71cuda
Seeker Of Truth
Posts: 7 
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Post by 71cuda on Jan 24, 2018 18:59:01 GMT -5
I have been contemplating a pair of XPA-1's for quite some time. I was once interested in a pair of XPR-1's even though they are overkill, but Emotiva discontinued them for whatever reason. I was a little dismayed at first but decided the XPA-1 (Gen2) might be a better option anyway. It's not quite as big and runs in Class A mode for the first 60 watts, which is perfect for Saturday mornings but will still kick it into high gear with 600 watts on Saturday night. I remember reading some of the forums on the XPR and it seems like there was a high number of complaints. Most of them were related to the "clicking" issue the amps made but there were others as well. My point is, there is a pair for sale right now in the emporium for about the same price as a pair of new XPA-1's. I would have to pay shipping as well, which may cost me a couple hundred more. So what do "All Y'all" think? New XPA-1's or used XPR's? And yes, I am sure the XPA-1's would be adequate, just like the LS3 in my 2015 Chevy SS sedan "was adequate" before I installed a heartbeat supercharger. But still, the abundant headroom! Expert thoughts on the quality and performance of the XPR's vs. the XPA's would be appreciated.
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Post by flatpicker on Jan 24, 2018 19:19:48 GMT -5
I vote for XPA-1's G2, but then I've never heard the XPR-1's... have long been curious, but when they were discontinued, I felt more content with the XPA-1's... I look forward to hear from the more experienced among us...
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Post by garbulky on Jan 24, 2018 19:33:39 GMT -5
71cuda EITHER CHOICE WOULD BE FABULOUS. I've heard both, the xpa-1 more extensively than the XPR-1. Don't worry about the clicking. It's related to a tight clamp on the transformer. It gets hot and when it cools, it causes clicking. It's not a "defective electronic" or anything. If it does worry you, you just loosen the screw on the bottom side of the amp half a turn and that'll stop the click. I have a mild click on mine that happens every once in a rare while. As for power: The XPA-1's have power and then some. I wasn't able to max it out. Its strength is really nice control and being hugely transparent with its class A power. It's also got more bass extension than the other models. If you are thinking this thing is simply an amp that has "adequate" power, while the the XPR-1 is the amp with the real guts then you got another think coming. The XPA-1 has got TONS of power. You won't be going "well it's all right, ya know." The headroom is there in loads. But its real quality is the resolution it produces at realistic levels. It does an amazing balancing act of tone resolution and dynamics that just sound right. Incredible unit with zero faults. Keep in mind the average speaker listening level is about 1-2 watts with peaks taking up the higher watts. I've listened to 5 watt tube monoblock amps and achieved realistic volume levels. The XPR-1's have power and then some....and then some more, and then it just gets silly because it's having fun. I've heard it and it was wham pow etc. That thing never gave out ever or didn't even seem like it was thinking about giving out. It was hugely obvious that this thing was a monster. You just can't max this thing out. Now if it was me I would choose the XPA-1's because of its amazing transparency and the sensation of it "being musical". Imo the XPA-1 gen 2 is the perfect no compromise amp at a realistic price. Balanced, huge power supply, class A, no class H power supply, large capacitance, large number of output devices compared to its other siblings, large heat sinks. Refined over several years. The only way it could get more purist is if the ps was in another box. But I'm not you. And SERIOUSLY they are BOTH EXCELLENT AMPS. I consider the XPA-1 gen 2 my end game amp. Also I think this high number of complaints is crap. Those things are rugged as heck. However keep in mind the XPR-1 is going to need safe transport. There were a high number of them that got damaged in post due to weight. So Emotiva resorted to pallet shipping. Also since emo doesn't sell them any more the chances of a repair may be harder. The XPR-1's have 30 watts of class A power I think. XPA-1 gen 2 60 watts class A Your take away message is you should absolutely jump on one either of tese- whatever your choice period.
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Post by novisnick on Jan 24, 2018 20:35:27 GMT -5
I’m not here to boast, brag or step on toes. I’ve owned my XPR-1’s for some time now, not sure what year but they were New from Emotiva. I’ve listened to most all of the Emotiva amps and then a few other brands.
The XPA-1’s have really great tonality and sound but after being spoiled by the beasts I just couldn’t get over the fact (IMHO) that they had to work to get where the XPR-1’s were coasting along, in every category.
