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Post by gdanaya on Jun 5, 2019 15:06:52 GMT -5
I would like to introduce myself, My name is Gustavo Anaya, I live in Argentina, this is my first message in the forum and I have been interested in Emotiva products for a while. Based on the comments in this forum and in other web pages Emotiva products are very high quality products specially if you compare this quality with the price of them. There is no doubts on this. I would like to take advantage of your experience, and with your help try to take a final decision on my next stereo setup. Basically I narrowed my decision to two options: - Emotiva Preamp BasX PT-100 + Emotiva Amp BasX A-150 (new)
- Rotel RA-1570 (used in mint condition)
I can buy any of these setups at the same price, so money is not a variable. In the other hand, I am looking for a quality audio gear is that not matter if it is an integrated amp or audio separates. My current speakers are Monitor Audio Bronze 6 and I listen all types of music with some preference to Jazz music, but at home we listen from Latin music to heavy metal  . What setup you consider I can get a better sound? Any experience from your side with these setups? Many thanks!!!!!!! Regards, Gustavo |
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Post by davidl81 on Jun 5, 2019 15:11:28 GMT -5
I would like to introduce myself, My name is Gustavo Anaya, I live in Argentina, this is my first message in the forum and I have been interested in Emotiva products for a while. Based on the comments in this forum and in other web pages Emotiva products are very high quality products specially if you compare this quality with the price of them. There is no doubts on this. I would like to take advantage of your experience, and with your help try to take a final decision on my next stereo setup. Basically I narrowed my decision to two options: - Emotiva Preamp BasX PT-100 + Emotiva Amp BasX A-150 (new)
- Rotel RA-1570 (used in mint condition)
I can buy any of these setups at the same price, so money is not a variable. In the other hand, I am looking for a quality audio gear is that not matter if it is an integrated amp or audio separates. My current speakers are Monitor Audio Bronze 6 and I listen all types of music with some preference to Jazz music, but at home we listen from Latin music to heavy metal . What setup you consider I can get a better sound? Any experience from your side with these setups? Many thanks!!!!!!! Regards, Gustavo The Rotel has almost twice the power as the A-150 (120W/channel versus 75W/channel). A better comparison would be the A-300 versus the Rotel. If the choice is between the two you have listed I think I would do the Rotel. Also I think the Rotel is a great looking piece of hardware, where the PT-100 and the A-150 are okay looking, IMO. |
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Post by gdanaya on Jun 5, 2019 15:28:35 GMT -5
The Rotel has almost twice the power as the A-150 (120W/channel versus 75W/channel). A better comparison would be the A-300 versus the Rotel. If the choice is between the two you have listed I think I would do the Rotel. Also I think the Rotel is a great looking piece of hardware, where the PT-100 and the A-150 are okay looking, IMO. Thanks David! Comparing the A-300 vs Rotel? the A-300 should be a better choice? Thanks! |
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Post by davidl81 on Jun 5, 2019 15:47:32 GMT -5
The Rotel has almost twice the power as the A-150 (120W/channel versus 75W/channel). A better comparison would be the A-300 versus the Rotel. If the choice is between the two you have listed I think I would do the Rotel. Also I think the Rotel is a great looking piece of hardware, where the PT-100 and the A-150 are okay looking, IMO. Thanks David! Comparing the A-300 vs Rotel? the A-300 should be a better choice? Thanks! I think I like the Rotel more than either Emotiva option. But buying the A-300 gives you more flexibility since it is a really good two channel amp that you can you in another system in the future. That Rotel is a $1600USD unit, and it gets excellent reviews. The Emotiva solution retails for $750USD, and while very good for the cost I don’t think it is as elegant as the Rotel. |
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Post by gdanaya on Jun 5, 2019 17:18:40 GMT -5
Thanks David! Comparing the A-300 vs Rotel? the A-300 should be a better choice? Thanks! I think I like the Rotel more than either Emotiva option. But buying the A-300 gives you more flexibility since it is a really good two channel amp that you can you in another system in the future. That Rotel is a $1600USD unit, and it gets excellent reviews. The Emotiva solution retails for $750USD, and while very good for the cost I don’t think it is as elegant as the Rotel. Super! Thanks David, I really appreciate your comments! regards, Gustavo |
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Post by leonski on Jun 5, 2019 17:43:32 GMT -5
If ALL you need is amplification, a PAIR of the PA-1 'd' amps would be on the 'consider' list as well.
At these levels we can discount small differences in power output. I personally like the lower distortion and higher efficiency of the PA-1 solution.
Than add your choice of preamp but make certain it either has balanced (XLR) connections or your willing to deal with 'adapters'......
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Post by martindktm on Jun 5, 2019 21:53:24 GMT -5
I had a pt-100 that I really enjoyed feeding thru a vintage Bose 1801 amp.. I then shoped for a newer amp and end up with an integrated by Musical Fidelity, the M6SI. A few month earlier I had been shopping for new tower and dis listen to a Rotel amp sruff feeding to B&w speaker.. End up choosing the Musical fidelity with Focal Aria 926. I haven't heard that A-300 Pt-100 combo But If it was me I would give it a try over the Rotel.
