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Post by audiofile on Jan 4, 2013 18:24:45 GMT -5
Let me rant a bit then I'll move on to a more objective discourse. My dang eD (Elemental Designs) sub amp has given up again. I had it fixed twice by eD and, as many of you may know, they've closed their doors. It just freakin' frosts my a$$ to have to go through this again. I've had to move the sub (you A5-350 owners know what a pain that is!!!), pull the amp and now get to take it to a local shop I have used in the past to see if it can be repaired. Don't get me wrong, it is a wonderful sub WHEN IT IS FREAKIN' WORKING!!!! Damn It, Damn It and Damn It Again! OK, rant over. If the amp can't be fixed or replaced; then I will be on the search for a new sub. Even if it can be, I may use the eD with my 2-channel system and plug a new one into the HT system. The only issue is I am NOT looking forward to lugging this thing upstairs. I am looking for a sub that is "musical" vs. just worth a good rumble in an action scene on a movie. A bit of rumble is OK with me but the majority of the time I will be listening to music. I couldn't help but notice that Emotiva has a sub, the X-Ref 12. I'd like some input from you X-Ref owners out there. 1. Is your primary use movies, music or a combination? 2. Give me the good, the bad and the ugly of owning this sub. 3. How did the setup go? 4. If it is also part of your music system, are you hooked up to your speakers or just LFE or sub out from a preamp? 5. Have you tried the preamp out and the speaker connection options? If so, which do you prefer and why? Thanks very much for any input you can offer.
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DYohn
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Post by DYohn on Jan 4, 2013 18:28:38 GMT -5
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Post by knucklehead on Jan 4, 2013 18:46:52 GMT -5
+1 Or get one of Crown's XLS pro amps. More power than you need but they are 'tunable'. It has internal crossovers which are handy if you don't have an AVR with a subwoofer crossover function - or want to use it with a 2 channel setup. All you'd need is the XLS1000 since it has plenty of power. When my A5-350 amp craps out I'll power it with my XLS1500 using only one channel. The Crown amps have internal fans but seldom come on. Behringer amps (other than the fan-less A500) all have constant fan speed and they are very noisy unless you do the fan mod. And the XLS amps are digital - mine is 12 pounds yet puts out over 500wpc into 4ohms. I'm pushing my ERTs with it right now - its only idling and I never see the clip light come on.
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Post by audiofile on Jan 4, 2013 18:48:38 GMT -5
hmmm...good thing about that amp is that my cutout only needs to be enlarged by about 1/2" on all sides.
Thanks for the link, DYohn!
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Post by monkumonku on Jan 4, 2013 18:49:25 GMT -5
I am looking for a sub that is "musical" vs. just worth a good rumble in an action scene on a movie. A bit of rumble is OK with me but the majority of the time I will be listening to music. I couldn't help but notice that Emotiva has a sub, the X-Ref 12. I'd like some input from you X-Ref owners out there. 1. Is your primary use movies, music or a combination? 2. Give me the good, the bad and the ugly of owning this sub. 3. How did the setup go? 4. If it is also part of your music system, are you hooked up to your speakers or just LFE or sub out from a preamp? 5. Have you tried the preamp out and the speaker connection options? If so, which do you prefer and why? Thanks very much for any input you can offer. I've got a pair of Xref-12's and an Xref-10.. my two cents on your questions: 1. I use them for mixed use, about half and half. 2. I love them. They are very musical - that is, the output is clean, notes are distinct and have a good "feel" to them. They sound natural with music. For movies, I am satisfied. I am not one of those people that likes to weaken the foundation of my house or hasten an insurance claim - I prefer balance. The Xref's don't go as deep as a larger sub but they have plenty of impact for me. Movie effects are solid and distinct, no muddiness or rumbling. They cleanly reproduce the soundtrack. For an all-purpose sub, I'm very happy. 3. I set them up using an OmniMic from Parts Express to measure their frequency response and then did the adjusting using the built in PEQ in the subs. The PEQ is helpful but the biggest factor (to me, anyway) is placing the sub in the best location. My room is kind of difficult. What is nice about the Xref series is their compact size. Despite the size, they have more than enough volume and impact for my taste. They are as easy to set up as any other sub out there and they have the benefit of the PEQ. 4. My subs are connected to an XSP-1 via the balanced outputs and crossed over at about 80hz. 5. See #4. I've only tried the balanced outputs.
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Post by audiofile on Jan 4, 2013 18:53:28 GMT -5
Thanks, Ken! I hope you don't have to go through this.
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Post by audiofile on Jan 4, 2013 18:54:21 GMT -5
Thank you for the input, monkumonku. That was very helpful!
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DYohn
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Post by DYohn on Jan 4, 2013 18:58:28 GMT -5
I've used the Dayton 500-w plate amp and it is rock solid.
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Post by monkumonku on Jan 4, 2013 19:00:40 GMT -5
Thank you for the input, monkumonku. That was very helpful! You're welcome! Prior to the Xref's, I had a Hsu VTF-2 Mk3. It is a pretty powerful sub and went down to about 18 hz - lower than the Xref's. But because it was so big I could only put it in one spot in the room which was not the best location. So even though it went deeper, and even using a Velodyne SMS-1, I was never real happy with the bass. Having 3 subs (I would have 4 except there is no place to put a 4th one) is good not because of volume but because of being able to overcome the room acoustic limitations. I would say that having one Xref-12 in the right location will provide a very good balance between music and movie use. The current holiday sale price is very attractive, too!
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Post by audiofile on Jan 4, 2013 19:15:16 GMT -5
Yes, this eD sub is massive and only really fits in one place and that spot is not optimum. With a smaller sub (the X-Ref for instance) I have a lot more choices.
I have a bit of time to make up my mind but with the holiday sale coming to an end on the 15th, I better not dally!
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Post by coreysinger on Jan 4, 2013 21:13:56 GMT -5
My a5-350 came with a Bash 500 amp. Available at parts express. It has been rock solid so far. You could go that route.
I've had it for only a year. Got it just before they went under.
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