Emotiva Issues

[rebulx]

Hey guys, while hooking up two new Emotiva mono blocks (XPA HC-1) to a new Yamaha 5200 processor, one of them wasn't pushing my front right very well. I power cycled and now it won't turn back on. The power switch on the back seems to be a momentary switch now. The other mono works fine. Is this a common problem? I guess it's just a brand new bad apple from the factory? Really frustrating. I was hoping there maybe a method to resetting the master power switch.

 

[TLS Guy]

Hey guys, while hooking up two new Emotiva mono blocks (XPA HC-1) to a new Yamaha 5200 processor, one of them wasn't pushing my front right very well. I power cycled and now it won't turn back on. The power switch on the back seems to be a momentary switch now. The other mono works fine. Is this a common problem? I guess it's just a brand new bad apple from the factory? Really frustrating. I was hoping there maybe a method to resetting the master power switch. View attachment 43724

It is not the switch. The amp is kaput, and shutting down due to a serious internal fault.

You will need to return the amp. Let us know how you get on. There has been a lot of complaint on here about poor quality and even worse customer service with Emotiva.

If you still can, I would return both and get something else.

 

[rebulx]

Well, it's brand new out of the box, first use. Hopefully they will exchange it.

 

[TLS Guy]

Well, it's brand new out of the box, first use. Hopefully they will exchange it.

OK, let me be blunt. Return them both or you will soon regret it. Emotiva offer no service at all after the warranty period. They did that to Gene owner of Audioholics, and other members. I other words you need to drop those two amps like "Hot Potatoes".

 

[Cos]

The timing is funny you bring that up, when I purchased my Persona speakers 1 week ago, I was talking to a dealer who sells Emotiva, and even he said to stay away from Emotiva Amps.

• That being said, there are a lot of people who buy their amps and are 100% satisfied
• If you are happy with them, it's your system, I am sure they will exchange them since they are under warranty/new

My concern is exactly what TLS guy points out, out of warranty support. Out of all my equipment, I have had my amps the longest, over 9 years, well past the warranty period. I know that if I have an issue, I can send it it to Parasound for service. Be aware that if you decide to upgrade in the future, Emotiva amps have terrible resale value. I still have a $200 gift card I won at Axpona about 4 years ago. It doesn't expire, I still haven't used it.

 

[lovinthehd]

Not exciting to have something fail out of the box but it can happen. Generally sooner is better than later with electronics. I'd just have them exchange it.

 

[TLS Guy]

Not exciting to have something fail out of the box but it can happen. Generally sooner is better than later with electronics. I'd just have them exchange it.

And what are you going to advise when one or both blow up in five years or more?

 

[TLS Guy]

By the way a question to the OP. Those speakers do not look like B & W 702 s2s to me. What are those speakers in the picture? I ask as they look as if they could present a really difficult load. I see in the Emotiva warranty that it is void if the speakers drop below 4 ohms. Those speakers look as if they likely could.

 

[ryanosaur]

Axioms, I think?

 

[little wing]

They are Axiom speakers. Looks like the M100. Really sorry to hear about your amp troubles. TLS and others are giving you good advice though. I know it's a PIA, but if you can return them and cut your loses, that might be a good idea. But Emotiva has to take care of you either way.

 

[TLS Guy]

Axioms, I think?

Yes, you are correct. They rate them as four ohm, but with that driver configuration they have to be lower. To be honest they do a really good imitation of something that fell of a white van! That is no way to design a speaker however you cut it. I bet those are the reason his amp blew up.

 

[lovinthehd]

And what are you going to advise when one or both blow up in five years or more?

It's a possibility, that's a risk you take when buying consumer electronics to an extent....caveat emptor. Emotiva does appear to have many units that last, particularly their amps, tho. I sure wasn't impressed when they refused to repair AH/Gene's but I believe they've smoothed things over since. Emotiva's never been much on my radar for purchasing stuff, tho....particularly their more involved electronics seem to be buggy/have issues.

 

[shadyJ]

Yes, you are correct. They rate them as four ohm, but with that driver configuration they have to be lower. To be honest they do a really good imitation of something that fell of a white van! That is no way to design a speaker however you cut it. I bet those are the reason his amp blew up.

