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XSP-1 gen2
Sept 4, 2020 19:04:07 GMT -5
via mobile
Post by cvbryso on Sept 4, 2020 19:04:07 GMT -5
Hello everyone,
I am new to the forum, fairly new to the audiophile world and looking for a little advice. It has always been a dream mine to have a true home theater and 2 channel system. So about 4 months ago I decided to take the leap and build a dedicated 2 channel system and start to build a true home theater. I spent the past few years looking at different options and I felt Emotiva offered the best price per performance value so I bought the XPA-3 gen3 and the BasX -300. I have them running from the preouts of my Yamaha Aventage 2050 to a new pair of Focal Aria 926 and 906. I absolutely loved the sound so much that I jumped on a used XSP-1 gen2 and XPA-2 gen3 for a price that I really don't think I could have beaten and both still have a warranty for almost 3 more years.
Well today I thought I would check out the XPA-DR series amps and noticed that the XSP has been discontinued. Seeing that actually made me a little hesitant to add the DR3 because I don't want to end up putting more money into the system if I would have to replace them sooner then anticipated. Since I don't know a ton about this hobby would it be worth investing more into the DR series or start to look elsewhere? I honestly was considering building everything Emotiva and getting the RMC-1 with the DR3 for front and center and using the other amps to power everything else. I know I don't have much to compare to when it comes to other products but I don't think I honestly could even tell the difference between Emotiva and others. I looked into McIntosh, Mark Levinson , krell , Parasound etc.. and had sticker shock lol. I can say though that I am truly happy with Emotiva and just want to make sure I can continue to be happy with Emotiva.
On a side note would anyone have any suggestions for speaker cables and xlr cables or is that more of a "snake oil" thing and BJC and Emotiva cables would work just fine.
Thank yall so much for any and all advice and forgive the length of my first post.
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Post by creimes on Sept 5, 2020 1:00:41 GMT -5
Word on the street is they are going to release a XSP-2 at some point but I don't think anytime right away but don't quote me on that, the DR series is fully differential like the XSP-1 in it's XLR chain but whether or not it's discernible is another thing, some of us may be able to tell while some of us may not.
Cable wise I wouldn't go extreme price wise, that's a whole battle in itself, I have never noticed a difference unless of course it's a poorly made cable like dollar store type haha, Emotiva ones and BJC's are by far good enough, Monoprice has some nice XLR cables in the Stage Right series.
You have a nice two channel setup there and sounds like you are very much enjoying it so far, I find it doesn't take a huge amount of cash to get to a good point, especially with gear like Emotiva but it's incremental as you keep spending more and more.
Cheers,
Chad
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Post by garbulky on Sept 5, 2020 10:33:01 GMT -5
I can't reccomend the XPA-1 gen 2 enough. If you want to go cheaper, try out the Emotiva PA-1 amps. Fully balanced monoblocks which sound great. Very close to my XPA-1 gen 2. I haven't heard the DR series, but I wasn't as in love with the single blade XPA gen 3's when I listened to them compared to the gen 2 stuff.
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Post by leonski on Nov 25, 2020 18:19:41 GMT -5
Hello everyone, I am new to the forum, fairly new to the audiophile world and looking for a little advice. It has always been a dream mine to have a true home theater and 2 channel system. So about 4 months ago I decided to take the leap and build a dedicated 2 channel system and start to build a true home theater. I spent the past few years looking at different options and I felt Emotiva offered the best price per performance value so I bought the XPA-3 gen3 and the BasX -300. I have them running from the preouts of my Yamaha Aventage 2050 to a new pair of Focal Aria 926 and 906. I absolutely loved the sound so much that I jumped on a used XSP-1 gen2 and XPA-2 gen3 for a price that I really don't think I could have beaten and both still have a warranty for almost 3 more years. Well today I thought I would check out the XPA-DR series amps and noticed that the XSP has been discontinued. Seeing that actually made me a little hesitant to add the DR3 because I don't want to end up putting more money into the system if I would have to replace them sooner then anticipated. Since I don't know a ton about this hobby would it be worth investing more into the DR series or start to look elsewhere? I honestly was considering building everything Emotiva and getting the RMC-1 with the DR3 for front and center and using the other amps to power everything else. I know I don't have much to compare to when it comes to other products but I don't think I honestly could even tell the difference between Emotiva and others. I looked into McIntosh, Mark Levinson , krell , Parasound etc.. and had sticker shock lol. I can say though that I am truly happy with Emotiva and just want to make sure I can continue to be happy with Emotiva. On a side note would anyone have any suggestions for speaker cables and xlr cables or is that more of a "snake oil" thing and BJC and Emotiva cables would work just fine. Thank yall so much for any and all advice and forgive the length of my first post. For XLR / 'Balanced' cables? Only one main choice and in use in more studios than maybe everything else combined....That would Mogami Studio Gold. Available at Guitar Center. The 6 footer is about 50$ each. I wouldn't blink. I have these from my DAC, but when I bought mine? Cost was a more modest 35$ each or so..... Don't cheap out. Look up Mogami and you'll get it... |