A most revealing amp and pushes even a lowly speaker to make sounds that anybody would only dream of coming from that specific speaker. Speakers die due to distortion from lack of power, Ive never heard that from any of the dozen speakers I’ve driven with the XPR-1’s.
The XPA-1 is a capable and wonderful amp, a beautifully designed monoblock that can deliver but untill you’ve lived with a set of XPR-1’s you don’t know spoiled or the power of the Dark side!
Now, which to buy? A most reasonably priced monster or the very powerful great sounding monoblocks with a full 5 year warranty? That’s a tougher question. Security of ownership or just the best Monoblock ever built by Emotiva?
These are my honest observations and opinions, others will think differently, that’s why they make chocolate and vanilla! Either way you get to eat ice cream. 😁
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Post by garbulky on Jan 24, 2018 23:56:32 GMT -5
I’m not here to boast, brag or step on toes. I’ve owned my XPR-1’s for some time now, not sure what year but they were New from Emotiva. I’ve listened to most all of the Emotiva amps and then a few other brands. The XPA-1’s have really great tonality and sound but after being spoiled by the beasts I just couldn’t get over the fact (IMHO) that they had to work to get where the XPR-1’s were coasting along, in every category. A most revealing amp and pushes even a lowly speaker to make sounds that anybody would only dream of coming from that specific speaker. Speakers die due to distortion from lack of power, Ive never heard that from any of the dozen speakers I’ve driven with the XPR-1’s. The XPA-1 is a capable and wonderful amp, a beautifully designed monoblock that can deliver but untill you’ve lived with a set of XPR-1’s you don’t know spoiled or the power of the Dark side! Now, which to buy? A most reasonably priced monster or the very powerful great sounding monoblocks with a full 5 year warranty? That’s a tougher question. Security of ownership or just the best Monoblock ever built by Emotiva? These are my honest observations and opinions, others will think differently, that’s why they make chocolate and vanilla! Either way you get to eat ice cream. 😁 Are you talking about xpa1 L or XPA1 Nick? You arent joking about coasting. You cant make those xpr1s sweat! |
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Post by novisnick on Jan 25, 2018 2:50:56 GMT -5
I’m not here to boast, brag or step on toes. I’ve owned my XPR-1’s for some time now, not sure what year but they were New from Emotiva. I’ve listened to most all of the Emotiva amps and then a few other brands. The XPA-1’s have really great tonality and sound but after being spoiled by the beasts I just couldn’t get over the fact (IMHO) that they had to work to get where the XPR-1’s were coasting along, in every category. A most revealing amp and pushes even a lowly speaker to make sounds that anybody would only dream of coming from that specific speaker. Speakers die due to distortion from lack of power, Ive never heard that from any of the dozen speakers I’ve driven with the XPR-1’s. The XPA-1 is a capable and wonderful amp, a beautifully designed monoblock that can deliver but untill you’ve lived with a set of XPR-1’s you don’t know spoiled or the power of the Dark side! Now, which to buy? A most reasonably priced monster or the very powerful great sounding monoblocks with a full 5 year warranty? That’s a tougher question. Security of ownership or just the best Monoblock ever built by Emotiva? These are my honest observations and opinions, others will think differently, that’s why they make chocolate and vanilla! Either way you get to eat ice cream. 😁 Are you talking about xpa1 L or XPA1 Nick? You arent joking about coasting. You cant make those xpr1s sweat! Title of the thread my friend, XPA-1 vs XPR-1 comparison as I hear it. The -1L’s are nice monoblocks but aren’t in the same class as the XPA-1. |
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Post by jcz06 on Jan 25, 2018 7:15:46 GMT -5
I have been contemplating a pair of XPA-1's for quite some time. I was once interested in a pair of XPR-1's even though they are overkill, but Emotiva discontinued them for whatever reason. I was a little dismayed at first but decided the XPA-1 (Gen2) might be a better option anyway. It's not quite as big and runs in Class A mode for the first 60 watts, which is perfect for Saturday mornings but will still kick it into high gear with 600 watts on Saturday night. I remember reading some of the forums on the XPR and it seems like there was a high number of complaints. Most of them were related to the "clicking" issue the amps made but there were others as well. My point is, there is a pair for sale right now in the emporium for about the same price as a pair of new XPA-1's. I would have to pay shipping as well, which may cost me a couple hundred more. So what do "All Y'all" think? New XPA-1's or used XPR's? And yes, I am sure the XPA-1's would be adequate, just like the LS3 in my 2015 Chevy SS sedan "was adequate" before I installed a heartbeat supercharger. But still, the abundant headroom! Expert thoughts on the quality and performance of the XPR's vs. the XPA's would be appreciated. I am the guy with the three XPRs for sale. Where are you located by chance? |
