Monolith 7 x 200 vs Emotiva XPA-7 Gen 3.....which one to go with.

[Ledformyhead]

I'm looking to upgrade my power for my SVS Ultra Towers that a received a few months back......LOVE them but they are being powered by my Pioneer Elite SC-LX 701 AVR at 135 watts per channel driven into 2 channels at 8 Ohms. I do a lot of 2 channel stereo listening and in pure direct mode from my Pioneer these speakers do come alive. With that said I know I'm missing their true potential.....they are a bit power hungry at 88 dB. I also due a fair amount of listening in 5.1 mode with movies and such and know I'm missing out there too with the drop off in power with all channels driven on the Elite. I'm looking strongly at either the Emotiva XPA-7 Gen 3 or the Monolith 7 x 200. Both run in AB, the Monolith full time, but the Emotiva runs AB at modest levels and then switches "seemlessly" into "H" at higher volumes. Now I'm a bit old school and the love the 2 massive torodial transformers in the Monolith and I'm a tad skeptical of this "H" power with apparently no torodial tranformers....yes they say it makes the amp more effecient and it also weighs less (about 53 lbs compared to the Monoliths massive 93 lbs!). Also apparently (if I'm reading things correctly) the Emotiva when in 2 channel mode pumps 300 watts per channel into 8 ohms across the full bandwidth and it looks like the Monolith stays at the 200 watt range in 2 channel.....or atleast they don't say it ups it's wattage in two channel mode. "IF" that is the case that extra 100 watts in 2 channel mode could be a game changer with my speakers and listening habits. Any feedback on these amps and any advice would be greatly appreciated.

P.S. I'm really looking at keeping the outlay at $2000 or less. The Emotiva is right there at that limit and the Monolith comes in around $1720. Most of my music listening is classic rock / hard rock and I'm guessing either of these amps is well suited to making that sing through my Ultra Towers. And if I'm missing something (another amp) in that 7 channel arena and same price point let me know!

 

[mazersteven]

Do a search on "which amps" "7x200" "monoprice" "emotiva" Plenty of information in the forum.

And you'll find no Love for Emotive on this forum. But you would have known that with a search

 

[Bonscott]

I think you will be happy with either one of them. If you have a good preamp or processor
Both will sound good. Both have pros and cons. Ignore the “Piss on Chevy”. Posts. IMO
They all sound like idiots

 

[VMPS-TIII]

Both run in AB, the Monolith full time, but the Emotiva runs AB at modest levels and then switches "seemlessly" into "H" at higher volumes. Now I'm a bit old school and the love the 2 massive torodial transformers in the Monolith and I'm a tad skeptical of this "H" power with apparently no torodial tranformers....yes they say it makes the amp more effecient and it also weighs less (about 53 lbs compared to the Monoliths massive 93 lbs!). Any feedback on these amps and any advice would be greatly appreciated.

I own the Monolith 7X200. It's a great amp with plenty of power, quiet turn on, zero hum and a great performer. The blue front power button was bright for my eyes so I cut a circle out of black electrical tape and now it's just a small blue light.

The Monolith 7X draws 140 watts of energy from the wall outlet in quiet mode and reaches 200 watts of energy usage (measured with Kill-a-watt) with all 7 channels producing 90db of rocking music. Whether you use just two channels or all seven channels the power use was within 20 watts in my testing. Don't expect to save energy by just using two channels for stereo.

The sound is absolutely clean. It has a power button in back and a more accessible sleep/on button in front. When it's turned on in back but the front sleep button is off the Monolith 7 draws less than 1 watt.

You might think your speakers will sound a lot different with a HUGE power amp. In reality, a lot of the music is generated by the 1st watt. With that being the case, you will have more power at higher sound levels and a slightly crisper sound but don't expect a night and day difference. A change in speakers will usually produce a much wider variation in sound than a change of amplification.

