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Post by hlevinson on Nov 3, 2015 9:29:46 GMT -5
i have never seen a KEF 104.3, did you mean 103.4? Those are definitely a few notches below the bigger 104.2 and 105.3 of that era (Still decent, but not top of the line), These:  Those are the 104.2, I have a pair of them now . Used them for about 15 years and loved them. Nice british, uncolored / neutral speaker. I also refurbed several pairs of them since the foam woofer surrounds dry out (Unless you have the rarer ones with a butyl rubber surround). My 104.2 are just sitting for about the past 10 years since I have moved up to the big brother of those (105.3). I have 3 pairs of them (Rosewood, Oak and black) Attachments:
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Post by hlevinson on Nov 27, 2015 15:14:32 GMT -5
just ordered a pair of XPA-1 amps today.
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Post by teaman on Nov 27, 2015 15:41:42 GMT -5
just ordered a pair of XPA-1 amps today. Did you buy the XPA-1's new....or factory refreshed from their Ebay store? |
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Post by hlevinson on Nov 27, 2015 15:50:34 GMT -5
just ordered a pair of XPA-1 amps today. Did you buy the XPA-1's new....or factory refreshed from their Ebay store? i had emailed jadedesign ebay store a week ago asking if they were going to list more refurb gen 1 XPA-1 amps. they replied they would be in about a week. today they got back to me stating that some were listed. i used the "make offer" feature for a pair and they accepted. i saved $600 on the refurb gen1 pair of amps over the winter sale price. |
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Post by teaman on Nov 27, 2015 15:57:04 GMT -5
Did you buy the XPA-1's new....or factory refreshed from their Ebay store? i had emailed jadedesign ebay store a week ago asking if they were going to list more refurb gen 1 XPA-1 amps. they replied they would be in about a week. today they got back to me stating that some were listed. i used the "make offer" feature for a pair and they accepted. i saved $600 on the refurb gen1 pair of amps over the winter sale price. Awesome, that was what I did as well. I picked up a pair of XPA-1's Gen 1 last month and just today picked up an XPA-5. They are all great sounding amps. The fact that I offered well below the asking price for a pair and they accepted really made my day. Congrats! |
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Post by hlevinson on Dec 3, 2015 14:38:12 GMT -5
i had emailed jadedesign ebay store a week ago asking if they were going to list more refurb gen 1 XPA-1 amps. they replied they would be in about a week. today they got back to me stating that some were listed. i used the "make offer" feature for a pair and they accepted. i saved $600 on the refurb gen1 pair of amps over the winter sale price. Awesome, that was what I did as well. I picked up a pair of XPA-1's Gen 1 last month and just today picked up an XPA-5. They are all great sounding amps. The fact that I offered well below the asking price for a pair and they accepted really made my day. Congrats! they arrived yesterday. here are pics. i know it is not pretty, but this is just a temporary home until i can enlarge the shelving space. first pic is the front view (With my XPA-3). second pic is the 2 XPA-1 amps in their temporary home. Attachments:
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roto
Seeker Of Truth
Posts: 4 
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Post by roto on Dec 5, 2015 15:02:20 GMT -5
105.3s are low-impedance and low-sensitivity. They WILL benefit from using a high-current, high-wattage amplifier. The pair of amps you're comparing (XPR-2 and XPA-1) are both qualified, and will provide an audible improvement over ANY AV receiver on the market. That said, there are audible differences (to my ears) between the XPR and XPA series of Emo's amps. I would say that the XPR sounds a bit recessed in the treble until it has warmed up. After that, the treble is there, but sounds quite "polite." The XPR is also a British sounding amp throughout its full range. The dynamics (with my speakers and to my ears) weren't as good as the XPA series. For the money, I think that the XPA series is the better buy. The XPRs also ran warmer on idle than the XPAs (biased more toward class-A operation?) and sounded smoother than the XPA amps. But to my ears, the "smoothness" was not a benefit. Music can sound brash, and when the recording called for that, the XPRs civilized the sound, removing some of the brashness. The XPA series, to my ears was truer to the recording. Now all that said, there are those who swear by the veracity of the XPR amps. Maybe I'm just an uncivilized lout, but I preferred the XPA series, ultimately. Your money, your choice. Happy Shopping! Boomie |
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roto
Seeker Of Truth
Posts: 4
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Post by roto on Dec 5, 2015 15:07:46 GMT -5
105.3s are low-impedance and low-sensitivity. They WILL benefit from using a high-current, high-wattage amplifier. The pair of amps you're comparing (XPR-2 and XPA-1) are both qualified, and will provide an audible improvement over ANY AV receiver on the market. That said, there are audible differences (to my ears) between the XPR and XPA series of Emo's amps. I would say that the XPR sounds a bit recessed in the treble until it has warmed up. After that, the treble is there, but sounds quite "polite." The XPR is also a British sounding amp throughout its full range. The dynamics (with my speakers and to my ears) weren't as good as the XPA series. For the money, I think that the XPA series is the better buy. The XPRs also ran warmer on idle than the XPAs (biased more toward class-A operation?) and sounded smoother than the XPA amps. But to my ears, the "smoothness" was not a benefit. Music can sound brash, and when the recording called for that, the XPRs civilized the sound, removing some of the brashness. The XPA series, to my ears was truer to the recording. Now all that said, there are those who swear by the veracity of the XPR amps. Maybe I'm just an uncivilized lout, but I preferred the XPA series, ultimately. Your money, your choice. Happy Shopping! Boomie Yeah, I have the XPR2. Haven't tried the XPA2. I have to admit, I love the XPR2! No audible distortion, pristine highs, very tight bass notes, an amazing amount of musical information in the presentation (hear stuff I've never heard before). Very, very smooth. No complaints. At concert volume (95 db +) its just beyond description for me. Live and better. Enjoy whatever choice you make. (I agree, the 20 amp circuit does not seem absolutely necessary, but I'm adding pretty soon anyway.) |
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Post by ddog on Dec 23, 2015 23:03:56 GMT -5
If I may make a suggestion..when you do install that dedicated 20 amp breaker I'd suggest you have it put on the top or should I say the first breaker your main sees. You'll benefit greatly if the power to your system comes before your HVAC,refrigerator/kitchen appliances and god knows what else consumes power in your house.
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