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Post by mack71 on Feb 14, 2018 12:50:26 GMT -5
Time will tell. I am asking for more opinions, especially from users who can compare new DRs to older generations of Emo. I had a pair of XPA-1 Gen 1 mono blocks and have replaced them with an XPA DR-2. For me in my system, the difference is one of brightness and slam. The XPA-1's were brighter and had slightly more slam, the DR-2 to my ears is warmer and dare I say more musical with my speakers, I prefer the DR-2 for two channel music, my main focus. I think the DR-2 images a little better also. I'm sure this is largely system dependent, but my speakers are pretty revealing and work really well with a warmer sounding amp. I'm happy with my purchase so far... about a week into it. Hopefully this weekend I'll have a chance to really put it through its paces. I had similar conclusions when I bought Xpr1 (I had xpa1 gen1 then). I suspect the new Dr are similar to Xpr. I hope it's better, because eventually I preferred to leave Xpa1 gen2 at home, and Xpr replaced Mc452 Thanks for the reviews, I'm waiting for the next ones |
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Post by mack71 on Feb 15, 2018 9:28:40 GMT -5
I have a technical question; Are the double modules in Dr exactly the same as in Xpa - gen3? Thanks
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KeithL
Administrator 
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Post by KeithL on Feb 15, 2018 9:40:29 GMT -5
The individuals modules used in both have very similar topologies, but there are slight practical differences. Because the modules in the XPA-DR amps are run as a differential pair, they actually operate at lower rail voltages. Also, mechanically, the speaker terminals are connected differently. (Compared to separate channels, the "hot" speaker output on each module in the pair is used, and the ground is not.) Electrically, and sound wise, they are very similar... but you CANNOT interchange them. Incidentally, as someone mentioned, the modules in the XPA-DR amps are closer to the channels in the XPRs than to those in the XPA Gen2's. I have a technical question; Are the double modules in Dr exactly the same as in Xpa - gen3? Thanks |
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Post by mack71 on Feb 16, 2018 8:50:35 GMT -5
Ok. I ordered two Xpa Dr 1 from my seller  Delivery in Europe at the beginning of March. I will make a comparison, because it does not give me peace  |
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Post by ordinaryaudiophile on Feb 16, 2018 9:54:01 GMT -5
I'm actually looking forward to the weekend so that I can spend more time listening to music. I haven't felt this way in a REALLY long time. :-)
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Post by davidl81 on Feb 16, 2018 10:23:15 GMT -5
I'm actually looking forward to the weekend so that I can spend more time listening to music. I haven't felt this way in a REALLY long time. :-) I went ahead and ordered a DR-2 based a lot on what you posted. I will replace/sell my XPA-2 Gen 2 so net cost on the DR-2 won't be super bad for me. I'm guessing about 2-3 weeks to get my DR-2. I also went kinda crazy and ordered room treatments and in ceiling speakers (wanted to get 8" speakers) so I will have a little fun redoing the media room over the next few weeks. |
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Erwin.BE
Emo VIPs 
It's the room, stupid!
