Noob with XPA-1 Gen 2

[atlcal]

Thanks, gents, didn't want to be a source of discord so soon after arriving.

I suppose those old Denons were pricey for the time, $2k MSRP for the 4800, and $3.5k for the 4806. Really beefy torroidal transformers and power supplies for an AVR, much different than what you get these days, and if memory serves, maybe 175wpc @ 8 ohms, 0.1% distortion, in 2 channel mode. Maybe 115 wpc all channels driven? I know the models after these two slowly got worse over time when it came to the amplifier sections, and the one in my x4500H is nothing to write home about. I don't think they drive my setup with the same authority as the old ones I retired, but the addition of Audyssey XT32 made it a good upgrade. And maybe the lesser amps in there are what got me thinking about separate amps, at least for the front stage. There's just no way you can cram all the licensing, processing, and all the lesser amplifiers, yet charge the same price or less, not even considering 20 years of inflation. So yeah, I suppose the Japan made AVR of yesterday is a completely different animal than the made in Vietnam one I have now. I'd like to think this one will last long enough to the next 'must have' upgrade, but if not, I guess I'll be looking at a pre/pro next.

[leonski]

Boom and I are respectful to one another to a fault. disagree? It HAPPENS and I'm not afraid of an opinion or in some cases to be simply WRONG.

HT receivers are, to me, a real can-O-worms. And since many proprietary chips are possible, and the technology moves in what seems to ME to be 6 month cycles, it is impossible

to keep up without owning a (fill in blank) franchise.

Fixing is another matter altogether and probably not worth the trouble after a few years. Look at the Japanese 'home market'. Many seperates and far fewer HT receivers. At least

it was that way last time I found good inforamtion. Good / Quality amplification should last several 'upgrade' cycles. That way if you buy smart / lucky? You can get just a good pre-pro.

Some of them are maybe even software / firmware upgradeable? I'm not the guy to ask about HT....

If I thought I needed to spend 2k to 3k on a HT receiver I'd turn myself in for observation.

[garbulky]

Sept 18, 2021 13:40:18 GMT -5 leonski said:

No Problemo, Boom. I'll take the hit. But stand by my origianl contention of 'buy what you need, mot what you want'.....And while it IS sometimes a good idea to

'buy ahead' of need, in this case what POSSIBLE need could there be? To tap into the potential of the XPA-1 amps, you'll need speakers of epic low sensitivity OR

such insane power handling (or both?) as to get you evicted from your STATE.

So? Why bother than? Get something of maybe 100 a side, be able to move it AND not even think about 20 amp circuit(S)...

I'd say to keep the XPAs, too, though. NOW that you have 'em. But the catch? IF they break, EMO no longer will support, apparently while

you'll need an act of Congress to score a SCHEMATIC so a good tech can have a go at a fix.

If I ran a museum or were a collector? SURE, I'd have 'em. But as a daily driver?


And for Gar? Mc is not my cup of Hemlock, either. My couple encounters with Bryston? Kind of 'dry', maybe? Krell? Depends which one. The EArly stuff is classic.....KSA series, I think......

I just looked at a COMPARISON of the Mc 275 against the Latino ST-120 at a fraction the price. Mc is a tube design as is the ST-120. Track that one down yourself, if curious. You might be surprised

at how well the Latino amp is regarded when compared to something (even used) which is 4x more $$$.....At a claimed 60 a side? I'd target a more sensitive speaker than my awful Panels.

Hi! Sorry I took so long to respond. I would love to check out some old Mac tube stuff. Though tubes are not my cup of tea, I DO like checking out tube amps, especially if they heavily affect the sound in a nice way.

None of my gen 2 and gen 1 amps have broken - I've owned three different ones. I am hoping with my XPA-1 gen 2 which is basically coasting most of the time (I don't usually run in class A) that with its torroid, that I will get at least a decade, hopefully several out of it. I have seen no reports of the XPA-1 gen 2's or really even the XPA-1 gen 1's failing on the forum. I have seen reports of XPA-1 L, SA-2 and a few XPA-2 gen 3 failures.

