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Post by mr on Dec 19, 2017 12:53:56 GMT -5
Hey Keith,
I have one of the original XMC-1s that I preordered from you guys in the fall of 2013. I love it, best piece of AV hardware I have owned. It is in-line for the V3 board upgrade. I had it paired with an XPA-5.
Together, they sound great.
However, in 2015 my wife talked me into new cabinetry in the LR, and the XPA 5 simply is too DAMN BIG to fit in the box. The XMC-1 fits, barely. So both were moved downstairs and used sparingly. In their place, I installed a Cambridge Audio AVR. Good music SQ, limited features, no 4K or HDR. I have been away from this forum for a long time.
I want to get back to using the pre/pro regularly, so I need a new amp. Obviously I am looking at the A-5175 and the A5. I will be powering SVS Prime Bookshelf speakers, center, sub and surrounds. No back channels, ATMOS, etc. I am sourcing DirecT, AppleTV, Oppo, and hi-res files (5.1 and 2.1) via Roon thru a Mac Mini.
My question is what will I gain, or lose, depending on which amp I choose? Is there a sonic difference between the two amps? I am not opposed to spending the extra $$ if there is a genuine benefit. I am now one of those "fixed income" retirees, so I need to justify the extra expense.
Give me a reason, beyond simply the extra watts (yeah, headroom is real, and maybe worth the additional $400), and I will jump at the A5175. But the SVS Primes are pretty efficient, so the extra WPC may be overkill (that's never actually stopped me before).
I appreciate your input! Thanks.
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Post by fbczar on Dec 19, 2017 14:50:34 GMT -5
Hey Keith, I have one of the original XMC-1s that I preordered from you guys in the fall of 2013. I love it, best piece of AV hardware I have owned. It is in-line for the V3 board upgrade. I had it paired with an XPA-5. Together, they sound great. However, in 2015 my wife talked me into new cabinetry in the LR, and the XPA 5 simply is too DAMN BIG to fit in the box. The XMC-1 fits, barely. So both were moved downstairs and used sparingly. In their place, I installed a Cambridge Audio AVR. Good music SQ, limited features, no 4K or HDR. I have been away from this forum for a long time. I want to get back to using the pre/pro regularly, so I need a new amp. Obviously I am looking at the A-5175 and the A5. I will be powering SVS Prime Bookshelf speakers, center, sub and surrounds. No back channels, ATMOS, etc. I am sourcing DirecT, AppleTV, Oppo, and hi-res files (5.1 and 2.1) via Roon thru a Mac Mini. My question is what will I gain, or lose, depending on which amp I choose? Is there a sonic difference between the two amps? I am not opposed to spending the extra $$ if there is a genuine benefit. I am now one of those "fixed income" retirees, so I need to justify the extra expense. Give me a reason, beyond simply the extra watts (yeah, headroom is real, and maybe worth the additional $400), and I will jump at the A5175. But the SVS Primes are pretty efficient, so the extra WPC may be overkill (that's never actually stopped me before). I appreciate your input! Thanks. Not Keith, but you might consider balanced amps to complete the XMC-1's balanced circuitry. |
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Post by knucklehead on Dec 19, 2017 15:04:52 GMT -5
For short cable runs balanced cables are not needed. When I had an XSP-1 paired to a Crown amp I toyed around with balanced vs RCA cables. Not one bit of difference. If you are running cables longer than about 15-20' then balanced cables make sense.
As for pairing an amp to a particular preamp or processor? I've yet to find a good amp that sounded like crap when paired up to the 'wrong' preamp/processor. Find an amp that has the power to drive your speakers to the levels you listen at - then sit back and enjoy the sounds.
FWIW I owned a Rotel RMB-1086 for a time. It's a class d amp with 5 channels @100wpc into 8 ohms - 180wpc into 4 ohms. They go for around $500 on ebay. Weighing in at ~15 pounds and needing very little air space (air flow is needed) it runs very cool. Sound quality is very good IMO.
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Post by fbczar on Dec 19, 2017 15:07:00 GMT -5
For short cable runs balanced cables are not needed. When I had an XSP-1 paired to a Crown amp I toyed around with balanced vs RCA cables. Not one bit of difference. If you are running cables longer than about 15-20' then balanced cables make sense. As for pairing an amp to a particular preamp or processor? I've yet to find a good amp that sounded like crap when paired up to the 'wrong' preamp/processor. Find an amp that has the power to drive your speakers to the levels you listen at - then sit back and enjoy the sounds. FWIW I owned a Rotel RMB-1086 for a time. It's a class d amp with 5 channels @100wpc into 8 ohms - 180wpc into 4 ohms. They go for around $500 on ebay. Weighing in at ~15 pounds and needing very little air space (air flow is needed) it runs very cool. Sound quality is very good IMO. Read the stats on the XMC-1. The Signal to Noise Ratio is lower in balanced operation. |
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Post by mr on Dec 19, 2017 15:18:30 GMT -5
Hey Keith, I have one of the original XMC-1s that I preordered from you guys in the fall of 2013. I love it, best piece of AV hardware I have owned. It is in-line for the V3 board upgrade. I had it paired with an XPA-5. Together, they sound great. However, in 2015 my wife talked me into new cabinetry in the LR, and the XPA 5 simply is too DAMN BIG to fit in the box. The XMC-1 fits, barely. So both were moved downstairs and used sparingly. In their place, I installed a Cambridge Audio AVR. Good music SQ, limited features, no 4K or HDR. I have been away from this forum for a long time. I want to get back to using the pre/pro regularly, so I need a new amp. Obviously I am looking at the A-5175 and the A5. I will be powering SVS Prime Bookshelf speakers, center, sub and surrounds. No back channels, ATMOS, etc. I am sourcing DirecT, AppleTV, Oppo, and hi-res files (5.1 and 2.1) via Roon thru a Mac Mini. My question is what will I gain, or lose, depending on which amp I choose? Is there a sonic difference between the two amps? I am not opposed to spending the extra $$ if there is a genuine benefit. I am now one of those "fixed income" retirees, so I need to justify the extra expense. Give me a reason, beyond simply the extra watts (yeah, headroom is real, and maybe worth the additional $400), and I will jump at the A5175. But the SVS Primes are pretty efficient, so the extra WPC may be overkill (that's never actually stopped me before). I appreciate your input! Thanks. Not Keith, but you might consider balanced amps to complete the XMC-1's balanced circuitry. |
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Post by mr on Dec 19, 2017 15:20:22 GMT -5
Hey Not Keith  Truth is I am trying to spend fewer $$, not more. In fact, I am considering removing a section of the back wall to the cabinet, extending the XPA-5 outside the box. Might improve circulation, too. |
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Post by creimes on Dec 19, 2017 15:20:43 GMT -5
Having once owned a UPA-500 which IMO was a really great little amplifier, if volume is at reasonable levels, heck even loud levels the UPA-500 handled it with ease, the new BasX A-500 would be a nice amp.
