howdy from minneapolis, MN

[drbrutallica]

Hello, I'm just a poor graduate student, but have passion in stereo system. I've been collecting components for 5 years. So I bought used components whenever I have some cash from ebay and crigslist. So far, I have:

krell KAV-300i integrated amp
conrad johnson mf2200 power amp
rega planet cd player
linn axis turntable + AT440 mla
mudical fidelity xdac v3 DAC
modded kef Q-5 speakers
anti-cables interconnects and speaker cables

I've been happy with my system and I've been saving for a ps audio P600 power plant (~ $1000 used on ebay) so when I return back to my country after I finish my studies I can use my stereo there.

Recently, I found somebody selling emotiva erc-1 on my local craigslist. My buddy has been telling me emotiva's produce high end stuff but for very affordable price. So, I auditioned and bought the cd player for $175. Long story short, I was blown away by the details I've been missing and the build quality. that's the chunkiest and heaviest cd player I've ever owned... and to my surprise, it can be used with 220V! So, I did my some research, all emo stuff accept 220V. Wow...

So, I am thinking of swapping my conrad johnson and krell amps to emotivas. If anybody has converted from krell/conrad amp to emotiva, please let me know how's your journey. I was thinking of getting usp-1 and 2 upa-1 monoblocks. If they sound as par my current amp, I am more than happy to swap and don't have to bother buying an expensive power plant when I return home.

Thank you in advanced

[stads77]

Glad your enjoying the cd player. Happy to help possibly create another Emotiva follower.

[drbrutallica]

LOL, I should have figured you are here. gentlemen, this is the guy who sold me the erc-1, and I am very thankful he sold that to me

[The Mad Norseman]

Welcome aboard! (I also live in "The Land of 10,000 Taxes!". ).


Its great that you're so interested in REAL high fidelity, and not just in iPads playing crappy MP3 files through ear buds!
Can't help you with the amp comparison you asked about, but wanted to say that you won't be dissatisfied with Emotiva amps if you do indeed end up going in that direction...

[Boomzilla]

Hi drbrutallica!

Welcome to the lounge. My daughter was a Golden Gopher once while she completed her Masters in violin performance & music education. She earned pocket change on the side teaching GMAT & LSAT classes. She decided she liked the logic of the LSAT exam and decided to take it just for kicks.

Her scores were high enough to attract letters of invitation from the ivy-league law schools. Long story short, she is now graduated from Harvard Law & is an attorney in Massachusetts.

Not bad for a modest girl from Louisiana! (Obviously, she takes after her mother...).

To address your questions, no I've owned neither Krell nor CJ, but I have owned McIntosh, Bryston, Classè, & Audio Research. For my $$ and to my ears, Emo stuff sounds as good or better for a fraction of the cost. I've noticed that the audio mags (Stereophile & TAS) have yet to review a top-ot-the-line Emo product. I have to wonder whether they just aren't interested or whether they're afraid of embarrassing their advertisers.

Emo belongs in the "big leagues" now and should not be damned with faint praise: "Great for the money." If the Emo gear cost 10x what it does, it would have been reviewed already by the audio mags and given glowing reviews. Go figure...

In any case, there's NOTHING wrong with Krell & Conrad Johnson equipment. If it's working and you're happy with it, then just keep it. If it wears out or breaks, then Emo is a no-risk option (return it if you don't like it).

Keep us posted!

Cheers - Boomzilla

[drbrutallica]

Thanks for the warm welcome guys.

Mad norseman, that's the first time I've ever heard MN being called "Land of 10,000 Taxes", haha. But that's so true tho, everything i buy the tax is so high. I just get most stuff online (slickdeal), from soap to toilet paper, lol.

boomzilla, whoa, your daughter sure is very smart. Glad she was a fellow golden golpher. I bet she thinks minnesotans are the nicest people, haha. btw, thanks for your opinion on mcintosh etc vs emotiva. So, from what you say, I think it us safe to say they are very comparable to big brands like mcIntosh, bryston, conrad johnson etc... I think I will convert my stuff to emo's to safe some money not to have to get those power plant that cost the same as my car, lol.

