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Post by dxtrem3fx on May 31, 2019 20:34:15 GMT -5
Hello All, I need some help selecting the correct EMOTIVA amp for my system. I'm not really good at this type of stuff so any help or advice will be greatly appreciated. I'm running a Yamaha RX-A3070 AV Receiver for Dolby ATMOS. And my current speaker configuration consists of the following. QTY of 4: Klipsch RP-280FA for front and rear mains. The RP-280FA speakers have the built-in elevation speakers at the top. Klipsch RP-450CA center channel. The R-115SW Subwoofer has its own 400W amp so no issue with the sub. The issue I'm having is, I have to turn my receiver almost to max volume to get the kind of sound I want in a movie (Earth Shaking). It doesn't matter if it's a DVD or Netflix or cable. Even after I calibrate the speakers with the included YPAO microphone to tune your system for the best sound in your unique room. I find that using the manual config and setting all levels for each channel, I get a better result. I have a total of 9 speakers hooked up to my receiver. Front mains LR, Front elevations LR, Center channel, rear mains LR, rear elevations LR. I was looking at the XPA-7 Gen3 and the XPA-5 Gen3 but not sure which one I should go with. My system specs are below. Thank you in advance! Yamaha RX-A3070: Klipsch RP-280FA Mains: Klipsch RP-280FA Elevation: Klipsch RP-450CA Center Channel:
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Post by creimes on May 31, 2019 20:45:45 GMT -5
Any of the XPA series is a great choice, depending on what you want to spend the choice would be yous on either a 5 or 7 channel amplifier, going with the XPA-5 would help take a great deal of load off the receiver, I at one time owned a RXV-1065 and adding two UPA-1 amps my left and right Monitor Audio towers became way more alive and detailed(better dynamics) receivers(most) are rateded at a certain power level with one or two channels not all 5, 7 or 9 or whatever they are capable of. If the XPA-7 is doable that would also be a great choice. Also Klipsch speakers are efficient speakers but as many here can attest to they still like power Chad
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Post by dxtrem3fx on May 31, 2019 20:54:55 GMT -5
I was thinking of purchasing the XPA-5 so I could power my mains and center channel. Then I would leave the 4 elevation speakers on the receiver. The elevations are only, 75w continuous 300w peak.
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Post by creimes on May 31, 2019 20:59:46 GMT -5
I was thinking of purchasing the XPA-5 so I could power my mains and center channel. Then I would leave the 4 elevation speakers on the receiver. The elevations are only, 75w continuous 300w peak. XPA-9 is 5 mono modules and two stereo modules, same price as the XPA-7 so you could power the heights with the stereo modules, but in reality the XPA-5 would take a big load off the receiver and the heights really won't need a whole bunch of power anyhow. But also the XPA-9 would future proof you if you went to a processor instead of a receiver. Chad
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Post by dxtrem3fx on May 31, 2019 21:12:02 GMT -5
That's great advice. what about the XPA-11 Gen3 it's the same price? All this amplification is confusing to me and I don't understand what this means: Only 2 Channels Driven?
Power output (High-Powered Single Channel Modules): 300 watts/channel RMS into 8 Ohms; two channels driven 490 watts/channel RMS into 4 Ohms; two channels driven
Power output (Stereo Modules): 65 watts/channel RMS into 8 Ohms; two channels driven 100 watts/channel RMS into 4 Ohms; two channels driven
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Post by knucklehead on May 31, 2019 21:51:49 GMT -5
That means that the XPA-11 will produce up to 300wpc if you are only driving two speakers. You'll never use that much power with your very efficient Klipsch speakers unless you're playing for the neighbors in an outdoor setup. The Klipsch speakers don't require a lot of juice to get loud. You might consider saving a few bucks and let the AVR drive some of your speakers.
I have the Yamaha 2070, I let it drive the center and surrounds (5.2 setup) and a pair of zone 2 speakers and use a Yamaha integrated for music in two channel. That other thread you posted in has a brief description of how to set up such a system. My main usage is two channel and music is the focus of my setup. But I do have a movie night once or twice a month, and I use the 2070 for tv once in a while. If music is an important part of your system usage you might consider integrating a stereo preamp & decent 2 channel amp, or an integrate amp such as a Marantz PM-8006 or a Yamaha A-S1100 or higher, into your setup. It replaced the A-S1000. It really isn't difficult once you understand the concept, and where to run the wires and such. I favor the integrated amp since it reduces the black boxes I need by one, and has less cabling. FWIW I think Yamaha has the better AVRs on the market today. Never have had one fail on me, and the audio quality is top notch.
