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Post by willcycle on Jul 27, 2014 15:05:38 GMT -5
I am thinking about purchasing an XSP-1 Gen 2 preamp and wondered if any owners have performed a bypass test to determine the units neutrality? How does it change the sound if it does?
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insightfulman
Minor Hero
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Posts: 48 
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Post by insightfulman on Jul 27, 2014 15:48:04 GMT -5
Hi, I just got one last week but am still waiting for my speakers to arrive. Once they do I'll let you know.
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Post by DavidR on Jul 27, 2014 19:30:03 GMT -5
I was interested up until I saw all the HT stuff. I want a 2 - channel pre w/o HT. If Emotiva had a pre like that I'd pounce. I'm hoping one of the upcoming tube preamps is a 2-channel pre w/o HT.
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Post by hcsunshine90 on Aug 1, 2014 13:21:57 GMT -5
I am thinking about purchasing an XSP-1 Gen 2 preamp and wondered if any owners have performed a bypass test to determine the units neutrality? How does it change the sound if it does? I purchased an xsp-1 gen 2 about a month or so ago. I did not perform a bypass test. Though, the first thing I noticed about the sound was how well balanced it was between the bass, midrange and treble. I would say pull the trigger. Good luck and happy listening. |
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Post by roadrunner on Aug 1, 2014 14:12:54 GMT -5
I am thinking about purchasing an XSP-1 Gen 2 preamp and wondered if any owners have performed a bypass test to determine the units neutrality? How does it change the sound if it does? I have owned all of the Emotiva stereo preamps since the USP-1 was first shipped and all of them have been completely neutral when running bypass. The XSP-1 Gen2 is the best stereo preamp I have ever listen to and highly recommend that you purchase one. You will be glad that you purchased one for your stereo sound system.  |
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Post by mfeust on Aug 1, 2014 16:23:30 GMT -5
I am thinking about purchasing an XSP-1 Gen 2 preamp and wondered if any owners have performed a bypass test to determine the units neutrality? How does it change the sound if it does? I have owned all of the Emotiva stereo preamps since the USP-1 was first shipped and all of them have been completely neutral when running bypass. The XSP-1 Gen2 is the best stereo preamp I have ever listen to and highly recommend that you purchase one. You will be glad that you purchased one for your stereo sound system. Hi RR was just wondering if you have compaired your XSP-1 and your XMC-1 yet for 2CH sound quality? I have to either order a XSP-1 and DC-1 by Monday the 4th or wait probably close to a year to get a XMC-1. Thanks Mark |
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Post by roadrunner on Aug 1, 2014 17:14:48 GMT -5
I have owned all of the Emotiva stereo preamps since the USP-1 was first shipped and all of them have been completely neutral when running bypass. The XSP-1 Gen2 is the best stereo preamp I have ever listen to and highly recommend that you purchase one. You will be glad that you purchased one for your stereo sound system. Hi RR was just wondering if you have compaired your XSP-1 and your XMC-1 yet for 2CH sound quality? I have to either order a XSP-1 and DC-1 by Monday the 4th or wait probably close to a year to get a XMC-1. Thanks Mark Mark, that is a tough decision without more knowledge about your listening habits. If you are primarily a stereo music listener I would recommend you go with the XSP-1 Gen2 and the DC-1 or the XDA-2. Both the DC-1 and the XDA-2 are excellent sounding DACs. The DC-1 has a slight sonic edge over the XDA-2 but it costs twice as much. Because of the cost difference, I would go with the XDA-2. I haven't A/B tested the XMC-1 against the XSP-1/DC-1 combo yet, but based on the AP tests I don't think you would be able to tell a difference in the sonic quality of 2-channel audio performance. You would need to evaluate how much multi-channel listening you do and how much movie watching you do to evaluate whether the XMC-1 would be a better decision for you. You may even decide you need both the XSP-1 and the XMC-1 -- I suspect a lot of Lounge members will opt to go that way. I will need to do more testing before I decide which way to go. I could end up keeping them both, but it will take some time to tell. I suspect that your answer will be influenced by which prepro you currently own and use. I have used an Emotiva UMC-1 for the past couple of years, but I expect the XMC-1 will be so much better that I will adding it to my main system and will move the UMC-1 to my bedroom system. I hope this helps you make a decision which way to go with your A/V system. |
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Post by willcycle on Aug 2, 2014 5:41:42 GMT -5
I took a chance and bought the unit as I figure worst case I would be out return shipping. So far I like what I'm hearing after two days of ownership (I leave it powered on) but need more time to decide. Build quality is very good.
