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Post by deltadube on Feb 20, 2015 23:55:20 GMT -5
The XPA-2 is the least powerful amp I would use on them. A pair of XPA-1Ls will only give you 900 volt/amps of power to throw around those 15 inch speakers with, compared to 1200 volt/amps of the XPA-2. Converseley the XPA-1L power supplies have 90,000 mf of capacitance each ie; 180,000 mf total, which is a order of magnitude more than the XPA-2's 45,000 mf total. This is extremely important for handling the dynamic transient changes found in music. Compared to the constant load carrying ability of the transformer, I know which I would prefer to have. Cheers Gary which ones Gary I cant wait no more? personally I will recommend the xpa 1s the binding post are even farther apart but there is 2 on each side giving you lots of options and head room!!!!! cheers.. |
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Post by deltadube on Feb 20, 2015 23:59:20 GMT -5
 ...that means i need to get my speaker cables modified to be able to connect them to those binding posts on the XPA-1L's... I made these cables for an xpa 1 mono blocks..  |
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Post by novisnick on Feb 21, 2015 0:09:40 GMT -5
XPA-5, XPA-2, XPA-1L's all sounded the same in my previous sytem, the only difference I heard in amps I have owned was the UPA-200 and UPA-500 were a tad less punchy, don't fret it and get what fits your needs/rack/space the best, I might actually lean towards a pair of XPA-100's, they are lighter and easier to move(XPA-2 is real heavy) and you can place them closer to the speaker if needed/wanted and they are on sale at the moment. My vote is a pair of XPA-100's but it's up to you in the end Chad, I love ya like a brother BUT I must disagree with you about the sound of those amps, and the XPA-1L mono blocks do sound superior to all of the above. Just my opinion, my ears etc. etc.  |
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Post by garbulky on Feb 21, 2015 0:14:18 GMT -5
I wouldn't advice letting something like speaker cables - one of the least important components of a system - influence any decisions regarding better electronics. Though all of Emotiva's stuff is good. Your Nimbus's are pretty amazing stuff! I reccomend XPR-1's. Or XPA-1 gen 2's. Or at the very least a used XPA-1 gen 1. You can get a pair for about $1500. There was a person selling his pair for $1400. Emotiva also sells B-stock (which are returned before 30 days) which carry warranty. You have to call. Emotiva's Jade design ebay page sells used Emotiva amps for really nice prices. All Emotiva amps have 5 year transferrable warranty so if you can find a used pair of XPA-1's then you could get lucky. One person klinemj has gone from an XPA-2 to hypex ncore NC400 monoblocks and felt the upgrade is worth it. It costs over 2K 1500 . Also hope you have a stunning DAC to go with your Jolida pre-amp. If you haven't check out audio gd's higher end stuff, schiits (soon to be released) yggdrasil. |
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Post by Gary Cook on Feb 21, 2015 2:02:39 GMT -5
...that means i need to get my speaker cables modified to be able to connect them to those binding posts on the XPA-1L's... Are you sure they're not long enough to go into the binding posts through the holes in the side of them. Worked for me. +1 Emotiva speaker cables reach the XPA-1L binding posts when inserted from the side. The bonus is it reduces the space at the rear. Cheers Gary |
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klinemj
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Post by klinemj on Feb 21, 2015 2:17:15 GMT -5
I would go with the monoblocks personally. And, my nCores cost just under $1500, not over $2000 as garbulky reported. I found the XPA-2 to be slightly harsh sounding vs.the nCores. Mark |
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Post by rcheliguy on Feb 21, 2015 7:09:36 GMT -5
What kind of power are you using to supply your XPA-1's ?
I've got 2 duplex outlets on the same 20A circuit for my stereo.
When I calculated the wattage that my XPA-2, my 2 speakers each with a 200W class D amp built in, 65" TV, etc. I found they just barely fit within the 20A rating.
So I'm curious how do the XPA-1's behave under transient spikes?
I'm sure they pull from their reserve capacitors, but do they simultaneously pull whatever they can from the wall?
My large breaker box is completely full and my basement is finished with crown molding etc, so running additional power would be a costly venture for me. When I have the high current 70A 240V line run to my garage I might look into seeing what can be done then, but until them I am 20A limited.
BTW I agree about how the speaker cable should not play into this. I believe there is a $10,000 purse on the table for anyone who can hear the difference between speaker cable in a blind test.
I avoided the end connector issue completely and just ran 2 x 3m lengths of 6 gauge OFC symmetrically wound cable straight into my amp and speakers. I just made sure to use some NyoGel 760G electrical grease to prevent oxidation.
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Post by vcautokid on Feb 21, 2015 8:38:38 GMT -5
The XPA-1L binding post are far apart due to the input board being in the space one of the binding may go. Also, I wouldn.t get too wrapped up about the secondary capacitance vs. Transformer size. In real life listening vs. Theory, the XPA-1L will give choice of A, or AB class listening at a throw of a switch. Also the isolation a Mono Block provides cannot be denied, crosstalk channel wise. I would go for the XPA-1L's, or the XPA-1 funds permitting.
