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Post by tony3d on Jan 12, 2009 9:35:36 GMT -5
Well, I finally joined the family! My RSP-2 arrived 2 days after my order was placed in excellent condition. Upon opening the box, I was very impressed not to see a plastic bag, but a nice cloth sack protecting my new pre-amp! Nice touch indeed. Upon further inspection the unit was cosmetically perfect except for the alignment of the bass, treble , and balance controls located on the right. Their indents are shifted off center and towards the right side of the unit instead of pointing straight up as one would except. No biggie, but it does distract from an otherwise beautiful build quality. Ok, I'm from old school components, and find the three knobs mentioned above to be very small in diameter, and much to short to grab for my tastes, but seeing how they are rarely used this really doesn't bother me. The manual needs some work in the spelling, and grammar department. I know another nit pic, but I feel the manual is a very important part of the purchase, and it's quality can say a lot to me about the product, and company I'm buying from. I feel the mistakes should be correct in future shipments to help reinforce a quality feel all around. Just me opinion.
Now lets get to it. Upon installing my new pre-amp, I decided it was time to replace all my cables just to make sure I was getting the full benefit from my purchase, so I re-wired the entire setup. So far so good. After doing this it was time for the launch sequence to begin. I made sure the cartridge selector in the back was set to MM so my Shure V15 would cooperate with my test run, then I ever so lightly flicked the power switch on in the back of the unit, and carefully pressed the power button. What do you know.......... it turned on! I then played my first CD, sat back in my listening chair, and began my dare I say .............. listening for every little defect, problem, annoyance, and reason I should send this underpriced, over hyped unit back, review. Well, was I surprised! I had not realized just how much my Crown IC-150 has deteriorated over it's 37 years of uninterrupted service. The top end opened up with silky smooth detail! The mid lows were much more punchy, the overall presentation was breathtaking! The unit mated very well with my new Crown XTI-2000 power amp. After listening to a couple cd's I thought it was time to move on to records.
This is where some issues began. I immediately noticed an increase in hiss! With no record playing and the volume cranked to 3/4, I could hear hiss about 11 feet back from my speakers. With my Crown I could hear hiss no further than 3 feet. This is in a dead silent, very live room. The other inputs are dead silent at full volume. I will have to speak with Lonnie about this issue. I can easily live with this as the in between record track noise floor almost totally masks any hiss, but I would like to confirm if this is normal operation.
I then began to start playing around with the remote, and noticed the volume control acting peculiar! It seem to operate the volume knob in an intermittent fashion. The knob feels fine. I think the remote seems to be the problem because if I hold the volume button down on the remote, and the communication light on the front panel pauses, so does the knob,. It's like the remote is sending an intermittent signal. Dann already said he would send out a new remote today. His quick, and courteous response was appreciated. I just really hope the entire unit won't have to go back for something so minor. Other than these two issue's, I'm extremely pleased with my purchase. Dealing with Emotiva has been nothing less than a pleasurable experience. The quality build, and sound of this product simply does not jive with it's small price tag. I was a little hesitant as some of you know to purchase this, because of an issue I had with a very well known high end Chinese tube headphone amplifier. Am glad I bought this pre-amp? Sure am! Would I buy another Emotiva product.......... in a heart beat.
So far the RSP-2 is a class act, and Dann, and Lonnie are wonderful, passionate, business men, who pay close attention to the smallest details. I can't say enough about working with them so far. The preamp is worth the price just based on the support alone. Their are very few products I have been this satisfied with, in a world where service, and quality are much to often a distant memory. As a business owner myself, I applaud Emotiva for it's passion in producing a top flight, quality product at a price most can afford.
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RPA-1 man
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Post by RPA-1 man on Jan 12, 2009 19:04:57 GMT -5
Hi Tony,
Glad you like the RSP and I hope you can work out the remote issue.
