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Post by Dark Ranger on May 10, 2013 13:40:22 GMT -5
Meh, they look OK. Just a bunch of second-hand materials, shoddy workmanship, and no creative inspiration... Oh, wait, I was describing the latest episode of American Idol. These amps, however, are out of this world. The juicy pictures have reduced me to "Tim Taylor" grunts for the time being, along with suspiciously tighter pants than I had this morning.  |
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on May 10, 2013 17:50:07 GMT -5
I've added a link to an ad i posted on another forum asking for interested buyers (i think i did it right Hemz). Also posted a video i made today showing off the cases. Later tonight i'll post my impressions of these wonderful amps  |
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klinemj
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Post by klinemj on May 10, 2013 18:05:08 GMT -5
You are tantalizing us while we await your review!
Mark
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Post by Deleted on May 10, 2013 21:12:27 GMT -5
So i promised i'd give my impressions on these amps. I used the D~400's with my XSP-1/XDA-1 combo and now with my DAC 2.5. There was a noticeable difference between those but the difference in the D~400's was still there.
I owned the XPA-1's from last October till just a month or so ago, so i had many enjoyable listening sessions and can re call the sound it produced.
To sum up what the XPA-1's sounded like would go something like this, very powerful, never sweats, very natural sound, not up or down but in the middle and finesse. All around good amp but i still believe all Emotiva amps sound exactly the same. I heard no difference between my Mini-X and the XPA-1's. Maybe there was differences but they must have been hard to notice.
The D~400's have changed my perspective on audio, in which amps have their own sound signature. As soon as i plugged in the amps (of course jumping for joy to hear the damn things), i thought to myself, maybe amps do sound different. I heard a clear difference in sound right away. Hey.. Hey.. maybe it's just a placebo effect and i need to adjust. Nope, the difference stayed there.
So what did i hear, hurry Kraemer tell us!!!
I heard highs that were so sharp and clear, mids that melted right into the highs and lows, while commanding their own space, a soundstage that is so wide, it defines stereo separation, imaging that is freaky to say the least and to do all of these things at the same time at very fast speeds while not sweating.
The coolest thing about these amps is that a sound coming from either the L or R speaker can be so well defined and not be smeared with other sounds, very crisp and clean.
So yes, i am glad i made these amps. They have exceeded my expectations and them some.
I will say the difference i heard between the XDA-1 and DAC 2.5 was rolled off highs on the XDA-1. I now have more shimmer and crisp highs with the DAC 2.5.
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Post by Deleted on May 10, 2013 22:48:28 GMT -5
I worked hard writing that and I suck at reviews. No replies  It's truly how I feel about these amps. |
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Post by GreenKiwi on May 10, 2013 22:53:39 GMT -5
Maybe everyone is out partying on Friday night  I just got a chance to get online and read it. It is making me very excited. It is cool that you were able to hear differences in the amps and it sounds like your system is really starting to gel together. I am really curious if they will sound like I imaging they will sound. I feel like I can almost hear them. Or at least I feel like I know how they will sound. And I think it's awesome that they have cases that are so appropriate for their sound. |
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Post by pallpoul on May 10, 2013 23:08:52 GMT -5
Your hard work has paid off Matt. Congrats !!!
May be it's time you design a Media Player, since Emotiva is holding back in that domain.
Keep up the great work.
I enjoyed following the thread from day one and I am so impressed with your hard work and dedication Sir.