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Post by mack71 on Jan 25, 2018 17:46:17 GMT -5
I have both. Each has a slightly different signature. In my system I value XPR-1 more. They show their quality and sophistication with very good preamplifiers (I had Hegel p-20, p30, Mcintosh c2500 now c52) XPR-1 have never been hot (XPA are hot) - never in the XPR there was a sound of thermal cooling of the heat sinks (in XPA-1 - sometimes you hear - despite loosening the screws) Both XPR-1 and XPA-1 are very good amplifiers (price-to-quality ratio). I will say diplomatically that I recently bought a Mcintosh mc452 and I am also very happy, but I also love my monoblocks  I'm very curious about the new XPA-DR1 |
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Post by brubacca on Jan 25, 2018 17:57:22 GMT -5
The XPR amps were shipped by truck on pallets, if I remember correctly. Expect to pay a couple hundred or more EACH to ship. Seeing what UPS wanted to charge to ship a XPA-100 was a shock. I can only imagine the monster xpr.
Seriosuly if it were less than $400 to ship both I wouod be surprised.
Definitely get yourself a shipping quote and add it to the price before making a decision.
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Post by mack71 on Jan 25, 2018 18:10:50 GMT -5
The XPR amps were shipped by truck on pallets, if I remember correctly. Expect to pay a couple hundred or more EACH to ship. Seeing what UPS wanted to charge to ship a XPA-100 was a shock. I can only imagine the monster xpr. Seriosuly if it were less than $400 to ship both I wouod be surprised. Definitely get yourself a shipping quote and add it to the price before making a decision. I paid the same for XPR1 and XPA1- $ 700 (per pair) - shipping to Europe. They arrived intact - maybe I was lucky. Now I can buy directly from my distributor. |
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Post by jcz06 on Jan 25, 2018 18:49:29 GMT -5
The XPR amps were shipped by truck on pallets, if I remember correctly. Expect to pay a couple hundred or more EACH to ship. Seeing what UPS wanted to charge to ship a XPA-100 was a shock. I can only imagine the monster xpr. Seriosuly if it were less than $400 to ship both I wouod be surprised. Definitely get yourself a shipping quote and add it to the price before making a decision. Depends if you are near seller.....I will deliver to buyer for a reasonable fee if semi close.... |
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LCSeminole
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Post by LCSeminole on Jan 25, 2018 19:01:00 GMT -5
I've heard the XPR's and XPA's, and yes I agree with Nick that the XPR's have a certain something that I prefer(maybe it's the headroom). If I were in the OP's shoes, I'd go with the XPA-1's knowing he has the 5 year warranty, as well as the knowledge that they're new and there is no question if they've been treated with kid gloves. No matter the choice, don't look back and second guess yourself and just enjoy what you ultimately end up with.
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71cuda
Seeker Of Truth
Posts: 7
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Post by 71cuda on Jan 25, 2018 20:41:21 GMT -5
Just what I was looking for. I appreciate the informative responses from owners in the know. I am a music lover first, and have been into hi-fi since I was 13 or so years old. I am also a lover of movies and surround sound as well, but in my opinion, movies are not as dependent on the "ultimate" in power and gear. I am leaning toward the XPA-1's based on:
a) more time in production (bugs worked out) b) 60 watts of class A power, Class A/B power beyond that (I think the XPR-1 is a class H amp?) c) A little smaller, although I have room for the XPR's in my stand. I would have to eliminate one of my CD players though (How many does a guy need anyway) d) Brand new with full 5 year warranty. d) All of the shipping costs, insurance and hassles are handled by Emotiva
Still, the XPR-1's are what brought my attention to Emotiva in the first place. I stumbled across them when I was looking for a replacement for one of my Carver TFM-15's. I had two of them, one driving my surrounds in 2 channel mode and one driving the center channel in mono. The bridged TFM-15 lost a channel and I was looking for a 300 watt mono amp to replace it. I fell in love with the big numbers of the XPR and the price per watt seemed to good to be true. I ended up buying an XPA-3 to try out. It was inexpensive and I replaced both TFM's with it. It has been flawless, but since it is only driving the center and surrounds in my 5.1 system, it really does not get pushed that hard. When I bought it (3 years ago,) I hooked it up to my mains for a few minutes just to check it out. I am driving the mains with a Carver A760X which is rated at 380 wpc into 8 ohms. The XPA-3 sounded good but I only listened to it for 15 minutes or so and never really pushed it hard since it was new, was only rated at 200 watts and does not have any power meters. Not sure how relevant it would be to the sound of the big XPR, or even the XPA-1 for that matter anyway.
