Flavor of XPA-1L?

[willrich47]

I am looking for amps to add to my system, currently powered by the Fusion 8100.  I would like a 'warm' sounding amp to add into the system and am seriously considering a pair, or more, of XPA.1L's.  Does anyone have experience with the XPA.1L's, and can you contrast their sound with something like the Marantz house sound, or the Fusion 8100?  Thanks!

I am pretty happy with the 8100 so far... its a very solid reciever. 

[Topend]

I don't think you will get warm from any Emotiva product available now. Warm would alter the sound, Emotiva amps are known to be accurate.

Maybe their glass tube products will give a warm sound?

Dave.

[garbulky]

What are you powering? The Emotiva amps tend to have a neutral sound. Likely similar to the fusion

[creimes]

I myself have never heard the 8100 or Marantz amps, IMO all emotiva amps are similar in sound as what goes in comes out and that's not to say they all sound exactly the same, the XPA-1L's are by far my favorite of the Emotiva amps I have owned. I'm not sure if they will add warmth to your sound but definitively add warmth your room in class A mode , to me warmth in the sound can sometimes be related to added colorization from a piece of equipment, not always but from what I have experienced it was so.

Really the only one to tell you if you will like them is you yourself, I know there is no 30 day trial on the current clear out price but IMO you have nothing to lose, I had 2 1L's last year and sold them like a dummy and at the current price of $549 each for 3 I couldn't resist getting them back so I picked up 3 of them for my front stage and these are keepers

Chad

[novisnick]

Jun 20, 2014 8:59:17 GMT -5 creimes said:

I myself have never heard the 8100 or Marantz amps, IMO all emotiva amps are similar in sound as what goes in comes out and that's not to say they all sound exactly the same, the XPA-1L's are by far my favorite of the Emotiva amps I have owned. I'm not sure if they will add warmth to your sound but definitively add warmth your room in class A mode , to me warmth in the sound can sometimes be related to added colorization from a piece of equipment, not always but from what I have experienced it was so.

Really the only one to tell you if you will like them is you yourself, I know there is no 30 day trial on the current clear out price but IMO you have nothing to lose, I had 2 1L's last year and sold them like a dummy and at the current price of $549 each for 3 I couldn't resist getting them back so I picked up 3 of them for my front stage and these are keepers

Chad

Yes!, there is a group larger then one that has made the mistake of ridding oneself of a pair of XPA-1Ls!!!
Im a member and ashamed.  .   My second system begs there appearance!!!!  

[Dark Ranger]

Hi willrich47,

I do not own the Fusion 8100 nor a Marantz product. However, I own 3 XPA-1L amplifiers and have lived with this product since release day back in March 2013. In my opinion, these amplifiers do not have a "warm" sound, rather they are exceedingly neutral. The Audio Precision reports bear this out as well. Some folks enjoy coloration from certain components and can mix-and-match towards a preferred sound. But honestly, to my ears, the XPA-1L is not a warm-sounding amplifier, it's just "there." The preamp input signal leaves the amplifier essentially unchanged, just louder. It's the cleanest, most transparent amp I've owned so far.

Since this amplifier was the first Emotiva product to have a selectable bias switch, running them biased heavily into Class A will definitely create "warmth" in an environmental sense. It'll create more heat than traditional Class A/B amplifiers, but the sonic characteristic is not what I'd call "warm."

If you're curious, I highly recommend trying out a pair for starters and see what you think. I have no plans to sell mine.

[willrich47]

Thanks all!  That was what I was looking for!

[boomzilla]

If you want "warm," buy a tube buffer for between the pre-out & the power amp OR buy a tube amplifier. So far as Emotiva amplifier voicing, I agree with previous posters. Used within their power range, all the amps sound very similar ("neutral"). So unless you need more power, no need to add external amps. The exception, of course, is if you want that "warm" voicing.

[brians7]

If you want a warm great sounding amp try Monarchy Audio. I love my SM-70