Welcome to the forum!
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Post by creimes on May 31, 2019 21:58:14 GMT -5
That's great advice. what about the XPA-11 Gen3 it's the same price? All this amplification is confusing to me and I don't understand what this means: Only 2 Channels Driven? Power output (High-Powered Single Channel Modules): 300 watts/channel RMS into 8 Ohms; two channels driven 490 watts/channel RMS into 4 Ohms; two channels driven Power output (Stereo Modules): 65 watts/channel RMS into 8 Ohms; two channels driven 100 watts/channel RMS into 4 Ohms; two channels driven The more amp modules you add to the chassis the power ratings will go down as it is spread across every mono or stereo module that is added, you would be alright with any configuration, mains and the center will always have the majority of power needed, but quality amplification is also a good thing, don't think just about wattage as much as the quality of wattage, a receiver has a dual purpose of processing the audio and powering it, an amplifier as a single purpose of just powering the speakers, the amount of channels you would need or want is up to you, but future proofing is never a bad thing, I enjoy music as much as I do movies so having more capable amplifiers for my left and right is a must(want) for me
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Post by dxtrem3fx on May 31, 2019 23:07:53 GMT -5
knucklehead. Currently, my 3070 is driving all 9 channels of my home theater. I love music but my preference is home theater. I love the rumbling of the subwoofer and the 360° of immersive sound encapsulating the room. So far the Yamaha has been a great product and would love to upgrade to the CX-A5200 AVENTAGE 11.2-Channel AV Preamplifier powered by the MX-A5200 AVENTAGE 11-Channel Power Amplifier. Dare to dream I guess. I think if I power my mains and center channel with an external amp it should give me what I'm looking for. Thank you for your help!
creimes Thank you for your help. I will keep future proofing my system in mind when I make my decision. I appreciate all of your help.
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novisnick
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Post by novisnick on Jun 1, 2019 0:36:19 GMT -5
I was thinking of purchasing the XPA-5 so I could power my mains and center channel. Then I would leave the 4 elevation speakers on the receiver. The elevations are only, 75w continuous 300w peak. If your main interest is HT, I think I read that somewhere, then the XPA-5 would be an exceptional amp for the job. The Yamaha could easily handle the other speakers. Go for it. I missed saying Welcome to the lounge! So glad your here! Whats your full setup? We love HT! Been to a theater once in the past 15 years or so.
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LCSeminole
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Res firma mitescere nescit.
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Post by LCSeminole on Jun 1, 2019 1:30:22 GMT -5
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Post by mrloren on Jun 1, 2019 2:06:03 GMT -5
That's a big drop to 40W with 7 speakers. The OP is using 9 speakers, so what it drops even more to like 30W. Yes add an amp, XPA 5 and up. I'm still loving what the XPA-3 has done to my system.
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Post by Gary Cook on Jun 1, 2019 2:19:35 GMT -5
The fact is there is no one “correct” Emotiva amp that will improve your system, they all will. The choice is therefore purely related to your budget. A pair of mono blocks will dramatically improve the L & R, a stereo amp will do the same. A 3 channel amp will also improve the centre when you get one, as you almost certainly will. Emotiva 5 channel amps have always been their highest volume sellers, because improving the base 5 channels is the best bang for buck. Past that the benefit is less dramatic, simply because most sound tracks don’t require many watts from those channels. So your receiver will handle it OK, not to say there isn’t an improvement from adding power amplification for those channels, just that the return is less. That’s where budget considerations really kick in.
FWIW, get a sub, biggest single channel improvement.
Cheers Gary
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Post by dxtrem3fx on Jun 1, 2019 12:24:31 GMT -5
Hello everyone and thank you for your help and advice. The XPA-5 Gen3 looks to be the best cost-effective solution for improving my system and offloading some of the work of my AVR. I already have a subwoofer, Its a 15" Klipsch R-115SW Subwoofer power by its own 400W amp. My system : Sony XBR-65X930D Sony UBP-X800 Blue-ray Yamaha RX-A3070 Klipsch RP-280FA qty of 2 front LR qty of 2 rear LR Klipsch RP-450CA Center Channel Klipsch R-115SW Subwoofer qty of 1, I need another one. Xbox One X Project Scorpio edition 4k plays games in Dolby ATMOS-If the game was built with ATMOS. Custom Built PC media server with 12 TB of internal and external storage filled with movies, games and 80GB of music.