The Monolith 7X200 comes in a box weighing 108 pounds. It's packed very well with large copper staples and foam. I used a dolly to move it to my basement stairs, cleaned the box with disinfectant wipes (so it would not mark the carpet on stairs), then slid it slowly down the stairs to the basement. Once downstairs I used a dolly to move it near its new location, opened it, and placed it on its side and allowed one side to slowly be lowered to the ground. From there I was able to maneuver it to the bottom shelf with the front on the carpet and the back half on the shelf. Cables were attached for all 7 speakers and power, then I picked up the front half and slid it into place. I never actually lifted the full weight of the unit.

I found my older style gold plated dual banana plugs work really well to provide a sturdy speaker connection. The terminals are a perfect match for them. While most new gear isn't sized for them they work great on the Monolith 7.

Monoprice Dual High-Quality Gold Plated Speaker Banana Plugs, Red - Monoprice.com

Banana plugs make speaker installation a breeze. They are designed for use with amplifiers or speakers that use traditional binding posts. Not only is it easier to make the connection on the

www.monoprice.com

Cooling - While the Monolith 7X200 never got as warm as my Denon 4700 Receiver, I noticed after an hour of use it was pretty warm to the touch. I would suggest providing several inches on the sides and 5"+ of minimum headroom space on top of the amp for cooling. I installed the AC Infinity MULTIFAN S7, Quiet Dual 120mm USB Fan on top of my Monolith 7X200 and it now runs much cooler. It's a big difference.

Amazon.com: AC Infinity MULTIFAN S7, Quiet Dual 120mm USB Fan, UL-Certified for Receiver DVR Playstation Xbox Computer Cabinet Cooling: Computers & Accessories

Amazon.com: AC Infinity MULTIFAN S7, Quiet Dual 120mm USB Fan, UL-Certified for Receiver DVR Playstation Xbox Computer Cabinet Cooling: Computers & Accessories

www.amazon.com

Would I recommend the Monolith 7X200?
Yes, if you want to move the amplification off the receiver to allow it to run cooler and provide additional power headroom then it's a great option. If you think it's going to make the speakers sound much better? Then, you may not see as much difference as you are expecting? In my opinion, good power amp's don't sound much different when you AB match their sound output with the same speakers.

 

[Ledformyhead]

I own the Monolith 7X200. It's a great amp with plenty of power, quiet turn on, zero hum and a great performer. The blue front power button was bright for my eyes so I cut a circle out of black electrical tape and now it's just a small blue light.

The Monolith 7X draws 140 watts of energy from the wall outlet in quiet mode and reaches 200 watts of energy usage (measured with Kill-a-watt) with all 7 channels producing 90db of rocking music. Whether you use just two channels or all seven channels the power use was within 20 watts in my testing. Don't expect to save energy by just using two channels for stereo.

The sound is absolutely clean. It has a power button in back and a more accessible sleep/on button in front. When it's turned on in back but the front sleep button is off the Monolith 7 draws less than 1 watt.

You might think your speakers will sound a lot different with a HUGE power amp. In reality, a lot of the music is generated by the 1st watt. With that being the case, you will have more power at higher sound levels and a slightly crisper sound but don't expect a night and day difference. A change in speakers will usually produce a much wider variation in sound than a change of amplification.

The Monolith 7X200 comes in a box weighing 108 pounds. It's packed very well with large copper staples and foam. I used a dolly to move it to my basement stairs, cleaned the box with disinfectant wipes (so it would not mark the carpet on stairs), then slid it slowly down the stairs to the basement. Once downstairs I used a dolly to move it near its new location, opened it, and placed it on its side and allowed one side to slowly be lowered to the ground. From there I was able to maneuver it to the bottom shelf with the front on the carpet and the back half on the shelf. Cables were attached for all 7 speakers and power, then I picked up the front half and slid it into place. I never actually lifted the full weight of the unit.

