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Post by The Mad Norseman on Jan 5, 2013 14:30:41 GMT -5
I know a lot of people on this forum are unhappy with the quality of the XPA series amp's RCA jack inputs. Says they get loose, or break off too easily, don't hold the interconnect tightly, etc. Many of those guys have replaced their amp's RCA input jacks with higher quality, more 'solid' versions. Not sure it that qualifies as a warranty voider though!  |
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Post by repeetavx on Jan 6, 2013 4:48:18 GMT -5
Why void a perfectly good warranty for what can be expected to be marginal improvement? Yeah..I am wondering why you would mod this amp? Just as some people believe that speaker wire and interconnects change the sound of your system, some others believe that what the components inside your device are made of can also influence the sound. Here's a quote from the Erin guy I spoke of in an earlier post. I believe that Emotiva uses high enough quality parts in their X line so that the improvement (if any) would be small. On the other hand, the capacitors that he installed are the same type (metallized film) that Emotiva uses in their Reference line. |
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Post by initforthemusic on Jan 6, 2013 6:23:28 GMT -5
Thanks for the advice, but there's no need for concern. The AE I use is the best in the business, no chance in the world of him butchering anything. The work he has done previously has made some good products capable of competing with some seriously high-end gear, costing 3-4 times as much. " The work he has done previously has made some good products capable of competing with some seriously high-end gear, costing 3-4 times as much." Wow, that's quite a testimonial. How about posting his name and business information so we can all try his magic. I know some folks here have said that their Emo amps (like my XPA amp) is comparable with amps from high end/B&M shops worth 3-4 times as much. I guess this guy's work would make some of the Emo amps worth then about 9-16 times as much. Let's see, my XPA-5 cost $800 and my friend who had been in high end audio for many years pulled the hood and said he thought it looked and sounded on par with the current Parasound 5 channel $2750 job. I've heard others say similar things about the Emo and Parasound's. With this guys upgrade then it might sound more like a $7200 - $12,800, 5 channel, Mark Kline amp! Wow this sounds like a big ass no-brainer to me! How do we get in touch with him? Some interesting calculations there. Not sure it works quite like that but would be great if it did! He's in Melbourne, Australia. I'm sure if you did enough searching you'd find someone in the States who could do similar work. |
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Post by sharkman on Jan 6, 2013 16:29:19 GMT -5
Why void a perfectly good warranty for what can be expected to be marginal improvement? Just as some people believe that speaker wire and interconnects change the sound of your system, some others believe that what the components inside your device are made of can also influence the sound. Here's a quote from the Erin guy I spoke of in an earlier post. I believe that Emotiva uses high enough quality parts in their X line so that the improvement (if any) would be small. On the other hand, the capacitors that he installed are the same type (metallized film) that Emotiva uses in their Reference line. Wow, repeet, it sounds like your guy there really knows his stuff, although for most of us we'd have no idea whether he's on to something. But it sounds like something one of those mod companies could really run with. If they can mod an Oppo and make all manner of claims, surely they could mod an XPA-2 and make claims. Since Emotiva has seen fit to put upgraded caps and such in the XPR line, maybe there is something there. |
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Post by repeetavx on Jan 8, 2013 2:14:03 GMT -5
Modding your audio equipment is just another expression of audiophilia. It's kind of like modding your car, Cold air intake, high flow exhaust, and grounding electronic assemblies. Most of the changes make small differences, but if you think the difference was worth it, then it make it more yours.
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Erwin.BE
Emo VIPs 
It's the room, stupid!
Posts: 2,269
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Post by Erwin.BE on Jan 8, 2013 12:35:39 GMT -5
Looking at purchasing an XPA-2. Would like to know if anyone has upgraded/modded this amp. What they have done and what improvements have you heard? I know a great mod or two: get the XPA-1 or the XPR-2 ;D |
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Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
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Post by Deleted on Jan 8, 2013 12:58:02 GMT -5
I changed the rca jacks (phono inputs) on my USP-1 when i had it. Upgraded them to tiffany style  Lonnie even said it didn't void the warranty. |
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weber
Seeker Of Truth
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Post by weber on Jan 13, 2016 5:17:58 GMT -5
Well folks I just bought a very nice used xpa - 2 gen1. I installed a set of silver plated speaker binding post in it. The mod took me about 30 minutes to do. Now the sound is much more open and detailed. Cost of the mod for parts and cryo treatment is $50. Now that's what I call a easy mod with great yields.
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Ctuna
Sensei
You can tune a piano, but you cant tunafish.
Posts: 712
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Post by Ctuna on Feb 11, 2016 8:20:04 GMT -5
I have an XPA Gen 2 and have had zero problems with RCA connections or anything else. Love this amp, sounds great to me.
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Post by wizardofoz on Feb 11, 2016 10:00:08 GMT -5
All the gen 2 RCA connectors are ok...the gen 1's are just rubbish IMHO and I have replaced so many I have lost count, most broken completely or others hanging on by a thread. The xlr's are not the greatest either and I replaced all mine with neutrik locking parts. See our local forum for info here www.xtremeplace.com/yabbse/index.php?topic=118142.0 if you can find someone to do its not difficult other than doing the xpa1/2 models which are a bit of a challenge but still shouldn't void any warranty. |
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Post by rbk123 on Feb 11, 2016 10:44:53 GMT -5
Did it result in much more open and detailed sound? I find that a bit hard to swallow...
