Emotiva not so good

There is no way that Emotiva is today's Adcom or Hafler.  In at least Adcom's case, they were designed from the ground up by an audio god, Nelson Pass.  Emotiva?  Typically ordered from a factory in China, and then assembled in the US.  

The other idea expressed by Jax that you have to spend a lot more than Emotiva's prices to get dramatic differences in sound quality I must also take issue with.  Both of Schiit Audio's amps have far superior SQ than Emotiva and at 699 and 799 are cheaper than Emotiva's XPA line.  Adcom's current line up also measures quite a lot better than Emotiva's XPA line, albeit at somewhat higher prices.  Outlaw Audio's multi channel amps also measure better and sound better, take it from personal experience.

In fact there are several companies now making amps that challenge Emotiva's price/performance levels, and some of those are Class D designs.  I'll disclose that I was a true blue Emotiva fanboy, but got the shock of my young life when I swapped in a Parasound Halo amp.  Putting aside one's fanboyism is the first step in realizing the world is not Emotiva blue.

XDA-1 dac, XPA amp, ERC-1 cd player.  After that I gave up on Emotiva.  The XDA-1 was bested by a $150 dac from Schiit.

Best gear for the money but is pretty cold and hard on speakers if you accidentally clip. I have a pt 100/a 300 combo that has been pretty good. Just got a McIntosh MA252 and the difference is profound... The mac is superb but also much more money. DG

Back in 2008 or 2009 they were best gear for the money, but a lot has happened since then( I bought their XPA-3 for $519, it was barely worth it sonically).  One, they have moved the majority of their assembly to the US, and therefore the prices have risen sharply.  Two, Schiit Audio has put out 2 amps that both smoke anything that Emotiva has put out.  Then there are a half dozen other start ups that make some very intriguing amps.

And of course, Adcom is still making new amps and I've now tried 3 of them.   Way cheaper than Emotiva's XPA line and with way better specs.  Very good sounding for the money.  Outlaw Audio's entry level multi channel amps are also stronger and with better specs.  

Bottom line, the marketplace changed and Emotiva is now just another option.  Dan L, owner of Emotiva, is a business guy first, not an audio guy first, and it shows.