Sold my XPA2 - coldn´t be happier...

[michaelg523]

...because I bought a pair of XPA 1 instead.

[geebo]

Congrats on the mono blocks!

[michaelg523]

Thanx!

[novisnick]

Do we have a New member of The Monoblocks Society? Congratulations, your membership form will be sent out upon delivery. 😋😁🎉🎶🎶🎶

[michaelg523]

My very good friend who bought my old XPA-2 is also very happy.

[garbulky]

Aug 7, 2017 13:53:06 GMT -5 michaelg523 said:

...because I bought a pair of XPA 1 instead.

Yeah boy!! Love my XPA-1! One of the best purchases I have ever made.

[jmasterj]

Welcome to the Emotiva Secret Mono Block Society. Great to see a new member join.

[davidl81]

How big of a difference is it going from the XPA-2 to a pair of XPA-1s?  I have a Gen2 XPA-2 powering a pair of Mirage OMD-28 speakers.  Specs are below.  The speakers sound good in 2 channel audio, but honestly I am a little underwhelmed.  The room that they are set up in is fairly small, so I think my issue may be placement more than amp.  Anyone have a thought?


System Type OMNIPOLAR™ Bass Reflex Loudspeaker with Down-Firing Vents

Impedance 6 Ohms nominal / 3.5 Ohms minimum

Weight (Kg/lb) 73 lb / 33.1 kg

Tweeter 1.1" (2.8 cm) Chambered Titanium Dome

Product Finish High Gloss Black; High Gloss Rosewood; High Gloss Burled Maple

Frequency Response (Hz, +/-3dB) 25 Hz - 20 kHz (+/- 3dB)

Useable Bass Response (-10db Anechoic) 18 Hz

Room Efficiency 87 dB

Included Accessories Locking Aluminum Cone Feet; Polishing Cloth; Grip Gloves for Unpacking

Midrange 5.25" (13.3 cm) Multi-layer Carbon Fiber / Fiberglass Hybrid with Underhung Motor System

Overall Dimensions (mm/in, HxWxD) HxWxD: 46.5 x 11 x 13 inches / 118.1 x 27.9 x 33 cm

Woofer Two 8" (20.3 cm) Multi-layer Carbon Fibers

Amplifier Power Output 50-300 Watts (unclipped)

Crossover Point 550 Hz and 2.5 kHz

[mshump]

I would look at placement first and foremost. See if you can get a little bit more out of them sound wise. Marantz has a warm sound to it in my opinion. your receiver though it is a good one, may not be your cup of tea for the sound. I had an xpa3 hooked to an Onkyo receiver when I really started down this road and I had the same results. I went to seperate pre/pro and the sound was much better for me.

Mark

[garbulky]

Aug 23, 2017 15:45:56 GMT -5 davidl81 said:

How big of a difference is it going from the XPA-2 to a pair of XPA-1s?  I have a Gen2 XPA-2 powering a pair of Mirage OMD-28 speakers.  Specs are below.  The speakers sound good in 2 channel audio, but honestly I am a little underwhelmed.  The room that they are set up in is fairly small, so I think my issue may be placement more than amp.  Anyone have a thought?


System Type OMNIPOLAR™ Bass Reflex Loudspeaker with Down-Firing Vents

Impedance 6 Ohms nominal / 3.5 Ohms minimum

Weight (Kg/lb) 73 lb / 33.1 kg

Tweeter 1.1" (2.8 cm) Chambered Titanium Dome

Product Finish High Gloss Black; High Gloss Rosewood; High Gloss Burled Maple

Frequency Response (Hz, +/-3dB) 25 Hz - 20 kHz (+/- 3dB)

Useable Bass Response (-10db Anechoic) 18 Hz

Room Efficiency 87 dB

Included Accessories Locking Aluminum Cone Feet; Polishing Cloth; Grip Gloves for Unpacking

Midrange 5.25" (13.3 cm) Multi-layer Carbon Fiber / Fiberglass Hybrid with Underhung Motor System

Overall Dimensions (mm/in, HxWxD) HxWxD: 46.5 x 11 x 13 inches / 118.1 x 27.9 x 33 cm

Woofer Two 8" (20.3 cm) Multi-layer Carbon Fibers

Amplifier Power Output 50-300 Watts (unclipped)

Crossover Point 550 Hz and 2.5 kHz

Having heard both. The XPA-2 is in the same sound signature of the XPA-1. The two are very similar. The XPA-1 is hands down the best amp I've ever heard in my room and I've heard some good stuff.
Having said that....

The difference is honestly subtle - but for me it's worth it. But way more important than that is I've found it's very easy to occlude the difference with both room acoustics and speaker placement. As in when I've moved stuff around or taken down acoustic treatments I found the difference very hard to hear. So if your setup and room treatments aren't already carefully placed and implemented you may not hear a difference.

For me the difference is a little bit more refinement - mainly with the class A switch engaged. The soundstage feels more dimensional, more palpable. The dimensions of the room recorded in the recording are more obvious. It feels a more seamless left to right. Honestly at this level, it's VERY hard to describe or identify specific sound differences other than to say it sounds more real.

But yes definitely work on room treatments and placements first. The XPA-2 is a FANTASTIC amp. You will get more value for your money with heavy use of room treatments than upgrading the amp. After you do that, you can then consider the amp. Also I havne't heard the Mirage. If they are not capable of subtle details in resolution you may also not hear these differences.

More importantly - if you haven't heard a difference in electronics before, then I guarantee that you won't hear one now. So if that describes you, work more on speaker placement and room treatment because those are proven to have an audible difference.