Post by musichal on Sept 30, 2016 2:39:05 GMT -5
A few weeks ago I replaced an aging Lexicon DC-1 in my main rig in the den with an XSP-1.2 which feeds its signals into a six-month-old, custom-built ST-70 tube amp driving Klipschorns. I had thought of spending more than double the $800 price (I see it has increased), but liked the feature-set of the XSP so much I decided to give it a shot. I love the preamp - with the exception of its way-too-thin display characters which make it impossible for me to read across the room - and so when I decided to replace an Adcom GTP-450 with a dead tuner section in the bedroom, the PT-100 looked like a viable option based on my earlier purchase.
Now that I've been using it for a few days, I offer my take on its performance. The associated components are an Adcom GFA-535II amp (Baby Adcom), Klipsch Fortes newly recapped, resealed and braced, with the main source streaming from Amazon Music and FM. Yes, I still use a tuner because I'm Luddite-ish, and know no better. The system includes dual subwoofers.
As others have noted the remote control is slightly awkward - or as a buddy of mine who also bought one upon my rec says "goofy" - at first anyway. You become accustomed to it pretty quickly. However, I do find one thing very odd, and somewhat annoying, about the allocation of the button functions. With only eight buttons, one does nothing but switch ST/MONO. Therefore to change FM stations one has to use the Menu while a less-used function takes one of the only two dedicated controls. It would be so much more useful for the ST/MONO button to allow scrolling through the FM presets. However, I suppose that is arguable, and maybe it's just me that thinks so. Maybe it would have cost more somehow my way?
Which makes my biggest complaint a mere quibble. Well, personally, I'd rather have had another high-level analog input (or a fixed output for - God-forbid - tape decks) than a phono input, but maybe I'm a minority voice for that preference. So, again, not a lot to complain about, but nobody gets a free pass in a review, lol. And Emotiva made a great decision to embolden those display characters - I wish to God someone had shown that much common sense for the XSP display, I can easily read the info from across the room with the PT-100. That is where the budget model runs circles 'round its big brother.
I appreciated the dual subwoofer outputs, and Emotiva's decision to save the expense of offering filters is a wise one. I certainly don't need the redundancy - the subwoofer takes care of that nicely.
So, how does it sound? Well, despite claims of "true high-end" performance competing at "many times the price" - which is, after all, the timeless hyperbolic sales approach in this industry for decades - it ain't no Audio Research. Nor do I expect it to sound like a premium tube preamp. I didn't expect it from the XSP, either. My background includes a lot of exposure to some of the top high-end brands, and it isn't all smoke and mirrors, as some want to believe. I'm a reasonable human being, and don't expect a Mercedes at Nissan prices, but I do spend a bit more for a Honda.
With the PT-100, I feel as though I'm getting a Honda at a Nissan price, and that is what I consider a bargain. Which means I believe the PT-100 is very competitive at up to nearly twice the price. Emotiva has a knack for manufacturing very quiet, low-noise circuitry with extremely low distortion, and a dynamic presentation with a well-extended FR (at both ends) for a budget price. It won't embarrass itself in headier company, and any deficiencies in the sound are not glaring, but for golden ears there may be sins of omission. For me, when I wind up the ole Victrola in the bedroom, it makes me smile.
Now that I've been using it for a few days, I offer my take on its performance. The associated components are an Adcom GFA-535II amp (Baby Adcom), Klipsch Fortes newly recapped, resealed and braced, with the main source streaming from Amazon Music and FM. Yes, I still use a tuner because I'm Luddite-ish, and know no better. The system includes dual subwoofers.
As others have noted the remote control is slightly awkward - or as a buddy of mine who also bought one upon my rec says "goofy" - at first anyway. You become accustomed to it pretty quickly. However, I do find one thing very odd, and somewhat annoying, about the allocation of the button functions. With only eight buttons, one does nothing but switch ST/MONO. Therefore to change FM stations one has to use the Menu while a less-used function takes one of the only two dedicated controls. It would be so much more useful for the ST/MONO button to allow scrolling through the FM presets. However, I suppose that is arguable, and maybe it's just me that thinks so. Maybe it would have cost more somehow my way?
Which makes my biggest complaint a mere quibble. Well, personally, I'd rather have had another high-level analog input (or a fixed output for - God-forbid - tape decks) than a phono input, but maybe I'm a minority voice for that preference. So, again, not a lot to complain about, but nobody gets a free pass in a review, lol. And Emotiva made a great decision to embolden those display characters - I wish to God someone had shown that much common sense for the XSP display, I can easily read the info from across the room with the PT-100. That is where the budget model runs circles 'round its big brother.
I appreciated the dual subwoofer outputs, and Emotiva's decision to save the expense of offering filters is a wise one. I certainly don't need the redundancy - the subwoofer takes care of that nicely.
So, how does it sound? Well, despite claims of "true high-end" performance competing at "many times the price" - which is, after all, the timeless hyperbolic sales approach in this industry for decades - it ain't no Audio Research. Nor do I expect it to sound like a premium tube preamp. I didn't expect it from the XSP, either. My background includes a lot of exposure to some of the top high-end brands, and it isn't all smoke and mirrors, as some want to believe. I'm a reasonable human being, and don't expect a Mercedes at Nissan prices, but I do spend a bit more for a Honda.
With the PT-100, I feel as though I'm getting a Honda at a Nissan price, and that is what I consider a bargain. Which means I believe the PT-100 is very competitive at up to nearly twice the price. Emotiva has a knack for manufacturing very quiet, low-noise circuitry with extremely low distortion, and a dynamic presentation with a well-extended FR (at both ends) for a budget price. It won't embarrass itself in headier company, and any deficiencies in the sound are not glaring, but for golden ears there may be sins of omission. For me, when I wind up the ole Victrola in the bedroom, it makes me smile.