I decided about six months ago that is was getting close to the time to upgrade my current system as the sound just doesn't seem as crisp and detailed as it used to be. Most of the components in my current system are at least 21 years old. My left/right mains are Klipsch Epic series CF-4's. There a good all around speaker but are limited since they are just a two way design with dual 12's and a horn. They are rated at 300 wpc continuous and 1200 watt peak and have no problems absorbing all of the power the Carver throws at them. My pre-amp is a Sony TA-E9000ES. I bought it new at least 15 years ago when the Carver dolby prologic preamp I had died. I have been happy with it, but it has no HDMI or XLR inputs, so it will have to go eventually as well. Not sure what I am going to replace it with. Maybe a Marantz AV7703? Seems to get decent reviews and the price is right. I'm not into spending stupid dollars on equipment to get that tiny, obscure detail that my hairy old ears can't hear anyway. Center and surrounds are Klipsch as well. Can't remember the model numbers and I am typing this in my office so I can't go look. I can get that info if anyone cares. The center has dual 8" drivers and a horn tweet. The rears are bipoles with dual 5" (I think) woofers and dual horn tweets. The center and surrounds are around 17 or 18 years old I would say and still sound fine. I am not worried about replacing them at this time.
My thoughts over the last few months were to replace the CF-4's first. I think speakers are the most important piece of the puzzle and figured I would start there, but I have not found anything that has jumped out and said "this is the one!". Of course there is no perfect anything and everything is a compromise but still, it would be nice to know what speakers I was settling on before I made the amp decision. I love big power and certainly want speakers that have brawn as well as delicate accuracy, if there is such a thing. I wasn't planning on even thinking about the amp decision right now but I am concerned the XPA-1's may be subjected to the same fate as the XPR's. I noticed Emotiva has a new line of amps, the XPA-DR1, (2&3) I think they are called, and I'll bet that moving forward, eliminating the XPA-1 is part of the plan. It is their new modular design and I am sure they will sound fine but I am just not interested. I want true mono blocks! So it looks like my habd may be getting forced. I should probably go ahead and purchase the amps, if I can figure out which way to go.
So anyway there you have it. I am rambling now and boring everyone to tears so I will sign off. Again I appreciate the input and look forward to any more thoughts that might spring up!
