XPA-DR3 vs XPA-7 Gen 3

[jjme_jerseysurf]

This is my first post here (cross posted to other forums) in any audioholics forum, so please bear with me. I have come across an opportunity to purchase the XPA-DR3 and XPA-7 Gen 3 on the used market (within $300 of each other). My current set up is a 3.1 system with potential to further expand my home theater as well as multiple zones. I’m running a Denon X-6500H, (2) RP-280F, RP-450C and SB4000 sub from SVS. Looking for advice between the two (advantages/disadvantages) and which you would choose and why. Thanks!

 

[lovinthehd]

The first question is what do you expect the amp to do? You have issues now with the avr/speakers alone? Especially as your speakers are relatively high sensitivity (altho Klipsch overstates it by using an in-room equivalent they came up with, generally they test 4-5dB lower) and your avr has a decent amp section.....

That aside I'm not crazy about Emotiva and their inability to fix their own stuff over time.....I'd look to other brands myself, and don't need pretty amps so lean towards pro amps myself.

OTOH the most important channels to amplify are generally the fronts, and that monster three channel amp would be hard to beat for only having a 3.1 setup and you could use the avr amps for expansion with surrounds or even get another amp later if your hearing is still intact . Keep in mind to just gain 3dB spl it takes a doubling of amp power, so if you're going to go external may as well go bigger than smaller.....

Have you used an spl calculator to estimate actual needs?

 

[ryanosaur]

Truth is, you do not need an amp in your current set up. I respect you may want one, which is fine. It is important to not set your expectations too high that an Amp will improve the overall performance of your speakers.

I think the argument for which Amp, if any, should lie in your goals of further upgrading your system. For example, that DR3 is an absolute monster that would go well powering some very neutral, accurate speakers that may otherwise present difficult loads for an AVR alone (more so even than what the 7-channel amp can do).

All that said, if you were to just hang out in the Klipsch ecosystem, either of those Amps are still way overkill.
Consider, please, that with a Speaker capable of producing 92dB off 1w @ 1m, you would likely never use more than 64w, ever. That 64w would push that Speaker to 110dB @1m, which is over the threshold for reference level dynamic peaks. Even that would usually only hit for a fraction of a second as the programming drops back to a more normalized level.

My recommendation is to either buy the Amp with an eye toward a serious speaker upgrade, or just spend the money to upgrade your speakers now and worry about amplification later if you find you need something more powerful to drive the speakers you choose.

 

[jjme_jerseysurf]

The current room where these are set up is approximately 15x25. We are building a new home and the new dimensions will change due to the configuration of the room. The room will be larger in size, however, the listening position may actually be closer than they are currently. I have not used an slp calculator before.

My train of thought is this, I too have heard that the primary stage (LCR) should be the speakers to receive most of the power when driving with an amplifier (in a home theater like environment), not necessarily the surrounds. If I am able to add more speakers to the setup, or add a second or third zone (outside speakers or garage) I was hoping that the x6500h would be able to do that sufficiently.

I suppose I could piggy back a second amp by way of the trigger output on the DR3? Hope I’m getting all of the terminology right, it’s been 20+ years since I was starting to get into the market.

Overall, I would like to look for something that is well made (doesn’t have to be pretty), good customer support, and that is a great product to cost ratio that could almost be future proof. I have heard that well built amplifiers can last decades of use if properly used and well maintained.

 

[lovinthehd]

Power amps can indeed be useful. You just may not need one at this point either and it was hard to say from the little information you provided Easy to power the amp on by using a trigger output on your avr to such an input on the amp, altho you usually need to supply your own cable rather than it coming with the electronics. There are other ways like smart powerstrips or home automation options too.

As to how much power each channel/speaker needs depends on your particular listening levels...distance from the speakers, the sensitivity of the speaker, and even the room gain, too. There's all kinds of amp options out there aside from Emotiva. You might check out the ATI amps and the ones they make under contract for Outlaw and Monolith.

OTOH for 3.1 you have plenty of power in your current avr I'd think.....just how loud do you listen?....if you've setup your speakers so far with Audyssey or calibrated manually, what are typical volume scale readings for your use?

 

[ryanosaur]

I suppose I could piggy back a second amp by way of the trigger output on the DR3?

¿Que?
You will need to expound on what you mean in this statement (lest we completely miss your train of thought and only speculate that it means what we think it does ).
Many Amps offer triggers and others a "music sense" option, or both. This is just a way of turning the Amp on automatically. Though I haven't used such, Lovin' (and others in different threads have) mentioned Smart Power Strips as a solution to eliminating a the old school Source-to-Speaker chain-of-event power-on sequence.

Your comments thus far leave me questioning whether you have determined what your goals actually are for your Rig.
What you are discussing is a fairly random purchase which is not necessary for the performance of your speakers in your room. This is based on what I know of the 6500 and it's ability to power your relatively efficient speakers.
To further this conversation in a productive manner, I'd recommend sharing in greater detail how you see the development of your system.
I know you mentioned use of different zones. Please elaborate.
When it comes to powering speakers for different zones, it may be better to move away from the 6500 as the source of powering those and switching to a different product in the Heos family to help... or use a multi-zone distribution amp... (What I'm trying to get to here is that there are many ways to go about this and you may not be considering the most efficacious choices. We can't help you unless you have a much more clear plan in mind. Dig? )

 

[Danne_485]

This is my first post here (cross posted to other forums) in any audioholics forum, so please bear with me. I have come across an opportunity to purchase the XPA-DR3 and XPA-7 Gen 3 on the used market (within $300 of each other). My current set up is a 3.1 system with potential to further expand my home theater as well as multiple zones. I’m running a Denon X-6500H, (2) RP-280F, RP-450C and SB4000 sub from SVS. Looking for advice between the two (advantages/disadvantages) and which you would choose and why. Thanks!

What did you end up with?

 

[everettT]

What did you end up with?

He hasn't posted on the site since he posted this thread. What's your question or questions other then which one did he buy because whichever, it wasn't a solution but a want..