Post by bourbonncigars on Dec 11, 2008 20:59:16 GMT -5
After quarreling with myself over whether or not to get a new amp (or two), the devil on my left shoulder kicked the angels ass on my right shoulder, and I clicked the "Buy" button last weekend for two XPA-5's. I was quite happy with my Outlaw preamp/amp combo, but as most of you know, the want often far outweighs the need. I stayed at home most of the day Tuesday, and they arrived late that afternoon. Having waited at home, I was able to get everything disconnected and ready for the new amps to go into place as soon as they got here.
When the Fedex truck pulled up to the driveway, I went outside, and was greeted by a woman driver who was incredibly happy that I was there to help unload them since her two-wheeler was broken. The boxes were indeed quite heavy, even for an avid weightlifter like me. After getting them inside, I made sure no parts of my insides were trying to come out my abdominal wall due to carrying them up the driveway. All good.
They were double boxed and well protected. The boxes have two handles on either side cutout, so carrying them by hand is made as easy as it could be. The amp itself was wrapped in a thick plastic bag, and surrounded by a very snug fitting foam insert on a cardboard backing. They were packed as well as any other piece of gear I've owned from Velodyne, Yamaha, Denon, B&K, etc...
Once I got them into place, they hooked up as easily as an amplifier should. The binding posts are a clear plastic, and feel plenty sturdy. The RCA cables from my preamp inserted into the amp with an unremarkable sensation - just like hooking up any other amp, which means nothing too exciting. All speakers are connected by banana plugs, except the two surround speakers in my 5.1 setup.
A couple of years ago, I started experimenting with passive bi-amping. This is as controversial a topic as there is in the audio world. In fact, I'm pretty sure some countries have gone to war over discussions about bi-amping that turned violent. I'm a fan of it, and since it's my money that many people may think I'm wasting, I'm free to do as I please. Having said that, my two XPA-5's are being run as so:
Amp number one is powering the surrounds and the upper (highs) binding posts on the front three speakers...
Amp number two is only using three channels, and they are connected to the lower (bass) binding posts on the front three speakers.
This setup leaves me with two additional channels to use in a 7.1 setup should I ever feel the need to go that route after it becomes more mainstream. My previous amp was an Outlaw 7125, which was bi-amping the Left and Right speakers, while the center and surrounds were connected in the standard single wire fashion.
My preamp is an Outlaw 990, and has no type of room correction. All speaker levels were set using my ears, since my tastes never seem to agree with the SPL meter. The speakers used are Energy Audissey 5+2's, which is a bipolar tower, a Definitive Technology C/L/R 2000, and Emotiva's own ERD-1's pulling surround duties. The source is a PS3, which is used solely as a Blu-ray player.
After everything was put into place, it was time to power everything up. I'd exchanged a few emails with Lonnie concerning possible noise (or "hiss") from the speakers at idle, and also expressed some concerns about the need for a dedicated 20 amp breaker to try and limit the chance of any surprises I might encounter.
First, the power up. Everything in my system was already turned on, except the amps. Turned one amp on - check. Turned the next one on - check. Ok, that went well.
Next, the noise. This is a big issue with me, and one that has sent back more equipment than I care to mention. I went to the listening position, which is 12 feet from the front speakers. I had everything that could make any ambient noise in the house turned off. Nothing. Walked closer, to around six feet. Nothing. Three feet. Nothing. One foot. Nothing. Ear to speaker. An extremely faint hiss. I'll gladly take it.
So, after the trivial stuff was out of the way, it was time for a movie. For all my listening tests, I had my sub (1250 watt, 18" Velodyne) turned off. I just wanted to hear what the XPA-5's had to offer without the aid of a powered subwoofer. First up was Tropic Thunder. The disc, aside from some LFE inconsistencies, is top notch in the a/v department. I also chose it because I'm a huge fan of the movie, and have watched it an embarrassing amount of times. But, that also means I'm very familiar with how it sounds on my old amp.