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Lsc
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Post by Lsc on May 10, 2013 23:13:26 GMT -5
Which amps do you think is better? XPA-1 or your design D-400.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on May 10, 2013 23:23:32 GMT -5
Which amps do you think is better? XPA-1 or your design D-400. IMO the D~400's. |
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Post by Dark Ranger on May 11, 2013 1:16:42 GMT -5
I worked hard writing that and I suck at reviews. No replies It's truly how I feel about these amps. Like greenkiwi said, it is (was) a Friday night. I was out partying...kinda. Honesty counts with reviews, and I believe you are adequately conveying what you hear with the new amps. I'm not surprised you hear such a difference between these and the XPA-1s. Mark had similar feedback with his Ncores. I'm sure it's very rewarding to have designed and assembled a significant part of your 2-channel system. One of these days I'd love to try out a pair of Class D amps, specifically the Ncores since I've heard many positive things about 'em. For me, the highlight of your review seems to be "resolution." You seem to hear the increased resolution manifesting as clearer highs, tighter lows, sharper imaging, and improved separation. Whether this is a quality of Class D in general or just due to design differences, I'm not sure. What matters is that you're happy with them and the improvements they bring. Thanks for sharing your thoughts with us. I know you'll discover even more subtleties with these wonderful amps as time progresses. |
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Post by garbulky on May 11, 2013 1:48:16 GMT -5
So i promised i'd give my impressions on these amps. I used the D~400's with my XSP-1/XDA-1 combo and now with my DAC 2.5. There was a noticeable difference between those but the difference in the D~400's was still there. I owned the XPA-1's from last October till just a month or so ago, so i had many enjoyable listening sessions and can re call the sound it produced. To sum up what the XPA-1's sounded like would go something like this, very powerful, never sweats, very natural sound, not up or down but in the middle and finesse. All around good amp but i still believe all Emotiva amps sound exactly the same. I heard no difference between my Mini-X and the XPA-1's. Maybe there was differences but they must have been hard to notice. The D~400's have changed my perspective on audio, in which amps have their own sound signature. As soon as i plugged in the amps (of course jumping for joy to hear the damn things), i thought to myself, maybe amps do sound different. I heard a clear difference in sound right away. Hey.. Hey.. maybe it's just a placebo effect and i need to adjust. Nope, the difference stayed there. So what did i hear, hurry Kraemer tell us!!! I heard highs that were so sharp and clear, mids that melted right into the highs and lows, while commanding their own space, a soundstage that is so wide, it defines stereo separation, imaging that is freaky to say the least and to do all of these things at the same time at very fast speeds while not sweating. The coolest thing about these amps is that a sound coming from either the L or R speaker can be so well defined and not be smeared with other sounds, very crisp and clean. So yes, i am glad i made these amps. They have exceeded my expectations and them some. I will say the difference i heard between the XDA-1 and DAC 2.5 was rolled off highs on the XDA-1. I now have more shimmer and crisp highs with the DAC 2.5. Great review! Thanks Kraemer. I think that confirms what I've been hearing everywhere these things are pretty incredible things especially if it can be better than a fully balanced 1000 watt@4 ohm Class AB monoblock with tons of capacitance and a massive power supply. |
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klinemj
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Post by klinemj on May 11, 2013 5:44:20 GMT -5
Great review! It sounds like we are both experiencing the same thing w/the ncores. Crisp and clean with freaky good imaging pretty much sums it up.
I'm glad you made them. Now...it's greenkiwi's turn!
Mark
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Post by ufokillerz on May 11, 2013 9:31:37 GMT -5
It helps since Matt upgraded his speaker cables too, with cables that cost as much as the amp, i bet there is a clear difference!
can't wait to get my 3 cases btw, give my ncores the ventilation and heatsinking that they deserve!
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on May 11, 2013 13:28:45 GMT -5
But wait, I thought class D sucked..........
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on May 11, 2013 14:20:58 GMT -5
But wait, I thought class D sucked.......... Oh it's the worst. Man I just ignore that guys posts now. |
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Post by Dark Ranger on May 12, 2013 0:20:23 GMT -5
Matt, if you want to send greenkiwi's amps to me first, I'll provide thorough quality control for your custom amplifiers. Greenkiwi is a valuable member here at the Lounge. We need to ensure the highest quality of customer service and product performance for such a member. I gladly provide this service pro bono. |
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DYohn
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Post by DYohn on May 12, 2013 8:50:33 GMT -5
Good work, looks great. And of course amps that are completely different sound different - and with solid state you can't get much different than class A/B and a class D. Glad you like the effect. |
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Post by ocezam on May 12, 2013 8:59:58 GMT -5
The D~400's have changed my perspective on audio... I heard highs that were so sharp and clear, mids that melted right into the highs and lows, while commanding their own space, a soundstage that is so wide, it defines stereo separation, imaging that is freaky to say the least and to do all of these things at the same time at very fast speeds while not sweating. Great review! It sounds like we are both experiencing the same thing w/the ncores. Crisp and clean with freaky good imaging pretty much sums it up. I couldn't agree more! Separation and imaging are astonishing with my class D's. I wouldn't have believed the difference without listening first. I wish mine were half as attractive! ... |
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klinemj
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Post by klinemj on May 16, 2013 16:21:59 GMT -5
Anxiously awaiting to hear Adam/Greenkiwi's results!
Mark
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Post by GreenKiwi on May 16, 2013 18:15:49 GMT -5
Had some anodizing issues... so it's been delayed a little bit... my XDA-2 is also on the way, so I'll be in an even better position to review the sound.
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