The XPA-2 is great too. Powerful amplifier that really put Emotiva Audio on the map for a big powerful 2 channel amplifier that still has no peer price wise for what you get. I had one, and drove Maggies with it to great effect. XPA-1L, or XPA-1 amps would have been my next step, if I kept going.
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Post by ocezam on Feb 21, 2015 10:44:40 GMT -5
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Post by Gary Cook on Feb 21, 2015 13:19:35 GMT -5
Then again, I'm pretty enamored with my XPR-1's. Buy a pair and never look back! Until Lonnie finalises the design on the no holds bared, all out, 2 box monoblocks with separated power supply and amplifier circuits. They'll make anyone "look back"  Cheers Gary |
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Post by rcheliguy on Feb 21, 2015 13:41:17 GMT -5
Then again, I'm pretty enamored with my XPR-1's. Buy a pair and never look back! Until Lonnie finalises the design on the no holds bared, all out, 2 box monoblocks with separated power supply and amplifier circuits. They'll make anyone "look back" Cheers Gary Why? The laws of diminishing returns are well into effect here. Once you are well past overkill everything is placebo effect. My question when I hear something like that is what do you hear that is wrong with your current system. Usually the answer is absolutely nothing. So then why get the latest greatest? Just in case I'm missing something? The problem is that once you've spent a chunk more on something new you are typically going to find something to justify it to yourself or you will have cognitive dissonance. The reaction is going to be one of two things every time. 1. You justify it and say it takes me to a new level, or much less frequently 2. You have the opposite knee jerk reaction and say WTF and dump them immediately. Most people have trouble admitting that they made a mistake and will justify any purchase they make. FWIW I never had any preconceptions about having the best sounding stereo in the world. I wanted something that I really could enjoy. At this point the biggest thing I could do to improve my sound has nothing to do with amplification or speakers. So now I need to focus on my listening room. Once all of that is optimized I expect to be content and keep the same equipment for the next decade, but that's how I roll and I have a LOT of other hobbies to occupy my time |
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Post by teaman on Feb 21, 2015 14:24:58 GMT -5
He has them listed here in the forum for $1100 for the pair. Nice deal. |
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Post by Gary Cook on Feb 21, 2015 14:33:08 GMT -5
Until Lonnie finalises the design on the no holds bared, all out, 2 box monoblocks with separated power supply and amplifier circuits. They'll make anyone "look back" Why? The laws of diminishing returns are well into effect here. Once you are well past overkill everything is placebo effect. My question when I hear something like that is what do you hear that is wrong with your current system. Usually the answer is absolutely nothing. So then why get the latest greatest? Just in case I'm missing something? The problem is that once you've spent a chunk more on something new you are typically going to find something to justify it to yourself or you will have cognitive dissonance. The reaction is going to be one of two things every time. 1. You justify it and say it takes me to a new level, or much less frequently 2. You have the opposite knee jerk reaction and say WTF and dump them immediately. Most people have trouble admitting that they made a mistake and will justify any purchase they make. FWIW I never had any preconceptions about having the best sounding stereo in the world. I wanted something that I really could enjoy. At this point the biggest thing I could do to improve my sound has nothing to do with amplification or speakers. So now I need to focus on my listening room. Once all of that is optimized I expect to be content and keep the same equipment for the next decade, but that's how I roll and I have a LOT of other hobbies to occupy my time Note the wink I'm teasing the "I have the biggest, baddest, most powerful amp that Emotiva makes" guys.  Pulling their legs, jerking their chain They don't have XPR-1's because they "need" them, they have them because they're the top of the tree.  No one can say to them "but there's a better one", they are safe in the knowledge that they already have it.  Nobody really "needs" 4 kilowatts of stereo amplification in their lounge room, I've run live performances for hundreds of people in large auditoriums with less watts.  Personally 35 watts of pure Class A from an XPA-1L does me just fine, in fact I'm probably lucky to use 10 watts  Cheers Gary |
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Post by ocezam on Feb 21, 2015 14:57:33 GMT -5
Then again, I'm pretty enamored with my XPR-1's. Buy a pair and never look back! Until Lonnie finalises the design on the no holds bared, all out, 2 box monoblocks with separated power supply and amplifier circuits. They'll make anyone "look back" Cheers Gary Yeah I'll pass on the 2 chassis mono-blocks, thanks. I barely had room for the XPRs. Also, I believe Lonnie made only 1 post in a thread about ultimate amplifiers or some such, and his post sounded like an off the cuff, dreamy conjecture to me. I don't think the amp you speak of is being designed. Or do you know something I don't? |