Posts: 2,269
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Post by Erwin.BE on Feb 16, 2018 14:36:35 GMT -5
The other gear is: * Mac Mini running Roon into an Oppo 205 via USB (I previously had a Meridian G68) * Oppo 205 via balanced cables directly into the DR2 * Kimber Kable 8TC bi-wired into PSB Platinum T8s It's a dedicated audio room (no windows) Sound panelling by Primacoustic Thanks for sharing. Roon is without Room Correction, right? You never thought about using digital room correction such as Dirac? I have it inside Amarra (where Dirac is called "iRC") and I think it's great. No dedicated room though. And it sounds brilliant. One gets used to the sound, takes it for granted. But every time we get home from a week of vacation or so, it always strikes me how darn good my stereo sounds the first time I start up the system again. My set: Synology NAS with close to 10K lossless albums > iMac > Weiss DAC2 > XSP-1 > XPA-1 > Jamo R909 I inserted my XPR-5 once to try to hear some difference: nope, nada. Sounds the same. Speakers and room, that's what counts. Hence you need DRC (Dirac) to tame the room. |
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Post by mack71 on Feb 16, 2018 15:46:34 GMT -5
I am very happy that there is someone who has the same speakers  I find them to be great under the condition of creating the right conditions. I am very surprised that you can not hear the difference between Xpa1 and Xpr. Jamie909. These speakers are very revealing and you can hear every change in the system on them. In my hearing very big differences - IMHO XPR and XPA are two different signatures. I hope that the new Xpa Dr is an improved version of Xpr because I would like to replace my Xpa 1, and who knows maybe also Mc452 (replaced Xpr1) The other gear is: * Mac Mini running Roon into an Oppo 205 via USB (I previously had a Meridian G68) * Oppo 205 via balanced cables directly into the DR2 * Kimber Kable 8TC bi-wired into PSB Platinum T8s It's a dedicated audio room (no windows) Sound panelling by Primacoustic Thanks for sharing. Roon is without Room Correction, right? You never thought about using digital room correction such as Dirac? I have it inside Amarra (where Dirac is called "iRC") and I think it's great. No dedicated room though. And it sounds brilliant. One gets used to the sound, takes it for granted. But every time we get home from a week of vacation or so, it always strikes me how darn good my stereo sounds the first time I start up the system again. My set: Synology NAS with close to 10K lossless albums > iMac > Weiss DAC2 > XSP-1 > XPA-1 > Jamo R909 I inserted my XPR-5 once to try to hear some difference: nope, nada. Sounds the same. Speakers and room, that's what counts. Hence you need DRC (Dirac) to tame the room. |
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Erwin.BE
Emo VIPs
It's the room, stupid!
Posts: 2,269
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Post by Erwin.BE on Feb 17, 2018 7:40:10 GMT -5
My assessment wasn't a valid ABA comparison as it was done by swapping and reconnecting the amps and it sure wasn't blind. So perhaps there was a difference but it was small enough for me to be unnoticed. Adding iRC (Dirac) to Amarra Symphony however was very noticeable.
But as I mentioned, the (dining-) room they are currently in is not ideal. The set will feature in our new home where we have a gigantic open plan living space. That's where the big Jamo's will shine.
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Post by ordinaryaudiophile on Feb 18, 2018 9:57:55 GMT -5
I'm actually looking forward to the weekend so that I can spend more time listening to music. I haven't felt this way in a REALLY long time. :-) I went ahead and ordered a DR-2 based a lot on what you posted. I will replace/sell my XPA-2 Gen 2 so net cost on the DR-2 won't be super bad for me. I'm guessing about 2-3 weeks to get my DR-2. I also went kinda crazy and ordered room treatments and in ceiling speakers (wanted to get 8" speakers) so I will have a little fun redoing the media room over the next few weeks. I'm so loving this amp! It has utterly transformed my system. But, I'm comparing it against the A21, and I'm not sure how that amp compares to the XPA-2 Gen 2. You will soon find out :-) As for the room treatments, they were really needed in my room due to the concrete and tile. The panels balanced everything out wonderfully and the echo created by the hard surfaces is now irrelevant. |
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Post by ordinaryaudiophile on Feb 18, 2018 9:59:37 GMT -5