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Post by hcsunshine90 on Aug 2, 2014 6:21:41 GMT -5
I took a chance and bought the unit as I figure worst case I would be out return shipping. So far I like what I'm hearing after two days of ownership (I leave it powered on) but need more time to decide. Build quality is very good. If you can, use the balanced connections. I am using the balanced connections between the xsp-1 and my upa-1's. I found that the balanced connection improved sound across the spectrum. The bass has more bite and the treble is more crisp. Also the sound is louder. In other words, -30.00 is louder than it used to be with the RCA connections. Enjoy. |
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Post by mfeust on Aug 2, 2014 11:04:37 GMT -5
Hi RR was just wondering if you have compaired your XSP-1 and your XMC-1 yet for 2CH sound quality? I have to either order a XSP-1 and DC-1 by Monday the 4th or wait probably close to a year to get a XMC-1. Thanks Mark Mark, that is a tough decision without more knowledge about your listening habits. If you are primarily a stereo music listener I would recommend you go with the XSP-1 Gen2 and the DC-1 or the XDA-2. Both the DC-1 and the XDA-2 are excellent sounding DACs. The DC-1 has a slight sonic edge over the XDA-2 but it costs twice as much. Because of the cost difference, I would go with the XDA-2. I haven't A/B tested the XMC-1 against the XSP-1/DC-1 combo yet, but based on the AP tests I don't think you would be able to tell a difference in the sonic quality of 2-channel audio performance. You would need to evaluate how much multi-channel listening you do and how much movie watching you do to evaluate whether the XMC-1 would be a better decision for you. You may even decide you need both the XSP-1 and the XMC-1 -- I suspect a lot of Lounge members will opt to go that way. I will need to do more testing before I decide which way to go. I could end up keeping them both, but it will take some time to tell. I suspect that your answer will be influenced by which prepro you currently own and use. I have used an Emotiva UMC-1 for the past couple of years, but I expect the XMC-1 will be so much better that I will adding it to my main system and will move the UMC-1 to my bedroom system. I hope this helps you make a decision which way to go with your A/V system. Thanks rr, I am 70% music and 30% TV and movies. It"s just me and misses now. Kids gone. My system is Sony scdc 2000es, pioneer dvp 45i, pc with itunes in aiff to Apple TV using the dac in DMC-1, Music Hall MMF 5.0, to MSP-1 to Chario Sovran L/R, no center and GR Resources N2X for surrounds. I have no problem staying with DMC-1 as pre/pro. But would like to get better performance for 2CH listening. Thanks Mark |
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Post by roadrunner on Aug 2, 2014 13:30:26 GMT -5
Mark, that is a tough decision without more knowledge about your listening habits. If you are primarily a stereo music listener I would recommend you go with the XSP-1 Gen2 and the DC-1 or the XDA-2. Both the DC-1 and the XDA-2 are excellent sounding DACs. The DC-1 has a slight sonic edge over the XDA-2 but it costs twice as much. Because of the cost difference, I would go with the XDA-2. I haven't A/B tested the XMC-1 against the XSP-1/DC-1 combo yet, but based on the AP tests I don't think you would be able to tell a difference in the sonic quality of 2-channel audio performance. You would need to evaluate how much multi-channel listening you do and how much movie watching you do to evaluate whether the XMC-1 would be a better decision for you. You may even decide you need both the XSP-1 and the XMC-1 -- I suspect a lot of Lounge members will opt to go that way. I will need to do more testing before I decide which way to go. I could end up keeping them both, but it will take some time to tell. I suspect that your answer will be influenced by which prepro you currently own and use. I have used an Emotiva UMC-1 for the past couple of years, but I expect the XMC-1 will be so much better that I will adding it to my main system and will move the UMC-1 to my bedroom system. I hope this helps you make a decision which way to go with your A/V system. Thanks rr, I am 70% music and 30% TV and movies. It"s just me and misses now. Kids gone. My system is Sony scdc 2000es, pioneer dvp 45i, pc with itunes in aiff to Apple TV using the dac in DMC-1, Music Hall MMF 5.0, to MSP-1 to Chario Sovran L/R, no center and GR Resources N2X for surrounds. I have no problem staying with DMC-1 as pre/pro. But would like to get better performance for 2CH listening. Thanks Mark With the equipment you have and the usage being 70% music I think the XSP-1 would be a good choice for you -- especially since you enjoy the DMC-1 so much. The XSP-1 is the best sounding stereo preamp I have had the pleasure of listening to. You may want to take advantage of Emotiva's 30-Day Trial and see if the XSP-1 is everything you would hope that it is. I love my XSP-1 and highly recommend it to any music lover. It is the best sounding 2-channel audio gear I have ever had the pleasure of listening to. |