I have the same issue with the phono stage on my RSP-1 but every receiver or integrated amp I've owned all had hiss at high volume levels so I assumed this was normal behavior due to the extremely high gain that phono stages are required to have. Besides I never listen at levels that require the volume to be at 3/4. In fact, I have never listened with the volume at 3/4 with the RSP-1/RPA-1 combo as it is just way too damned loud for me.
Please let us know how you make out with this.
Paul
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Animo
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Post by Animo on Jan 13, 2009 15:56:46 GMT -5
When hooked up to my Onkyo, my turntable would also reveal an audible hiss. The more the volume was turned, the more hiss I heard. Someone once told me that it's possible that the stylus is picking up some feedback, and suggested moving the turntable away from amps and speakers.
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Post by tony3d on Jan 13, 2009 17:10:23 GMT -5
When hooked up to my Onkyo, my turntable would also reveal an audible hiss. The more the volume was turned, the more hiss I heard. Someone once told me that it's possible that the stylus is picking up some feedback, and suggested moving the turntable away from amps and speakers. I can assure you that's not the problem with the hiss I hear. My Musichall table is plenty far from amps, and speakers. I'm hoping the phono stage is defective, and this is not considered typical performance for this unit. I can't tell you how much better the Signal to noise is on my 37 years old Crown!
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Post by flamingeye on Jan 13, 2009 17:57:29 GMT -5
On the alignment problem can you pull it out & re-align it , I had that same problem with my H/K pre- bass/treble but they where little tiny knob`s so I don`t no if though`s are like said knob`s
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Post by tony3d on Jan 13, 2009 19:54:53 GMT -5
Lonnie is sending me a new unit!
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arctikdeth
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Post by arctikdeth on Jan 13, 2009 22:13:41 GMT -5
Lonnie is sending me a new unit! man, this is unreal for me, just like that,...hey ill just send you another...no problem,.......i hope it lasts!! this is really nice to be treated like real people.
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Post by tony3d on Jan 15, 2009 17:08:40 GMT -5
Hi thought I'd fill you all in on my replacement RSP-2. I received my new RSP-2 today, and hooked it up. The volume works fine now. You can see that it's pulsed, as Lonnie said, but it doesn't pause like the other one. It now glides up nicely. There was definitely something wrong with my phono stage on the old unit. This one can barely be heard at 3/4 volume, where the old one was very noticeable! Working with Emotiva has been a joy, and the preamp sounds superb! Very happy!
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Post by UT-Driven on Jan 15, 2009 17:22:35 GMT -5
Hi thought I'd fill you all in on my replacement RSP-2. I received my new RSP-2 today, and hooked it up. The volume works fine now. You can see that it's pulsed, as Lonnie said, but it doesn't pause like the other one. It now glides up nicely. There was definitely something wrong with my phono stage on the old unit. This one can barely be heard at 3/4 volume, where the old one was very noticeable! Working with Emotiva has been a joy, and the preamp sounds superb! Very happy! Congrats, I am glad that the replacement has resolved your problems! The other Doug
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Post by jmilton on Jan 15, 2009 18:57:03 GMT -5
Glad to hear it! No one likes "problems" with their equipment, but it really helps when you are dealing with a company that makes sure the problem gets resolved. Now enjoy it for a week and write a quick review on what you think about your new toy.
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Post by Robert on Jan 16, 2009 10:44:10 GMT -5
I have to agree with you on all that you've mentioned. I just got my RSP-2 and love it. My system used to be a Acurus preamp and two Acurus amplifiers. The amps where rated at 150W & 250W(bi-amping). This was pushing a pair of 12 year old B & W 802 series 3's speakers.
Since the new addition of this preamp and a pair 60W Rotel amps the system has come alive. The Rotel's are 14 years old and from a old Home Theater setup. Even at only 60W this new RSP-2 makes these amps breath and makes the speaker sing... like never before.I never got the gain from the Acurus preamp that I get from the RSP. I don't have to use the bass or treble trim to get more out of the speakers. The trim knobs are not what they shuold be. In the manual they say the buttons are to put in to be flush but they don't. Hard to turn.