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Post by Boomzilla on Nov 27, 2020 4:28:49 GMT -5
Hi cvbryso - So as I understand it, you're wanting TWO different systems? One for movies & one for stereo? That's the only reason to have both an AV processor AND a stereo preamplifier. If both systems are to use the same speakers, then I'd completely do without the XSP-1 and just use your AV processor as a stereo preamp too. I 100% agree with Mr. leonski as to his recommendation for Mogami Studio Gold XLR cables, especially if you're willing to wait for a sale. But also check out whatever else's on sale at Guitar Center - I ended up with some "Road Hogg" brand XLRs at less than half the Mogami price that have been with me for more than a decade that sound fine & are very durable. Both Monoprice and Parts-Express also offer OK stuff at discount prices. I can also recommend "Afford HiFi" wires (affordhifi.com). After all - it isn't as if you'll be connecting and disconnecting every night while on the road performing. As for speaker cables, I'd recommend any of BlueJeans, Carnare (eBay), or AffordHiFi.com. On the other hand, if you want to spend a bit more, I'm currently reviewing some Kimber Kable 4TC wires that are also pretty spiffy-sounding. Amplifiers for stereo: The big questions are: 1. How loudly do you want to play? 2. How big is your listening space? 3. How sensitive are your speakers? Your Focal Arias claim 91.5dB, which is fairly sensitive. That gives you a LOT of flexibility in amplifiers. If you want to stick with (new) Emotiva products, then your XPA-DR choice is fine. If you want to look at other options, then the two alternatives I'd recommend would be the Starke AD4.320 four-channel amp (biamplify your speakers) or else you might try tubes. If you're willing to go to used, then garbulky's recommendations (Emotiva XPA1 or PA-1) are both good ones. Happy Shopping! Boomzilla |
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Post by leonski on Nov 27, 2020 15:58:08 GMT -5
With ALL due respect to Boom, I'm not a big fan of passive Biamp for a good reason. You simply do NOT gain 'double' the amp power as you'd expect. Other avenues to more power are
more simple and perhaps cost effective.
If you are willing to dig into the speaker, gut the crossover and go to a line level style? THAN you can make appreciable gains. But it is a LOT of work and I more than suspect
a good deal of experimentation with crossover parameters such as 'points' and 'slopes'.......Than at some point you start changing polarity on one driver or another and it Spirals out of control.....
MiniDSP software takes some of the pain out of such experiments. AND you can experiment with FIR filters which have NO PHASE SHIFT thru the passband. Neat....
Like I said, a LOT of work.
With 91+db speakers? Even LOUD will require no more than a capable 125 or so watts. The PA-1 may make some sense, but is now out of production. Too Bad.
No beefs with Boom\'s choice of speaker cable. the 4tc has been around for a while to good effect. Years ago, some audio types even swore by a particular Extension Cord available at the
local home store! Sheesh....+
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Post by widespreadpanic on Nov 27, 2020 23:08:10 GMT -5
I love my stereo setup. I have the XSP-1 hooked to 2 DR 1 amps. I absolutely love that there is dead black sound between content play. And yeah I turn it up loud. There are currently a pair of the DR1 amps for sale in the Emporium section of threads. It was originally posted in October, I believe, so go back a few pages and you will find it. You can probably find an XSP as well. However, if you do plan to use the same speakers for your stereo and theater setup then, as suggested above, just go with the XMC. You should be able to easily find one in the Emporium as well. I bought the Monoprice XLR cables for my theater system. I have a 7 speaker setup with 2 subs. I needed 9 of the cables, one set being 30’, so I went with the more moderately priced Monoprice brand and they work fine for me.
It is funny reading your post. It is as if you were writing for me. I was doing the same thing as you are now about 2 years ago. By the way, I have an “extra” pair of DR1 amps that I haven’t found a set of speakers to hook them up to....yet.
Good luck with setting up your stuff but most of all don’t get frustrated and have fun. Keep us updated.
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Post by leonski on Nov 27, 2020 23:16:12 GMT -5
FINALLY someone with a speaker which may actuallly make good use of the power of the DR1. Maggies seem to make use of nearly all available power. They are NOT a bad load as some may say, but simply of very LOW sensitivity.
And as a Veteran Maggie Owner, I know they'll only play So Loud without.....shall I say....symptoms...while the ribbon tweeter needs its own care....
I'd LOVE to find a pair of the 3.6, the model before the 3.7 since they early model can be biamped much more easily. The 3.7i has a series crossover which is more difficult to deal with.....