I found my older style gold plated dual banana plugs work really well to provide a sturdy speaker connection. The terminals are a perfect match for them. While most new gear isn't sized for them they work great on the Monolith 7.

Monoprice Dual High-Quality Gold Plated Speaker Banana Plugs, Red - Monoprice.com

Banana plugs make speaker installation a breeze. They are designed for use with amplifiers or speakers that use traditional binding posts. Not only is it easier to make the connection on the

www.monoprice.com

Cooling - While the Monolith 7X200 never got as warm as my Denon 4700 Receiver, I noticed after an hour of use it was pretty warm to the touch. I would suggest providing several inches on the sides and 5"+ of minimum headroom space on top of the amp for cooling. I installed the AC Infinity MULTIFAN S7, Quiet Dual 120mm USB Fan on top of my Monolith 7X200 and it now runs much cooler. It's a big difference.

Amazon.com: AC Infinity MULTIFAN S7, Quiet Dual 120mm USB Fan, UL-Certified for Receiver DVR Playstation Xbox Computer Cabinet Cooling: Computers & Accessories

Amazon.com: AC Infinity MULTIFAN S7, Quiet Dual 120mm USB Fan, UL-Certified for Receiver DVR Playstation Xbox Computer Cabinet Cooling: Computers & Accessories

www.amazon.com

Would I recommend the Monolith 7X200?
Yes, if you want to move the amplification off the receiver to allow it to run cooler and provide additional power headroom then it's a great option. If you think it's going to make the speakers sound much better? Then, you may not see as much difference as you are expecting? In my opinion, good power amp's don't sound much different when you AB match their sound output with the same speakers.

View attachment 40930

Thanks so much for the feedback VMPS-TIII! I understand what to expect and not expect from bi-amping a system. I bi-amped an older system of mine with a Nakamichi PA 7 (200 watts a side) and appreciated the difference. It wasn't huge sound wise because my mains were pretty efficient. Dahlquist M-909's at 92 dB. My new mains the SVS Ultra towers at 88dB are a bit more power hungry and a little more advanced than my old 909's that I still have....now boxed up. My pretty good audiophile ears tell me that they need a bit more power to really stretch their legs. And I've read some reviews of folks that literally had paired both the Monolith and the SVS Ultras and the difference reported from powering the Ultras with a good AVR alone were apparently significant.

I'm leaning towards the Monolith and your feedback here is much appreciated! Thanks again.

 

[lovinthehd]

Sounds like you're expecting too much from the amp based on what your head thinks about them (like your perception of power supplies used). The difference between your Pioneer and the power amp will be only up to 3dB or so even with 300wpc. Might check in with @Pogre or read his posts about when he bought a Mono 7 for his SVS Ultras (having used a Marantz 6012 IIRC before that) and the little difference he noted going to the power amp. Good luck but don't overthink amp.

 

[VMPS-TIII]

My Fronts on the Monolith 7x200 are the Ascend Sierra Towers with RAAL 70-20 tweeters. They sing crystal clear with the Monolith 7. I did notice the new setup sounds even more crisp to my ears than when using the Denon 4700 receiver's internal amp or my old Adcom GFA-7000 5 channel (130 watts per). The 4 ohm Sierra Towers offer 90db sensitivity at 2.83v. You can imagine the sound level they can reach with 300 watts available per channel.

The biggest difference is the receiver runs cool now and I no longer need be concerned if I am pushing it too hard. I use to be able to cook an egg on top of the Denon 4700 with ECO mode OFF and all 8 speakers on the internal amp. No joke you could not leave your hand on top of the 4700 for more than a second after an hour of running.

The Monolith doesn't miss a step with these 4 ohm speakers in stereo or when I add the Center, Heights and Surrounds in Auro-3D mode using the Denon 4700 surround features. I'm barely pushing the Monolith 7 at my listening levels. I don't even want to be in the room at levels over 95db. lol

Bottom line, while my sound quality is not much different, the headroom gained on my amplification is HUGE and both the Denon 4700 and the Monolith 7x200 are running amazingly cool. Outside top temperature of Monolith with my $20 fan is less than 94F and the Denon 4700 now runs under 90F.

