OK - Having spent an evening listening to a warmed up XPR-2 I've a few more comments. First, tonight was mostly "pop music night" at chez Boom. The following playlist was listened to in full or in part:
Anour Brahem - Dance With Waves
Ricky Skaggs - Highway 40 Blues
Armik - Ritmos Flamenco
Balkan Beat Box - Dancing With The Moon
Asleep At The Wheel - Chattanooga Choo Choo
Don Dorsey - Toccata & Fugue in D Minor (Bach)
Blood, Sweat, & Tears - God Bless The Child
Madonna - Express Yourself
The Buena Vista Social Club - Pueblo Nuevo
Jennifer Warnes - Somewhere, Somebody
The Dave Brubeck Quintet - Blue Rondo ala Turk
Us3 - Cantaloop
David Allan Coe - If That Ain't Country
A Passion for Tango - Ojos Negros
Frank Sinatra - Fly Me To The Moon
Steve Forbert - Don't Talk to Me
Herbie Hancock - Dis is da Drum
Reverend Horton Heat - Beer
The Crescent City All Stars - Funky Saints
Pink - So What
Kristi Stassinopoulau - Sol Invictus
Luther Kent - Bye Bye Blackbird
Lou Bega - Ice Cream
Results:
The amp is showing me both the strengths and weaknesses of the Paradigm Eclipse speakers very starkly. My speakers are "laid back" sounding by nature. The XPR-2 (hence, the "R"), adds some light and crispness badly needed by the speakers. That said, the sound is still on the easy side of neutral. This is a speaker issue - not the R's fault. How do I know? Other amps sounded the same on these speakers.
The speakers have extension as deep as my former B&W subwoofer to my ears (actually not if one was to measure with a sweep tone, but on most music sans subsonics, the speakers are equivalent). The speakers also require a "threshold volume" before they begin sounding dynamic. The threshold isn't as loud as it was for the Magnepan 1.6s, for example, but it is still slightly above my preferred volume. Below the threshold, the speakers' laid-back qualities become more prominent. Above the threshold, the speakers sound significantly more dynamic.
Despite the tweeter repairs that I've done, the speakers still sound slightly reticent in the treble. I can hear delicate sounds but slightly reduced in amplitude. This is not an artifact of the R, because I heard the same issue with previous amplifiers. The R doesn't add or subtract in the treble - what is there is what is there. Compared to other amps on the same speakers - no difference. This is a good thing - Although a treble emphasis would probably benefit these particular speakers, it would be a flaw on most. Therefore, in my opinion, the R is neutral in the treble.
The midrange one area where the R is superior to my previous amps. There is detail without harshness, and a clear and focused center image. Since the speakers are bi-polar, radiating both front and rear, the center image has been very diffuse with previous amps. I thought it was an artifact of the speakers themselves, but the R seems to have brought some extra focus here. On the Stereophile test disc #1, for example, on the phase test, our cat jumped when the recorded dog's bark came from the center of the speakers. Later, I may hook up my older Definitive Technology SM65 speakers just to see what the amp can do with forward-radiating speakers. I haven't done it yet, though.
The bass is another area where the R has made a difference. With previous amps, as the frequency decreased, so did the definition. In other words (with previous amps) the leading edge transients of a string bass would blur as the frequencies descended. With the R, even the lowest frequencies' percussive sounds are well-defined. Kick drum heads sound so tactile that you can hear the tuning. Also at those lowest frequencies, the R seems to have better pitch definition. The pitch of the note isn't lost in rumble, as it sometimes was with previous amps.
So how does the R compare to previous amplifiers that I've owned (Bryston, Classe, McIntosh, VTL, Rogue, etc.)? I rate the R from slightly to much better than any of the amps mentioned with the possible exception of the McIntosh MC352 that I once owned. Since I don't have them to compare side-by-side, take this evaluation with a grain of salt.
Over the weekend, I'll listen to primarily classical music & a movie & then post any additional comments. Next week, I'll pull out my DefTech monitors and see what the amp can do with those.
In summary (to date), I consider the XPR-2 a strong success with my equipment. It's an incremental improvement over my former XPA-2 and Crown PS-400 amps, to be sure, but a large enough increment to easily justify the additional expense. Further, by buying directly from Emotiva, rather than purchasing used from eBay, I now have a full five-year warranty. The purchasing experience was pleasant, the shipping was immediate, and for the amount of money spent, I'm a VERY happy customer.
Kudos to Emotiva. Their design, construction, sales, and shipping departments all did a wonderful job on this product. Highly recommended.
Boomzilla
