Not very happy with Emotiva Today, my XPA-5 woes

[vital]

Call them, they will take care of it for you. They have always taken care of every problem I've had without question.

[wintermute]

I talked to customer services today and things are going to get straightened out. Emotiva will pay for it to get shipped back to have a second look. Everyone I talked to was very pleasant, just as they were when I talked to them a month ago. I explained that my biggest surprise in all of this was that they shipped it back to me without trying to contact me first. I also admitted that while this amp is clearly louder than the other two, it probably is within the limits of what they consider is acceptable. I looked at the RTA charts I did in REW and what sticks out with this amp is that more of the hum is coming from higher harmonics than the other two. Probably why I hear it from my listening chair. And maybe why it wasn't as noticeable in an office environment where there is more ambient noise from florescent lighting and hvac. During the phone call I initially said let's not bother shipping it back, but then I remember how I will get out of my chair and turn it off whenever I'm not listening to it. The other two don't bother me.

So off it goes, I'll give an update when it comes back. The other news is I've decided to make my rear speakers active as well so I now need more channels of amplification. So maybe I'll have 4 XPA-5s in the near future. XPRs would be overkill, right!?

[Lsc]

I think the XPR is a great idea!

Btw, I got my XPA-5 back and it was a simple fix. Replaced ch 5 amp module. So, it just confirms that "additional repair work" was nonsense. Still, I get to finally enjoy now.

Wintermute, all this active crossover thing...what sort of results are you getting vs not doing it?

[wintermute]

Here's a comparison of the three XPA-5s. This either shows that I'm not crazy and one of the amps is clearly louder than the other two. Or it shows that I AM CLEARLY CRAZY and obsessed with sticking microphones in front of my amps. All three were taken with the mic just above the top edge centered.

Attachments:

[wintermute]

Amp 2

Attachments:

[wintermute]

Amp 3

Attachments:

[stiehl11]

So, it looks like there's an 8 db spike at just above 200 Hz if I read it correctly? How far away do you sit from the amps and how loud do you listen to them again?

[vital]

Mar 29, 2013 15:33:17 GMT -5 stiehl11 said:

So, it looks like there's an 8 db spike at just above 200 Hz if I read it correctly? How far away do you sit from the amps and how loud do you listen to them again?

To me it looks like it's 13db louder than the third XPA-5 and 9db louder than the second at that spot.

[wintermute]

After a month I got a call back from Emotiva. They can't reproduce the hum. So its coming back to me unchanged. I explained that I have three XPA-5s all three on the same circuit. Only one hums. I believe it when they say they can't hear a problem. Must be something to do with my circuit. Oh well, I'll go ahead with my plan to put all three in the garage.

[roadrunner]

May 10, 2013 13:40:43 GMT -5 wintermute said:

After a month I got a call back from Emotiva. They can't reproduce the hum. So its coming back to me unchanged. I explained that I have three XPA-5s all three on the same circuit. Only one hums. I believe it when they say they can't hear a problem. Must be something to do with my circuit. Oh well, I'll go ahead with my plan to put all three in the garage.

Having followed this thread since your original post I can help but wonder if you problem might be caused by harmonics due to placement and the type of material the shelf the amp sits on is made of. Have you tried to decouple the "offending amp" from the shelf it sits upon? ...or just moving the "offending amp" to a new location to see if the hum changes? Do you have any Sorbothane feet rated for the weight of an XPA-5 power amp? If so, you may want to see if using them cures your problem.

I have cure similar problems in the past by decoupling the offending component from the shelf it sits upon. Since the amp does not appear to be producing the hum in Emotiva's repair facilities it makes me think decoupling may be the reason they do not experience the same issue that you do in your own home installation. ...food for thought.

[billmac]

May 10, 2013 13:40:43 GMT -5 wintermute said:

Must be something to do with my circuit.

