Emotiva UPA-500 & UPA-200 Ultra Series Amps Preview

[admin]

While some might eschew the lower power ratings of the Emotiva Ultra Series, we dare you to find a sub $400 five channel amplifier with 80 watts per channel or two channel amp with 125 watts per channel that are stable into 4 ohms. Put behind these power claims the pedigree of the Emotiva name, their history of making affordable yet powerful amps, and it is a nigh impossible task. With chassis no taller than 4 1/16", these are amps that are begging for installation just about anywhere. Pair the two channel UPA-200 with the Emotiva USP-1 Stereo Preamp and you've got a dedicated two channel system for less than $800 (priced during the current sale).


Discuss "Emotiva UPA-500 & UPA-200 Ultra Series Amps Preview" here. Read the article.

[npsquire1]

I really look forward to a review of the UPA-200. Hopefully the reviewer will use it with budget-conscious ($300-700) speakers, as well as some higher-performing speakers. I know it would be difficult, but it would be great to see this (reasonably) budget receiver strut its stuff throughout speakers in various affordability ranges.

[templemaners]

I know it would be difficult, but it would be great to see this (reasonably) budget receiver strut its stuff throughout speakers in various affordability ranges.

It's an amplifier, not a receiver.

[KEW]

Maybe it is an illusion, but the PS in the UPA-200 looks proportionally larger in diameter to my eye!

UPA-200


UPA-500

[npsquire1]

I know that, but any receiver, amplifier, speaker, etc. will more than likely color the sound, even if it's minimal. Each receiver is said to have it's own sound, why wouldn't an amplifier be any different? Anyway, it would still be interesting to see how well it handled various speakers and their variances in impedance at various frequencies.

[KEW]

Each receiver is said to have it's own sound...

Most people here (including myself) believe any competent SS amp (or receiver) will sound the same as long as you are not exceeding it's capabilities.

[npsquire1]

I'm not saying an amplifier should have coloration, but if you remember the "Carver Challenge," where Bob Carver replicated the sound of an unknown amplifier with his solid state M1, they can be tuned/tweaked to produce different sounds. Just as people believe that speaker cables make a difference, so too do others believe that amplifiers sound different.

[PENG]

I'm not saying an amplifier should have coloration, but if you remember the "Carver Challenge," where Bob Carver replicated the sound of an unknown amplifier with his solid state M1, they can be tuned/tweaked to produce different sounds. Just as people believe that speaker cables make a difference, so too do others believe that amplifiers sound different.

You may be right about some amplifiers have their own sound "color". I don't look for such amps and they are probably hard to find anyway. I only buy those that amplifier the input signal linearly, with distortions low enough to be inaudible to me and has a flat fequency response over the audible range, regardless of the load (speakers) impedance and V/I phase angles.

[Gordonj]

Most people here (including myself) believe any competent SS amp (or receiver) will sound the same as long as you are not exceeding it's capabilities.

I do not believe in that thought process. Having been in the pro-audio and recording Industry for well over 25 years I know and have experienced, every day of my career, that everything, including amps, color the sound that is going through it, like it or believe it or not...

And yes I know that we have been over this many times here......

Gordon

[PENG]

I do not believe in that thought process. Having been in the pro-audio and recording Industry for well over 25 years I know and have experienced, every day of my career, that everything, including amps, color the sound that is going through it, like it or believe it or not...

And yes I know that we have been over this many times here......

Gordon

indeed, many times before...

all amps color the sound? "like it or believe it or not"... "NOT"..

all amps sound the same? As above

The problem is the word "all"..., remove, or not use that word (as you have done) and perhaps subsitute it with whatever you like, you could get the answer you want to hear or at least making it not as easy for others to contradict/challeng you.