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Post by Boomzilla on Feb 4, 2013 20:34:26 GMT -5
Yes - I've owned a Qinpu, and in fact the same model as yours. On the La Scalas, it was awesome except for the volume pot. On mine, it was a bit channel-imbalanced at the lowest ranges. That's what prompted me to return it. Of course, used as a power amp only...
It seems that 90% or more of the Chinese products are integrated amps, not straight power amps.
By the way, can anyone describe to me what single-ended triode amps sound like?
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Post by creimes on Feb 4, 2013 20:43:52 GMT -5
Is the Alps volume a good quality volume stage, I notice it's used in the RSP-2 as well which is waiting at the border for me to pick up...., I just ask as I wasn't super excited with the touchy volume of the USP-1 As Dyohn said, they are some of the best around. I have a few laying around that i wired up to a LM3886 amp, which essentially made it a Mini-X lol Perfect, do you guys know what the USP-1 uses...is it the same |
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Post by Dark Ranger on Feb 4, 2013 20:44:32 GMT -5
By the way, can anyone describe to me what single-ended triode amps sound like? Chocolatey smooth, with dark undertones of cacao bean and just a flash of citrus.  |
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Post by creimes on Feb 4, 2013 20:45:51 GMT -5
By the way, can anyone describe to me what single-ended triode amps sound like? Chocolatey smooth, with dark undertones of cacao bean and just a flash of citrus. mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm |
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Pauly
Emo VIPs 
Posts: 5,237
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Post by Pauly on Feb 4, 2013 21:20:08 GMT -5
I just love my mini-X! It really is amazing how well it competes with the more expensive gear out there. I was set on buying the Rega Brio-R, but then I gave the mini a shot, and I'm really glad I did. This thing is really fun to listen to. The only problem is the channel imbalance below 9 O'clock or so. My speakers are about 97db sensitivity, and I listen at lower volumes most of the time, but the 6db attenuators took care of that. Overall it's an amazing little amp. Buy with confidence and save a bunch of money.
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Post by Boomzilla on Feb 6, 2013 7:17:09 GMT -5
By the way, can anyone describe to me what single-ended triode amps sound like? Chocolatey smooth, with dark undertones of cacao bean and just a flash of citrus. Unfortunately, also with perhaps with a slight undercurrent of second-order decay and frequency-imbalanced excessive earthiness. Overall, it only serves as something to create an unhealthy excitement in the lower classes. Cheers - Boomzilla |
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Post by Boomzilla on Feb 6, 2013 7:18:16 GMT -5
I just love my mini-X! It really is amazing how well it competes with the more expensive gear out there...Overall it's an amazing little amp. Buy with confidence and save a bunch of money. Darn - Now I'm interested! When's Emo's next sale? |
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Post by strindl on Feb 7, 2013 0:54:01 GMT -5
I agree with what others have already stated...the mini X is a fine sounding amp. I've had it hooked to Magnepan 1.7's and it sounds quite nice driving them. It also has a nice quality feel to it. Pair it with a music source, like a Squeezebox Touch in this case, and it's a compact music system hooked to the speakers of your choice.  |
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Post by Boomzilla on Feb 7, 2013 5:23:28 GMT -5
Hi strindl -
WOW, what a fine system you have - I'm envious! I love Maggies and you've got the amps for them, to be sure. I'm surprised that the Mini-X has the guts to drive the 1.7s, but being from Emotiva, I guess that I shouldn't be.
I see in the photo that your Mini-X is being played with the volume control at max. I'm assuming that the Squeezebox is doing the volume control? I'll be using mine in the same style, but with an Audioquest Dragonfly or my XSP-1 doing the volume.
In any case, thank you very much for the info. If the Mini-X can handle the four-ohm, high-current load of your Maggies, then there's no question that it will work for me with my high-efficiency speakers.
Cheers - Boomzilla
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Post by Boomzilla on Feb 7, 2013 5:40:26 GMT -5
...I don't know it will be what you are looking for if you didn't like the xpa-2 on your Klipsch... Hi garbulky - Based on the almost unanimous feedback here on the lounge and on the plethora of users who report excellent results with their XPA series amps with Klipsch speakers (and other high-sensitivity models), I'm concluding that my particular XPA-2 was an anomaly. The vox populi can't all be wrong. Besides, my XPA-2 sounded SO good with every other speaker that I'm surely willing to venture the meager price of the Mini-X to get that effect with my current La Scalas. Should worse come to worst and the Mini-X not be so fine, Emotiva does offer a generous return window. So to summarize, the Mini-X is a "can't lose" purchase for me. While my various tube amps reside at the repair shop, the Mini will keep me in music. Who knows, the little booger may be so beguiling that I'll conclude that I don't really need tubes after all... Cheers - Boomzilla |
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Post by strindl on Feb 7, 2013 13:42:00 GMT -5
Hi strindl - WOW, what a fine system you have - I'm envious! I love Maggies and you've got the amps for them, to be sure. I'm surprised that the Mini-X has the guts to drive the 1.7s, but being from Emotiva, I guess that I shouldn't be. I see in the photo that your Mini-X is being played with the volume control at max. I'm assuming that the Squeezebox is doing the volume control? I'll be using mine in the same style, but with an Audioquest Dragonfly or my XSP-1 doing the volume. In any case, thank you very much for the info. If the Mini-X can handle the four-ohm, high-current load of your Maggies, then there's no question that it will work for me with my high-efficiency speakers. Cheers - Boomzilla The Magnepan 1.7's really do need more power than the Mini X has to sound their best, but the mini X does sound very nice with them. It's 80 watts per channel at the 4 ohm load of the maggies does a nice job. And yes, The squeezebox volume control is what I use when I'm using the mini X with that portable system. That lets me adjust the volume with a remote control I normally drive those Magnepans with a Threshold S500e which is rated for 500 watts per channel at 4 ohms. I would have no qualms about using the mini X as the main power to speakers that are more efficient, like your Klipsch. I have another pair of Magnepans in my bedroom system..model 1.6, which I drive with an XPA-2....I'm listening to those right now as I type...and that combination sounds great as well. |
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traider79
Sensei
Getting used to new look
Posts: 434
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Post by traider79 on Feb 7, 2013 16:50:30 GMT -5
I was messing around last night with 2 old powered subs hooked up to the rca- outs on the mini -x I then used and rca-stero cable for the ipod I then turned on the Ipod and selected a track then plugged it in. Boom did it scare the Shi## out of me. I did not even have the mini-x Plugged in yet. ! was like WHHoa! then laughed at myself. I did not realize the signal with go through with the power off. Lesson learned.