I spent the money because these were going to be my end-game amps, so I have little interest in doing more amp hunting if these break down. At this point I'm not worried, but I do want these sweet amps to last and I am quite sad that Emotiva appears to have discontinued support . One of the reasons I bought it is because the XPA series shared a lot of similar parts with each other and EMotiva kept these amps in similar iterations constant throughout the years. But now with their graduation to switching power supplies and other newer versions, I am saddened that they may not stand behind their product.
I think Emotiva really needs to rethink that.
They are an AMP company. Most people investing in "high end amps" as Emotiva claims to be, is also looking for long term use. Unlike AVR's and the like which go obsolete fast power amps are meant to last. Therefore Emotiva should really consider putting long term support back in their business model if they want to be considered high end.

[leonski]

I'm sorry, but EMO is NOT high end which is generally defined by $$$.

Certainly fits in the broad 'MidFi' category with quite a few very nice names....like NAD or Parasound, maybe.

Sound is another thing and subject to both individual taste and measurment. Speakers are so subjective as to defy description.

I'm past the point of driving myself Nuts with this stuff and just curious about something new.....and tubes...which I've never owned.

Me, for example? Not a big fan of the Mc 'house' sound. But you must evaluate for YourSelf.

I'm about to go to LA for a listen to some Klipsch Forte IV speakers. IF I like them, My panels will B sold. As for amps?

At that point looks like I'll send off for the Latino KIT amp and spend a couple days with a soldering iron, magnifier and TOOLS!

60 a side into 95db speakers should be FINE and certainly enough to annoy everyone for 5 houses on either side.....

An INCREASE in EMO Support, like longer warranty?    Really raise costs.   Even IF they identified 'fixable' weaknesses in the product.   

EMO has painted themselves into the 'budget corner'.......    Too bad.    Now it would be difficult to go to a higher price point without

alienating current owners....or those seeing an upgrade path IN the EMO system...

[atlcal]

The Denon 4800 was my first serious receiver that drove my first set of Paradigms. That soldiered on until the 4806, which I picked up for Audyssey room correction. That served me well until 4K and Atmos, and the next iteration of Audyssey, which I like quite a bit. In those two decades or so, there were speaker upgrades and subs added, and I never really felt like I was overspending on AVRs. Each step up brought appreciable technology advances, and the first two were positively reviewed units that measured well and sounded good. I guess the newest one just doesn't have the oomph at times, although the room correction is worlds better than the previous one. Plus I was concerned about the heat, enough to pick up one of those ac infinity units to keep things much cooler. Never experienced that with the previous units, maybe better heatsinks and fewer amp channels. Both of the old ones were probably over 50 pounds, the new one is easily 15 or more pounds lighter. I was okay spending a couple grand every 6 -7 years when I was getting amps, pre pro, and all the latest DAC/formats/video goodness at each upgrade. We're I strictly two channel, then yes, it would be crazy to spend that much at each step, but it's a 50/50 mix with HT duties . The next upgrade, I don't know that I will necessarily ignore the receivers, as some of them can turn off their amps and function as a preamp, and may be a better value when you consider all the tech they jam in there. That is still a few years down the road, I hope, and I am hoping the XPA-1s are still chugging along when that day comes.

[leonski]

'Never felt you were overspending!' That cracks me up. It is called the 'Death of A Thousand Cuts'. I've done the SAME thing with photography.

A lens here? A gadget there? Tripod? Reflector? External Light Meter? A BETTER (pro) Lens? Pretty soon you're talkin' real money! And you

need a whole host of other stuff. Extra Battery? Polarizing Filter? Gadget Bag? Memory? MORE Memory? Software....and the computer needed to RUN it!

I get it, I suppose. I should be in a 12 step PROGRAM for addictive hobbies......