Emotiva XPR-5 Five-Channel Reference Power Amplifier Preview

[Irvrobinson]

You need to compare SNR between amps at the same power levels and same weighing filtering. This is why I like to scale all power amps SNR figures down to 1 watt where the amp idles most of the time anyways.

I completely agree. It would also be nice to see the distribution of the noise in the spectrum. I've always thought that noise in upper three octaves was more detrimental than a low spike around 60Hz from some power-supply artifact.

 

[gene]

I completely agree. It would also be nice to see the distribution of the noise in the spectrum. I've always thought that noise in upper three octaves was more detrimental than a low spike around 60Hz from some power-supply artifact.

I always publish FFT distortion analysis at low and high power in my reviews so you can see this.

here is a guideline on how I measure amps:
Basic Amplifier Measurement Techniques — Reviews and News from Audioholics

 

[FirstReflection]

I certainly hope anyone planning on buying the new XPR-5 realizes that it only comes with a 20 amp plug and that the plug end on the amp itself is a 20 Amp IEC socket

So at the VERY least, you're going to need to install and new receptacle for a 20A wall outlet. Your standard 15A wall outlets literally cannot accept the included 20A plug. Also, 20A circuits, by code, require thicker 12 or 10 gauge copper wiring in your home. You cannot use the standard 14 gauge romex that runs to all of your normal 15A sockets - not if you want to be within code anyway, and not risk starting an electrical fire from the wire inside your walls overheating.

So this isn't such a simple amp purchase. It is not a "plug and play" amp. I'm thinking there might be a lot of surprised/pissed off people when they unbox the thing and realize they can't even plug it in!

Running thicker wire from a new 20A breaker in your electrical panel to a new 20A socket in your theater room is not difficult, but it isn't trivial either. Most people will want to hire a professional electrician to do it, and there will almost certainly be some drywall repair needed when it's done.

So just remember to factor that little tid bit into the purchase price!

Also, Big Dan over at Emotiva has said many times in the Emotiva Podcast and on the forums that the XPA-1 remains their absolute flagship product in terms of sound quality. Even though the new XPR-1 monoblock will have more than double the Wattage, just in terms of other metrics, the XPA-1 will remain the king in the Emotiva lineup.

The XPR line is all about maximum Wattage, not necessarily maximum sound quality in all other metrics. So the expectation that the XPR-5 will outperform the XPA-5 in EVERY way is not what Emotiva has promised. They're saying "more Watts" for the people who need more head room, have very inefficient speakers, or have HUGE rooms with very high output speakers.

Personally, I detest any sort of noise floor or hiss during silence. And I detest cross-talk. So I prefer monoblocks whenever possible. The XPA-1 is magnificent, but the UPA-1 was a real champ for a much more affordable price with adequate power for the vast majority of "normal" sized rooms and "normal" speaker efficiency. So I'm most excited about the upcoming XPA-100 that is going to be the replacement for the UPA-1 that has sadly gone away now.

 

[Rickster71]

IMHO the average guy isn't the market for the XPR-5. I'll guess that it's over-kill for 80% of us.
It's more for the large dedicated theater room that already has dedicated 20-amp circuits.
I'd try one if I had a big enough room and really needed the power.

 

[majorloser]

I wish EMO would come up with analog VU meters for these babies. I'm not a big fan of the blinking LEDs, but I am sure some folks dig em.

I hate analog meters. They look like something out of the 1950's.
If I wanted something that looked like it belonged to my father, I'd buy McIntosh amps (yuck).

The only way I'd want analog meters is if they covered the whole wall like the Planet Krell control room in the movie Forbidden Planet.

 

[Gordonj]

I certainly hope anyone planning on buying the new XPR-5 realizes that it only comes with a 20 amp plug and that the plug end on the amp itself is a 20 Amp IEC socket

So at the VERY least, you're going to need to install and new receptacle for a 20A wall outlet. Your standard 15A wall outlets literally cannot accept the included 20A plug. Also, 20A circuits, by code, require thicker 12 or 10 gauge copper wiring in your home. You cannot use the standard 14 gauge romex that runs to all of your normal 15A sockets - not if you want to be within code anyway, and not risk starting an electrical fire from the wire inside your walls overheating.

So this isn't such a simple amp purchase. It is not a "plug and play" amp. I'm thinking there might be a lot of surprised/pissed off people when they unbox the thing and realize they can't even plug it in!

