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Emotiva xpa 1 monos

Any love here for xpa 1 monos?While I didn't hear a (big) difference between my Xpa 2 and my xpa 1 mono amps,I'm happy with the price to performance of these amps.I had a McIntosh mc 205 that I sold for upgrade money for better speakers. I replaced it with a Xpa 5 amp.While the McIntosh might have sounded a hair better in bass control it didn't sound 5 grand better! I think Emo xpa 1 's  are  good value!
corvette01
chewie70
17 posts
 
I can't speak of the XPA mono's, but am currently running an XPA Gen 3 two channel, and couldn't be happier. I find them to be quite neutral, with the ability to deliver smooth but powerful bass, and wonderful mids and highs;  very musical overall. I also feel the build quality to be superb, and find them to be very efficient. 

I've been seriously considering going to mono's, so I'm patiently holding out for the new mono module's that they are coming out with, before I make any decisions; very curious as to how it will perform?
lcherepkai
277 posts
 
Had a pair of the Gen 1 XPA-1 monoblocks a couple years back that I bought to drive BG Corp 520 loudspeakers.  I had been using a Theta Intrepid, bi-amping with 4 channels but wanted to see how they'd sound with more power.  Thought the Intrepid was better in every way except, perhaps, the extra bass warmth that the Emotivas exhibited.   I then picked up a Cambridge 840W and this destroyed the Emotivas by offering much better resolution---I could clearly hear detail that the XPA-1's glossed over, a more dimensional soundstage with more clearly defined image outlines.  The XPA-1's sound good but they never sound like anything other than mid-fi (albeit easy to listen to  mid-fi).  And the Cambridge has almost Krell-like bone crusher bass when the material offers it.  The XPA-1's sound bloated and soft in comparison.   And, if your system offers it, the Cambridge is MUCH more transparent.  I do have a gainclone and a single-ended triode amp which are both a bit more transparent than the Cambridge but the 840w offers the kind of power you'll never get from either of those kinds of amps.   I'm not trying to hype either the Theta or the Cambridge, just saying the Emotivas are way over-rated in my humble opinion. Enjoy!
corvette01 OP
99 posts
 
Yes,mid fi amps and high end speakers!Rock on!🤘
auxinput
2,920 posts
 

As I have said before, Emotiva gen 1/2 are very competitive amps for the money. They can be somewhat bright stock (hence some opinions above that a tube preamp mates better). This can be resolved by fuse upgrade - Isoclean if you want to lean towards a warmer signature or Furutech fuses if you want additional detail and resolution and transparency. Although, running in Class A mode will remove a lot of the brightness issue.

If you like running Class A then Gen 2 is a great choice. However, if you like Class AB instead, you’re better off obtaining a XPA-1 Gen 1. The Gen 2 circuit has waveform crossover distortion when run in Class AB mode (circuit design is a compromise between Class A / AB).

Obviously, you can get a better amp for a lot more money (i.e. Cambridge / Parasound). Emotiva’s charter is to make the best equipment at a low cost. This means using cheaper components (such as electrolytic and film caps, etc.). The circuit design and implementation is generally very good, however.

lcherepkai
277 posts
 
On the used market (here, for example) the Cambridge 840W actually usually sells for less :)
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