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Post by widespreadpanic on Nov 28, 2020 0:00:22 GMT -5
FINALLY someone with a speaker which may actuallly make good use of the power of the DR1. Maggies seem to make use of nearly all available power. They are NOT a bad load as some may say, but simply of very LOW sensitivity. And as a Veteran Maggie Owner, I know they'll only play So Loud without.....shall I say....symptoms...while the ribbon tweeter needs its own care.... I'd LOVE to find a pair of the 3.6, the model before the 3.7 since they early model can be biamped much more easily. The 3.7i has a series crossover which is more difficult to deal with..... I see some for sale on hifiaudio, usaudiomart and other sites selling used audio. |
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Post by Boomzilla on Nov 28, 2020 5:54:24 GMT -5
The purpose of bi-amplification of loudspeakers (in home audio - not talking about pro-sound reinforcement) is NOT to play louder. It is to play more clearly. By using a dedicated amplifier channel for the bass, and another for the midrange / treble, the current capabilities of the bass amplifier are maximized without affecting the higher frequencies so much. The midrange and treble require (generally) less current than the bass. In informal listening tests, I and friends have both found a preference for "vertical biamplification" using a stereo amplifier for each speaker. Of course, one COULD use one stereo amp for both the R/L woofers and another for the R/L midrange / tweeters (horizontal biamplification). But my experience has been that the "one stereo amp per channel in vertical configuration" model yields better results. And "better" in this case refers to clearer sound - not louder output. Boom |
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Post by leonski on Nov 28, 2020 15:55:02 GMT -5
The purpose of bi-amplification of loudspeakers (in home audio - not talking about pro-sound reinforcement) is NOT to play louder. It is to play more clearly. By using a dedicated amplifier channel for the bass, and another for the midrange / treble, the current capabilities of the bass amplifier are maximized without affecting the higher frequencies so much. The midrange and treble require (generally) less current than the bass. In informal listening tests, I and friends have both found a preference for "vertical biamplification" using a stereo amplifier for each speaker. Of course, one COULD use one stereo amp for both the R/L woofers and another for the R/L midrange / tweeters (horizontal biamplification). But my experience has been that the "one stereo amp per channel in vertical configuration" model yields better results. And "better" in this case refers to clearer sound - not louder output. Boom ALL amplifier channels in a 'Passive' biamp setup swing the SAME voltage range and will NOT clip later. In general, to really benefit from biamp, you should go ACTIVE and install the crossover between the preamp and the power amplifiers. That way, the amps ONLY see those frequencies you wish them to deal with. Speaker drivers are connected directly to each amp channel which has its OWN set of benefits which mainly deal with the deleting the passive speaker crossover which is a power robber. ACTIVE Biamp will get you as MUCH but (frequently) much less than about a 3db pop in apparent amplifier power. Crossover freuquency is a main factor with power increase. The 50:50 point is maybe 350hz. Also? You MIGHT in effect move the 50:50 point to a higher frequency by use of a sub and LOW CUT FILTER to the main speakers. One OTHER theoretical advantage of an Active setup? And boy, this sounds like a REAL PIA, you can use FIR filters which have NO PHASE SHIFT thru the passband...Keep in mind that Each 'Order' of a crossover accounts for an additional 90 degrees of phase shift at the crossover. You can think of Phase as a very small amount to Time Delay which can cause 'smear' if taken to extreme or just be Annoying in other cases. |
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Post by Boomzilla on Nov 28, 2020 16:32:54 GMT -5
...to really benefit from biamp, you should go ACTIVE and install the crossover between the preamp and the power amplifiers... No argument at all leonski - but the average consumer lacks the ability to do this. Period - end of story. No matter how many tools are available, the average listener doesn't want to build clocks - they want to tell time. That means a speaker with its own internal, passive crossover that the consumer need never touch (unless they want to get fancy and either bi-wire or bi-amp). |
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Post by leonski on Nov 28, 2020 18:48:07 GMT -5
...to really benefit from biamp, you should go ACTIVE and install the crossover between the preamp and the power amplifiers... No argument at all leonski - but the average consumer lacks the ability to do this. Period - end of story. No matter how many tools are available, the average listener doesn't want to build clocks - they want to tell time. That means a speaker with its own internal, passive crossover that the consumer need never touch (unless they want to get fancy and either bi-wire or bi-amp). I'm pretty technical. Not scared to open something up and poke around. Good solder skills. Recently took apart a remote and turned it into industrial art since the conductive keypad was SHOT and could not be repaired. Made it simple enough that the Wife uses it with confidence. A Win-Win since I think it looks neat. BUT, that being said? I'm not ready to 'go active'. As for most other guys? Not generally recommended unless you are REALLY ready for a 'project' which will consume you for a while. And has a substantial learning curve. I recently drew the line at FIR filters. Each and Every help I've read is Gibberish. But apparently makes sense to SOMEBODY / SOMEWHERE. I've even stalled when trying to understand stepper motors in the ARDUINO system. I'd love to make a Barn Door Tracker for my camera. Mechanically very easy, if detailed. MOST guys with a decent drill and ability to use a ruler to 32s should be able to manage. But the stepper motor daunts me, but I feel THAT is the way forward with good repeatability and accuracy. I've even got a spreadsheet for the calculations. Just writing the 'code' for the motor and having it turn say......1rpm exactly, is daunting. So? I've got NO arguement with YOUR 'no arguement'. I'm clear, I suppose, about the magnitude of the task. But if anyone wants to push themselves? I'm sure you'll help with a consult, as well as I....... My bottom line opinion? Buy the amp you want, and (mostly) don't even bother with the amps in an HT receiver. Unless, that is, your demands are VERY low. |
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