 

[panteragstk]

I think you will be happy with either one of them. If you have a good preamp or processor
Both will sound good. Both have pros and cons. Ignore the “Piss on Chevy”. Posts. IMO
They all sound like idiots

The cons of Emotiva is that people have had issue with them standing by their products. They make good stuff, but if people have issues then the manufacturer should try to help out. Customer service goes a long way.

That being said, the Monoprice amps are built by ATI which is one of the best amp manufacturers out there. They build a lot of amps for other companies too.

If it were me, I'd go with the one you think will last the longest without giving you issues. Look for customer reviews around customer service. That should help, especially with ID companies. Large, heavy amps like these are expensive to ship if they have issues.

 

[KEW]

Both have pros and cons.

You can say that, but it means very little if you don't know anything about the pros and the cons.

If Monolith/Monoprice was to go out of business, you could still rely on an extensive network of ATI approved service centers to make repairs!
I think of a simple power amp as having a life of 20 years or better as long as you provide adequate cooling.
Emotiva is telling customers they are SOL within 5 years. I'm not talking warranty, I am talking "you can not pay us to fix your 5 year old amp"!
In Gene's case, I believe this was Emotiva's very best $1700 Reference Series XPR-1 Monoblock Amplifier! That is the type of audio investment you would expect to enjoy for decades!

At a minimum, it seems like Emotiva would have offered to share schematics with a local shop in order to implement repairs instead of blowing off their customers!

I remember Emotiva turned Gene down for an amp repair too. Guess they're not qualified to fix their own gear?

That just sounds stupid how Emotiva would not repair their own amp.

They won't repair any of their OWN amps if the warranty period is over?

It was stupid TBH. Based on this experience, and the fact I haven't had a single Emotiva product last more than 5 years that I've owned, it saddens me to say that I won't be reviewing or recommending their gear anymore on this website. I hope they re-evaluate their out of warranty service to their customers in the future.

 

[Bonscott]

You can say that, but it means very little if you don't know anything about the pros and the cons.

If Monolith/Monoprice was to go out of business, you could still rely on an extensive network of ATI approved service centers to make repairs!
I think of a simple power amp as having a life of 20 years or better as long as you provide adequate cooling.
Emotiva is telling customers they are SOL within 5 years. I'm not talking warranty, I am talking "you can not pay us to fix your 5 year old amp"!
In Gene's case, I believe this was Emotiva's very best $1700 Reference Series XPR-1 Monoblock Amplifier! That is the type of audio investment you would expect to enjoy for decades!

At a minimum, it seems like Emotiva would have offered to share schematics with a local shop in order to implement repairs instead of blowing off their customers!

Sounds like you are good at speculation. If Monoprice went out of business Nobody knows what would happen. Including You. Are you the official spokesperson for Somebody Else who had a bad experience with Emotiva. If you dont like there customer service or product fine. Move On. Looks like for some reason you are really butthurt
About a situation that did not involve you

 

[Kleinst]

Sounds like you are good at speculation. If Monoprice went out of business Nobody knows what would happen. Including You. Are you the official spokesperson for Somebody Else who had a bad experience with Emotiva. If you dont like there customer service or product fine. Move On. Looks like for some reason you are really butthurt
About a situation that did not involve you

You would think Emotiva would have at least been savvy enough to realize that pissing off someone who has some influence on a large customer base who buys these types of AMPs is a bad idea. Shoot, if I ran that company I'd make sure that anyone running these forums is well taken care off which would pay for itself threefold is my guess in positive press. Not a good business decision on their part.

