My XPA-3 finally showed up today!

[j_garcia]

Took a week to get here and I missed the FedEx guy yesterday. They were waaaay late today but at least it is here now. Just fired it up and tried out Dark Side of the Moon SACD to see what I've got and it sounds pretty excellent The old amps helped out quite a bit with the 4 Ohm loads, but this one adds just a bit more clarity at ridiculously unacceptable (re:entertaining) levels. It is no less than 1 1/2 times the size of my former amp, and the chassis size is about the size of my receiver, only a lot heavier (and my receiver is pretty hefty at 42lbs). I am currently listening to it in 2ch: Patricia Barber Companion SACD 2ch and liking what I hear. As try other stuff out and spend some more time with it, I will report back. Pics coming.

 

[sawzalot]

Congrats on the new Amp , I have an Emo XPA-5 and love it, I am sure you will feel the same about yours,excellent

* Your system is impressive as it was and now this, woo hoo...

 

[walter duque]

It's always a nice rush when you get a new toy, enjoy that amp. That's some nice power.

 

[James NM]

My XPA-3 finally showed up today!

Question.

There is a current thread about the XPA - 3 and a Denon 4810. http://forums.audioholics.com/forums/showthread.php?t=62490
The consensus (so far) in that thread is that the XPA -3 was a complete waste of $$. What say you???

 

[adk highlander]

Congrats J. Enjoy your new toy.

 

[Affejunge]

As I am looking into the XPA-5, I patiently await your impressions. You being a long time audioholic.. I am very interested to hear what you have to say!

Garcia, didn't you have outlaw monoblocks for awhile? How does this one compare?

 

[j_garcia]

I had Marantz monoblocks for a few years, but they were the smaller ones so they weren't really heavy hitters. They really helped take the load off the receiver, but they didn't have enough oomph. My fomer Audiosource Amp300s had probably enough power for my needs, but to get 3 channels I have 2 amps taking up a lot of space and this guy is slighly more power in less space.

A "little" bigger:

With black trim:

This guy is slightly warmer than the previous amps, but the depth and detail are still fine. I don't really notice it at normal listening levels, but when I crank it even higher than previous, I basically can turn it to "0" without a hint of strain in the sound (not that I will need to do this often). I do believe my amplification needs are satisfied for at this time

I haven't heard a 4810, but I would have to say there is no way any receiver will have the same kind of power as this thing. As I said though, at normal listening levels, you probably wouldn't notice it. When cranked, that is where it will really make itself known.

 

[Lordoftherings]

This is great j_garcia. I'm getting the XPA-2 in combination with the XPA-5 myself. Hi-ouuuu...

 

[jamie2112]

That is very nice John glad to see you have even MORE power......Sweet

 

[GlocksRock]

Mo powa is mo betta! Glad you are enjoying your new toy!

 

[jeanseb]

Good to know!! I'm also considering XPA-5. But I ran into a Rotel amp, the "RMB-1575". I know it is not the same price but the specs are a little diffrent.

Would you ear the difference between 0.1%THD @ 200W RMS (Emo) Vs. 0.03THD @ 180W RMS(Rotel)?

For the same price (even cheaper), would you rather go with 5 UPA-1?

Congrats J boy!

 

[j_garcia]

Good to know!! I'm also considering XPA-5. But I ran into a Rotel amp, the "RMB-1575". I know it is not the same price but the specs are a little diffrent.

Would you ear the difference between 0.1%THD @ 200W RMS (Emo) Vs. 0.03THD @ 180W RMS(Rotel)?

For the same price (even cheaper), would you rather go with 5 UPA-1?

Congrats J boy!

My previous amp was 0.2% 150W @ 8Ohms, so the XPA-3, however I can't really tell a difference off hand. We are talking about less than 1%, so I can't imagine that would be easily audible.

I've had monoblocks and while I think it is the best way to go ultimately, the drawback of them is you will definitely need a dedicated, higher amperage circuit to run them and they take up more space and more things to plug in. My Marantz MA500s didn't take up that much space and could actually be daisy chained together for power. The Amp300s took up a LOT of space.

