Post by audioholic1954 on Jan 7, 2009 23:37:51 GMT -5
Just recently sold my old Yamaha M-40 amp 
. Nice stereo amp for the last 20+ yrs. Was using it to power either my Mirage OM-10's or my Infinity Kappa 7's. Upgraded interconnects, speaker cable, speaker spikes, changed both speakers' positions in the room, and finally parked speakers on thick remnant granite slabs. Each upgrade made speakers sound better, noticed different instruments and vocals never heard before. Kappa 7's did not quite add up to hype many threads of Kappa cult followers praised their sweet sounds 
. Got them used, great shape, solid foam surrounds, etc... Sounded above average, nothing special, EMIT tweeters were nice, but the midranges and woofers were pedestrian, thought of selling them 
.
Liked Emotiva's reviews. My friend had same setup, sounded sweet, so I grabbed an LPA-1 for approx. $350. Still had my Yamaha C-40, saving for LMC-1
and eventual conversion to multichannel setup for music and HT. Hooked up the LPA-1 to the C-40 and was blown away ;D!! Used my several reference/test CD's: Anita Baker's Rapture (great bass and dynamic female vocals), Pink Floyd Dark Side of Moon (great rock and roll 
, multiple instruments and challenging sound changes), and Vangelis's Direct (New Age CD, first track explodes and instruments dynamically change on all tracks). The soundstage was natural, larger. Did not matter where speakers were placed. Music was acoustically centered. Cranked up the LPA-1 and the Kappa 7's came to life! They were driven effortlessly. Enjoyed the sound (and the fact I could keep the Kappa 7's...) so much, I delayed the purchase of the LMC-1, and rediscovered my music collection. Sat for hours listening. Especially when wife was not home, the Kappa 7's were cranked up,....not to where my ears bled....just short of that 
. Well just picked up an LMC-1 for $250 and connected it to LPA-1. Sound quality up another couple of notches. Waiting for longer cables to hook up all my video gear, still love listening to the music. Can't wait to test my reference DVD's. Looking for Mirage satellites to complement the OM-10's. Thinking about XPA-2 to match to Kappa 7's, still using the extra audio outputs (intended for 2nd Zone amp connection). Saving my pennies 
P.S. looked at used Parasound HCA's, Aragon, Sunfire, Classe, Bryston, etc... for approx. the same WPC, but with a better price I was drawn to the LPA-1. Incredible build quality, weighs nearly 70lbs (UPS guy was walking funny after delivering it and me more so when I carried it up a flight of stairs !!!), nice looks, and auditioning my friend's LPA-1 sound quality is audiophile all the way. Nice to afford this quality, and ignore the snobs who spend a lot more. Looking for an HD audio rack to house these components.
. Nice stereo amp for the last 20+ yrs. Was using it to power either my Mirage OM-10's or my Infinity Kappa 7's. Upgraded interconnects, speaker cable, speaker spikes, changed both speakers' positions in the room, and finally parked speakers on thick remnant granite slabs. Each upgrade made speakers sound better, noticed different instruments and vocals never heard before. Kappa 7's did not quite add up to hype many threads of Kappa cult followers praised their sweet sounds 
. Got them used, great shape, solid foam surrounds, etc... Sounded above average, nothing special, EMIT tweeters were nice, but the midranges and woofers were pedestrian, thought of selling them 
.Liked Emotiva's reviews. My friend had same setup, sounded sweet, so I grabbed an LPA-1 for approx. $350. Still had my Yamaha C-40, saving for LMC-1
and eventual conversion to multichannel setup for music and HT. Hooked up the LPA-1 to the C-40 and was blown away ;D!! Used my several reference/test CD's: Anita Baker's Rapture (great bass and dynamic female vocals), Pink Floyd Dark Side of Moon (great rock and roll 
, multiple instruments and challenging sound changes), and Vangelis's Direct (New Age CD, first track explodes and instruments dynamically change on all tracks). The soundstage was natural, larger. Did not matter where speakers were placed. Music was acoustically centered. Cranked up the LPA-1 and the Kappa 7's came to life! They were driven effortlessly. Enjoyed the sound (and the fact I could keep the Kappa 7's...) so much, I delayed the purchase of the LMC-1, and rediscovered my music collection. Sat for hours listening. Especially when wife was not home, the Kappa 7's were cranked up,....not to where my ears bled....just short of that 
. Well just picked up an LMC-1 for $250 and connected it to LPA-1. Sound quality up another couple of notches. Waiting for longer cables to hook up all my video gear, still love listening to the music. Can't wait to test my reference DVD's. Looking for Mirage satellites to complement the OM-10's. Thinking about XPA-2 to match to Kappa 7's, still using the extra audio outputs (intended for 2nd Zone amp connection). Saving my pennies 
P.S. looked at used Parasound HCA's, Aragon, Sunfire, Classe, Bryston, etc... for approx. the same WPC, but with a better price I was drawn to the LPA-1. Incredible build quality, weighs nearly 70lbs (UPS guy was walking funny after delivering it and me more so when I carried it up a flight of stairs !!!), nice looks, and auditioning my friend's LPA-1 sound quality is audiophile all the way. Nice to afford this quality, and ignore the snobs who spend a lot more. Looking for an HD audio rack to house these components.
