xpa-3 gen 1 vs xpa 5 gen 2 for front soundstage

[draden1]

Hey everyone,

I have the chance to get a nice deal on an xpa 5 gen 2 and was curious what people's opinions are on this topic?

I currently have an xpa 3 gen 1 for my l/c/r and a upa 500 for the surrounds/rears.  If I pick up the xpa 5 should I use it for the l/c/r and surrounds and use the xpa 3 for the rears?  Or should I continue to use the xpa 3 for the l/c/r and use the xpa 5 for the surrounds/rears? 

I'm curious which amp would be better suited for driving the l/c/r up front?  All of my speakers are the same, they are triad silver lcr's. 

Thanks for any responses!

[repeetavx]

The Gen. 1 has a gain of 32db which usually causes a higher background noise. The Gen. 2 has a gain of 29db and usually has a lower level of background noise. The Gen. 2 also has a higher use of surface mount components and is suppose to be quieter (lower background circuit noise).

Then there is your sensitivity to the difference in gain. Most of the guys here will say that it can be adjusted out on your preamp level settings. That doesn't work for me, I can still sense (hear) the difference in gain.

Logic would say to use the Gen. 2 for your fronts, especially if you listen in stereo mode to music that has a lot of "quiet" passages. The power output is suppose to be the same, 200 watts per channel. So the difference would be the level of background noise in your system.