Opinions Wanted - My Amp Quandary

[GlocksRock]

Definitely let me know how it compeares with 150watts vs. 200 watts. I was pretty much in the same boat as you, and I too decided on the IPS-1, which is on the fedex truck right now waiting for the next business day! I'm excited about hooking it up, but not excited about rearranging my AV rack, and lifting that heavy amp.

 

[Adam]

Definitely let me know how it compeares with 150watts vs. 200 watts. I was pretty much in the same boat as you, and I too decided on the IPS-1, which is on the fedex truck right now waiting for the next business day! I'm excited about hooking it up, but not excited about rearranging my AV rack, and lifting that heavy amp.

So, you did order it! Excellent!

I can already sense that, regardless of if there's any difference in sound, I'll be telling you, "You really, really, REALLY should have gotten the 200W amp. Can't believe that you settled for the IPS-1. Better return it and get the big boy."

Just kidding. I'll definitely let you know, assuming that I actually go through the effort of A/Bing the two amps. I should know pretty quick how it compares to my receiver, though. Unfortunately, mine hasn't even shipped, yet. Hopefully I'll get it next Friday.

 

[zildjian]

I too decided on the IPS-1, which is on the fedex truck right now waiting for the next business day! I'm excited about hooking it up, but not excited about rearranging my AV rack, and lifting that heavy amp.

I hate waiting, but I do love the excitement of getting a new piece of gear and hooking it up! A few times I've gotten everything arranged to put the amp right into the rack when it comes, rack space open with input and speaker cables sitting there ready to plug in and go. Be sure to check the fedex tracking webpage multiple multiple times tomorrow too!

 

[Adam]

Be sure to check the fedex tracking webpage multiple multiple times tomorrow too!

Hee, hee. I can see GR waiting for it. Every engine noise, every sound of creaking brakes...is that them? Is it here? Must go look...must go look!

Reminds me of when Greg was waiting for his MPS-1. It just cracks me up how true it is for so many of us.

 

[GlocksRock]

Hee, hee. I can see GR waiting for it. Every engine noise, every sound of creaking brakes...is that them? Is it here? Must go look...must go look!

Reminds me of when Greg was waiting for his MPS-1. It just cracks me up how true it is for so many of us.

Yeah, but unfortunately I'll be at work till 4:30, but I have someone here who can sign for it. I already have the rack pretty much ready, just have to move my receiver down to another spot, so there won't be too much work involved. I just hope I'm able to hear a difference in sound quality, I would have to have spent over $1000 for nothing.

 

[Adam]

I just hope I'm able to hear a difference in sound quality, I would have to have spent over $1000 for nothing.

Just remember, you can always send it back. That's what I'll be doing if I can't tell a difference. For me, the cost of shipping was a risk worth taking compared to how many hours I was spending just thinking about it.

 

[PENG]

Yeah, but unfortunately I'll be at work till 4:30, but I have someone here who can sign for it. I already have the rack pretty much ready, just have to move my receiver down to another spot, so there won't be too much work involved. I just hope I'm able to hear a difference in sound quality, I would have to have spent over $1000 for nothing.

I had the opportunity to AB some Def Techs a few years ago with the Energy C9 using receivers including the RX-V2400, AVR2805 and 3805. The C9 sound way better (of course highly subjective) but the impedance of the Def Techs apparently would dip to 3.5 to 4.5 ohms within the audible frequency range including the lower bass frequencies. So I think more power for the BP10 should produce better results. Don't forget to level match everything though if you are going to do a comparison. Blind tests would be great but it's a lot of work.

 

[GlocksRock]

I will definitely level match... But now fedex has attempted delivery, but nobody was home I'll try to arrange to pick it up myself later on today if possible.

 

[Adam]

I will definitely level match... But now fedex has attempted delivery, but nobody was home I'll try to arrange to pick it up myself later on today if possible.

I think if you contact them early enough, you can ask them to retry again today. When I tried years ago, the cutoff for calling them was 1PM.

 

[GlocksRock]

I called fedex and found out when the driver will be back at the local hub, and I'm just going to go out there this evening to pick it up.

 

[GlocksRock]

Ok, I finally got it, and got it all hooked up (what a job that was), and my first impressions after getting everything level matched, was that it does make a difference, but I'm not sure how much. It seems that the surround channels sound better to me, and everything else is very clear and dynamic. Listening to some music in 2 channel stereo sounded much more powerful, especially when listening in pure direct mode, that extra power makes a big difference over what the receiver was pushing to it. I'm not sure if solid state electronics like this need any burn in time, or if they have some sort of break in period or not, but I'm going to keep the amp and hope that things get better with a little more time.

 

[Adam]

Thanks for the first impressions, GR. I look forward to reading how you like it (or if you're going to return it) after you have some time with it. With my RPA-1, I don't notice any difference in sound unless I turn the system up louder than normal (but where I would like it for a good movie or a concert DVD). At lower levels, my receiver wasn't straining and could handle my speakers just fine, but it was at higher levels that I noticed that the receiver didn't seem to have enough in it.

