Emotiva vs. Classe vs. Bryston

[jb5200]

Hey everybody,

I am curious, how does Emotiva compare to Classe or Bryston. I have Paradigm S8's v2 and I drive them with the XPA-3 and a Yammy rxv3800 as pre/pro. Although the XPA-3 is good it starts to lose it's detail and separation as soon as you start to turn the vol. up (it just gets loud) so I think the 8's need a little more stable juice.

A few people recommended the Wyred4sound amps which are extremely intriguing to me but I don't know that much about them. I thought about getting the XPA-1's for my fronts but here's my problem, I don't have the REAL ESTATE to hold (2) 90 lb amps and a 70 lb amp, so I have to get 1 amp that has significant power to drive the 8's to their potential.

Here are my choices since they all fall within about the same price range as the XPA 1's:

Used Classe CA-400
Used Bryston 4B SST
Used Anthem Statement P2

I am definitely not apposed to the Wyred4sound or others similar but I don't know enough about them to make the decision.

Thanks for all of your suggestions and help!

Jeff

 

[walter duque]

Did you ever consider a used Cinepro 3K6 Mk3 for around $2000.00 on the used market. I use these amps for many years.

http://www.cinepro.com/

 

[3db]

Hey everybody,

I am curious, how does Emotiva compare to Classe or Bryston. I have Paradigm S8's v2 and I drive them with the XPA-3 and a Yammy rxv3800 as pre/pro. Although the XPA-3 is good it starts to lose it's detail and separation as soon as you start to turn the vol. up (it just gets loud) so I think the 8's need a little more stable juice.

A few people recommended the Wyred4sound amps which are extremely intriguing to me but I don't know that much about them. I thought about getting the XPA-1's for my fronts but here's my problem, I don't have the REAL ESTATE to hold (2) 90 lb amps and a 70 lb amp, so I have to get 1 amp that has significant power to drive the 8's to their potential.

Here are my choices since they all fall within about the same price range as the XPA 1's:

Used Classe CA-400
Used Bryston 4B SST
Used Anthem Statement P2

I am definitely not apposed to the Wyred4sound or others similar but I don't know enough about them to make the decision.

Thanks for all of your suggestions and help!

Jeff

I think sonically, you will NOT find much difference between them. However, find out of the warranty on the Bryston is transferable. I know the waranty on Bryston products are an unprecidented 20 years which no other manufacturer that I know even comes close to approaching. If this warranty is transferable, I would choose Bryston over the others.

 

[strube]

Hey everybody,

I am curious, how does Emotiva compare to Classe or Bryston. I have Paradigm S8's v2 and I drive them with the XPA-3 and a Yammy rxv3800 as pre/pro. Although the XPA-3 is good it starts to lose it's detail and separation as soon as you start to turn the vol. up (it just gets loud) so I think the 8's need a little more stable juice.

A few people recommended the Wyred4sound amps which are extremely intriguing to me but I don't know that much about them. I thought about getting the XPA-1's for my fronts but here's my problem, I don't have the REAL ESTATE to hold (2) 90 lb amps and a 70 lb amp, so I have to get 1 amp that has significant power to drive the 8's to their potential.

Here are my choices since they all fall within about the same price range as the XPA 1's:

Used Classe CA-400
Used Bryston 4B SST
Used Anthem Statement P2

I am definitely not apposed to the Wyred4sound or others similar but I don't know enough about them to make the decision.

Thanks for all of your suggestions and help!

Jeff

One of our members (Warpdrv) I believe drives a 5.1 Sig system with a Wyred4Sound amp, so he will probably chime in at some point. I have heard good things about them myself.

 

[greggp2]

but sonically, do you guys think there is a big difference? I have an XPA-2. The Amp I have is more powerful and supposedly clearer than the XPA-3. I don't hear much distortion from my Amp, unless I turn the volume up to levels that are extremely uncomfortable.

Do others think the Emotiva products distort more than others?

 

[CraigV]

Hey everybody,

I am curious, how does Emotiva compare to Classe or Bryston. I have Paradigm S8's v2 and I drive them with the XPA-3 and a Yammy rxv3800 as pre/pro. Although the XPA-3 is good it starts to lose it's detail and separation as soon as you start to turn the vol. up (it just gets loud) so I think the 8's need a little more stable juice.

A few people recommended the Wyred4sound amps which are extremely intriguing to me but I don't know that much about them. I thought about getting the XPA-1's for my fronts but here's my problem, I don't have the REAL ESTATE to hold (2) 90 lb amps and a 70 lb amp, so I have to get 1 amp that has significant power to drive the 8's to their potential.