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novisnick
EmoPhile
CEO Secret Monoblock Society
Posts: 27,213
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Post by novisnick on Jun 1, 2019 12:54:29 GMT -5
Such a nice system! Love the detail of the PC as well! Great choice with the amp, I’m sure your Yamaha will thank you! And so will your ears. I have a 3020 with the last Burr-Brown DACs Yamaha used in this line of AVRs. Wish they had stuck with them but thats the way it goes. Im sure they tuned the Sabre DACs just fine.
Enjoy the Music & HT too! 🎉🎶🎉🎶
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Post by dxtrem3fx on Jun 1, 2019 13:16:54 GMT -5
Thank you novisnick. I've been reading some articles on the Dolby nomenclature. It looks like my system is a 5.1.4, not 9.1 my bad.
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novisnick
EmoPhile
CEO Secret Monoblock Society
Posts: 27,213
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Post by novisnick on Jun 1, 2019 13:45:32 GMT -5
And when the Kitty gets replenished perhaps an absorber behind each tower and a Harmony remote to clear the table. 🙄 Just a friendly suggestion.
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Post by dxtrem3fx on Jun 1, 2019 13:58:28 GMT -5
We already have a harmony remote I haven't programmed it yet for the new equipment. Recommendations on absorber material? I'll have to sell the wife on that. If I could convince her to get rid of the fake stupid plants I would be a happy camper.
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Post by creimes on Jun 1, 2019 14:07:54 GMT -5
Room treatments make a very noticeable improvement, you could spend $100,000 on system but it would still benefit from acoustic absorption, the XPA-5 is a great choice and will relieve the burden from the receiver haha. The fake plants could be thought of as diffusers
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Post by garbulky on Jun 1, 2019 14:10:23 GMT -5
Hi So a few thoughts. In terms of power most XPA amps do quite well regardless of generation. I personally don't care for the tone of the XPA gen 3's in the treble thinking it sounded a little off. The most punchy ampms I've heard have been the XPA-1 gen 2 amps. The XPA-2 gen 2 amp also comes quite closer to it. Also of course the Emotiva XPR-1 and 2 amps had a lot of power and low end reach but are usually quite pricey and apparently out of support. I think your real improvement is going to be using multiple subwoofers. I have listened to several dual subwoofer setups it is always a success. You may think you have enough volume with that Klipsch (and you may) but the smoothness and thickness of the bass will improve with more subwoofers. And sometimes that's what contributes to that nice full and of course epic sensation. I can't reccomend dual subwoofers enough. Or even four. Other thoughts - Room treatments can also improve the punchiness of the sound and the dynamics. For me, it reduces a smear allowing the punch to come through better. So before the sound might be loud but nto as differentiated so it doesn't feel as loud. With the reflections treated the actual loudness and punchiness and clarity can come throught. Nick is right about his suggestions. Your lcoation of your speakers matter! Sometimes pulling them away from the wall or toeing them in slightly can make a difference in the sound and punchiness. IF you haven't spent tons of time positioning the speakers and just sort of plunked them where they look right and sound fine, then most likely you are going to want to spend more time experimenting. The same goes for your current subwoofer. Some locations "couple" to the room significantly better. And this coupling to the room is what you want where you feel like your immersed in a 3 dimensional bubble, and if the bass is coupled to it too, then that 3 dimensional bubble can feel pressurized versus - just loud coming from "over there". I think even one of these behind your head on the wall would make a significant difference. A lot of them would make a large difference. However the improvements are small until you start getting to a lot (and then they get worthwhile). www.amazon.com/ATS-Acoustic-Panel-24x48x2-Inches/dp/B002WLB0RW
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Post by knucklehead on Jun 1, 2019 14:10:53 GMT -5
and would love to upgrade to the CX-A5200 AVENTAGE 11.2-Channel AV Preamplifier powered by the MX-A5200 AVENTAGE 11-Channel Power Amplifier. For movies I doubt you'll find much difference in sound quality with the CX-A5200 vs the 3070. I've owned the CX-A5000, had it for about a year. Wonderful sounding pre/pro, but no better sound quality than what the 2070 delivers IMO. For music it might have an edge. I don't know, I've been using the A-S1000 for a couple of years now and really enjoy it. The 2070 doesn't give up much to the S1000. At this level sound quality should be very good, and IMO it is.
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