Right away, the improved separation of sounds was readily apparent. As I said before, my previous amp was already good, but this moved the bar up a little further. I've seen this movie so much that I know what every shell that hits the ground sounds like in the opening scene. The clarity was so noticeably improved that I watched the scene over and over again to make sure I was actually hearing small clicks and clanks I'd missed before. What about the low end, you say? Oh, don't worry, it's there. How do I know? Because I walked over to my sub to make sure the light was off on the bottom of it. The impact, power, and just plain slam was much more than I was expecting. It felt like I had power reserves running out the yin yang.
Next up was Ironman, which is another movie I have certain scenes of embedded in my head. I had the same experience with this movie as I did with Tropic Thunder. Clarity, impact, power, and slam. The first scene which finds a Humvee getting a present from the sky, was jarringly improved from the old amp. The same can be said during the Ironman/fighter jet scene. Too much fun.
On each movie tested, the dialogue was easily improved over the previous amp.
The third movie, and laugh at me if you must, was Pearl Harbor. I'd tell you that it's my wife's movie, but you'd just call me a lie. Anyway, regardless of how good or bad the movie is, the attack on Pearl Harbor is one of the best sequences for home theater demo material there is. It shone brightly with the XPA-5 twins. Again, I kept wondering if the sub was sneaking some notes in on me. The bomb that gets the Arizona was a sonic orgasm.
For those music lovers out there, sorry. I don't listen to music on this rig so I can't comment on their performance there. I'd have a hard time believing they wouldn't sound incredible. I say this, because as impressive as the headroom and ample power was, it's the detail they present that is truly impressive. The low end lets you know it's waiting for you to really test it, and the highs are so smooth that I was able to run my test movies for long periods without the slightest harshness or fatigue setting in. I was also able to run them at higher volumes, while still maintaining the airy quality and effortless sound that you only get with good clean power. The XPA-5's have that in spades.
So, with everything hooked up and put to the test, I realized around 1:30am Tuesday night (Wednesday morning), that there would be no need to keep the two massive cardboard boxes sitting in the dining room, ready for a repacking. They can be put in the attic. These amps are staying with me.
When the Fedex truck pulled up to the driveway, I went outside, and was greeted by a woman driver who was incredibly happy that I was there to help unload them since her two-wheeler was broken. The boxes were indeed quite heavy, even for an avid weightlifter like me. After getting them inside, I made sure no parts of my insides were trying to come out my abdominal wall due to carrying them up the driveway. All good.
They were double boxed and well protected. The boxes have two handles on either side cutout, so carrying them by hand is made as easy as it could be. The amp itself was wrapped in a thick plastic bag, and surrounded by a very snug fitting foam insert on a cardboard backing. They were packed as well as any other piece of gear I've owned from Velodyne, Yamaha, Denon, B&K, etc...
Once I got them into place, they hooked up as easily as an amplifier should. The binding posts are a clear plastic, and feel plenty sturdy. The RCA cables from my preamp inserted into the amp with an unremarkable sensation - just like hooking up any other amp, which means nothing too exciting. All speakers are connected by banana plugs, except the two surround speakers in my 5.1 setup.
A couple of years ago, I started experimenting with passive bi-amping. This is as controversial a topic as there is in the audio world. In fact, I'm pretty sure some countries have gone to war over discussions about bi-amping that turned violent. I'm a fan of it, and since it's my money that many people may think I'm wasting, I'm free to do as I please. Having said that, my two XPA-5's are being run as so:
Amp number one is powering the surrounds and the upper (highs) binding posts on the front three speakers...
Amp number two is only using three channels, and they are connected to the lower (bass) binding posts on the front three speakers.
This setup leaves me with two additional channels to use in a 7.1 setup should I ever feel the need to go that route after it becomes more mainstream. My previous amp was an Outlaw 7125, which was bi-amping the Left and Right speakers, while the center and surrounds were connected in the standard single wire fashion.