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Post by Boomzilla on Feb 7, 2013 17:10:58 GMT -5
Surprise!! At least there were no tweeters involved... |
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Post by bool on Oct 12, 2013 15:47:43 GMT -5
I just replaced my Wadia PowerDAC with the mini and the Xda-2. The extra power to my Aon 3's in my office setup sounds fantastic. I think the extra power helps the Aon's sound vs the Wadia. I also use my Grado sr80 headphones with the Xda-2 and think the sound is much better than my NuForce DAC/headphone amp. My only issue is the size. Had to rearrange the office a bit, but it's worth it.
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Post by kurtman2012 on Oct 22, 2013 15:19:06 GMT -5
I drive a pair of mid 1990's Magnepan 0.6QR's with my mini. Office is 12' x 16', and I love the sound produced by this system.
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Post by audiodude on Nov 4, 2013 11:02:27 GMT -5
I just got mine and although I really do like the amp a lot overall that level mismatch does bother me. I have the same problem with the volume at the lowest settings the left channel basically is lost before the right so the one is lower then the other. what is odd is why is this and only some have this issue are there a bunch of defective alps pots out there some got them some did not?. I know alps is usually top notch, so I do wonder why this effects only some users. In comparison I own an original Urei 1620 mixer that I use as my pre in my main system, it has 9 alps black beauty pots and they all fade perfectly no noise and at the very lowest setting both channels can be faded till you can just barely hear the last note in each. Mind you I don't expect the Emotiva to use a pot as good as the original alps black beauty to keep costs lower, but I would like to have one that is consistent from lowest to highest volume ... so does anyone know why this is a problem only reported by some. Are we the few that are just more picky then most or is there infact a problem with some of these pots? Also on another note i would like the volume ring led to be as dim as the standby led I am assuming that there are 2 sep leds used to do this, am I correct? Anyone done a mod to dim the really bright blue led? This is just as I was never one for leds that light up the room I have a slew of studio gear and all the leds are nice and dim by comparison and yes this was from the get go most gear I have has standard leds that don't bother me at all. I also have an Oppo deck and that has several dif dim settings on the display, so as I suggestion to the design team I would love to see a small slider switch on the back that would let a picky user select high or low just like the switch on the back om my Carver M-500t allows me to dim its Meters, again this is just a preference. I also removed the trim as I felt it looks much slicker with just the naked face then replaced the face screws with button head allen screws to finish it off, see pic of this mod in my desktop setup the amp fits perfectly in a nook just under my desk. I think it would be really cool if maybe the amp could be offered with no trim on it by default and the trim included as an option in the box that the end user could add if they like. Just ideas this has nothing to do with the sound. This is only ideas on the look I and some others have said they like. Now as far as the sound goes I really like it ... I originally had a small Topping T amp powering my desktop system, and while it sounded good it did not really have the drive I was looking for no real reserve power. The Mini-X on the other hand has plenty of drive and never seems to run out of steam on quick base transits like I find a T Amp does plus The topping is basically done at the 12 o'clock setting it will not get any louder. The X on the other hand can go louder if needed but so far I have never gone past 12 on the X as it has plenty of power and reserve for most speaker and works great with my small Energy Reference Connoisseurs. I also tested with a set of Polk M40 Speakers and it sounded really good with those as well. I like that this amp is also very quiet electronically thanks to obvious good design and the use of a large internal toroidal transformer based power supply, and no wall warts as with most T Amps. The one thing I notice right away is that vocals on my Energy Mons now sound even clearer with more depth and clarity then what was produced by The Topping T Amp. So in my opin if you have some more space and were looking to buy a T Amp you realy should try the Mini-X out as I think the overall power and sound quality is just so much better. No the X is not a T amp and takes up a bit more space but I say it is well worth it, I think your ears will agree it is the right choice :-) Someone mentioned the X should be wide not deep, I have to say I think this is a nice size and if it was wide and not deep then it would be just like any other standard amp this design allowed it to fit where a standard amp would not as you can see in my pic. Attachment Deleted |
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Post by Boomzilla on Nov 4, 2013 11:21:18 GMT -5
Enjoy that amp! I think it is an absolute WONDER!
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