Now I just wonder what a pair up of UPA-2 and RPA-2 would sound like, or even just a pair of UAP-2's. A pair of UAP-2's would be a stepup from the Rotel's. I listen to anything from Classical, Jazz, R&B, Reggae, and Rock.
The bottom-line for me is this is a solid product.
8-)Rob
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Post by ny1pr2009 on Mar 14, 2009 21:52:33 GMT -5
I have just purchased from Emotiva the RSP-2 Preamp,XPA-2 stereo amp and their ERT-8.3 Reference Tower Speakers and after 5 days of breakin in the whole system all I can say is "WOW", "Unbelievable","REMARKABLE".
I used to own a Parasound Halo system consisting of their famous stereophile class A rated JC1 Monoblocks,their A51 5 channel amplifier,A21 Stereo amp and their C1 processor and I used to think that after trying the FPB Krell's and other High end amps or Preamps I though that there was nothing else better than the Halos within that price range over $15K plus.
I sold my system last year because of lack of time due to my job. I felt that there was no reason to keep such a nice system in my house since I was not using it. So I sold it here on Audiogon and decided that later on I will get the same system when I have more time to be able to enjoy it.
Well the time is here now and I stared looking to put together a very nice system and the first thing that came to mind was Parasound Halo Line again. That was until I came across the Emotiva Products website.
I spent quite amount of time reading about their products specially their preamps and amps. I did a side by side comparison of the Parasound Halos amps and the Emotiva amps. The Emotiva amps seem to be much better amps than the Halos exept for the fact that the Halos are THX certified and used a MOSFET driver stage and JFET input stage as opposed to Emotiva using a Triple Darlington with ON semiconductor output stages. Besides the Emotiva amps offer more power than the Halos. I know what most of you all will say. That's just in the specs! It's the sound that matters! Yes, you are right and I will get to that in a minute.
Being quite familiar with the Halos since I owned them for almost 2 years and was very happy with their warmth and neutral sound I think that qialifies me to make a very good comparison.
Now going back to the Emotiva RSP-2 Preamp and their XPA-2 stereo amplifier. As I said before after giving them around 5 days of a good break-in period of about 16 hours a day I decided to sit down for a good listening session.
First let me say that the RSP-2 is one of the most analog sounding preamps I have ever come across. In the past have auditioned or owned many Preamps such as ,BAT tube Preamps,Classe,Proceed,Parasound Halo,Rotel,Adcom,McIntosh and Musical Fidelity and none of these Preamps have sounded as analog as the Emotiva RSP-2 Preamp. How these people at Emotiva do it its beyond me. Besides being a great sounding preamp it is a beautiful unit. It has so many features that it is hard to believe that for the price of $699 you can get features that you can only get at Preamps costing over 3 to 6 times more. The performance of the Emotiva RSP-2 Preamp is so good that you can only get this kind of performance in preamps costing way over $3K+ or more. I highly recommend this Preamp. It's really that good. in fact I had my eyes set on a Parasound JC2 Preamp and I am so glad that I didn't buy. Now I am extremely happy with my Emotiva RSP-2.
Now the XPA-2 Stereo Amplifier. What a beautiful looking unit! The Sound? Oustanding! Warmth,Neutral,Extremely Analog Sounding.Not a hint of brightness. Powerfull! Powerfull Powerfull! It has the same sound as the Halos JC1's but with more extension and more dynamics of the FPB of the Krells and still analog sounding. Between the Emotiva RSP-2 Preamp and the XPA-2 Amp it is a marriage made in heaven. It's the perfect combination.