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Post by novisnick on Feb 21, 2015 15:21:49 GMT -5
Until Lonnie finalises the design on the no holds bared, all out, 2 box monoblocks with separated power supply and amplifier circuits. They'll make anyone "look back" Cheers Gary Yeah I'll pass on the 2 chassis mono-blocks, thanks. I barely had room for the XPRs. Also, I believe Lonnie made only 1 post in a thread about ultimate amplifiers or some such, and his post sounded like an off the cuff, dreamy conjecture to me. I don't think the amp you speak of is being designed. Or do you know something I don't? Please let me jump in here. 8) I think the best amp that can be produced in the realm of reasonable moneys has already been created by Lonnie and team Emotiva! And I can testify to the great quality of the XPR-1!!! |
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Post by Gary Cook on Feb 21, 2015 15:44:55 GMT -5
Until Lonnie finalises the design on the no holds bared, all out, 2 box monoblocks with separated power supply and amplifier circuits. They'll make anyone "look back" Yeah I'll pass on the 2 chassis mono-blocks, thanks. I barely had room for the XPRs. Also, I believe Lonnie made only 1 post in a thread about ultimate amplifiers or some such, and his post sounded like an off the cuff, dreamy conjecture to me. I don't think the amp you speak of is being designed. Or do you know something I don't? Refer above, I was pulling the XPR-1 owners chain, hence the wink. But that said, my view is that Emotiva are moving onwards and upwards. Many suspect that the "U" series may well be gonsky, no more "U" series amps, "U" series processor or 'U" series pre amp etc. Taking a layer off the bottom leaves room for a layer to be added at the top. I don't believe that anyone needs more than 4 kilowatts (i.e.; 2 x XPR-1's) for their stereo system, so it will be refinement, quality rather than quantity, that distinguishes the top level. That's where a 2 box power amp solution stands out. Sure it's not for everyone, but neither is an amp with 35 watts of Class A, but it's one of Lonnie's signature designs. Of course even if it isn't going to happen, that doesn't mean the threat can't be used to take down a peg those snobby XPR-1 guys. Cheers Gary |
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Post by rcheliguy on Feb 21, 2015 15:49:34 GMT -5
BTW no one answered my question about how the XPA-1's or XPR-1's work when hit with a transient.
If I have a single 20A circuit for my whole stereo and hit a transient will the XPA-1 or XPR-1 tend to just pull from it's capacitors or will it pull from the wall as hard as it can?
Not everyone has 4kW available to feed an amplifier on the circuits in their listening room and having the breaker trip frequently could take a lot of fun out of listening to music.
By my calculations my XPA-2 along with the 2 x Class D 200W amps in my speakers is all my circuit can handle.
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Post by novisnick on Feb 21, 2015 15:51:04 GMT -5
Yeah I'll pass on the 2 chassis mono-blocks, thanks. I barely had room for the XPRs. Also, I believe Lonnie made only 1 post in a thread about ultimate amplifiers or some such, and his post sounded like an off the cuff, dreamy conjecture to me. I don't think the amp you speak of is being designed. Or do you know something I don't? Refer above, I was pulling the XPR-1 owners chain, hence the wink. But that said, my view is that Emotiva are moving onwards and upwards. Many suspect that the "U" series may well be gonsky, no more "U" series amps, "U" series processor or 'U" series pre amp etc. Taking a layer off the bottom leaves room for a layer to be added at the top. I don't believe that anyone needs more than 4 kilowatts (i.e.; 2 x XPR-1's) for their stereo system, so it will be refinement, quality rather than quantity, that distinguishes the top level. That's where a 2 box power amp solution stands out. Sure it's not for everyone, but neither is an amp with 35 watts of Class A, but it's one of Lonnie's signature designs. Of course even if it isn't going to happen, that doesn't mean the threat can't be used to take down a peg those snobby XPR-1 guys. Cheers Gary Am I still snobby when I'm playing my XPA-1Ls,,,,,,,,,  Id really love for Lonnie to put some glass out! Now that would be sweet!! |
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Post by ocezam on Feb 21, 2015 15:57:23 GMT -5
If I have a single 20A circuit for my whole stereo and hit a transient will the XPA-1 or XPR-1 tend to just pull from it's capacitors or will it pull from the wall as hard as it can? Most everyone I know who has an XPR of any kind is running them on 15 amp circuits. Only a few have sprung for dedicated 20 amp lines. By my calculations my XPA-2 along with the 2 x Class D 200W amps in my speakers is all my circuit can handle. What all are you running on that circuit? Just an XPA-2, and two class D amps? I can't imagine that overloading 15 amps, let alone twenty amps. Class D amps are not power hungry, neither is the XPA-2. I've got everything in my 2 channel sig running off a single 15 amp breaker. Look up PorscheGuy, he's got even more I believe. |
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Post by Gary Cook on Feb 21, 2015 16:02:34 GMT -5
Am I still snobby when I'm playing my XPA-1Ls You're always snobby Nick But entertaining at the same time Cheers Gary |
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...that means i need to get my speaker cables modified to be able to connect them to those binding posts on the XPA-1L's...