Here are my choices since they all fall within about the same price range as the XPA 1's:

Used Classe CA-400
Used Bryston 4B SST
Used Anthem Statement P2

I am definitely not apposed to the Wyred4sound or others similar but I don't know enough about them to make the decision.

Thanks for all of your suggestions and help!

Jeff

If you're gonna do it, this is the route to go

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

I have never been able to hear any differences with amps.

And double-blinded studies have shown that there isn't any significant differences in the sound quality of amps as long as they have sufficient power and are working properly.

These are all good amps IMO.

I personally like the ROTEL RB1091 monoblock, which was measured to produce 630 watts RMS/8 ohms, 1200 watts RMS/4 ohms, & 1580 watts RMS/2 ohms.

 

[greggp2]

That's one powerful Amp!!!

 

[greggp2]

So if all Amps pretty much sound the same, then are you saying the pre-pro processor is what generates the quality of the sound? Why is it that some systems have better imaging, depth and clarity than others? Is it the processors? Or the ability of the processor to just present the recorded image with as little coloration as possible?

 

[mperfct]

So if all Amps pretty much sound the same, then are you saying the pre-pro processor is what generates the quality of the sound? Why is it that some systems have better imaging, depth and clarity than others? Is it the processors? Or the ability of the processor to just present the recorded image with as little coloration as possible?

That's the question of the day. If anyone could definitively prove the answer to that question, thousands of marketing people would be looking for jobs. (Not to mention certain audiophile magazine equipment reviewers)

 

[Now Slappy]

That's the question of the day. If anyone could definitively prove the answer to that question, thousands of marketing people would be looking for jobs. (Not to mention certain audiophile magazine equipment reviewers)

+1 What he said!

 

[rnatalli]

Any amp or pre/pro that colors the sound is not one I would own. If Krell, Bryston, and Classe color sound for their asking price, they can count me out. It basically means I'm paying top dollar for incompetent engineers who couldn't get the design right in all this time.

Since the OP mentioned real estate is an issue, I would definitely look into a few Class D amps like those from D-Sonic and Wyred4Sound. I think they're overpriced, but they do offer loads of power and a small footprint.

 

[CraigV]

That's the question of the day. If anyone could definitively prove the answer to that question, thousands of marketing people would be looking for jobs. (Not to mention certain audiophile magazine equipment reviewers)

FWIW: Top post of second page

http://forums.audioholics.com/forums/showthread.php?t=53337&page=2

 

[ParadigmDawg]

I think the Classe is very purdy so I would get it...

If the power is the same across the board, they should all sound the same.

 

[Warpdrv]

I personally like the ROTEL RB1091 monoblock, which was measured to produce 630 watts RMS/8 ohms, 1200 watts RMS/4 ohms, & 1580 watts RMS/2 ohms.

At what distortion rating....

That is the exact same module that Wyred4Sound, D-Sonic, Bel Canto, Jeff Roland (the list goes one and on) uses and they are conservatively rated..... roughly 525w for each module. Why pay more for the same thing. IMO

If you do your homework you will learn that all of these amps are running the B&O IcePower ASP modules, and they come in 250w and 125w versions as well.

That is the reason I went with the D-Sonic and Wyred units, they put them all in a nice package that puts out tons of power, stays nice and clean and barely warm to the touch, all the while being very efficient, meaning they don't trade power for heat...

I won't tell someone what amp to buy, just to look into what they are intending to buy... Both the D-Sonic and Wyred4Sound amp threads over at AVS are very informative about the Technology if some is interested in learning about IcePower...

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

So if all Amps pretty much sound the same, then are you saying the pre-pro processor is what generates the quality of the sound? Why is it that some systems have better imaging, depth and clarity than others? Is it the processors? Or the ability of the processor to just present the recorded image with as little coloration as possible?

Absolutely - the Processors make the difference.

And, of course, the speakers and room acoustics make the most difference.

It has been proven via double-blinded studies that amps & preamps do not sound differently as long as they are in perfect working condition (no distortion and faulty components over time) and have enough power to drive the speakers.

But Processors are a lot more complex. They have DSPs and tons of circuits, Tones, EQs, etc. that can change the sound quality.

 

[Shock]

Emotiva sucks, they don't even get reviewed in print magazines.

 

[ParadigmDawg]

Here we go again.....

Emotiva sucks, they don't even get reviewed in print magazines.

 

[Shock]

Here we go again.....

I couldn't help myself.

 

[Now Slappy]

Emotiva sucks, they don't even get reviewed in print magazines.

Now that's funny!