My preamp is an Outlaw 990, and has no type of room correction. All speaker levels were set using my ears, since my tastes never seem to agree with the SPL meter. The speakers used are Energy Audissey 5+2's, which is a bipolar tower, a Definitive Technology C/L/R 2000, and Emotiva's own ERD-1's pulling surround duties. The source is a PS3, which is used solely as a Blu-ray player.
After everything was put into place, it was time to power everything up. I'd exchanged a few emails with Lonnie concerning possible noise (or "hiss") from the speakers at idle, and also expressed some concerns about the need for a dedicated 20 amp breaker to try and limit the chance of any surprises I might encounter.
First, the power up. Everything in my system was already turned on, except the amps. Turned one amp on - check. Turned the next one on - check. Ok, that went well.
Next, the noise. This is a big issue with me, and one that has sent back more equipment than I care to mention. I went to the listening position, which is 12 feet from the front speakers. I had everything that could make any ambient noise in the house turned off. Nothing. Walked closer, to around six feet. Nothing. Three feet. Nothing. One foot. Nothing. Ear to speaker. An extremely faint hiss. I'll gladly take it.
So, after the trivial stuff was out of the way, it was time for a movie. For all my listening tests, I had my sub (1250 watt, 18" Velodyne) turned off. I just wanted to hear what the XPA-5's had to offer without the aid of a powered subwoofer. First up was Tropic Thunder. The disc, aside from some LFE inconsistencies, is top notch in the a/v department. I also chose it because I'm a huge fan of the movie, and have watched it an embarrassing amount of times. But, that also means I'm very familiar with how it sounds on my old amp.
Right away, the improved separation of sounds was readily apparent. As I said before, my previous amp was already good, but this moved the bar up a little further. I've seen this movie so much that I know what every shell that hits the ground sounds like in the opening scene. The clarity was so noticeably improved that I watched the scene over and over again to make sure I was actually hearing small clicks and clanks I'd missed before. What about the low end, you say? Oh, don't worry, it's there. How do I know? Because I walked over to my sub to make sure the light was off on the bottom of it. The impact, power, and just plain slam was much more than I was expecting. It felt like I had power reserves running out the yin yang.
Next up was Ironman, which is another movie I have certain scenes of embedded in my head. I had the same experience with this movie as I did with Tropic Thunder. Clarity, impact, power, and slam. The first scene which finds a Humvee getting a present from the sky, was jarringly improved from the old amp. The same can be said during the Ironman/fighter jet scene. Too much fun.
On each movie tested, the dialogue was easily improved over the previous amp.
The third movie, and laugh at me if you must, was Pearl Harbor. I'd tell you that it's my wife's movie, but you'd just call me a lie. Anyway, regardless of how good or bad the movie is, the attack on Pearl Harbor is one of the best sequences for home theater demo material there is. It shone brightly with the XPA-5 twins. Again, I kept wondering if the sub was sneaking some notes in on me. The bomb that gets the Arizona was a sonic orgasm.
For those music lovers out there, sorry. I don't listen to music on this rig so I can't comment on their performance there. I'd have a hard time believing they wouldn't sound incredible. I say this, because as impressive as the headroom and ample power was, it's the detail they present that is truly impressive. The low end lets you know it's waiting for you to really test it, and the highs are so smooth that I was able to run my test movies for long periods without the slightest harshness or fatigue setting in. I was also able to run them at higher volumes, while still maintaining the airy quality and effortless sound that you only get with good clean power. The XPA-5's have that in spades.
So, with everything hooked up and put to the test, I realized around 1:30am Tuesday night (Wednesday morning), that there would be no need to keep the two massive cardboard boxes sitting in the dining room, ready for a repacking. They can be put in the attic. These amps are staying with me.
It truly is amazing equipment!!! Enjoy it my man!
