Post by Accurus on Sept 8, 2008 18:24:36 GMT -5
Hello folks. After writing up both a review and a comparison on the XPA-2 I will keep my opinions on the XPA-3 fairly short. The XPA-3 was purchased to replace my old and trusty Acurus A100x3. It has been driving my MMGC Center and MGMC1 rears for a few years now and drove nearly an identical setup in my father's listening room before I got my hands on it. It sounded great with my XPA-2. My uncle wanted to pick it up from me and between that and the Labor Day sale I went ahead and purchased an XPA-3. After rewiring and making room in my cabinet for this monster I sat down for a listen.
My first comment for everyone wondering what all the fuss with the XPA-2 is versus the XPA-3 and XPA-5 is that there is a huge difference in the layout of the two. The XPA-3 while the same size as the XPA-2 is much lighter and it is clear that the XPA-2 has more reserve power than the XPA-3. The top of the XPA-2 is loaded with power caps while the XPA-3 has a little pocket of them located in the front.
The other issue I would like to comment on is the different information provided by Emotiva about the amp. The manual states that the amp can provide 350 watts per channel into 4 ohms for all channels driven. On the product page it says 300 watts per channel for the same configuration. At some point the folks at Emotiva will want to address this with a minor revision to either the website or the manual.
Now onto the sound stuff... The amp is a wonderful piece of gear. Tone wise it is obviously a perfect match with the XPA-2. It maintains the clarity and powerful sound of the XPA-2. It also helps when I doubled the power to my center and rears since the Acurus did 150 watts per channel into 4 ohms. The main things I heard in my system were an increase in both the clarity and the power behind the dialogue. Voices gained not only a since a separation but also they had more dynamics and power behind them. The soundstage in the fronts improved quiet a bit. I had a great front soundstage before but now it is more precise and refined.
The rear speakers were a large improvement. Before my system sounded like it has front speakers and rear speakers. There was not much of a feel that sound came from the side of me. Now in 5.1 my stereo sounds like it has an encapsulating sound that is 360 degrees. Also I am noticing a lot more information in the rear channels that I have never noticed before. Voices, sound effects, etc all sound clearer and are sonically placed to have a clear soundstage.
I am very impressed with the sound of this amp in conjunction with the XPA-2. My system has a powerful and yet clear and refined sound that I have yet to hear with it. The Acurus like the Anthem the XPA-2 replaced is no slouch of an amp. I would recommend the XPA-2 and XPA-3 combo to anyone with a hard to drive speaker system. While many folks with cone speakers, more efficient speakers, and 8 ohm loads probably won't benefit as much from extra power us folks with 4 ohm loads and speakers that need a dam to power them. While the XPA-3 doesn't get as much talk on the forum as the XPA-2 and XPA-5 it is a great piece of equipment worthy of the XPA series name. When used with the XPA-2 it will produce wonderful sound. My new amps and speakers are now looking forward to the new subs and processor from Emotiva that will soon be gracing them with their presence.
My first comment for everyone wondering what all the fuss with the XPA-2 is versus the XPA-3 and XPA-5 is that there is a huge difference in the layout of the two. The XPA-3 while the same size as the XPA-2 is much lighter and it is clear that the XPA-2 has more reserve power than the XPA-3. The top of the XPA-2 is loaded with power caps while the XPA-3 has a little pocket of them located in the front.
The other issue I would like to comment on is the different information provided by Emotiva about the amp. The manual states that the amp can provide 350 watts per channel into 4 ohms for all channels driven. On the product page it says 300 watts per channel for the same configuration. At some point the folks at Emotiva will want to address this with a minor revision to either the website or the manual.
Now onto the sound stuff... The amp is a wonderful piece of gear. Tone wise it is obviously a perfect match with the XPA-2. It maintains the clarity and powerful sound of the XPA-2. It also helps when I doubled the power to my center and rears since the Acurus did 150 watts per channel into 4 ohms. The main things I heard in my system were an increase in both the clarity and the power behind the dialogue. Voices gained not only a since a separation but also they had more dynamics and power behind them. The soundstage in the fronts improved quiet a bit. I had a great front soundstage before but now it is more precise and refined.
The rear speakers were a large improvement. Before my system sounded like it has front speakers and rear speakers. There was not much of a feel that sound came from the side of me. Now in 5.1 my stereo sounds like it has an encapsulating sound that is 360 degrees. Also I am noticing a lot more information in the rear channels that I have never noticed before. Voices, sound effects, etc all sound clearer and are sonically placed to have a clear soundstage.
I am very impressed with the sound of this amp in conjunction with the XPA-2. My system has a powerful and yet clear and refined sound that I have yet to hear with it. The Acurus like the Anthem the XPA-2 replaced is no slouch of an amp. I would recommend the XPA-2 and XPA-3 combo to anyone with a hard to drive speaker system. While many folks with cone speakers, more efficient speakers, and 8 ohm loads probably won't benefit as much from extra power us folks with 4 ohm loads and speakers that need a dam to power them. While the XPA-3 doesn't get as much talk on the forum as the XPA-2 and XPA-5 it is a great piece of equipment worthy of the XPA series name. When used with the XPA-2 it will produce wonderful sound. My new amps and speakers are now looking forward to the new subs and processor from Emotiva that will soon be gracing them with their presence.