[xki]

Welcome fellow flyover country inhabitant! I'm just to your east about 6+ hours.

Being from this area we know very well that crystalline isn't just about high frequency response!

Emo, their gear, and the fellow lounge members will treat you right!

[The Mad Norseman]

Nov 30, 2012 17:29:32 GMT -5 drbrutallica said:

Thanks for the warm welcome guys.

Mad norseman, that's the first time I've ever heard MN being called "Land of 10,000 Taxes", haha. But that's so true tho, everything i buy the tax is so high. I just get most stuff online (slickdeal), from soap to toilet paper, lol.

boomzilla, whoa, your daughter sure is very smart. Glad she was a fellow golden golpher. I bet she thinks minnesotans are the nicest people, haha. btw, thanks for your opinion on mcintosh etc vs emotiva. So, from what you say, I think it us safe to say they are very comparable to big brands like mcIntosh, bryston, conrad johnson etc... I think I will convert my stuff to emo's to safe some money not to have to get those power plant that cost the same as my car, lol.

Yeah, a couple other favorites of mine that refer to MN are:
"The Nanny State" (but bootman already took that one, so I don't want to step on anyone's toes!), or my all time favorite:
"The State where nothing is allowed, but everything is required!".
Ha!

Again, welcome aboard!
(I'm a fellow Golden Gopher too - a 1979 Architecture grad!).

[maverick74656]

Nov 30, 2012 20:10:27 GMT -5 The Mad Norseman said:

Nov 30, 2012 17:29:32 GMT -5 drbrutallica said:

Thanks for the warm welcome guys.

Mad norseman, that's the first time I've ever heard MN being called "Land of 10,000 Taxes", haha. But that's so true tho, everything i buy the tax is so high. I just get most stuff online (slickdeal), from soap to toilet paper, lol.

boomzilla, whoa, your daughter sure is very smart. Glad she was a fellow golden golpher. I bet she thinks minnesotans are the nicest people, haha. btw, thanks for your opinion on mcintosh etc vs emotiva. So, from what you say, I think it us safe to say they are very comparable to big brands like mcIntosh, bryston, conrad johnson etc... I think I will convert my stuff to emo's to safe some money not to have to get those power plant that cost the same as my car, lol.

Yeah, a couple other favorites of mine that refer to MN are:
"The Nanny State" (but bootman already took that one, so I don't want to step on anyone's toes!), or my all time favorite:
"The State where nothing is allowed, but everything is required!".
Ha!

Again, welcome aboard!
(I'm a fellow Golden Gopher too - a 1979 Architecture grad!).

My favorite is Minne-snow-ota Hopefully it's not true this year though!

Being a fellow Minneapolis dweller, I felt the need to chime in, my girl is one of those brilliant, beautiful, blonde scientists at the U of M.

What I like about the emo gear, is that they really give you the feeling they are built like tanks. All metal, not plastic chassis really make a statement. I am also on a budget, and rarely buy new, so I love the transferable warranty with the emo equipment if you buy used. A nice piece of mind compared to many other brands without!

[drbrutallica]

I kinda miss the snow. We had very mild winter last year, and it seems like it's not that much snow this winter either.

yea, that build quality really attracts me into emo. the cd player is about the same size as my krell amp, and I've never lifted a cd player that weight. and not to mention the chunky remote control.

[Deleted]

Nov 30, 2012 15:12:51 GMT -5 Boomzilla said:

..... they're afraid of embarrassing their advertisers...... If the Emo gear cost 10x what it does, it would have been reviewed already by the audio mags and given glowing reviews...... Go figure...... Boomzilla

Mr. Zilla got it dead right. If the golden ear mags give an Emo amp the big thumbs up in a future review, the majority of their advertisers will go Occupy Audiophilia.