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KeithL
Administrator 
Posts: 10,255
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Post by KeithL on Feb 11, 2016 11:58:20 GMT -5
I personally wouldn't expect "nicer" connectors to sound any different - and all of that hoo-hah about cryo treatment and using fancy kinds of bronze is seriously lacking in any technical justification.
However, an oxidized connector can cause a bad contact, which surely can introduce audible distortion, so connectors should at least be plated.
And a fancy connector may fit tighter, which would be a good thing - at least up to a point.
(In "the old days", many RCA jacks were actually tinned copper (or sometimes even steel), and would turn grey or otherwise visibly corrode - resulting in quite audible problems.
This is why, back then, it was recommended to actually clean and re-seat them now and then. Most modern connectors are at least gold or chrome plated, so this isn't a big issue any more.)
Likewise, if you've been around a while, then you remember when most speaker terminals were simply a row of plain old steel screws - usually in a strip of brown phenolic plastic.
Those also are very prone to corrosion, which did often produce audible issues. However, again, most modern equipment uses gold plated speaker binding posts, which are at least pretty good - and don't corrode.
Whenever you talk about "upgrades" you have to keep what you're hoping to achieve in perspective.
If you replace a connector that's working fine with a fancier one, you shouldn't expect an audible difference (it was working to begin with).
However, you might improve its life expectancy, of make it more able to withstand abuse without being damaged - which is a good thing.
Our general policy on modifications is this.......
It's probably most clear to say that a modification MAY OR MAY NOT void your warranty - and that the decision is at OUR sole discretion.
In general, as long as your modification doesn't affect the unit, cause it to malfunction, or otherwise "interfere" with things, we will ignore it.
So, for example, if you simply changed an input jack, and some other part fails later, the fact that you changed a jack won't make you ineligible for warranty service for your other problem.
Now, of course, if you damage the unit while doing the modification, then that damage won't be covered under warranty.
And, if damage occurs later because of the modification, THAT won't be covered either.
(So, if you remove a DC blocking cap from the input of your amp, and the amp blows someday because that cap wasn't there to protect it from a faulty input, that damage probably won't be covered.)
AND, if your mod interferes with later warranty service, we reserve the right to remove it - at your cost - and it may or may not affect your warranty status.
(So, for example, on many of our amps the input connectors are mounted on an input board; if you change those input connectors, and your unit later requires a new input board,
we're going to install a new input board, including the connectors attached to it, and discard your mods. And, if we determine that your mod was responsible for the problem,
or made our repair harder to do, you may end up paying for the repair, AND paying for us to remove your mod so that we can repair your unit as we normally would.)
BUT, JUST TO BE CLEAR, ONCE YOU MODIFY AN EMOTIVA PRODUCT, ANY SUCH DECISIONS WILL BE AT OUR SOLE DISCRETION.
(In other words, we don't want to hear it if the guy who did your mods claims he didn't break anything; or says that he made something better; any and all mods are strictly AT YOUR RISK.)
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Post by Boomzilla on Feb 11, 2016 12:00:12 GMT -5
Mods do void the warranty. I bought my XPA-2, Gen. 2 because I already liked the sound. I'll not be even considering mods until it's out of warranty.
Much of today's electronic parts are surface mount components. My eyes & soldering skills aren't good enough to mess with those.
Back in the day when I did mod (tube) components, the majority of my mods did not change the schematic. What I did, instead, was to install better-quality, higher voltage/wattage parts for better longevity.
Despite what others say, there IS an audible difference to capacitors. A tantalum cap sounds differently from a non-polarized electrolytic, that sounds differently from a polypropylene film cap. Which of the sounds you like is up to you. But a half-deaf moron could hear these differences; they aren't subtle.
A 350 volt cap run at 350 volts (as many tube manufacturers did) is less reliable than a 450 or 600 volt cap run at 350 volts. With improvements in capacitor technology, the higher-rated caps are now the same size as the original ones - so why not swap?
A ¼ watt carbon film resistor continuously dissipating 0.24 watts is both noisier and less reliable than a ½ watt resistor dissipating the same wattage. Use a metal-film resistor instead and you (usually) get closer tolerance and lower noise - so why not swap?
Now most won't stop with "better parts" mods. The majority of modders firmly believe that they can engineer the circuitry better than the designer. In most cases, they're wrong. A few (Frank Van Alstine, for example) know enough about what they're doing that they can compete with the original design (and often do better). The "Audio Amateur" magazine also posted mods that were interesting, and sometimes performed better than the original. But most modders just don't have a clue.
In any case, I like my Emotiva gear just as I bought it, thank you. If it broke (out of warranty), I'd probably just replace it. But hope springs eternal, and mods will always be implemented by someone...