My IPS-1 will hopefully be here on Friday. It shipped out on Monday, but it's been sitting in Nashville for over 38 hours now. I hope that it doesn't acquire a love for country music there because it'll be sad once it gets to me.

 

[GlocksRock]

I think I will keep it, but I haven't had time to watch any movies yet since I've had it, but I have been playing some Halo 3. My receiver never really had a problem getting the speakers loud, but headroom is always a good thing to have.

 

[GlocksRock]

After a little more time with it and listening to some music in 7 channel stereo, I can tell a big difference in sound quality when driving all 7 channels at loud levels, there is definitely no lack of power.

 

[Adam]

I'm glad to see that it's making an improvement in your system, GR. Mine is on the FedEx truck as I type this, so I should have it sometime today. I moved my RPA-1 up one shelf and now have the lower shelf all ready for the IPS-1. The cradle is prepared...now I'm just waiting on my new baby to come home.

 

[GlocksRock]

Well definitely post your impressions of it once you get it up and running. Have fun lifting it, that thing weighs a lot, it makes me wish it was modular like the MPS series so you can put the amps in after the chassis is on the shelf.

 

[Adam]

Well, I got the IPS-1 all set up last night. It was heavy, but not unbearable. Here are my first impressions:

COSMETICS
The IPS is a nice looking unit. Compared to the RPA-1, there are pluses and minuses for me. Seeing the two next to each other, I like the cleaner look of the IPS-1 face without the raised aluminum panels. However, the piano gloss black wood sides of the RPA-1 are really quite nice (although I can't see them in my center), and the illuminated meters on the front of the RPA are (albiet practically useless) much nicer looking than the LEDs on the IPS.

On a related note, if I were to choose between the MPS-1 and MPS-2, I would pick the MPS-2 because the only advantage of the -1 to me is the wood sides, and I can't see those inside of my cabinet.

PERFORMANCE
I'm with GR here on his first impression. There is an improvement, but I have to decide if it's enough to keep the unit. Please note that I am powering my mains with the RPA-1 and the center/rears with the IPS-1.

When listening to the "Fleetwood Mac - The Dance" DVD, the vocals were more clear with less background noise compared to when the center was powered by my receiver. It just all sounded more real. As with my RPA-1, this became evident when I turned the volume up louder than my everyday listening levels (which is what I do with that DVD anyway). With the volume turned up, I noticed that there was much less (if any) ear strain. That was nice. One of the songs on that DVD is what actually got me thinking that I needed an amp for my center, so I know it well and that was my best selection for trying out the IPS-1. I also tried out a concert from The Cranberries, as well as several scenes from Mr. and Mrs. Smith. They sounded great, but I'm not in as good of a position to compare the IPS to my receiver on that material.

ISSUES
Yes, there are some things that I don't like and/or concern me.
1. While in standby mode, the unit seems to be drawing more power than it should. This concerns me because this is exactly the same thing that I experienced with my first RPA-1. For the RPA-1, I contacted Emotiva and Lonnie said that it shouldn't be drawing more than about 1 W in standby mode. I was literally e-mailing him back when after about 24 hours of power being applied to my first RPA-1, it (while in standby) sent a power surge through my speakers and went into overload. Emotiva replaced that unit, and my second RPA-1 has been rock-solid with virtually no power draw in standby mode for about three months. I just wonder if this IPS-1 has a similar issue as my first RPA-1, and I'm concerned about it overloading. Once bitten, twice shy and all.
2. While in standby mode, this IPS-1 makes a noticeable (and I think loud) humming noise that I can hear from across the room. That might be related to the issue above. That alone for me is a deal breaker. I can't stand humming sounds, and I don't want one to be ever present in my house at that level. The RPA-1 does hum, but I need to be right next to it to hear it.

Anyway, those are my thoughts so far. I'll be contacting Emotiva about the power draw and hum on this unit.

 

[adk highlander]

Adam. My MPS-1 hums and I have had two chassis and they were both the same. If you get info back from them that the hum should not be there please let me know and I will contact them as well.

Thanks for the overview.

 

[GlocksRock]

How can you tell how much current it's drawing in standby mode? Since you mentioned your unit has a slight hum to it, I just went and checked mine. There seems to be a very slight hum to it, but it's only audible when my ear is a few inches off the unit, so it's basically non existant, so if you can hear yours humming across the room, I would get it swapped out. I have done some more listening this weekend and I have decided to keep the unit.

 

[Adam]

Adam. My MPS-1 hums and I have had two chassis and they were both the same. If you get info back from them that the hum should not be there please let me know and I will contact them as well.

I'll definitely let you know what I find out. Thanks for letting me know about your MPS-1s humming. I was contemplating swapping the IPS for an MPS, so that's good info to know.

How can you tell how much current it's drawing in standby mode?

I'm just reading the power consumption meter on the front. Didn't yours come with one? Just kidding. My power console has voltage and current readings. The current reading isn't precise, but it does give me an indication that the thing is drawing more than 1 W. That, and the rear left-hand corner of the chassis is getting a little warm in standby.