|
|
Post by dkaudio on Feb 6, 2014 10:50:39 GMT -5
I am in the same position you were in. I currently have two Onyx Rocket UFW-12's with Small Block Upgrades. I am trying to sell those and am going to make my own subwoofers in spring. I plan to use two 18 SI HT subs (or maybe Dayton Ultimax, not sure yet) in separate enclosures to help with room nodes. I want to use a non plate amp and thought of Emotiva first. I currently have a first gen XPA-5 for my speakers so was thinking about an XPA-2 for the subs, 500W @ 4 ohms should be about right for the SI subs. The problem is I'd probably want a first gen unit to match my XPA-5, I found one locally for $650 but didn't think that was the greatest deal. I'm curious to hear what you think after the weekend.
|
|
|
|
Post by dkaudio on Mar 11, 2014 15:46:54 GMT -5
Any update on how the Emo amp is doing on your subs?
|
|
|
|
Post by Gary Cook on Mar 11, 2014 20:13:17 GMT -5
Thanks for the reminder, I'd forgotten that I hadn't updated this thread. The XPA-100 is going strong, what it has really added to the sub woofer set up is musicality, it never ceases to amaze me how much better it sounds than any of the previous sub woofer amps that I have had. I haven't as yet played with the cross over points either on the USP-1 or the UMC-200, so any improvements are 100% due to the amp alone. For movies the improvement is almost as good, with the other amps I would occasionally (very rarely in fact) notice the sub lose control, delve into vibration rather than render an accurate reproduction of the LFE itself. Also what small amount of boominess there was is completely gone. I had put these two artefacts down to the design/location of the bass traps, but without any other changes, the swap to the XPA-100 has completely (well, so far anyway) eliminated them.
The question I assume everyone will ask, because I sure did, does the XPA-100 have enough grunt? Well, my trusty SPL meter says it does, with +maxdb on the UMC-100 sub woofer trim on the remote control, over 120 db peaks are comfortably handled, no clipping, no loss of control, just rock solid LFE. For my ears, in my room with my speakers that's way more than I need.
For anyone who uses their sub a lot for music, like I do, I can highly recommend choosing a decent quality sub woofer amp. I've had a 4000 watt pro amp powering the same sub quite few times and unlimited grunt is no substitute for the sophisticated sound from a quality audio/hifi power amp.
Cheers
Gary
|
|
|
|
Post by danny01 on Mar 12, 2014 0:57:21 GMT -5
I was considering a used XPA2 as a sub amp. But considering the much cheaper prices of pro amps, it is a tough call..
Sent from my HTC6500LVW using proboards
|
|
|
|
Post by Gary Cook on Mar 12, 2014 1:23:18 GMT -5
I was considering a used XPA2 as a sub amp. But considering the much cheaper prices of pro amps, it is a tough call I guess it depends on your ratio of movies to music? If it's predominantly a sub amp for movies then a plate or pro amp would do the job just fine. But if it's music then I'd strongly suggest at least trying an XPA-100 (or XPA-1 / XPR-1 if the budget stretches). Keeping in mind that an XPA-2 only handles 8 ohms (not 4 ohms) in monoblock mode. Cheers Gary |
|
|
|
Post by danny01 on Mar 12, 2014 2:34:07 GMT -5
I have 2 subs. They are 4 ohm each so I wouldn't be able to bridge most amps anyway. So I was thinking an XPA2, one channel per sub. Or I can bridge and wire them in series since they are stacked in the same corner anyway and I would only need to do one EQ curve. The plate amps they came with fried a while back, but I still haven't found a good way to power these from RCA outs on a preamp.With the XPA2, I wouldn't have to worry about XLR vs RCA gain, relays to auto power them, fan noise, etc. The system is 95% music. But I just can't get past paying that much to power these subs, which aren't the best subs in the first place. Decisions decisions....
Sent from my HTC6500LVW using proboards
|
|
|
|
Post by dkaudio on Mar 12, 2014 7:39:38 GMT -5
Like I mentioned above I'm in the same boat, the review from Gary sure helps though. I was looking at an XPA-2 or iNuke. I have two SI 18 HT D2's so it would be a 4 ohm load x 2. In WinISD cone excursion is not even close to peak at 500W until about 15 hz then it loses control, the enclosure will be tuned to 17hz. That brings up a question, can I program a HPF of about 15hz through the UMC-1 sub pre outs? I think it only has a LPF and EQ  |
|
|
|
Post by danny01 on Mar 12, 2014 10:01:07 GMT -5
Minidsp us your friend
Sent from my HTC6500LVW using proboards
|
|
|
|
Post by repeetavx on Mar 12, 2014 11:03:45 GMT -5
But I just can't get past paying that much to power these subs, which aren't the best subs in the first place. Decisions decisions.... Sent from my HTC6500LVW using proboards I'm really happy with my UPA-1 driving my sub. Once you buy the XPA-2, then you own an XPA-2. It doesn't have to spend its whole life as a sub amp. It's also a known commodity if you need to sell it. |
|
|
|
Post by Gary Cook on Mar 13, 2014 23:29:11 GMT -5
Once you buy the XPA-2, then you own an XPA-2. It doesn't have to spend its whole life as a sub amp. It's also a known commodity if you need to sell it. Totally agree, an XPA-2 will never go astray. Maybe have a look for a used one, there are a few guys doing the upgrade to monoblocks or XPR-2's. Cheers Gary |
|
|
|
Post by cd on Mar 14, 2014 5:24:03 GMT -5
For your application, the obvious choice is one of the Crown amps - boatloads of cool running power for very little coin...