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Post by garbulky on Feb 11, 2016 15:13:07 GMT -5
I think Keith essentially told us politely to make sure that we are not dumb*ss*s when trying to mod.  |
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Post by DavidR on Feb 12, 2016 15:34:13 GMT -5
I believe that Emotiva uses high enough quality parts in their X line so that the improvement (if any) would be small. On the other hand, the capacitors that he installed are the same type (metallized film) that Emotiva uses in their Reference line. Green caps, Red caps, Blue caps, one foot, two foot, right foot, left foot....................... I know SQ is personal: What one person likes another may not; but WOW. I certainly would not describe the XPA-2 as described above. It does not have muddy bass, mids were not lacking but were a bit forward and it certainly is not shrill. It can be a tad bright on some music and sources. Green caps could be polyester but really what is the OP after? What Pre-Amp was being used? Change the Pre and you change the amp sound to a degree. Before buying my XPA-2 G2 I auditioned a Bryston 4BSST2 ($6000) using a Bryston Pre. It was bass shy, mids and highs were nice but nothing special IMO. Is this thread just to trash the reputation of a very good amp sold at a VERY good price? The following link is about caps in speakers but worth reading: Capacitor Myths |
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Post by smarties on Mar 4, 2016 4:08:28 GMT -5
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weber
Seeker Of Truth
Posts: 9
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Post by weber on Aug 19, 2016 21:46:23 GMT -5
Well guys it's been a long time sense I've installed the cryoed silver speaker post. I have also replaced all the fuses with hifi silver star fuses. I do not have any warranty to worry about. I have a Emotiva dc-1 dac that has the same silverstar fuse upgrade.My cdp is a Music Fidelity. All this runs a pair of DQ 20 speakerso. Now for you guys that can't here this difference show not even bump this post . These small mods have released the beast in the Emotiva gear big time. It's like I went out and bought new gear costing thousands more than what I did here. If Emotiva did this from the factory it differently would cost us a button load more.
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Post by adaboy on Aug 19, 2016 21:58:25 GMT -5
Well guys it's been a long time sense I've installed the cryoed silver speaker post. I have also replaced all the fuses with hifi silver star fuses. I do not have any warranty to worry about. I have a Emotiva dc-1 dac that has the same silverstar fuse upgrade.My cdp is a Music Fidelity. All this runs a pair of DQ 20 speakerso. Now for you guys that can't here this difference show not even bump this post . These small mods have released the beast in the Emotiva gear big time. It's like I went out and bought new gear costing thousands more than what I did here. If Emotiva did this from the factory it differently would cost us a button load more. Pictures please |
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Post by leonski on Sept 15, 2016 1:28:59 GMT -5
Sorry to see Chuckienut deleted. As to IMPROVING the value of the modded piece? NOT. You won't help value and might even crash it. 'Improving' electronics is very subjective. The boys emo probably spent some time with voicing. At least I hope they did. The more expensive gear, (name your poison) WILL be voiced, sometimes for a 'house sound'. The most popular things to 'upgrade' would be capacitors in the signal path AND the same for resistors. ALL carbon resistors should be changed for some kind of metal film types. Caps are an INcredibble can of worms and I won't touch it with the far end of a fishing pole. |
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Post by leonski on Sept 15, 2016 1:33:59 GMT -5
Mods do void the warranty. I bought my XPA-2, Gen. 2 because I already liked the sound. I'll not be even considering mods until it's out of warranty. Much of today's electronic parts are surface mount components. My eyes & soldering skills aren't good enough to mess with those. Back in the day when I did mod (tube) components, the majority of my mods did not change the schematic. What I did, instead, was to install better-quality, higher voltage/wattage parts for better longevity. Despite what others say, there IS an audible difference to capacitors. A tantalum cap sounds differently from a non-polarized electrolytic, that sounds differently from a polypropylene film cap. Which of the sounds you like is up to you. But a half-deaf moron could hear these differences; they aren't subtle. A 350 volt cap run at 350 volts (as many tube manufacturers did) is less reliable than a 450 or 600 volt cap run at 350 volts. With improvements in capacitor technology, the higher-rated caps are now the same size as the original ones - so why not swap? A ¼ watt carbon film resistor continuously dissipating 0.24 watts is both noisier and less reliable than a ½ watt resistor dissipating the same wattage. Use a metal-film resistor instead and you (usually) get closer tolerance and lower noise - so why not swap? Now most won't stop with "better parts" mods. The majority of modders firmly believe that they can engineer the circuitry better than the designer. In most cases, they're wrong. A few (Frank Van Alstine, for example) know enough about what they're doing that they can compete with the original design (and often do better). The "Audio Amateur" magazine also posted mods that were interesting, and sometimes performed better than the original. But most modders just don't have a clue. In any case, I like my Emotiva gear just as I bought it, thank you. If it broke (out of warranty), I'd probably just replace it. But hope springs eternal, and mods will always be implemented by someone... You're right. SURFACE MOUNT is a nightmare to work with, even WITH good eyes. Specialized desoldering gear needed. And don't forget that AWFUL RoHS compliant solder. Nasty stuff. Film resistors are a good move and I'd PERSONALLY try PolyPro caps, not tantalum, which to some sound funny. |
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