Looks like I'm going to have to pick up a XPA-3 for that price, use it to power my front L/C/R. I love pro-amps but damn are they ugly.
If you are going to use a DCX2496 to connect to the Emotiva, remember, the Emotiva has no attenuator control. This means even though the Emotiva has XLR inputs, you will likely have to use attenuators between the DCX outputs and Emotiva inputs or you will end up with hiss due to the very high sensitivity of the Emotiva inputs combined with the high output voltage of the DCX outputs.. This is the reported experience I have from some users with this combination. Pro amps, having gain/attenuator controls on the inputs, operate silently since you can decrease the input sensitivity.
And what is ugly about Yamaha P****S series amplifiers?
-Chris