If all three amps are on the same circuit then I would think all three amps would have the same audible hum. So if one of the three amps has a louder hum then I would rule out an issue with that circuit. I might have missed it earlier in the thread but did you try the XPA-5 with the louder hum plugged into a different circuit?

Bill

[wintermute]

I have plugged it into a different circuit while placed on the floor well away from the other equipment. Into the garage it goes where it can hum as much as it wants. Maybe it is homesick and only hums when it is away from Tennessee.

[eclypse]

You probably have but figured i'd mention it.. have you tried a different power cord?

[garbulky]

Have you tried with just the offending amp plugged into a completely different wall outlet?

[meldhache]

Very strange problem, according to your noise specs on all three amps, seems to indicate a higher noise floor especially the worst xpa-5.As we all know in this non perfect world , there is some variation in the quality of components used in any or all components and thus imop some of the Emotiva transformers may be more sensitive to dc offset voltage in your particular house current, I wonder if Emotiva should send you a cmx 2 to experience with.
How about this Emotiva service, this will really speak loud and clear about your usually high quality client services !!
Mel

[Dan Laufman]

Hi Guys,
This is a difficult issue to handle, and I don't believe our tech's are ignoring your concerns. However, a given level of mechanical hum to one person, may be inaudible, but to another, the end of the world. Also, the mounting position and material can act as a resonator and increase the audibility of the residual vibration in the transformer, making things worse.

When we get a transformer hum complaint, we take it seriously.

I know how out techs work, and they are trying to make you happy and address your concerns, but if they don't hear it in the shop, they don't hear it. They are not blowing you off. I know this for a fact.

My suggestion is to contact us by phone. Ask for me and I'll arrange to have your transformer replaced. I don't know what else to do at this point to try to resolve your noise issue.

Give me a call please on Monday and we'll get your squared away.
Sorry for the trouble.
Regards,
Dan

[ocezam]

May 11, 2013 12:33:27 GMT -5 Dan Laufman said:

contact us by phone. Ask for me and I'll arrange to have your transformer replaced.
Give me a call please on Monday and we'll get your squared away.
Sorry for the trouble.
Regards,
Dan

Awesome!


...

[meldhache]

As usual, great service, do you think that his setup will require some filtration as per cmx-2 or cmx-6 ?
Mel

[eclypse]

I guess that's why I keep looking at Emotiva for my first set of amps!

[wintermute]

May 11, 2013 12:33:27 GMT -5 Dan Laufman said:

Hi Guys,
This is a difficult issue to handle, and I don't believe our tech's are ignoring your concerns. However, a given level of mechanical hum to one person, may be inaudible, but to another, the end of the world. Also, the mounting position and material can act as a resonator and increase the audibility of the residual vibration in the transformer, making things worse.

When we get a transformer hum complaint, we take it seriously.

I know how out techs work, and they are trying to make you happy and address your concerns, but if they don't hear it in the shop, they don't hear it. They are not blowing you off. I know this for a fact.

My suggestion is to contact us by phone. Ask for me and I'll arrange to have your transformer replaced. I don't know what else to do at this point to try to resolve your noise issue.

Give me a call please on Monday and we'll get your squared away.
Sorry for the trouble.
Regards,
Dan

I've talked to Dan's office and the amp is going to have its transformer replaced. Thanks Emotiva. I also want to clarify that my only complaint with Emotiva during this whole episode was my initial post where the amp was sent back to me without trying to contact me first. Every time I've talked to Emotiva they have been friendly and accommodating.

Oddly enough, the XPA-5 will still go on sale when it is returned to me. I’ve decided to take advantage of the ongoing sale and have purchased three XPR-5s to replace all three of my XPA-5s! Overkill for sure, but too much is always just right for me. I’ll need new circuits for the beasts so I’m sticking with my plan to put them in the closet in the garage next to my home theater room. I’ll put a subpanel in the closet exclusively for the home theater equipment. I’ll post some photos when done.