 

[Bonscott]

If the majority of people are unhappy with Emotiva or any other company for that matter they will be out of business soon. There is always going to be someone who feels they got screwed and maybe they did. There is also many people who like and will continue to buy there products. Not everyone makes there purchasing decisions based on social media forums If I believed everything on Yelp. I would never got out to a Restaurant for the rest of my life

 

[lovinthehd]

Sounds like you are good at speculation. If Monoprice went out of business Nobody knows what would happen. Including You. Are you the official spokesperson for Somebody Else who had a bad experience with Emotiva. If you dont like there customer service or product fine. Move On. Looks like for some reason you are really butthurt
About a situation that did not involve you

Seems someone else is the butthurt one here.

 

[Bonscott]

Seems someone else is the butthurt one here.

If that’s how you feel too bad. It’s all only sound And as long as we can all still hear it we are just fine

 

[KEW]

If you dont like there customer service or product fine. Move On. Looks like for some reason you are really butthurt
About a situation that did not involve you

It is not that I don't like their customer service, it is that they do not to provide service after the warranty expired!
I have no reason to be "butthurt", my own Emotiva amps are working fine (thankfully)! At the same time, I don't like knowing that Emotiva is not willing to support me if I have problems.
Also, I think it is very much the point of a forum like this to help each other, which includes letting people know about the company they are considering buying from ... especially if a company is engaging in practices (good or bad) that are far afield from normal practices/expectations!
Emotiva did not go out of business (if they did, I would be more accepting of the notion that they did not maintain any customer support beyond the warranty), they have deliberately decided to screw their customers.
I would understand it if you were upset because I was making up poop, but I don't see why you would be upset with me for sharing information relevant to the thread!
It seems like you think there should be an implicit "gag order" when Emotiva is involved?

 

[Kleinst]

I also have an emotiva and works fine. But I’m a bit partial to ATI Amps (outlaw or monolith) because I know they can be serviced . Probably real expensive. I appreciate that Outlaw was willing to help organize me sending in one of their amps I have to ATI. It was out of warranty and I would pay for it. they were going to help organize it even though I bought that amp second hand. So I give outlaw a thumbs up. It was one channel out of 5 so I’ve just been using 3 of the amps to power my front three. But when I’m ready to repair I’ll know where to send it

 

[panteragstk]

It is not that I don't like their customer service, it is that they do not to provide service after the warranty expired!
I have no reason to be "butthurt", my own Emotiva amps are working fine (thankfully)! At the same time, I don't like knowing that Emotiva is not willing to support me if I have problems.
Also, I think it is very much the point of a forum like this to help each other, which includes letting people know about the company they are considering buying from ... especially if a company is engaging in practices (good or bad) that are far afield from normal practices/expectations!
Emotiva did not go out of business (if they did, I would be more accepting of the notion that they did not maintain any customer support beyond the warranty), they have deliberately decided to screw their customers.
I would understand it if you were upset because I was making up poop, but I don't see why you would be upset with me for sharing information relevant to the thread!
It seems like you think there should be an implicit "gag order" when Emotiva is involved?

They're also known for locking threads and deleting things that are derogatory on their forum. It seems they don't like the criticism.

 

[Alex2507]

I think it is very much the point of a forum like this to help each other

... and laugh at Emo owners.

 

[Gmoney]

They're also known for locking threads and deleting things that are derogatory on their forum. It seems they don't like the criticism.

Back in the day when I owned Emo's gear I use to hang out on their forum, Anything said against any of Emo's gear got members banned and Thread deleted. Which they have that right they are the owner of that Forum . Also statements made about their amps where over the top, think propaganda, like huge Difference in sound or they would push getting a Emo amp above anything else. Once @gene posted up what Emotiva did to him I sold off my last Emo amp.

 

[Benni777]

interesting thread. I've considered buying emo speakers and amp... I do own an old Emotiva Fusion 8100 Receiver which works just fine for the last 7 years now. but need an upgrade since it doesnt support 4k.