I am very happy that there is someone who has the same speakers I find them to be great under the condition of creating the right conditions. I am very surprised that you can not hear the difference between Xpa1 and Xpr. Jamie909. These speakers are very revealing and you can hear every change in the system on them. In my hearing very big differences - IMHO XPR and XPA are two different signatures. I hope that the new Xpa Dr is an improved version of Xpr because I would like to replace my Xpa 1, and who knows maybe also Mc452 (replaced Xpr1) Thanks for sharing. Roon is without Room Correction, right? You never thought about using digital room correction such as Dirac? I have it inside Amarra (where Dirac is called "iRC") and I think it's great. No dedicated room though. And it sounds brilliant. One gets used to the sound, takes it for granted. But every time we get home from a week of vacation or so, it always strikes me how darn good my stereo sounds the first time I start up the system again. My set: Synology NAS with close to 10K lossless albums > iMac > Weiss DAC2 > XSP-1 > XPA-1 > Jamo R909 I inserted my XPR-5 once to try to hear some difference: nope, nada. Sounds the same. Speakers and room, that's what counts. Hence you need DRC (Dirac) to tame the room. My previous Meridian G68 had room correction, and that was fine. With the dedicated room and the sound panels, I don't feel as great of a need to experiment with it. Maybe in the future. |
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Post by ordinaryaudiophile on Feb 18, 2018 10:03:47 GMT -5
Last night I was listening to music that I've heard many, many, many times before. My system just breathed the music out. It revealed so much of what I'd never heard before. Every detail of the guitar strings being plucked. A part of me is quite happy that my previous amp failed. I simply had no idea how much better my system could be! JOY!!!!! www.youtube.com/watch?v=ENBX_v1Po1Y |
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Post by leonski on Feb 18, 2018 15:24:19 GMT -5
That's the standard pattern around here. I can't tell you how much I appreciated your review... especially once learning you (too) had Parasound Halo A21's to compare to. At one point, (back when I could afford such luxuries) I had a pair of A21s bridged mono each driving one of my B&W 802Ds (which for me were a major investment). I am now in a vastly more "bang for the buck" time of life and so recently purchased a pair of Magnepan 1.7is which as everyone knows need "lots of clean power" and am wondering if the new DR2s might not foot the bill?? Any thoughts? Too bad you can't biamp your Maggies. They made it very difficult and apparently removed all the 'other' connectors, which I take advantage of on my 1.6s. Using that technique, instead of 'bridging' which I don't usually like, I'm running ONE stereo amp per speaker. And an A23, at that. If I ever go to an Active crossover, I'll also end up with nearly the power of an A21 PER SPEAKER. Nice. To go to a biamp on your panels, you'd have to crack into 'em and rid yourself of a LOT of wiring and most of the internal crossover. |
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Post by ottaone on Feb 18, 2018 16:26:03 GMT -5
Good review! Might be time to replace my Stealth 6s for passive L/R speakers and XPA-DR2.
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Post by audiophilewannabe on Feb 25, 2018 13:49:19 GMT -5
I'm not sure yet how much difference I think bi-amping would make. I had the 802s driven by a single A21 each so I'm hoping the the DR2's higher power and differential design make the difference with my Maggies - which are new with less than 100 hrs. on them. I've heard break in is pretty critical for the 7.1is and I'm nowhere near there yet so I'm planning on hearing a vast difference once my DR2 arrives and is in the system.
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Post by leonski on Feb 25, 2018 15:57:57 GMT -5
I don't think ANY of the X.7 series Magnepan can easily be BiAmp'd. All the extra terminals are gone and the only function for some of the new models is to insert a small value (like 1 ohm +-) resistor in the tweeter circuit to pad the level down a little.
Maggies are not that bad a load for any competent amp. The ARE fairly low sensitivity, which kind of means you need more power, and Better is as usual to be desired. Not just 'more'! The new panels use a SERIES crossover which is
different than most of use are accustomed to, even on paper it looks different and you really need to sit and figure it out. At least I do.....
I have one (1) Parasound A23, the smaller cousin of the A21, hooked to each of my Magnepan 1.6s. I prefer this setup to the older 'D' amp setup which never quite was as pleasing as I'd hoped.
As for your old B&W 802s? The Stereophile test of the 'D' revision showed a pretty high phase angle at a low frequency coupled with a fairly low impedance minimum. The result was a recommendation for a pretty robust amp.
B&W has never been afraid to make a speaker requiring good quality amplification. Even though, in this case the sensitivity is pretty good at around 90db 1watt/1meter.
