My new Mini-X arrived... WOW!

[jrt3]

WOW! 

I was slowly outfitting my hobby room with some decent stereo goodies - new Klipsch R15M speakers and an Onkyo C-7030 CDP joined the old Sony BRD player and nearly two decade old Yamaha AVR used as a 2-channel amp. I elected to get another Onkyo TX-8020, like I had in my office stereo. The price increase made me wonder about a different amp - and my earlier purchase of an Emotiva unbalanced Control Freak, which I bought to remotely control my PC/JBL Pro LSR-305 powered monitors, made me look at their amplifiers. I wanted to simplify my desk - all I needed was an amp to connect between my other C-7030 CDP my new Klipsch RB-81ii's - so after much consternation - I ordered my Mini-X from Amazon (Same shipped price - $149 - 2-day delivery). Ordered Tuesday PM, it arrived in Thursday's mail. It came sealed in a mailer addressed to Amazon in Ruskin, FL, which was in a larger Amazon box with cushioning large poly bubbles - well packed. It took me a few minutes to find my pocket knife  - and I had it installed in the space I had made for it on my desk. I hooked the Onkyo CDP's RI phone plug to the Mini-X's Trigger In, but they are incompatible, so, I used Auto trigger. It switches on within three seconds of the audio appearing at it's input, and back to standby after ~5 minutes of no audio. I realized that the R/L in and out are reversed, so I hooked them up 'backwards', so the speakers would be correct (I'm that anal!). But what was my reaction when I played the first CD?

WOW!!

I know, I am repeating myself. Seriously, even the first CD - Bonnie Raitt's "Luck of the Draw" was the last music I listened to using the Onkyo TX-8020 the night before - sounded better. Then Marc Cohn, Pablo Cruise "Live", followed by Getz/Byrd "Jazz Samba", Paul Simon's "Graceland", Clapton, and even Dave  Brubeck. It sounds like the speakers arein a perfect room -  great acoustic's - but it's just my office - the speakers haven't been moved - even the same ten foot lengths of heavy (#14 Cu) zipcord terminated in banana plugs. The bass sounds less strained - no longer muddy - and no need for my JBL SUB 550P subwoofer, either. The Klipsch's 8" LF driver seems sufficient now - it wasn't yesterday! It's horn loaded Ti HF driver even sounds better - as if from out of the 'darkness', rather than 'in your face', as it was. I would never believe an amplifier - with similar spec's as my Onkyo - would sound so much better. Thank you guys here for your kind words - and thank you Emotiva for this great little amp! I wish I had bought two...

[zappafan2]

Hey jrt I just got mine this week also and i feel the same way. I have been using a 40 yr old Marantz that still sounds great but thought maybe the extra watts would be a plus, I am experiencing what you are as well tighter bass and just an overall cleaner sound. I am using vintage speakers as well and just ordered some new tweeters for them so I cant wait to get those put in and do some listening. I have 3 systems set up in the house and all are vintage receivers which have been looked over and been okd for service, I love my 2230 and am using that as a pre and with the mini powering my speakers that should take some workload off the Marantz and make its life even longer. These marantz receivers were built like a tank, on a side note at another forum I saw a 2230 taken out of a dumpster that was rusted dirty and looked like something you would leave in the dumpster. This thing still powered on and worked, and they are to me like pieces of art and my girlfriend loves the way all my equipment looks around our house (she is so cool) so getting rid of my Marantz is not an option for me lol. Anyway congrats on the amp I know i love mine and for the price how can anyone go wrong.

[jrt3]

I replayed BR's 'LoftD' CD in the upstairs hobby room last night over the Onkyo C7030/TX8020 combo feeding the Klipsch R15M speakers. It sounded good - with decent sound, except for the muddy bass - still nothing like the clarity of the C7030 driving the Min-X and it driving the Klipsch RB-81ii's. This is my favorite stereo system. I started my 'real' audio days with an AR Amplifier, bought along with an AR Turntable 12/68 while I was working in the shop behind a music store - at an employee's 40% off list ($225 was the amp's list). That amp was advertised as a 60 W 'integrated amplifier' - which was underselling it, as mine, on my now ancient HP equipment, rose to 1% HD @ 102 and 105 W, both channels driven, at 1kHz on 8 Ohm dummy loads. It was originally not very reliable, it's board mounted wirewound bias trim pots always seemed to need adjustment. AR had a field change - and I replaced them with custom selected fixed resistors and no longer had that problem. The filter caps dried up, and I dissected it ~1990 to replace them and left it under the workbench where it remained when I moved 7/13. I moved the turntable, although my vinyl collection was lost decades ago, along with my twice re-coned Advent Large speakers, in a divorce. I had started replacing my old albums with CD's - starting with my original Paul Simon's 'Graceland', whose age is easily determined by the ring it bears (They were supposed to help rotational inertia keep the speed constant. It was a fad...). Modern is better - I went thru three Magnavox (Philips) CDP's before spending real money on a Philips CD960 behemoth and FA50 amp. The 960 died due to slipping drive belts about 10yr ago - OEM parts were no longer available - as well the FA50's special driver chip. Somehow the decent equipment seemed to have been designed with replacement instead of servicing in mind. I recycled a pair of Polk Large Monitors, my first Yamaha AVR, and an old DVD player as my stereo, eventually trying a pair of Infinity P163's and a 10" Sony sub. After moving, I added a C7030 and TX8020 - then NHT S1 2.1's and a JBL SUB 550P sub - perfection - until the big Klipsch bookshelf speakers - and the Mini-X. I was about to order another TX8020 when I discovered the Mini-X - which I am glad I 'discovered'!

My hobby room is a museum of earlier HT goodies, including - stacked in the corner - my older and oldest Yamaha AVR's, Sony 10" sub, Polk PSW-505 sub, four Polk Large Monitors, four Infinity P163's, a Klipsch KV2 cc spkr, and even a VHS player! Passed time for 'Craig's List'! My great room HT has an Onkyo 7.1 AVR with four P363's at the corners and a P363 on either side of the 55" monitor for cc. My wife's music room has a Sony stereo receiver and CD changer and a pair of the P363's. So, we should be set for a while!

[vcautokid]

Amazing the Mini X. Allot of people underestimate till they hear it. It is still a high current high voltage amp in a handier package. Makes allot of bigger gear blush with envy.

[oldschoolpolk]

Protean Force, you can sign me up as well. I've always have been interested in Emotiva gear and their amps especially.

When i saw the Mini X I thought I'd hear what they could do with their entry level design. A week later the price droped again (I saw it originally for $229) so I dropped a hint to the Mrs. Xmas morning, as I unwrapped it she asked "what the heck is it, it feels like a box of bricks"

First off, it looks so much better in real life, it felt like a ton of steel, and was even smaller than I had imagined. Hooked it up to my JSE .6 (also vintage like jrt3 and Zappafan above) hit play, and Wow! Can't overstate how impressed I am with everything, especially the sound.

I'm glad to have found such a well designed/engineered/marketed gear. Also can't wait to hear more about the ICE Class amps coming at '16 CES.

[Boomzilla]

IMHO, the Mini-X is the very best value for the $$ in the entire Emotiva line. No, I'm NOT surprised that the Mini-X sounds better than any "consumer audio" AVR on the market. Furthermore, the Mini-X will power speakers that would make AVRs shut down in shame.

When my new speakers arrive, I'm going to hook them up to the Mini-X and then to the XPA-1L pair to see if I can hear any difference. Honestly, I'll be surprised if I do.

[butchgo]

I love mine!!!!