 

[j_garcia]

Damnit! I noticed some crackling on one channel last night and today at lunch it went out completely. The indicator lights show no fault in the amp, so I swapped the cables and the problem followed the cable. I though it was the cable, but I noticed that the RCA input on that side is actually loose in the unit so it goes in and out a bit. That means it will play fine for a bit, then no sound, and the weird thing is, no fault. They were gone for the day, so I have to wait until tomorrow to see what happens. I will have to move everything to put my amp300 back in... I just checked and both the first and third channels seem to have the same issue.

 

[son-yah-tive]

Took a week to get here and I missed the FedEx guy yesterday. They were waaaay late today but at least it is here now. Just fired it up and tried out Dark Side of the Moon SACD to see what I've got and it sounds pretty excellent The old amps helped out quite a bit with the 4 Ohm loads, but this one adds just a bit more clarity at ridiculously unacceptable (re:entertaining) levels. It is no less than 1 1/2 times the size of my former amp, and the chassis size is about the size of my receiver, only a lot heavier (and my receiver is pretty hefty at 42lbs). I am currently listening to it in 2ch: Patricia Barber Companion SACD 2ch and liking what I hear. As try other stuff out and spend some more time with it, I will report back. Pics coming.

I just got the XPA-5 the other day. I haven't had the time to get it running, but your helping me to really look forward to get it going. Yes, keep the updates coming! Oh, I just noticed you're having issues already with yours. That's not a great start.

 

[Affejunge]

Damnit! I noticed some crackling on one channel last night and today at lunch it went out completely. I though it was the cable, but I noticed that the RCA input on that side is actually loose in the unit so it goes in and out a bit.

You have identified my exact fear of going with Emotiva over NAD. Let me know how they handle it. I am in California, so the idea of shipping something back to TN does not exactly turn me on!

Thank you for the post and keep us updated!

 

[darien87]

With black trim:

How dare you replace the sweet silver sides with the black ones!!!!!

 

[bhodge]

Damnit! I noticed some crackling on one channel last night and today at lunch it went out completely. The indicator lights show no fault in the amp, so I swapped the cables and the problem followed the cable. I though it was the cable, but I noticed that the RCA input on that side is actually loose in the unit so it goes in and out a bit. That means it will play fine for a bit, then no sound, and the weird thing is, no fault. They were gone for the day, so I have to wait until tomorrow to see what happens. I will have to move everything to put my amp300 back in... I just checked and both the first and third channels seem to have the same issue.

Damn that sucks. I got my XPA-5 in the mail yesterday and it sounds great. Its a noticable improvement over my old HT receiver when you start increasing the volume. It makes my speakers sound much more clear and open. I still have my crossover set at 80hz but I'm going to lower that to hear the full range of my speakers now that I have sufficient power to run the lower frequencies.

I'm definitely going home now and double checking my connectors.

 

[j_garcia]

No worries. I swapped in another cable and problem solved, so it was in fact the cable and not the amp. WHEW!! Disaster averted. Good thing I have some new ICs coming from Bluejeans in a day or two. I am still not totally comfortable with the looseness of the input connectors.

 

[son-yah-tive]

No worries. I swapped in another cable and problem solved, so it was in fact the cable and not the amp. WHEW!! Disaster averted. Good thing I have some new ICs coming from Bluejeans in a day or two. I am still not totally comfortable with the looseness of the input connectors.

GOOD! You had me worried there. I'll have to go home and see if my XPA-5s RCAs are tight....Looking at the picture, did you remember to take the clear PLASTIC off of the front panel where the LEDs are? Looks like it is still there.

 

[j_garcia]

GOOD! You had me worried there. I'll have to go home and see if my XPA-5s RCAs are tight....Looking at the picture, did you remember to take the clear PLASTIC off of the front panel where the LEDs are? Looks like it is still there.

Yeah, I left it on. Along with the fingerprint on the bottom area below the power button Both are gone now I only had it about an hour when I took those pics and I had literally just installed it.