True to the 20amp plug but as also is shown, on the same post, you can get an adapter to convert to a 15amp edison plug. This problem is only substantial if you are driving the amp to full load. If you under power the amp from the wall, in general, amps will "choke out" and start sounding thin or just not drive to the full output just before they blow any breakers. Many pro amps need 20, 30 or even 50 amps worth of power to drive the biggest loads..... Most of the time you do need anywhere that kind of power, it all depends on what you are doing with the amp. So, buy the adapter and be done with this. I do not think most home users are doing massive testing at full load or driving ALL of the outputs to max output at 4ohms.... just saying...

Gordon

 

[Rickster71]

The only way I'd want analog meters is if they covered the whole wall like the Planet Krell control room in the movie Forbidden Planet.

But then you'd have to take down all of your cat pictures.

 

[slipperybidness]

I have a couple of Emotiva amps and they perform fine.
My biggest complaint is the depth of their amplifiers, and I am disappointed that they did not reduce the depth of their Reference series.
You pretty much need 24" between the front of the unit and the wall once you allow for the connections.
Given that flat screens are the norm, it seems like new components should be getting less deep and maybe taller.

Pretty much any high power multi-channel amp is large and in charge. The problem is: the consumer media cabinets aren't made for these beasts!

 

[slipperybidness]

I certainly hope anyone planning on buying the new XPR-5 realizes that it only comes with a 20 amp plug and that the plug end on the amp itself is a 20 Amp IEC socket

So at the VERY least, you're going to need to install and new receptacle for a 20A wall outlet. Your standard 15A wall outlets literally cannot accept the included 20A plug. Also, 20A circuits, by code, require thicker 12 or 10 gauge copper wiring in your home. You cannot use the standard 14 gauge romex that runs to all of your normal 15A sockets - not if you want to be within code anyway, and not risk starting an electrical fire from the wire inside your walls overheating.

So this isn't such a simple amp purchase. It is not a "plug and play" amp. I'm thinking there might be a lot of surprised/pissed off people when they unbox the thing and realize they can't even plug it in!

Running thicker wire from a new 20A breaker in your electrical panel to a new 20A socket in your theater room is not difficult, but it isn't trivial either. Most people will want to hire a professional electrician to do it, and there will almost certainly be some drywall repair needed when it's done.

So just remember to factor that little tid bit into the purchase price!

Also, Big Dan over at Emotiva has said many times in the Emotiva Podcast and on the forums that the XPA-1 remains their absolute flagship product in terms of sound quality. Even though the new XPR-1 monoblock will have more than double the Wattage, just in terms of other metrics, the XPA-1 will remain the king in the Emotiva lineup.

The XPR line is all about maximum Wattage, not necessarily maximum sound quality in all other metrics. So the expectation that the XPR-5 will outperform the XPA-5 in EVERY way is not what Emotiva has promised. They're saying "more Watts" for the people who need more head room, have very inefficient speakers, or have HUGE rooms with very high output speakers.

Personally, I detest any sort of noise floor or hiss during silence. And I detest cross-talk. So I prefer monoblocks whenever possible. The XPA-1 is magnificent, but the UPA-1 was a real champ for a much more affordable price with adequate power for the vast majority of "normal" sized rooms and "normal" speaker efficiency. So I'm most excited about the upcoming XPA-100 that is going to be the replacement for the UPA-1 that has sadly gone away now.

I do believe I saw on the Emo forum that an adapter cord COULD be used to plug to a 15A circuit. Of course, emo can't officially make that claim due to liabilities.

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

I do believe I saw on the Emo forum that an adapter cord COULD be used to plug to a 15A circuit. Of course, emo can't officially make that claim due to liabilities.

Which would then defeat the whole purpose of getting a 400wpc amp that has worse SNR than the XPA-5.

 

[Adam]

Which would then defeat the whole purpose of getting a 400wpc amp that has worse SNR than the XPA-5.

Good point.

 

[Hocky]

Which would then defeat the whole purpose of getting a 400wpc amp that has worse SNR than the XPA-5.

Not necessarily - I am sure that the xpr5 has a whole lot more capacitance.

 

[KEW]

Pretty much any high power multi-channel amp is large and in charge. The problem is: the consumer media cabinets aren't made for these beasts!

