Got my XPA5 Gen2 installed....quick compare against gen1.

[maseline98]

My gen1 had a bad LS channel so I decided to jump on the gen2 before they were gone. I decided to take the time and run 2 new 20amp lines to give it some clean power. My initial thoughts comparing it to the gen1.

1. My black trim looks amazing. I almost bought silver to go with it but now my considerinf getting the black trim for the umc200.

2. It seemed lighter than the gen1 but it could just be me. I didn't take the time to compare specs.

3. A much more substantial power cable. I had swapper out the one on the gen1 but ai don't think I will have to do it with the new one.

4. The RCA connections are what they should have been on the gen1. They were junk...no getting around it and I ended up having to send it in for service because one broke.

5. It whisper quiet. I don't hear anything coming from it(I only heard a slight hum on the gen1 but its worth noting) or through the mains. This could be from the dedicated 20 amp breaker.

6. As far as sound quality in comparison, I can't really say. I only listened to it for about 2 hours going through various list of ny reference material. I definitely noticed the gain change though when doing the calibration. It seemed just as refined as the gen1, but I couldn't say that it sounds better or worse.

7. I pushed it pretty for about an hour and the thing is cool enough that you probably couldn't even tell it was on. The gen1 played really cool too but definitely seemed to give the edge to gen2.

One thing I wished they would have done is allow for dimming the leds. I know I can turn them off but it would be nice to just dim them a little without having to ahut them off.

[rc2776]

Hello Bud,
                  I joined the Emotiva club just last week when I got one of the last few XPA-5 Gen 2. 
I barely managed to connect it to my Denon AVR-4311 last evening and played some music for 10-15 minutes.
Haven't done any calibrations yet and couldn't really crank it up since most of my family was already asleep. That said, it still sounded bigger and clearer than my AVR on its own.
My main concern is power supply.
My current setup has only one 15 AMP circuit powering my entire setup including high draw components like the Receiver, Seaton Submersive HP and now this.

How difficult and expensive was it for you to upgrade / get new 20 AMP circuits. I recently got my home remodeled and was not too keen on tearing it apart again, but may not have a viable alternative.
Please guide me in the right direction.

Thank you.

[LCSeminole]

Running new 20A circuits can cost an arm and leg or be quite reasonable, it just really depends on where you live and what the different certified electricians are charging. I talked with the electrician that installed my two 20A circuits and he told me if I wanted to save some money that I could buy the 12-2 Romex and my choice of 20A outlets and he'd run and connect them. All in all it cost me less than $300 for the two new circuits, but remember not all certified electricians are that accommodating. I think its more of a supply/demand situation in different areas, so call around and ask for quotes and don't be surprised if you get big differences in quotes.

[rc2776]

Thanks for the prompt update. I am in Southern California and prices really vary from one to another.
$300 seems to be a super deal if someone can do it without destroying my home. How bad was the drywall damage, if any ?

What was the path of the circuit in your home ?

My home is on a slab (so no crawl space) and the Electrical Board is in the front right corner of the home and my Home Theater is in my Den in the rear right corner of the home. Unless I decide to run the wires in a conduit  on the outside wall, I can't think of any other way other than running the wires to the attic and pulling it down from there. 

[maseline98]

It costed me bout $40. It was only about 50'(each run of 12-2 wire...which I already had)....just have to buy the breakers and outlets. My wife helped me pull the wire...out box is in our garage and my room is just on the other side of the wall...My buddies(and my wife for that matter) thought I was crazy for running 2 dedicated lines...I might run a third I still have enough wire left...

[509Paul]

I think people overthink the whole power thing and spend money that is not required. All the gear in my signature runs on a single 15 amp circuit and there is no problem. The max draw rating on those amps is at a 100% 4 ohm load that was done in a lab and you are never likely to come anywhere near that power consumption.

[maseline98]

I actually never had a problem before(with everything on 15 amp breaker) but it was an easy(and somewhat cheap) thing to do so for me it was a no brainer...of course I'm trying to get ready for my future sub(psa v3600i) and possibly some monoblocks as well....

[rc2776]

May 17, 2016 20:48:44 GMT -5 509Paul said:

I think people overthink the whole power thing and spend money that is not required. All the gear in my signature runs on a single 15 amp circuit and there is no problem. The max draw rating on those amps is at a 100% 4 ohm load that was done in a lab and you are never likely to come anywhere near that power consumption.

Music to my ears Paul ! Thank you. I too have been running my entire setup (prior to the addition of the XPA-5 and the second Submersive HP+) on a single 15 AMP circuit for the past 6 years and often have cranked up to 115 -120 DB and my breakers have never tripped.
However, now with the addition of the XPA-5 Gen 2 and the 2nd Submersive HP+ I was thinking of upgrading. I am in no rush to upgrade, however, was just exploring my options in case I needed to.

Below is an interesting thread on Seaton Sound which will shed some meaningful light on this topic. In a nutshell, 1 Audio watt <> 1 power watt. My AVR-4311 is rated at 180 Watts X 9 (at 4 Ohms)= 1620 Watts whereas the electrical power rating is 780 Watts and only running a sign wave at full blast in a lab would get close to that. Real world usage in a home may not consume more than 200-250 watts at Reference levels.

Mark Seaton's post:

Hi Matt,



I recently posted a good bit of info regarding home AC wiring requirements in response to this question on the forum:



"Submersive HP power draw from standard residential circuit"
(http://www.seaton-sound-forum.com/post/submersive-hp-power-draw-from-standard-residential-circuit-8006186#2)


Short answer is that most can easily power up to 2 HP+/F2+ units with each driving a slave (4 total SubMersive units) from a single, dedicated, 20A circuit. Read the link above, as it gives some context to where more or less might be warranted as more subwoofers actually require less power from the wall to produce the same SPL than a single subwoofer. You only use the additional power when pushing the volume louder than a single is capable of, and often that's only on brief peaks which circuit breakers are designed and intended to tolerate and allow.



__________________

Mark Seaton Seaton Sound, Inc. [e-mail] 773-290-8436

[wildgoose]

Why not get a kill-a-watt meter for $20, and see for yourself how much power the device is using? That'll give you an accurate assessment of whether you should upgrade the circuit or not.

I measured my XPA-2 gen2 driving my mains, it varies between 110 watts (idle) and 120-130 watts (at the limit of what I would listen at). So, essentially two 60 watt light bulbs.

Also tested against my XPA-5 gen2. It uses even less power. Idle is around 70 watt, driving 2 bookshelf speakers it barely went over 74 watts. I don't have the wattage of the xpa-5 driving my HT system, as I just finished setting it up last night, but I'll be very surprised if it went over the xpa-2 level.

So, can your circuit take an extra 2 light bulb?