Emotiva Audio RPA-1 Stereo Amplifier Review

[Seth=L]

Doesn't matter to me, but some of you care about amp weight (you know who you are, Seth=L ).

You know me too well.

I don't believe that weight dictates all, but it is a great indicator among the similar amplifier topologies.

I am glad you are enjoying the amplifier. Now if I could just get someone to buy that Dayton 15" Dsub kit and do a short review on it and I will be all set.

 

[Adam]

Now if I could just get someone to buy that Dayton 15" Dsub kit and do a short review on it and I will be all set.

Like they say, if you want something done right, do it yourself.

 

[Tom Andry]

You know me too well.

I don't believe that weight dictates all, but it is a great indicator among the similar amplifier topologies.

There are plenty of manufacturers that know that people think this way and design accordingly. That's why I trust Gene's measurements over my bathroom scale.

 

[Seth=L]

There are plenty of manufacturers that know that people think this way and design accordingly. That's why I trust Gene's measurements over my bathroom scale.

I suppose you are right. I am not trying to prove you wrong, but what could they do (outside the obvious) to add dead weight?

 

[Adam]

Tom and Gene, would you be able to help me understand what the meters on the front panel are indicating? They go from (what I'm guessing is) -50dB to +3dB. Is 0dB the point at which it's outputting 200W into a channel?

Also, is the following logic correct for power output given a 200W output at 0db?

+3dB = 400W
0dB = 200 W
-10dB = 20W
-20dB = 2W
-30dB = 0.2W
-40dB = 0.02W
-50dB = 0.002W

I'm just trying to understand this. Thanks!

Adam

 

[Davo55]

Adam,

I've been following all the discussions on the RPA-1 and the RSP-1 and am expecting my combo to arrive next week. I appreciate your update on the depth msmts - I ordered a rack based on Emotiva's msmts and while I think I am barely OK on the width, I may have issues with the depth as well.

You are on the right track about the meter. I asked Lonnie at Emotiva the same question and here is his response:

"Now the meter is setup in db to more represent what is used in professional equipment like the gear I used to design for radio stations. db itself is logarithmic equation used to describe a ratio between two measurements. The actual formula is 10log (x/y) or an easier way to look at is for every 3 db you increase something you double it and for every 3 db you reduce something you cut it in half. Now the way the RPA meters are set up, 0db is used as reference and thus 0db means the amp is producing full power. Anything below 0db and you can calculate the power by using the formula above and reverse engineer the data. For example, if 0db = 200 watts RMS, then 100watts RMS would be -3db and 50watts RMS would be -6db and 25watts RMS would be -9db, so forth and so on."

This explanation helped me - I hope it answers your question as well. Emotiva has great customer service - both Lonnie and Dan have been very helpful with my questions. I am anxious to get these units and give them a workout myself.

David

 

[Adam]

David,

Thanks for the explanation! Very helpful. Enjoy your new purchases when they arrive! I look forward to reading about your impressions.

Adam

 

[MDS]

"Now the meter is setup in db to more represent what is used in professional equipment like the gear I used to design for radio stations. db itself is logarithmic equation used to describe a ratio between two measurements. The actual formula is 10log (x/y) or an easier way to look at is for every 3 db you increase something you double it and for every 3 db you reduce something you cut it in half. Now the way the RPA meters are set up, 0db is used as reference and thus 0db means the amp is producing full power. Anything below 0db and you can calculate the power by using the formula above and reverse engineer the data. For example, if 0db = 200 watts RMS, then 100watts RMS would be -3db and 50watts RMS would be -6db and 25watts RMS would be -9db, so forth and so on."

The 10 * log(x/y) formula is for power, which is what is being discussed but I thought it is important to point that out. The above explanation should help to make clear that there is no magic to a reference value - it is a point on the scale from which everything else is relative.

In the past I've answered questions about 0 dB and tried to show how its meaning differs depending on context. 0 dB is often used as the 'reference' and by definition every other number is relative to it. For the meters on this amp, the reference is 200 watts and +/- numbers are relative to it.