At 100 hours? You should be MORE than 90% of the way to the final sound. All that extended break-in stuff is, IMO, a red herring for adjusting YOUR hearing. That being said, I DID note effects on my panels for about the first 10 to 15 hours which
I attribute to CAPACITOR forming in the crossover. After that? Pretty clear sailing.
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Post by kellerkind on Apr 14, 2018 1:21:21 GMT -5
Hi ordinary, Man, I am so happy to hear your comments on your new DR-2! It made my day!! Thank you for giving us a try. The DR Series amplifiers ARE serious “audiophile grade” products and I’m very pleased to see that you are putting it through its paces. IMO, the new Gen 3 amplifiers are some of the best gear we’ve ever made. I am sure it will bring you many years of listening pleasure. Welcome to the family! Cheers, Big Dan P.S. where’s the typo?? Hi Mr. Laufmann, coming week i get a XPA DR 2 into my house and will test it. Im very curious about them. In the Moment i use TA 100 with Hans Deutsch Speakers and PT 100 and A 150 with Klipsch Speakers. and Emotiva T 2 Speakers. I also had the A 300 in my house but gave it back because of bad smelling and loud Ventilation noises and hum and pink noise in the Speakers. I love the Emotiva Sound but for me the transformers are too loud and not mechanical damped enough. Even with HMS Energia DC blockers and some high End netfilters from DSS (Dillenhöfer-Sound Systeme) it is not getting better. So i hope the DR 2 will be the solution for me because it has no loud working torodoial transformer. I will inform you in soon. By the way - is Emotiva next month on german High End in Munich? Cheers Werner |
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Post by garbulky on Apr 14, 2018 16:00:21 GMT -5
Hi ordinary, Man, I am so happy to hear your comments on your new DR-2! It made my day!! Thank you for giving us a try. The DR Series amplifiers ARE serious “audiophile grade” products and I’m very pleased to see that you are putting it through its paces. IMO, the new Gen 3 amplifiers are some of the best gear we’ve ever made. I am sure it will bring you many years of listening pleasure. Welcome to the family! Cheers, Big Dan P.S. where’s the typo?? Hi Mr. Laufmann, coming week i get a XPA DR 2 into my house and will test it. Im very curious about them. In the Moment i use TA 100 with Hans Deutsch Speakers and PT 100 and A 150 with Klipsch Speakers. and Emotiva T 2 Speakers. I also had the A 300 in my house but gave it back because of bad smelling and loud Ventilation noises and hum and pink noise in the Speakers. I love the Emotiva Sound but for me the transformers are too loud and not mechanical damped enough. Even with HMS Energia DC blockers and some high End netfilters from DSS (Dillenhöfer-Sound Systeme) it is not getting better. So i hope the DR 2 will be the solution for me because it has no loud working torodoial transformer. I will inform you in soon. By the way - is Emotiva next month on german High End in Munich? Cheers Werner You should know that what you describe is not normal. The A-300 is a quiet amp. Either there is a problem with the amp or there is something introducing problems. If I had to guess it's all those power conditioners interacting with the amp. Try plugging it directly in to the wall. |
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Post by kellerkind on Apr 15, 2018 5:29:03 GMT -5
I only tested the power conditioners because of all the noises.
And it is not only the A 300 - the transformer of A 150 is very loud, too.
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Post by Jean Genie on Apr 15, 2018 11:35:04 GMT -5
"Harding has a song 'could' Party"...gasp!😉😁
Otherwise, excellent & very detailed/informative review. Thanks for taking the time to share it with us.
This leads me to seriously consider replacing an XPA2 with a DR2!😀
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Delivery in Europe at the beginning of March. I will make a comparison, because it does not give me peace 
I find them to be great under the condition of creating the right conditions. I am very surprised that you can not hear the difference between Xpa1 and Xpr. Jamie909. These speakers are very revealing and you can hear every change in the system on them. In my hearing very big differences - IMHO XPR and XPA are two different signatures.