Much of the high end stuff is over-sized.
I think one of the Pass Labs is 23" deep!
But we also have:
ATI 3000 series 18.3" deep
ATI 2000 series 17" deep
Anthem's biggest is 17.5" deep.

However, you make a good point. My gripe is really based on the products I have which are low-end & mid-end audiophile (UPA and XPA units). I don't know of any other units in the UPA price range that are so deep.

At the same time I do believe companies like Anthem are smart to offer units that do not challenge standard room furniture dimensions. With old CRT TV's you had the constraint that gear would stick out into a room. But I just set up my low to mid end HT and could not use an Emotiva amp because I could not find a cabinet I wanted which would fit it. It looks strange to have a wall mounted flat screen with a 24" deep cabinet around it!

I guess it is a matter of philosophy; some high-end buyers want to showcase there gear, while others just want to know they have "the best" quietly working behind the scenes.

 

[Rickster71]

I guess it is a matter of philosophy; some high-end buyers want to showcase there gear, while others just want to know they have "the best" quietly working behind the scenes.

Either that, or they have a full theater room w/ dedicated cooled hardware room, and don't care about cosmetics.
This type of iron isn't for the average guy at home watching The Incredibles with the kids.

 

[PENG]

Again, for a 3.3 kVA power transformer, they should have been fitted with either a twin 15A plugs or a 30A plug. By not doing so, I have to assume their specified rated ACD output is not a true continuous rating, totally nothing wrong with that though, except for those die hard ACD followers/believers.

 

[gene]

Again, for a 3.3 kVA power transformer, they should have been fitted with either a twin 15A plugs or a 30A plug. By not doing so, I have to assume their specified rated ACD output is not a true continuous rating, totally nothing wrong with that though, except for those die hard ACD followers/believers.

You're forgetting this amp is compatible with a 220V/20A line. The only way it can deliver the rated power continuously is on an ideal bench test where the line voltage is held constant. This can be said about any high power amp and it was said in the following article I wrote:

The All Channels Driven (ACD) Amplifier Test — Reviews and News from Audioholics

 

[PENG]

You're forgetting this amp is compatible with a 220V/20A line. The only way it can deliver the rated power continuously is on an ideal bench test where the line voltage is held constant. This can be said about any high power amp and it was said in the following article I wrote:

The All Channels Driven (ACD) Amplifier

Test — Reviews and News from Audioholics

Actually I am fully aware of the 220V capability but most users in North America will plug it into a 110/120V outlet including those who has dedicated 20A outlets. I read your article but there are high power amps that comes with twin 15A plugs that could get them closer to the ACD rating. Anyway you won't get any argument from me about the ACD myth as I said many times before, given a budget I would rather spend the money on optimizing the amps for headroom, dynamic, etc. for real world music/movie enjoyment, instead of on a super strong PS just to claim a so call honest ACD rating that looks good on ACD bench test but not so good for real world applications.

 

[da Choge]

Good to see this development. I remember when Emotiva announced a "Reference" series in the development and one was directed for further info to an Emotiva Pro website, which had some promising content regarding the development of the Emotiva Reference Series. However, after Emotiva's parent company, Jade, acquired Sherbourn, the Emotiva Pro website vanished (or was switched) and Emotiva's line of near-field/studio speakers filled the spot. So I thought the whole "Reference Series" was either canned or on the back-burner. Good to see it has finally arrived. Actually hoping to see an Emotiva Reference Series Single Channel amp in the near future. Am I hoping for too much?

- da Choge

 

[edoggrc51]

Good to see this development. I remember when Emotiva announced a "Reference" series in the development and one was directed for further info to an Emotiva Pro website, which had some promising content regarding the development of the Emotiva Reference Series. However, after Emotiva's parent company, Jade, acquired Sherbourn, the Emotiva Pro website vanished (or was switched) and Emotiva's line of near-field/studio speakers filled the spot. So I thought the whole "Reference Series" was either canned or on the back-burner. Good to see it has finally arrived. Actually hoping to see an Emotiva Reference Series Single Channel amp in the near future. Am I hoping for too much?

- da Choge

You're in luck buddy, they have an XPR-1 in the works. 1000watts into 8ohms.

 

[KEW]

What situation would warrant an XPR-1 over an XPA-1. I understand extra headroom is always nice, but I just can't imagine a situation where the XPA-1 is challenged! (hard to imagine an XPA-2 being challenged, but XPA-1???).
Seems like we are buying Watts instead of SQ at this point.