Using the same example, a fader (or bass/treble control) with a 0 dB mark is the same except that the 0 means 'no change'. Numbers above zero increase the value and numbers below descrease it - thus 0 is the middle of the scale.

If you were talking about SPL, 0 is referenced to the threshold of sound (the lowest possible level detectable by human ears - 1 Pa). But in that case the numbers increase only as 0 is the bottom of the scale.

If you were talking about digital audio samples, 0 dB is the top of the scale and the numbers only go down.

 

[Adam]

Okay, all. I need to be schooled.

My meters barely move, so they remain at the minimum setting. While not labeled, I believe that to be -50dB. That would place the power output at 2mW. I'm having trouble believing that. 2mW? Really? The speakers are plenty loud for me to hear, and it seems impossible to me that 2mW could power them. I'd bet that the lights on the front panel use more power than that.

Some help explaining this to me would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

 

[Jottle]

Build quality is good. There were a couple of minor cosmetic issues with mine, but nothing that will make me want to pack a 50-pound amp back into a box. As the review stated, the side panels are really nice looking. The one thing that surprised me is that the main power button is plastic and very loose fitting (wobbly, really). My $450 Pioneer has a power button that is tight and rock solid. Given the other quality materials used on this for aesthetics only (piano black wood side panels, milled aluminum front panels), I expected better for the one button that I'll probably be pushing more than any other. Other than that, it's a nicely built unit. The looks are really growing on me, too.

FYI, I've had two LPA-1 amps and 1 LMC-1. All of Emotiva's units have that loose feeling power button. I'm 99.9% positive it's just a design choice. The power button on my LPA can swivel almost 45 degrees. It's still not going anywhere, but it does kind of just wiggle in its enclosure. Ce la vie.

 

[Adam]

Thanks for the info, Jottle. I appreciate it. I've gotten used to it, but I was just suprised given the other materials used on the enclosure.

Well, my RPA-1 died on Monday (three days after I got it), but I'm hoping to hear back from Emotiva soon on my options. I really liked it while it was working, so I plan on just exchanging it...that depends on how they want to handle the shipping costs.

 

[gene]

My meters barely move, so they remain at the minimum setting. While not labeled, I believe that to be -50dB. That would place the power output at 2mW. I'm having trouble believing that. 2mW? Really? The speakers are plenty loud for me to hear, and it seems impossible to me that 2mW could power them. I'd bet that the lights on the front panel use more power than that.

That's because most of the time your amp doesnt deliver more than a watt or 2 into your speakers on a continuous basis. In addition, those meters are too slow to truly keep up with the instantaneous signal peaks. Bottom line is you don't run an amp at full power continuously, else you will go deaf, fry your speakers and be in a really bad mood. Hence one of the reasons why the ACD test is NOT representative of how we use our amplifiers.

 

[Dan Laufman]

RPA replacement...

Dear Adam,
Did you contact our office for a replacement amplifier?

Please call if you have not. A new unit will be sent to you immediately.

I apologize for the inconvenience.
Regards,
Dan

 

[Adam]

That's because most of the time your amp doesnt deliver more than a watt or 2 into your speakers on a continuous basis. In addition, those meters are too slow to truly keep up with the instantaneous signal peaks. Bottom line is you don't run an amp at full power continuously, else you will go deaf, fry your speakers and be in a really bad mood. Hence one of the reasons why the ACD test is NOT representative of how we use our amplifiers.

Thanks, Gene. I wasn't sure if the meters were capturing the peaks or not. They seemed to be moving at a decent rate. Good info.

 

[Adam]

Dear Adam,
Did you contact our office for a replacement amplifier?

Please call if you have not. A new unit will be sent to you immediately.