Given that the amp failed right out of the box, I doubt it was the speaker. It's just the bathtub curve of reliability, if something is going to fail, it is likely to happen either right away or way down the road. I agree about the speaker design, it is a mess, but it is possible, depending on the driver loads and how they are wired, that it isn't all that bad as an electrical load.

 

[PENG]

Yes, you are correct. They rate them as four ohm, but with that driver configuration they have to be lower. To be honest they do a really good imitation of something that fell of a white van! That is no way to design a speaker however you cut it. I bet those are the reason his amp blew up.

Not just rate, they measured 4 ohm too, in fact its the minimum so the nominal impedance should be higher. The reviewer said:

Axiom M100 Floor-standing Speakers Review - HomeTheaterHifi.com

"The impedance is of particular note. The fact that the impedance remains above four ohms for the entire audio band (ignoring the tail below 20 Hz.) means that the M100s should be an easy drive, even for AV receivers (not normally known for their four-ohm performance).

Now that said, if you’re the person who likes high volumes and/or you have an auditorium-sized listening room, your AVR will certainly NOT be sufficient. Plan on adding a more muscular amplifier. High-quality, high-powered amplifiers are now becoming affordable commodities and any improvement in amplification will absolutely be audible with the M100s.

My favorite amp turned out to be the Emotiva XPA-2, Generation 2. This amp has sufficient power to bring out the best of the M100s at higher volumes yet maintains dynamics and tone when playing at much softer normal volumes."

He might have read that review, hence the Emotiva amp.

 

[PENG]

The power switch on the back seems to be a momentary switch now. The other mono works fine. Is this a common problem?

It may or may not be an difficult repair. It could be a blown output device, or just a bad relay, or loose connection. In any case, Emotiva should replace it if it is within the return window, or if not, fixe it on warranty. I hope they will pay for shipping, though it weighs only 28 lbs boxed so it wouldn't cost a fortune to ship.

 

[lovinthehd]

It may or may not be an difficult repair. It could be a blown output device, or just a bad relay, or loose connection. In any case, Emotiva should replace it if it is within the return window, or if not, fixe it on warranty. I hope they will pay for shipping, though it weighs only 28 lbs boxed so it wouldn't cost a fortune to ship.

Then again his own repair work could simply void his warranty....

 

[slipperybidness]

Yes, you are correct. They rate them as four ohm, but with that driver configuration they have to be lower. To be honest they do a really good imitation of something that fell of a white van! That is no way to design a speaker however you cut it. I bet those are the reason his amp blew up.

These Axioms actually sounded better to my ears than I would have expected too. My Bro-in-Law has been running a set of Axioms for many years, and from what I have heard from them, they are not bad at all. Likely overpriced per performance $, but that is a different conversation. I "think" he has the step-down M80 model, so that is what I'm referring to. I do agree, at first look they tend to give the white van vibe, but they are definitely better than white van.

And, he ran them for several years directly off a Denon 3300 AVR with no problems.

 

[PENG]

Then again his own repair work could simply void his warranty....

I meant for Emotiva to do the repair, regardless of how simple it may be.

 

[PENG]

These Axioms actually sounded better to my ears than I would have expected too. My Bro-in-Law has been running a set of Axioms for many years, and from what I have heard from them, they are not bad at all. Likely overpriced per performance $, but that is a different conversation. I "think" he has the step-down M80 model, so that is what I'm referring to. I do agree, at first look they tend to give the white van vibe, but they are definitely better than white van.

And, he ran them for several years directly off a Denon 3300 AVR with no problems.

I don't think they would sound bad either, or Bryston would not have build theirs based on them. TLSG is just being himself, as always.

 

[highfigh]

Hey guys, while hooking up two new Emotiva mono blocks (XPA HC-1) to a new Yamaha 5200 processor, one of them wasn't pushing my front right very well. I power cycled and now it won't turn back on. The power switch on the back seems to be a momentary switch now. The other mono works fine. Is this a common problem? I guess it's just a brand new bad apple from the factory? Really frustrating. I was hoping there maybe a method to resetting the master power switch. View attachment 43724

When you wrote that the switch is momentary, are you referring to the little round button (the circuit breaker), or the power switch? Have you tried pressing the breaker to reset it?

Have you disconnected the speakers and tried to turn it on?