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Post by gdanaya on Jun 6, 2019 7:03:36 GMT -5
If ALL you need is amplification, a PAIR of the PA-1 'd' amps would be on the 'consider' list as well. At these levels we can discount small differences in power output. I personally like the lower distortion and higher efficiency of the PA-1 solution. Than add your choice of preamp but make certain it either has balanced (XLR) connections or your willing to deal with 'adapters'...... Thanks for your reply, and yes, I have heard very good comments about the PA-1 and I am sure that class D amplifiers will be the future in home audio. The problem is that I would need a Preamp with balanced audio outputs which is more expensive and exceed my planned budget at this moment.  and adapters are not the right option probably. Many thanks! |
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Post by gdanaya on Jun 6, 2019 7:05:26 GMT -5
I had a pt-100 that I really enjoyed feeding thru a vintage Bose 1801 amp.. I then shoped for a newer amp and end up with an integrated by Musical Fidelity, the M6SI. A few month earlier I had been shopping for new tower and dis listen to a Rotel amp sruff feeding to B&w speaker.. End up choosing the Musical fidelity with Focal Aria 926. I haven't heard that A-300 Pt-100 combo But If it was me I would give it a try over the Rotel. Thanks Martin!!! I am basically concluding that any of the two options could be good enough for what I am looking for... |
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Post by gdanaya on Jun 6, 2019 7:09:32 GMT -5
One additional question, there is no doubt about the construction quality of Rotel, they are famous to build equipment to last.
But what about Emotiva quality? Are they good enough? Keep in mind that I am in Argentina and it will be very difficult, or mostly impossible and expensive, to send back the amp to US for warranty if something bad happens.
Thanks!
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Post by tropicallutefisk on Jun 6, 2019 7:50:19 GMT -5
I have a Rotel RMB 1075 (5 X 120 Watts) I purchased in 2000. Its a nice unit, served me well and is still quite functional. However, it has been replaced by three DR-1s and a soon to be purchased XPA-2 Gen 3. Now its not fair to compare my new Emotivas against the Five Channel Rotel, but if you were to ask me which brand I'd choose if all things were equal, I'd choose the Emotiva. Why? My experience with Emotiva customer service has been limited, but it was very positive. The issue was a delay in shipping, not product quality. Emotiva was great with communication and even sent me a shirt and a few Emobucks for my slight inconvenience. Rotel on the other hand was not as easy when I needed to get a replacement fuse. My only option was to go through a not so local dealer who was not very interested in customer service. I feel the sound quality of both are very good but again I'd probably give a nod to Emotiva and considering value I'd say Emotiva is more for the money.
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Post by gdanaya on Jun 6, 2019 7:56:45 GMT -5
I have a Rotel RMB 1075 (5 X 120 Watts) I purchased in 2000. Its a nice unit, served me well and is still quite functional. However, it has been replaced by three DR-1s and a soon to be purchased XPA-2 Gen 3. Now its not fair to compare my new Emotivas against the Five Channel Rotel, but if you were to ask me which brand I'd choose if all things were equal, I'd choose the Emotiva. Why? My experience with Emotiva customer service has been limited, but it was very positive. The issue was a delay in shipping, not product quality. Emotiva was great with communication and even sent me a shirt and a few Emobucks for my slight inconvenience. Rotel on the other hand was not as easy when I needed to get a replacement fuse. My only option was to go through a not so local dealer who was not very interested in customer service. I feel the sound quality of both are very good but again I'd probably give a nod to Emotiva and considering value I'd say Emotiva is more for the money. Thanks for your comments, and do you have any opinion regarding the BasX line of Emotiva? Were you able to listen it and compare with the high class amp that you bought? Many thanks! |
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KeithL
Administrator 
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Post by KeithL on Jun 6, 2019 8:24:11 GMT -5
Not true......
You can use a non-balanced preamp with the PA-1. All you need is a passive RCA-to-XLR adapter... which costs $2 or $3.