I apologize for the inconvenience.
Regards,
Dan

Dan, thanks! I had sent a couple of e-mails on Monday explaining what was happening, and then one last night. I hadn't mentioned exchanging it until last night. I can't check my home e-mail until about 10pm Eastern, so I don't know if your company responded today. I'm suspecting that they did. I was really impressed with your service and quick response to an e-mail that I sent Sunday night (the unit was drawing far more power in standby than I expected).

Great service, and...again...a truly fine piece of equipment. I only got to use it for two days, but I had already become so attached to the improvement in my system that it never occurred to me to return it without getting another one. I'd recommend it to anyone.

Thank you again!

Adam

 

[Adam]

Emotiva is top-notch

Just a follow up on my situation. I had a chance to call Emotiva just now and talked to Lonnie. Fantastic service. Absolutely stellar. He had a good idea of what the issue might be and is sending out a new unit today. No hesitation at all in his offer...just an immediate statement that another one would be sent out today. Can't ask for anything better than that. Thanks to Lonnie, and thanks again to Dan for recommending that I call.

A lesson learned for me that I'll share - call. My e-mails from Monday had been directed into their spam folder, so they never saw them (they saw the first one, but nothing after that). I've become so used to e-mailing that I rarely actually call anyone anymore.

 

[Jottle]

Just a follow up on my situation. I had a chance to call Emotiva just now and talked to Lonnie. Fantastic service. Absolutely stellar. He had a good idea of what the issue might be and is sending out a new unit today. No hesitation at all in his offer...just an immediate statement that another one would be sent out today. Can't ask for anything better than that. Thanks to Lonnie, and thanks again to Dan for recommending that I call.

Not that it's representative of anything, but may I ask what emo. suspected was wrong with your amp?

 

[Adam]

Not that it's representative of anything, but may I ask what emo. suspected was wrong with your amp?

I'll try to correctly convey what Lonnie told me. I believe that he said that it sounded like a failure in the Class H section.

 

[Adam]

I'll stick with Emotiva having good service, but I'm going to downgrade it from stellar to likely above average. They were going to ship out my replacement unit last Friday. Because I need to take off work to be here when it arrives (it's the rainy season here), the tracking number is important to me. I thought that perhaps because they were shipping a replacement that it went through a different order system and didn't initiate the automatic e-mail notification. So, when I hadn't gotten that number by Monday afternoon, I e-mailed them to ask for it and explained the situation. When I hadn't heard anything by this morning, I called them. Turns out, they forgot to ship it. No worries, these things happen. I've certainly been guilty of forgetting things.

However, I wonder why my e-mail on Monday didn't trigger either (a) a response or (b) shipment of the replacement. Also, I explained this morning on the phone that I would already be home from work next Monday, and I wondered if the unit would arrive by then. They ship UPS Ground and the woman who helped me thought it would take five delivery days, so it wouldn't get here by Monday. There was no offer to ship it differently even though the delay was caused by them. Instead, I decided to wait and have them ship it so that it arrives next Friday (the next day that I'll be home). Hopefully it'll show up that day.

Everyone who I have spoken to there has been very nice, and they are sending me a replacement without any (intentional) hassles. So, I still appreciate their service.

 

[snapper62]

emotiva rsp1

got the rsp1/rpa1, it was delivered on time without documentation but hey, I'm a big boy and can download the manuals without hassle. The pair sounded good even with basic cd input but the volume control on the rsp1 would not work with the remote.

Emotiva sent a replacement rsp1 without delay but it showed up with no protective plastic and it had smudges on the silver face plates that could not be easily cleaned so I gave up. During this shuffling it became obvious that replacement unit was lighter than the original unit and a bathroom scale showed a 4+ pound discrepancy in weight.

By this time I was convinced that I was sent a rebuilt/used/pleasecheckother unit to replace a defective unit in service less than a week. I advised Emotiva that I will be sending all 3 pieces back under the RMA provided (#BP1001) and they accepted my decision with grace.

Upshot? I don't have time for this, no explanation was offered for the used piece nor the weight discrepancy. I feel like a guinea pig for a chinese import firm and will continue my pursuit of a decent 2.0 listening system...