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71cuda
Seeker Of Truth
Posts: 7
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Post by 71cuda on Jan 25, 2018 20:50:21 GMT -5
The XPR amps were shipped by truck on pallets, if I remember correctly. Expect to pay a couple hundred or more EACH to ship. Seeing what UPS wanted to charge to ship a XPA-100 was a shock. I can only imagine the monster xpr. Seriosuly if it were less than $400 to ship both I wouod be surprised. Definitely get yourself a shipping quote and add it to the price before making a decision. Depends if you are near seller.....I will deliver to buyer for a reasonable fee if semi close.... I am in Tulsa. Would need to ship them. Brubacca scared me with his $400.00 guesstimate. I will talk to one of my shipping guys for an estimate. They would have to be palletized and probably shipped via truckline. My shipping guy deals with a couple of truck lines (Old dominion and Beaver I think) and may be able to get a decent deal. Just have to see. |
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Post by jcz06 on Jan 25, 2018 20:56:37 GMT -5
Depends if you are near seller.....I will deliver to buyer for a reasonable fee if semi close.... I am in Tulsa. Would need to ship them. Brubacca scared me with his $400.00 guesstimate. I will talk to one of my shipping guys for an estimate. They would have to be palletized and probably shipped via truckline. My shipping guy deals with a couple of truck lines (Old dominion and Beaver I think) and may be able to get a decent deal. Just have to see. It's not far off, it's the weight, value and liftgate that get you....with pallet for 3 is about 360# |
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klinemj
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Post by klinemj on Jan 25, 2018 21:16:16 GMT -5
I am in Tulsa. Would need to ship them. Brubacca scared me with his $400.00 guesstimate. I will talk to one of my shipping guys for an estimate. They would have to be palletized and probably shipped via truckline. My shipping guy deals with a couple of truck lines (Old dominion and Beaver I think) and may be able to get a decent deal. Just have to see. It's not far off, it's the weight, value and liftgate that get you....with pallet for 3 is about 360# Maybe we could work out a Cannonball Run style relay to get them from you to Oklahoma! That would be fun! Mark |
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Post by garbulky on Jan 25, 2018 21:20:43 GMT -5
Not boring at all. I thought long and hard about my purchase too. I saved up a long time to afford them and they were worth every penny and then some. So a few things you should know. 1. Don't worry about "bugs". I really wouldn't worry about it. 2. The XPR's are not big but lacking a delicate touch. The XPA-1's are not delicate but lacking that last heft of monster power. Neither amp really has a "weak spot". Neither are jack of all trades excelling at none. They are both simply excellent amps with a difference as to the way they approach things. Imo they are both at least 10k amps. 3. Shipping - yes I would be worried too. But if you can handle the pallet thing for XPR-1, that makes a difference! 4. If you are going for these, they won't be the weak spot in your system. So they will improve with speaker improvements - LOTS with room acoustics treatments. You get the idea. These are the high end and what you expect from what is called high end. But just know that when you get in to this region, well you're going to have to complement it. High performance gear can't exist - satisfactorily - in a vacuum. Pair it with the right room treatments, the right speaker placement, the right DAC, the right preamp and the right speaker. You'll want something that's pretty resolving as a speaker. I haven't heard the Epic series. They may be amazing, I don't know. But you want to be looking at speakers that can give you that last bit of detail - and they won't if you don't pay attention to your room. I've heard a lot of times - mine is a good sounding room with the implication that it doesn't really need any treatments at all. I disagree strongly. So good luck. I really doubt you'll be dissapointed. But my caveat is - if you don't have your room and speakers figured out there is a good chance you won't hear anything other than "it gets louder". But you are going in the right direction. |
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Post by brubacca on Jan 25, 2018 21:47:09 GMT -5
Depends if you are near seller.....I will deliver to buyer for a reasonable fee if semi close.... I am in Tulsa. Would need to ship them. Brubacca scared me with his $400.00 guesstimate. I will talk to one of my shipping guys for an estimate. They would have to be palletized and probably shipped via truckline. My shipping guy deals with a couple of truck lines (Old dominion and Beaver I think) and may be able to get a decent deal. Just have to see. Tell me if I'm way high because next time I'll just keep my mouth shut. I really was just trying to help as shipping seems to be a more significant cost of the amps than I thought. |
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Post by chicagorspec on Jan 25, 2018 21:55:00 GMT -5
I am in Tulsa. Would need to ship them. Brubacca scared me with his $400.00 guesstimate. I will talk to one of my shipping guys for an estimate. They would have to be palletized and probably shipped via truckline. My shipping guy deals with a couple of truck lines (Old dominion and Beaver I think) and may be able to get a decent deal. Just have to see. Tell me if I'm way high because next time I'll just keep my mouth shut. I really was just trying to help as shipping seems to be a more significant cost of the amps than I thought. I sent my XPRs from Atlanta to NYC via UPS for $190 with my UPS account. Of course, there was a bit of anxiety and holding my breath for a couple days for obvious reasons, but all ended well. I taped the hell out of those boxes across every seam and multiple wraps in each direction to make the boxes as stiff as I could. |
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Post by jcz06 on Jan 25, 2018 21:59:53 GMT -5
It's not far off, it's the weight, value and liftgate that get you....with pallet for 3 is about 360# Maybe we could work out a Cannonball Run style relay to get them from you to Oklahoma! That would be fun! Mark If I had the time I would.....  |
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