And the ERT-8.3. Reference Speakers. Do not let the price fool you. These speakers delivered one of the most natural and clear sounds that I have only be able to hear in speakers costing over $5K+. I have owned them so I know that it will be impossible to hear a pair of $1600 speakers sound this good. But how wrong I have been. These are truly Reference Speakers.The bass extension is remarkable.I don't even need a subwoofer.Emotiva rates these speakers at Frequency response: 45hz-20Khz +/-2db byt trust me these speakers go way lower than 45hz.
Emotiva has put together a "True Reference" Line of products that proves that you can still obtain "High End Performance" without paying "High End Prices". I used to be one of the many believers that had the mentality that you needed to pay top money to get a top high end performance equipment. Guess what? Not Any more.
Emotiva has proved me wrong and.. I Stand Corrected"
Best regards to all,
Carlos Reyes Queens, New York.
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Animo
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Post by Animo on Mar 15, 2009 8:18:47 GMT -5
Carlos,
great review. Welcome to the wonderful world of Emotiva Can you call me when you have a chance? Check your private messages.
Thanks
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Post by Wideawake on Mar 15, 2009 10:13:20 GMT -5
tony3d and Carlos, you have both captured the essence of Emotiva in your wonderful reviews - excellent products, unbelievable customer service and passion, at unprecedented prices. Excellent value proposition.
Thanks for your reviews.
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Post by ny1pr2009 on Mar 15, 2009 15:04:10 GMT -5
Hi Widewake,
Thanks for your kind words. It is my pleasure to share my experiences with you all about the Emotiva products. In fact I have a close friend who has been an Audiophile like me for over 10 years and I asked him to come over to my house so I can show him my "Emotiva Discovery" .
We are always talking about this wonderful hobby of high end equipment. He has a wonderful set up as well at his house but after listening to my Emotiva Set up he has put up for sale some of his expensive equipment so he can buy the Emotiva set up for his home.
Trust me that at the begining when I told him how much I had paid for the Emotiva System before listening to it he was very skeptical and did not believe what I was telling him about the wonderful sound and thats why I asked him to come over and listen for himself.
Well let me tell you that he has put up for sale is BAT VK-5i Tube Preamp($4500) in order to purchase the Emotiva RSP-2 Preamp. He also put up for sale is $5000 Sony SCD-1 SACD/CD Player ir order to purchase either the XPA-1 monoblocks or the XPA-2 stereo amplifier. He also asked me to put him on the Emotiva Preorder list for the ERC-1 CD player since I have put myelf on the list for one as well.
This is a fact and I am not making this up. My friend as well as I have realized the outstanding high end performance that you can get for the Emotiva products. In fact while he was listening to my Emotiva set up at my home he made the same remark I made to him a few days before that about in order to achieve this kind of sound and performance you will have to spend over $15K as we did. He knew that I was close to call my dealer and order a new Parasound Halo JC2 Preamp ($4000) which has been clasified in sterephile magazine as a Class A Preamp.
I am not saying that the Parasound Halo JC2 preamp is not a good preamp. I was able to have the oportunity last year to sit down and auditioned it for a few hours at my dealer but at the time I wasn't ready to buy it and honestly the sound did not impressed that much.
Now from the moment that I started listening to the wonderful analog sounding RSP-2 I felt in love with it. It is so beautiful even sitting back on my living room and looking at it. The sound is so involving that I can sit for hours listening to all my cds. It is indeed a wonderful sounding and looking preamp.
Well guys I better stop because my girlfriend is getting upset already. She said that at the rate that I am going with my Emotiva set up I will be proposing to the system first before I propose to her.
I will keep you all posted when the Emotiva ERC-1 CD player arrives. I just cant wait to have that player home. As they say, "good things come to those who wait"
Best Regards to All,
Carlos. Queens, New York
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Post by nicholas322 on Mar 15, 2009 21:27:37 GMT -5
Carlos, I feel the same way and just bought my third XPA-2
contact Animo and let us know when you will join the Brooklyn bash!! I will be getting the CD player next and on from there.
Nicholas
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