I'm sure you already know the reason Emotiva's equipment is so low priced. A certain Laufman family in the backwoods of Tennessee figured out how to offer Asian owned factory high end products directly online to the end user with an unbelievable 5 year transferable warranty, 30 day return privileges and the best CS in the industry. We are talking about 1/3rd to 1/4th the high end boutique store prices.

The rest of the industry is starting to sit up and take notice. It's about time. When a friend of mine found out that I got my 5 channel 200/300 75lb amp, gorgeous CD player, soon to be shipped DAC, and a little later to be shipped my state-of-the-art pre-pro and 5 very high quality bookshelf/surround speakers for under $2600, which is $300 less than he paid for his Parasound 5250 which is almost a twin of my XPA-5. The XPA-5 is much prettier than the 5250 and he didn't get the ERC-2, XDA-2, XMC-1, 3ea ERM-1's and 2ea ERD-1's. What a shame! He was pissed, big time!

End of today's story from the Land of the Rising Sun.


BTW: Welcome to the Emotiva Lounge Mr. Brutallica! ;D

[drbrutallica]

heehee, If I get my PhD diploma, I'll be officially a 'dr', i guess for now I'm a 'mr brutallica'

It seems like most of the emos owners here are HomeTheater-phile, while I am just a 2 channel stereo-phile. So, I'm not too familiar how a good HT system compared to a good stereos. But I'll give emo a try. I am debating to get a pair of used UPA-1 monoblocks ($500 + shipping) or the new pair of XPA-100 for $740 free shipping. from what I understand, the new pair XPA-100 is an updated version of the UPA-1s

[mfeust]

Welcome to the lounge dr or mr. I would be interested in your comments reguarding the Planet and ERC-1 and how they compare and differ.

Thanks
Mark

[drbrutallica]

to start, let me describe the set up of my rega planet (this is the first edition of planet ~1996):
rega planet is working as a cd transport connected to my musical fidelity X-DAC V3

I'd describe the sound to be laid back and sweet. with the DAC, the soundstage was improved.

Similarity between rega planet:
-Build quality... the rega planet is a solid unit. the chassis uses thick and heavy metal (steel? but i know it's not aluminum).
-the circuit inside, it has toroidal transformer, like the erc1. and the circuit is very well arranged and looks clean.

the contrast:
- the rega reads really fast. the same cd takes about 1 second for the rega while maybe 25 seconds for the erc-1. yup, even after 16 years, the rega still works perfectly. And I really like the top loader mechanism (as a mechanical engineering student, I appreciate that)

- the circuit on the rega is alot simpler than the erc-1 (the rega has the signature of the person who hand-built the cd player on the circuit).

- the sound: the rega as i said is laid back. while the erc is full of details and more forward. the erc, I think, has more resolution in it, more 'airy' high and mid. a total different class compared to the rega.

overall, I think the rega is pretty good for an old cd transport. But I think the erc is totally a higher class compared to my 16 y.o. rega, and honestly I don't think this is a fair comparison. However, I hope the erc-1 would last as long as the rega because I intend to keep my stereo system til I lose my hearing.

disclaimer: I'm no professional. I might be wrong, hahaha

[Boomzilla]

Hi Drbrutalica -

Rather than the UPA-1s (which I've never heard), might I suggest an XPA-2 instead (which I've owned). The XPA-2 is for real, no joking, one of the very best amplifiers I've EVER heard. I can recommend it without hesitation for any real world speaker except those that are highly sensitive (Klipschorns, etc.). I used it with KEFs, with Thiels (both 1.5s and 3.6s) and it never failed to amaze me. The UPA-1s may be equivalently good, I don't know, but the XPA-2 is a SURE thing.

