I agree...if you like it now...wait till you move into some reference speakers. A pair of 803's and you will be singing a new tune again. Then throw some Classe' mono blocks in a little later and the singing will start all over again....Then some cables...well...does it ever end... |
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Post by vitruvian on Oct 9, 2011 22:52:58 GMT -5
Thanks for the information. These are the measurements for my speakers: They are 88.5db sensitivity. I run them full range with 2 x REL 205 subs integrated in stereo. Source equipment: Oppo 93 to a Lite 83 DAC. Bel Canto Pre3 will be preamp. Room is 12m x 9m. Speakers are only rated to 225 watts and are standmounts. I can afford the XPA-1s (with some extra savaing), I was just wondering if they add anything significant to the mix, or if they will simply be a tool to blowing the speakers to pieces if someone at home uses a heavy hand on the volume control as the XPA-1s are more than double the maximum specification of the S2s and doubling down whilst being two ohm stable. www.soundstagemagazine.com/measurements/paradigm_signature_s2/www.canuckaudiomart.com/view_images.php?cat=Speakers&catnick=speakers&cfid=154042&image_id=1298386Wow... if I read this correctly you have a 12m x 9m bedroom, right? A person could get lost in a bedroom that large. ;D Seriously, the Paradigm Signature speakers love lots of power and with their impedance curve they require an amp with robust control driving the cones when the impedance drops. Lesser amps will clip at these points and may damage your speakers if being driven at high volume. This will never happen with the XPA-1. The XPA-1 will provide you with significantly improved sound quality at all volume levels. You don't need to turn the volume up to hear its superiority. It is more accurate, has better clafity, imaging, sound-stage, separation, refinement, and has a far better noise floor. It does all this, and more, while loafing effortlessly. You need not worry about having too much power from an amp. It is the under powered amp that damages speaker drivers when they go into clipping. The quoted power specs are referencing RMS power. A quality speaker like the Paradigm Signature series can easily handle several times that much power during transient passages. Music is not going to produce RMS signal demands so you need not be concerned. The XPA-1 is rock solid stable with any load presented to it. The Signature 8 speakers in your HT system would love the power the XPA-1 have. We have Lounge members with the Paradigm S-8 speakers that say their speakers reached an entirely new plateau of performance when powered by the XPA-1. They said it sounded like they had upgraded to new, better sounding speakers.  LOL, I am moving to a different house before years end and I need to have my music sorted. I am stockpiling my music gear so that once the move begins I can focus on nesting with my gf and not compromise my love of all things musical. The house will have dedicated HT room (currently in my lounge); I will move some of my bedroom system into the lounge. I will build some treatment to suit using REW. I was able to get a pair of new Paradigm Studio 20v5s for our bedroom at a great price. They are still in the box, but ready to move; DAC will be my Citypulse, amp = Cambridge Audio 840A. We will use the Yamaha 3900 for movies. I will get an XMC and XSP for the hardcore HT (9.2)/ 2ch room. For 2ch I will use the S8s with the XSP and Balanced Havana DAC using my CA 840C as a transport. I will use the bass management of the XSP to integrate my 2 x SB-13s for 2ch (at the moment I am using the DSP in the subs). I currently use Bel Canto monoblocks that are identical in output to the XPA-1s (500w at 8ohms; 1000 at 4ohms) and can confirm that real power makes the S8s sing. Centre and suurounds powered by XPA-5, rears UPA-2. I will use the UMC in the lounge with the S2s and a C1 (3.2). I may use an UPA-1 for the centre as it is a small speaker and music is primary love. I will also need an additional panel for this system. For 2ch I will use the Lite 83 -> Pre3 -> XPA-1s (on your suggestion). This also will mean that the 2ch signal path is properly balanced from DAC to amp. I am sure that the extra headroom will allow the Beryllium tweeters to shimmer as intended. I am familiar with the notion that distortion rather than power blows speakers, but I feared that the XPA-1s were so powerful that they might become the exception that proves the rule when paired with small standmounts. Thanks for your suggestion. I will grab the XPAs next sale....   |
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Post by vitruvian on Oct 9, 2011 22:59:19 GMT -5
Well, now he has the power. All he needs are better speakers. I agree...if you like it now...wait till you move into some reference speakers. A pair of 803's and you will be singing a new tune again. Then throw some Classe' mono blocks in a little later and the singing will start all over again....Then some cables...well...does it ever end... No offence intended, but where is the love? The OP just bought some great gear and was sharing how much they were digging it. Maybe they will want to upgrade in the future, maybe not. Either way we (as a community) should be happy for them and remember various purchases we have made on our musical journey. (That said, you have some nice gear yourself). After all, it is not as though the OP has bought B0$e rubbish.... ...besides, a 2ch pre with HT bypass and DAC would be a great place to go next ;D |
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Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
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Post by Deleted on Oct 14, 2011 4:57:41 GMT -5
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Post by vitruvian on Oct 15, 2011 19:34:33 GMT -5
Thank you, I will follow this up. |
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stiehl11
Emo VIPs 
Give me available light!
Posts: 7,269
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Post by stiehl11 on Oct 16, 2011 0:33:55 GMT -5
I agree...if you like it now...wait till you move into some reference speakers. A pair of 803's and you will be singing a new tune again. Then throw some Classe' mono blocks in a little later and the singing will start all over again....Then some cables...well...does it ever end... hey Stiehl I realize this except im considering 802d2's bi amped with XPA-1's. This love is gonna cost me a fortune if i don't get rehab. Bose system needed for reality check . O i almost forgot i don't waunt to hear Classe that might ruin my life. those xpa-1's sound great. I can't argue with the sound of 802s from B&W. One could say that they're overpriced ($14,000/pr) but the sound is very nice. I'd take a pair; that's for sure! They're rated at a max of 500 watts at 8 ohm (with a 3.5 ohm min) and a 90 db sensitivity. One XPA-1 per speaker should do you well unless you're looking for swagger or tinnitus (or you want to be louder than a jet engine from 100 feet away). Should make your dreams of getting them a bit closer to reality by about $2k. Then you can work on the rest of those speakers. |
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Post by richtx6 on Oct 16, 2011 20:59:53 GMT -5
Love mine, great sound, great look.
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Post by House on Nov 2, 2011 12:43:52 GMT -5
my 683's love emo too ;-) and they are so overpowered its sick ;-)
good job on the xpa-1's
fyi, i have heard ALOT of classe' and honestly....even if i had the cash to throw away at it.....id still be riding on the very long limo emo wagon.........
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