If ALL you need is amplification, a PAIR of the PA-1 'd' amps would be on the 'consider' list as well. At these levels we can discount small differences in power output. I personally like the lower distortion and higher efficiency of the PA-1 solution. Than add your choice of preamp but make certain it either has balanced (XLR) connections or your willing to deal with 'adapters'...... Thanks for your reply, and yes, I have heard very good comments about the PA-1 and I am sure that class D amplifiers will be the future in home audio. The problem is that I would need a Preamp with balanced audio outputs which is more expensive and exceed my planned budget at this moment. and adapters are not the right option probably. Many thanks! |
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Post by tropicallutefisk on Jun 6, 2019 9:00:45 GMT -5
I have a Rotel RMB 1075 (5 X 120 Watts) I purchased in 2000. Its a nice unit, served me well and is still quite functional. However, it has been replaced by three DR-1s and a soon to be purchased XPA-2 Gen 3. Now its not fair to compare my new Emotivas against the Five Channel Rotel, but if you were to ask me which brand I'd choose if all things were equal, I'd choose the Emotiva. Why? My experience with Emotiva customer service has been limited, but it was very positive. The issue was a delay in shipping, not product quality. Emotiva was great with communication and even sent me a shirt and a few Emobucks for my slight inconvenience. Rotel on the other hand was not as easy when I needed to get a replacement fuse. My only option was to go through a not so local dealer who was not very interested in customer service. I feel the sound quality of both are very good but again I'd probably give a nod to Emotiva and considering value I'd say Emotiva is more for the money. Thanks for your comments, and do you have any opinion regarding the BasX line of Emotiva? Were you able to listen it and compare with the high class amp that you bought? Many thanks! No, I did not have an opportunity to compare the DRs against the BasX. I was looking for big watt, grunt power for my Magnepan speakers, so the DRs were really my best option. My other, and first, experience with Emotiva was the XPA-1L amp. It was a great piece and it was what brought me to Emotiva. |
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Post by gdanaya on Jun 6, 2019 9:10:31 GMT -5
Right now I owned an small integrated amp Arcam FMJ A-18. Do you think that moving to Emotiva BasX PT-100 + Emotiva Amp BasX A-150/A-300 is a step forward in terms of audio quality? I am sorry for so many questions, but it is not possible for me to listen Emotiva equipment in Argentina (there are no re-sellers here). So, it will be a blind purchase for me and I want to be sure before buying, specially considering my limited budget. Many thanks! |
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Post by davidl81 on Jun 6, 2019 9:48:18 GMT -5
I have a Rotel RMB 1075 (5 X 120 Watts) I purchased in 2000. Its a nice unit, served me well and is still quite functional. However, it has been replaced by three DR-1s and a soon to be purchased XPA-2 Gen 3. Now its not fair to compare my new Emotivas against the Five Channel Rotel, but if you were to ask me which brand I'd choose if all things were equal, I'd choose the Emotiva. Why? My experience with Emotiva customer service has been limited, but it was very positive. The issue was a delay in shipping, not product quality. Emotiva was great with communication and even sent me a shirt and a few Emobucks for my slight inconvenience. Rotel on the other hand was not as easy when I needed to get a replacement fuse. My only option was to go through a not so local dealer who was not very interested in customer service. I feel the sound quality of both are very good but again I'd probably give a nod to Emotiva and considering value I'd say Emotiva is more for the money. Thanks for your comments, and do you have any opinion regarding the BasX line of Emotiva? Were you able to listen it and compare with the high class amp that you bought? Many thanks! I have the DR-2 amps as well as the A-300 BasX amp. I have been very impressed with my BasX amp, it can push my Mirage OMD-28's just as well as the DR-2 can up to the really loud volumes levels, that's where the power of the DR-2 starts to pull away form the A-300. I mostly use my A-300 for my outdoor Deftech AW6500 speakers. These speakers are fairly tough to drive if you want them loud for say an outdoor party environment, and my A-300 pushes those like a breeze. Really for what you are looking at I think the comparison will have to be on the pre-amp side. Is the PT-100 as good of a pre-amp as the Rotel? I cannot answer that part of it. IMO the A-300 and the Rotel amps are at a minimum equal to one another, with the A-300 possibly being a little bit better. |
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Post by leonski on Jun 6, 2019 12:15:05 GMT -5
I mostly use my A-300 for my outdoor Deftech AW6500 speakers. These speakers are fairly tough to drive if you want them loud
The ONLY thing that might make those speakers tough to drive is that fact that OUTDOORS you have few or NO boundries which reflect sound back. So a speaker in working in those conditions
may need more power just for a good level. But electrically? EASY. No wacky anything with those speakers. Even an AV receiver should work....
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Post by davidl81 on Jun 6, 2019 12:22:27 GMT -5
I mostly use my A-300 for my outdoor Deftech AW6500 speakers. These speakers are fairly tough to drive if you want them loud The ONLY thing that might make those speakers tough to drive is that fact that OUTDOORS you have few or NO boundries which reflect sound back. So a speaker in working in those conditions may need more power just for a good level. But electrically? EASY. No wacky anything with those speakers. Even an AV receiver should work.... Yeah, I should have been clearer that it's not really the speakers themselves per say that are hard to drive, it's the application that I am using them in, ie outdoors. The speakers themselves are fairly sensitive, but to get decent bass response and fairly good volume outdoors you do need to start pushing the wattage up. The AW6500's can handle a decent amount of power, and they really do respond very well at higher volume levels. To be fair I have never tried them on an AVR, and maybe they could do as well as they do on the A-300? |
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Post by leonski on Jun 6, 2019 12:46:59 GMT -5
Perhaps in more of a 'near field' application. Or you could put the speaker with its back to a solid surfact. That'll help lots.
Out in free space? Awful
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Post by davidl81 on Jun 6, 2019 13:01:22 GMT -5
 This is how my AW6500's are set up (looking from the pool). The radiator does point towards the ceiling so it does help some with the bass, but it would be a lot better if I had an entire wall behind the speakers, but alas sometimes you just have to work with what you have. Overall they do a really good job covering the entire back yard (and apparently several other backyards or so I've been told). |
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and adapters are not the right option probably.
