Post by stillearning on Nov 30, 2009 2:10:26 GMT -5
Hello fellow Emotovian's! ;D
It has been a solid month since i purchased my xpa5 and i have been able to spend some serious quality time with it since it's arrival
I'm not very good at being descriptive or using fancy terminologies to make something sound better so i will do as best i can to relay my xpa5 experience to you in my own "special" way and i'll try to be brief
It has been a solid month since i purchased my xpa5 and i have been able to spend some serious quality time with it since it's arrival
I'm not very good at being descriptive or using fancy terminologies to make something sound better so i will do as best i can to relay my xpa5 experience to you in my own "special" way and i'll try to be brief -*Source's*-
Yamaha htr-6290b | Explorer 4250HD | Custom HTPC | Dual 505-3 TT
-*Speaker's*-
Front L/R: Polk Audio RTi A9
Center: Polk Audio CSi A6
Surround: Polk Audio RTi A7
Surround Back: Polk Audio FXi A6
Subwoofer: Velodyne dls-3750r
-*Accessories*-
Emotiva X-series RCA's x 5 and X-series HDMI x 3. Monster Cable product's used for subwoofer IC, toslink from HDTV terminal to AVR and power protection set including avs2000 & hts5100 mk2. DIY Bi-wire speaker cable's based off of Canare 4s11 and terminated with low mass cryogenically treated banana plug's. DIY Shielded power cable's based off of cryogenically treated Belden 83802 and terminated with cryogenically treated Oyaide style c079 & p079 15a IEC's.
-*Placing the order*-
I first contacted Emotiva via standard email and received a very quick reply from Cathy herself! She was very polite and helpfull
She promptly provided me with my estimate including ALL shipping fee's so as to make shure there were NO hidden/extra cost's once it arrived at my door, she also explained to me that IF there were any added fee's once it arrived that they would be re-imbursed to me
She then was kind enough to promptly transfer me over to Chris to answer some further question's i had that pertained to the technical aspect. Chris was also extremely helpfull and graciously answered all of my ridiculous question's! Admittedly i really peppered him with a bunch of foolish question's and he remained courteous, friendly and prompt to reply to all of them! Thank you
I must say: I live in Canada and am probably 1,000 mile's away from Emotiva and i had my package at my door in less than 4 business day's!!!
-*Packaging*-
Ok first i would like to say that the method in which Emotiva package's their equipment is second to none! They incorporate double boxxes which are made from heavy gauge cardboard and combine them with molded high density foam that encase's the amp All of these thing's enshure that the amp will arrive in one piece and not damaged 
We all know that sometime's courrier's can be a little rough on item's so it was nice to see that Emotiva recognized this and took the neccessary precaution's
-*Installation*-
My listening room at this time is on the small side measuring in at approximately 10w x 14L x 8H IIRC
I will be moving into a larger room this week so i should notice some improvement's as i'll have more "breathing" room 
Removing the amp from the packaging was a little tricky due to it's weight and awesome packing method but once out of the box it integrated very well/easily into my existing setup ;D
All of the input's/output's are clearly labled and easily accessible. The switch to select between balanced/unbalanced input's was also clearly marked and easily accessed as was the switch to turn off the front panel LED's if you so choose.
The binding post's are of high quality and VERY robust which make's using them with bare wire extremely easy which is a plus IMHO because at first i had bare wire installed, i upgraded to the DIY cable's shortly there after. The connection's with banana plug's are positive and solid. The female RCA jack's seem to be of good quality and coupled with the Emotiva X-series RCA's provide a positive and solid worry free connection
The supplied powercord appeared to be of good quality but i swapped it out in favour of a DIY shielded cable due to my location and for peace of mind
-*Audible impression's*-
Prior to the xpa5 i was running my entire speaker setup off of the Yamaha AVR and it was getting HOT! I could tell that i was straining it and if i kept it up it would fry shorlty
I like to listen to thing's at higher volume level's
The very first time i heard something being played through the xpa5 was like a revelation to me! Seriously. It was as if i had an entirely new system I can honestly say that i heard thing's that i never heard on my system before My father confirmed this for me, if he can notice an improvement trust me there is!
This sensation lasted for a few day's, possibly a week! Or more
The clarity and definition of the playback material was improved upon immensely, regardless of source, as compared to what the Yamaha was providing. Not only did the clarity and definition improve but also the bass totally transformed! So much so that i could now run without the sub powered up if i chose! ;D
This is NOT to say that the xpa5 added anything to the sound, i just feel that it cleaned everything up and amplified the signal as any good amp is designed to do IMHO Personally i find this amp rather neutral and well balanced. My front speaker's are rather large and IMHO require a good amount of power to perform as intended
There was substantial noted improvement of SQ throughout the entire volume range and especially noted while listening at the "extreme" end's of the spectrum, both higher/lower level's. The xpa5 also provided me with quite a substantial amount of headroom and i do not find anything to be fatiguing after extended listening session's at high volume level's ;D
Even though this amp is designed primarily for multi channel use it sound's quite good during 2 channel use which actually surprised me and IMHO is a testament to the good design Emotiva has implemented here. Also i would like to note that even after 8+ hour's of continuos multi channel HT or music playback at high volume level's it barely get's hot! Which i believe is another testament to the design
-*Conclusion*-
In closing i would just briefly like to say that this has been the best audio purchase i have ever made and the entire transaction was great from start to finish! Emotiva customer service is top notch! The product's are of high quality and the pricing can not be beat! What more could you ask for? A true winning combination and testament to the great business model being implemented by the good folk's from Tennessee ;D
I could not be happier with the performance of the xpa5 and i look forward to adding a pair of xpa1's to my stable for further enjoyment and an xpa2 for my dad and his 2ch setup
Thank you for taking the time to read my "review"
Happy listening ;D
Yamaha htr-6290b | Explorer 4250HD | Custom HTPC | Dual 505-3 TT
-*Speaker's*-
Front L/R: Polk Audio RTi A9
Center: Polk Audio CSi A6
Surround: Polk Audio RTi A7
Surround Back: Polk Audio FXi A6
Subwoofer: Velodyne dls-3750r
-*Accessories*-
Emotiva X-series RCA's x 5 and X-series HDMI x 3. Monster Cable product's used for subwoofer IC, toslink from HDTV terminal to AVR and power protection set including avs2000 & hts5100 mk2. DIY Bi-wire speaker cable's based off of Canare 4s11 and terminated with low mass cryogenically treated banana plug's. DIY Shielded power cable's based off of cryogenically treated Belden 83802 and terminated with cryogenically treated Oyaide style c079 & p079 15a IEC's.