[drbrutallica]

I am considering the XPA-2 too. I'm glad you described your experience here. XPA-2 is defenitely a cheaper alternative than buying 2x upa-1's or 2x xpa-100's. From the reviews I've read (i just googled xpa2 vs upa1), my impression that i got is the sound were similar, but people prefer the upa monoblocks over the xpa-2. I wish I could audition them side by side. But xpa-2 is definitly an option. If you don't mind, could you describe the sound of xpa-2? is it bright? warm? etc
thanks

[drbrutallica]

BTW, I was wondering if anybody here owns an XSP-1 pre amp? If so, please let me know.
thanks

[stads77]

There have been several reviews written if you look around the forum a bit.

[Boomzilla]

Dec 1, 2012 20:22:33 GMT -5 drbrutallica said:

... If you don't mind, could you describe the sound of xpa-2? is it bright? warm? etc thanks

I'll try, but keep in mind that the "sound" of electronics is HARD to describe because of the other (and far more significant) variables involved.

1. BASS - This was the reason that I bought the XPA-2 in the first place. I had bought new/used speakers, the Theil 3.6 models, and they just wouldn't produce anything but uncontrolled, mushy bass in my room. I knew that the room wasn't at fault because other speakers had performed well there. I had on hand a Jolida tube / solid state hybrid integrated amplifier of 100 WPC capacity. The Jolida sounded sweet & dimensional, but couldn't control the bass. I also had some Yamaha AV receiver of about the same wattage rating. It couldn't control the bass either.

A friend of mine loaned me a Crown PS-400 with over 300 WPC capacity (at the 4-ohm load of the Theils). Still no difference.

I had about decided that I needed another "super amp" such as the big Brystons or McIntoshes that I'd used in the past few years. On a whim, though, I decided to try the XPA-2 (used via eBay).

Long story short, the XPA-2 IMMEDIATELY cured all the bass problems & the Theils had the bass that I knew they could have.

2. TREBLE - The Theil 3.6s and my previous speakers, the Theil 1.5s have metal-dome tweeters that are VERY revealing of the amplifier's treble performance. The Jolida sounded rolled-off, the Crown sounded bright & grainy. The XPA-2 provided a clean, extended, and grain-free treble that seemed to come from a very quiet background. The treble was better integrated with the midrange and seemed to be just a part of the soundstage without brightness or glare.

3. MIDRANGE - I previously mentioned the dimensionality of the Jolida integrated. The XPA-2 seemed to have at least as good a depth and width of soundstage as the Jolida. This REALLY surprised me because I wasn't expecting that from a solid-state power amp, much less one that had the power rating of the XPA-2. The XPA-2 was also much quieter with a lower background noise floor which made the music have a greater apparent dynamic range.

In summary, the XPA-2 is the best power amplifier I'd ever heard exceeding the performance of my older Bryston & Audio Research amplifiers, and rivaling the performance of my late-model McIntosh. What made this performance all the more astounding was that the XPA-2 did its job at a price of less than 1/4 the price of the equivalent McIntosh.

I can't speak for the other Emotiva amps since I've never heard them, but I can say that I never even thought of replacing the XPA-2. It just worked that well.

Cheers - Boomzilla

[Boomzilla]

Dec 2, 2012 4:14:35 GMT -5 drbrutallica said:

BTW, I was wondering if anybody here owns an XSP-1 pre amp? If so, please let me know.
thanks

Yep - Got one of those too. I'm still trying to decide what it sounds like. I find little or no difference between having my DAC plugged directly into my power amp and having the XSP-1 in between. In my opinion, this is a GOOD thing. I definitely like having the channel-matched ladder attenuator to keep the image centered despite changes in volume. I also like the variable analog bass crossover built in.

I haven't used the phono inputs because until yesterday, I didn't own a turntable (bought an old Denon at a yard sale). I can't try it because I have no records.

I also haven't used the balanced connectors because all my gear is unbalanced.

Overall, I'd say not to expect any dramatic changes from the XSP-1. What your source sounds like is what you'll hear. If this is what you want from a preamp, then the XSP-1 is a bargain. If you want the preamp to color the sound, then this isn't the preamp for you.

Cheers - Boomzilla