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Post by mfeust on Aug 3, 2014 8:59:54 GMT -5
Thanks rr, I am 70% music and 30% TV and movies. It"s just me and misses now. Kids gone. My system is Sony scdc 2000es, pioneer dvp 45i, pc with itunes in aiff to Apple TV using the dac in DMC-1, Music Hall MMF 5.0, to MSP-1 to Chario Sovran L/R, no center and GR Resources N2X for surrounds. I have no problem staying with DMC-1 as pre/pro. But would like to get better performance for 2CH listening. Thanks Mark With the equipment you have and the usage being 70% music I think the XSP-1 would be a good choice for you -- especially since you enjoy the DMC-1 so much. The XSP-1 is the best sounding stereo preamp I have had the pleasure of listening to. You may want to take advantage of Emotiva's 30-Day Trial and see if the XSP-1 is everything you would hope that it is. I love my XSP-1 and highly recommend it to any music lover. It is the best sounding 2-channel audio gear I have ever had the pleasure of listening to. Thanks for your input roadrunner. I appreciate it Mark |
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Post by DavidR on Aug 3, 2014 10:15:47 GMT -5
I was disappointed to see only one set of main outs. I don't need sub outs. Does anyone know if the sub main out can be configured as a main out for a 2nd amp. (I don't want to use splitter cables)
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Post by roadrunner on Aug 5, 2014 12:43:58 GMT -5
I was disappointed to see only one set of main outs. I don't need sub outs. Does anyone know if the sub main out can be configured as a main out for a 2nd amp. (I don't want to use splitter cables) David, the XSP-1 has two sets of main outputs, RCA and XLR. Both main outputs output the full signal at all times. I have used my XSP-1 to drive two different power amps. One power amp connected via the RCA output and the other power amp connected via the XLR output. I don't know what you are wanting to do with your application, but the XSP-1 is very flexible on what you can do with it. Check the USER'S MANUAL on the Product Page to better understand what you can do with the XSP-1. emotiva.com/resources/manuals/XSP-1_User_Manual_v20.pdf |
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Post by DavidR on Aug 5, 2014 13:45:16 GMT -5
Thanks for the info Roadrunner.
I just don't want/need sub out (my speakers go lower than most subs)and surround so why pay for it. I really want a 2-channel tube pre with 2 main outs and no HT stuff.
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stiehl11
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Posts: 7,269
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Post by stiehl11 on Aug 5, 2014 14:29:23 GMT -5
Have you considered Emotiva's Control Freak?
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Post by DavidR on Aug 5, 2014 18:05:48 GMT -5
Have you considered Emotiva's Control Freak? Enlighten me. |
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stiehl11
Emo VIPs
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Post by stiehl11 on Aug 5, 2014 18:14:35 GMT -5
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Post by DavidR on Aug 5, 2014 18:59:41 GMT -5
Thanks for the links.
I'm going to wait and see what they come out with for tube pre amps.
Very interesting thou.
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Post by jutta on Aug 6, 2014 18:20:30 GMT -5
I have an original USP-1 and ERC-1.
Seriously looking to upgrade to the XSP-1/ERC-3 combo and likely some XPA-1L amps on clearance prices (plus e-club)
Shipping is a hit to Australia but it is what it is.
Main point, am I going to hear a reasonable step up in sound quality going to that rig?
I'm thinking yes but would love to hear it from those who been there before me.
Cheers from down under.
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