-*Placing the order*-
I first contacted Emotiva via standard email and received a very quick reply from Cathy herself! She was very polite and helpfull
She promptly provided me with my estimate including ALL shipping fee's so as to make shure there were NO hidden/extra cost's once it arrived at my door, she also explained to me that IF there were any added fee's once it arrived that they would be re-imbursed to me
She then was kind enough to promptly transfer me over to Chris to answer some further question's i had that pertained to the technical aspect. Chris was also extremely helpfull and graciously answered all of my ridiculous question's! Admittedly i really peppered him with a bunch of foolish question's and he remained courteous, friendly and prompt to reply to all of them! Thank you
I must say: I live in Canada and am probably 1,000 mile's away from Emotiva and i had my package at my door in less than 4 business day's!!!
-*Packaging*-
Ok first i would like to say that the method in which Emotiva package's their equipment is second to none! They incorporate double boxxes which are made from heavy gauge cardboard and combine them with molded high density foam that encase's the amp
All of these thing's enshure that the amp will arrive in one piece and not damaged 
We all know that sometime's courrier's can be a little rough on item's so it was nice to see that Emotiva recognized this and took the neccessary precaution's
-*Installation*-
My listening room at this time is on the small side measuring in at approximately 10w x 14L x 8H IIRC
I will be moving into a larger room this week so i should notice some improvement's as i'll have more "breathing" room
Removing the amp from the packaging was a little tricky due to it's weight and awesome packing method but once out of the box it integrated very well/easily into my existing setup ;D
All of the input's/output's are clearly labled and easily accessible. The switch to select between balanced/unbalanced input's was also clearly marked and easily accessed as was the switch to turn off the front panel LED's if you so choose.
The binding post's are of high quality and VERY robust which make's using them with bare wire extremely easy which is a plus IMHO because at first i had bare wire installed, i upgraded to the DIY cable's shortly there after. The connection's with banana plug's are positive and solid. The female RCA jack's seem to be of good quality and coupled with the Emotiva X-series RCA's provide a positive and solid worry free connection
The supplied powercord appeared to be of good quality but i swapped it out in favour of a DIY shielded cable due to my location and for peace of mind
-*Audible impression's*-
Prior to the xpa5 i was running my entire speaker setup off of the Yamaha AVR and it was getting HOT! I could tell that i was straining it and if i kept it up it would fry shorlty
I like to listen to thing's at higher volume level's
The very first time i heard something being played through the xpa5 was like a revelation to me! Seriously. It was as if i had an entirely new system
I can honestly say that i heard thing's that i never heard on my system before My father confirmed this for me, if he can notice an improvement trust me there is! This sensation lasted for a few day's, possibly a week! Or more
The clarity and definition of the playback material was improved upon immensely, regardless of source, as compared to what the Yamaha was providing. Not only did the clarity and definition improve but also the bass totally transformed! So much so that i could now run without the sub powered up if i chose! ;D
This is NOT to say that the xpa5 added anything to the sound, i just feel that it cleaned everything up and amplified the signal as any good amp is designed to do
IMHO Personally i find this amp rather neutral and well balanced. My front speaker's are rather large and IMHO require a good amount of power to perform as intended There was substantial noted improvement of SQ throughout the entire volume range and especially noted while listening at the "extreme" end's of the spectrum, both higher/lower level's. The xpa5 also provided me with quite a substantial amount of headroom and i do not find anything to be fatiguing after extended listening session's at high volume level's ;D
Even though this amp is designed primarily for multi channel use it sound's quite good during 2 channel use which actually surprised me and IMHO is a testament to the good design Emotiva has implemented here. Also i would like to note that even after 8+ hour's of continuos multi channel HT or music playback at high volume level's it barely get's hot! Which i believe is another testament to the design
-*Conclusion*-
In closing i would just briefly like to say that this has been the best audio purchase i have ever made and the entire transaction was great from start to finish! Emotiva customer service is top notch! The product's are of high quality and the pricing can not be beat! What more could you ask for? A true winning combination and testament to the great business model being implemented by the good folk's from Tennessee ;D
I could not be happier with the performance of the xpa5 and i look forward to adding a pair of xpa1's to my stable for further enjoyment and an xpa2 for my dad and his 2ch setup
Thank you for taking the time to read my "review"
Happy listening ;D