Which dimension is the XPA-5 not fitting, height or depth ?
Chad
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Post by fbczar on Dec 19, 2017 15:27:34 GMT -5
Hey Not Keith Truth is I am trying to spend fewer $$, not more. In fact, I am considering removing a section of the back wall to the cabinet, extending the XPA-5 outside the box. Might improve circulation, too. Spending less is always my mission. A pair of used XPA-1L amps would be great for stereo. Small, balanced, sound great and are not too expensive. Of course, there are a zillion amplifier choices out there. |
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Post by fbczar on Dec 19, 2017 15:34:57 GMT -5
The Schiit Vidar might work size wise, 9"x13"x3.875" and it could be used in a balanced configuration as a monoblock if 100 watts per channel was not adequate. Costs $699.00
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Post by knucklehead on Dec 19, 2017 17:10:47 GMT -5
For short cable runs balanced cables are not needed. When I had an XSP-1 paired to a Crown amp I toyed around with balanced vs RCA cables. Not one bit of difference. If you are running cables longer than about 15-20' then balanced cables make sense. As for pairing an amp to a particular preamp or processor? I've yet to find a good amp that sounded like crap when paired up to the 'wrong' preamp/processor. Find an amp that has the power to drive your speakers to the levels you listen at - then sit back and enjoy the sounds. FWIW I owned a Rotel RMB-1086 for a time. It's a class d amp with 5 channels @100wpc into 8 ohms - 180wpc into 4 ohms. They go for around $500 on ebay. Weighing in at ~15 pounds and needing very little air space (air flow is needed) it runs very cool. Sound quality is very good IMO. Read the stats on the XMC-1. The Signal to Noise Ratio is lower in balanced operation. Let me know when you can hear the difference. |
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Post by mr on Dec 19, 2017 17:13:01 GMT -5
Having once owned a UPA-500 which IMO was a really great little amplifier, if volume is at reasonable levels, heck even loud levels the UPA-500 handled it with ease, the new BasX A-500 would be a nice amp. Which dimension is the XPA-5 not fitting, height or depth ? Chad Depth, by about 2.5 inches. That why I am considering removing the lower back panel on the cabinet. Please don't tell my wife! Clearance is about 3 inches behind the cabinet. I figure heat dissipation would improve, as well! The A-500 would fit fine. |
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Post by mr on Dec 19, 2017 17:15:35 GMT -5
The Schiit Vidar might work size wise, 9"x13"x3.875" and it could be used in a balanced configuration as a monoblock if 100 watts per channel was not adequate. Costs $699.00 I love the Schitt product line, especially my Bifrost Multibit dac. But I need five channels for video and my surround audio files. |
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Post by mgbpuff on Dec 19, 2017 17:20:59 GMT -5
Cut out the back of the cabinet to allow the large amp chassis to stick through an inch or two. I did this with my son's cabinet and really none of these so called audio/video cabinets are ever big enough without going to such antics even if it is just for the wiring. No one will never know, if it is done neatly.
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Post by siggie on Dec 19, 2017 18:01:51 GMT -5
Cut out the back of the cabinet to allow the large amp chassis to stick through an inch or two. I did this with my son's cabinet and really none of these so called audio/video cabinets are ever big enough without going to such antics even if it is just for the wiring. No one will never know, if it is done neatly. That's what I did for my SR-120. It hurt to cut a hole in my cabinet when I did it, but it doesn't bother me anymore. siggie |
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Post by fbczar on Dec 20, 2017 0:07:24 GMT -5
Read the stats on the XMC-1. The Signal to Noise Ratio is lower in balanced operation. Let me know when you can hear the difference. Let me know when you can admit the XMC-1 has a signal to noise ration of 123db in balanced mode and 114db in unbalanced mode. Clearly the XMC-1 was designed for optimum performance with a balanced amp. Analog Performance Balanced Input to Balanced Output (Reference Stereo Mode) THD: <0.0005% @ 1 kHz THD: < 0.002% (20 Hz to 20 kHz) IMD: < 0.004% @ 1 kHz S/N ratio: > 123 dB (A weighted) Frequency Response: 5 Hz to 80 kHz (+0 / -0.1 dB) Crosstalk: <100 dB Unbalanced Input to Unbalanced Output (Reference Stereo Mode) THD: <0.0007% @ 1 kHz THD: < 0.003% (20 Hz to 20 kHz) IMD: < 0.005% @ 1 kHz S/N ratio: > 114 dB (A weighted) Frequency Response: 5 Hz to 80 kHz (+0 / -0.1 dB) Crosstalk: <100 dB |
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