Real Maximus
Minor Hero
I now have a dedicated Salamander monoblock stand for my XPA2. Very sexy! :)
Posts: 35 
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Post by Real Maximus on Apr 5, 2014 10:11:56 GMT -5
Well, I have been emailing Emotiva for several weeks, and a factory refreshed XPA2G2 became available. I bought it, and it will be here on Tuesday. Part of me wishes I waited for the XPR2, since it is a better amp. Both home theater and music are very important to me, but music is the primary objective. I know the XPR2 is the better option, musically speaking. I couldn't afford any more than I spent, 100 lbs (2 man job to move), and the heat output, are all negatives. I feel that the amp I am getting will serve my needs well, and when I am ready, down the road, I can pick up the XPR2, and upgrade then. Ideally, I'd have a dedicated 20 amp breaker at that point as well. For now, I am very excited to experiment with this new amp, and perhaps this will hit the sweet spot, in handling both robust bass authority as well as delicate nuances. I just want to have my cake, and want to be able to eat it too. I promise to update this thread with my impressions on the XPA2G2 once I get it in the system.  |
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Post by airpilot on Apr 5, 2014 11:56:51 GMT -5
Just purchased the XPA-2 Gen 2 amp last week, I only was able to listen to it a few days but I noticed much more bass than with my UPA-5 and much greater detail in clarity noticing little musical instruments in the overall soundstage that I have not heard before. I will keep saying this however, if you have any bad recordings it will sound terrrible as this amp as with most Emotiva gear will expose this. Its amazing how many bad recordings there are out there. But I can insure you this, if its a good recording be prepaired to hear parts of music you never heard before and a awesome sound stage. In fact, this amp makes me want to upgarde my speakers because I think this amp would drive some full range speakers perfectly to take full advantage of the low end it produces. I was using all sources through my XDA-2 connected directly to my amp. Love this amp ! I'm fairly new on this board and by no means have as much audiophille-type knowledge as other members on here. However I would like to agree with a comment that Ctuna made in a previous post. "I will keep saying this however, if you have any bad recordings it will sound terrrible as this amp as with most Emotiva gear will expose this. Its amazing how many bad recordings there are out there." If one thinks that a given recording sounds low quality or "bad" without being amplified it's, in my opinion, guaranteed to sound several times worse all hardware being the same except the addition of an amplifier. I'm hoping that this post gets read by someone that might be considering adding an amplifier to their system and possibly thinking that the amplifier will somehow "clean" the recording up. IMO that is not possible. If the recording (music, movie, lecture etc.) sounds horrible minus the use of an amplifier, it will sound even worse with an amplifier. Converesly if you are listening to a high quality recording, the addition of a high quality/definitive amplifier will enhance the quality of the recording sounds being made via the speakers equating to bliss!!!  |
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Real Maximus
Minor Hero
I now have a dedicated Salamander monoblock stand for my XPA2. Very sexy! :)
Posts: 35
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Post by Real Maximus on Apr 10, 2014 2:39:16 GMT -5
Attachment DeletedAttachment DeletedI received my XPA2G2 yesterday. It's been running in around the clock. Tomorrow, I will have a chance for some critical listening for both music, as well as movies. It sounds very good the little bit I've listened, but at this point does not appear to be as musical as my Marantz MM8077 amp, or as impacting and visceral as my QSC USA 1310 pro amp, which was used to power 300 seated auditoriums. I'm hoping additional break in, powercord swapping, plugging straight into the wall, etc, will help me to find that sweet spot. I am hoping for the best of both worlds out of this singular stereo amplifier. I cranked the transformers movie score before going to bed and was pretty impressed. That's a good sign. How long did it take each of you to break in your emo amps?
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Post by Boomzilla on Apr 10, 2014 6:33:16 GMT -5
My XPR-2 took maybe 50 hours to be its best. Even now, it needs to warm up for at least two hours (or more) to open up. Once burned in and warm, it sounds absolutely amazing. I was pretty disappointed with the amp at first, but now I wouldn't give it up. So DON'T judge the amp until you've heard one that's both broken in and warmed up.
Boomzilla
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Post by RightinLA on Apr 10, 2014 6:47:30 GMT -5
My XPR-2 took maybe 50 hours to be its best. Even now, it needs to warm up for at least two hours (or more) to open up. Once burned in and warm, it sounds absolutely amazing. I was pretty disappointed with the amp at first, but now I wouldn't give it up. So DON'T judge the amp until you've heard one that's both broken in and warmed up. Boomzilla In other words, one you've become used to.  |
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Post by Boomzilla on Apr 10, 2014 7:01:51 GMT -5
I'm not convinced that it IS a matter of familiarity... If I listened every day, then my ears might become "calibrated" to the amp's sound, but my listening opportunities (particularly lately) are more on the order of once per week. When the system is fully warmed, it sounds better.
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Post by earwaxxer on May 16, 2014 20:40:55 GMT -5
I have the XPA-2 first gen. I found it very 'well mannered' right out of the box. I knew it needed some time to burn in, but I liked it immediately, even though it seemed a bit 'rolled off'. I do agree with those that say that it takes some time to warm up to sound its best. I think any of the Emotiva amps are a great basis to build a fantastic sounding system on a budget. Not perfect, but revealing enough and accurate enough to judge and tweak other components up and down stream from it.
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Post by garbulky on May 17, 2014 1:57:36 GMT -5
I have the XPA-2 first gen. I found it very 'well mannered' right out of the box. I knew it needed some time to burn in, but I liked it immediately, even though it seemed a bit 'rolled off'. I do agree with those that say that it takes some time to warm up to sound its best. I think any of the Emotiva amps are a great basis to build a fantastic sounding system on a budget. Not perfect, but revealing enough and accurate enough to judge and tweak other components up and down stream from it. I found the XPA-2 REALLY liked a proper pre-amp in the mix for some nice dynamics. |
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Post by cd on May 17, 2014 8:36:04 GMT -5
Real Maximus wrote: "I couldn't afford any more than I spent, 100 lbs (2 man job to move), and the heat output, are all negatives."
RM, you have a very fine system, equipment-wise. I would not be sweating your amp choice if I were you. Instead, take the money you saved by not buying the XPR-2 and invest that into treating your listening area. This will make MUCH more of a positive difference in sound quality than ANY amp you might put into the system. MUCH MORE....
CD
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