|
|
|
|
Post by garbulky on Mar 14, 2014 11:25:37 GMT -5
Once you buy the XPA-2, then you own an XPA-2. It doesn't have to spend its whole life as a sub amp. It's also a known commodity if you need to sell it. Totally agree, an XPA-2 will never go astray. Maybe have a look for a used one, there are a few guys doing the upgrade to monoblocks or XPR-2's. Cheers Gary +1 on the XPA-2. A nice amp for sure and solid as a rock. |
|
|
|
Post by danny01 on Mar 14, 2014 17:44:30 GMT -5
Actually my subs are 3 ohms, they probably dip lower than that even. In this case I'm not sure an Emotiva amp is the way to go. After looking around it, it seems to me that an XPA2 g1 can be had for around $600. That's not much, but a 2 ohm stable pro amp with the same power into 4 ohms as the XPA2 can be had for around 350. Going with an XPA however will give me trigger connections, consumer level gain, arguably better sound quality over pro amps... Still not sure which way to go. Maybe I should try a single XPA1 with the subs wired in parallel for 1.5 ohms. Does any one drive 2 ohm speakers with an XPA2 or XPA1? Are these big XPA amps stable at low impedance?
Sent from my HTC6500LVW using proboards
|
|
|
|
Post by garbulky on Mar 18, 2014 7:45:30 GMT -5
Actually my subs are 3 ohms, they probably dip lower than that even. In this case I'm not sure an Emotiva amp is the way to go. After looking around it, it seems to me that an XPA2 g1 can be had for around $600. That's not much, but a 2 ohm stable pro amp with the same power into 4 ohms as the XPA2 can be had for around 350. Going with an XPA however will give me trigger connections, consumer level gain, arguably better sound quality over pro amps... Still not sure which way to go. Maybe I should try a single XPA1 with the subs wired in parallel for 1.5 ohms. Does any one drive 2 ohm speakers with an XPA2 or XPA1? Are these big XPA amps stable at low impedance? Sent from my HTC6500LVW using proboards Lonnie mentioned that a few of the X-series amps are stable into two ohms but they wouldn't put that rating on it to prevent people from then hooking 2 ohm speakers that dip down well below that etc. I think if you contact lonnie he would probably let you know. |
|
|
|
Post by repeetavx on Mar 18, 2014 11:45:23 GMT -5
But I just can't get past paying that much to power these subs, which aren't the best subs in the first place. Sent from my HTC6500LVW using proboards The fifteen inch subwoofer that I'm using was built in the nineties for a Dolby Pro Logic system. It was designed to take the full power of a stereo receiver, extract the bass information, and then send the rest of the sound to the main speakers. A job that the internal crossover didn't do very well. I paid about $200 for it. It's been powered by several amps. My Parasound HCA-750A did a good job in bridged mode if I used only one channel of the subwoofer (8 ohms). The UPA-1 (XPA-100) is a considerable step up in both sound quality and power. The musicality is inspiring and makes me wonder what an XPA-1 would sound like. |
|
|
|
Post by Gary Cook on Mar 18, 2014 18:43:29 GMT -5
Actually my subs are 3 ohms, they probably dip lower than that even. In this case I'm not sure an Emotiva amp is the way to go. After looking around it, it seems to me that an XPA2 g1 can be had for around $600. That's not much, but a 2 ohm stable pro amp with the same power into 4 ohms as the XPA2 can be had for around 350. Going with an XPA however will give me trigger connections, consumer level gain, arguably better sound quality over pro amps... Still not sure which way to go. Maybe I should try a single XPA1 with the subs wired in parallel for 1.5 ohms. Does any one drive 2 ohm speakers with an XPA2 or XPA1? Are these big XPA amps stable at low impedance? I'm confident that an XPA-2 with one channel per sub would work just fine. My sub driver is rated at 4 ohms so it will get down under 3 ohms at some frequencies and the XPA-100 handles it easily. Cheers Gary |
|
|
|
Post by Gary Cook on Mar 25, 2014 20:31:54 GMT -5
Just a quick update, I've done a bit of relocation (not speakers) in the listing area so I thought I would rebalance the volumes on the UMC-200. With the XPA-100 in place I had to take 1.5 db off the sub woofer channel volume. Small indication of more gain perhaps in the XPA-100 compared to the previous DIY power amp.
Cheers
Gary
|
|
