Vital Posted January 8, 2009 Share Posted January 8, 2009 Well that depends on your budget I guess. The XPA-2 is an animal. The XPA-5 is more than capable though all by it's self. I needed 7 channels so it was an easy choice for me. Had I only needed 5 channels I probably would have gone with just the XPA-5 to save some money. You should be happy either way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jack Gvozdjak Posted January 8, 2009 Share Posted January 8, 2009 The XPA-2 and the XPA-3 would be a great combo for a 5.1 only without getting too crazy. If you want a 7.1 setup get the XPA-2 now and the XPA-5 when they are back in stock. I have 2 XPA-1s and think I'll go with the XPA-5 to finish the 7.1 setup. I would like to get another XPA-1 for the center channel then go with a a XPA-3 for a 6.1 setup but I really don't want to deal with that much equipment and additional cost since HT isn't as important to me as 2 channel stereo. Does anyone know how 6.1 compairs to 7.1? Can 7.1 recordings be scaled down to 6.1? Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deang Posted January 8, 2009 Share Posted January 8, 2009 you can't use the Merlin with a solid state amp Yes, you can... I thought the Merlin used the same circuit as the linestage section of the Blueberry? Unless Mark changed something, it won't work with the great majority of solid state amps without altering the frequency response. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SWL Posted January 8, 2009 Share Posted January 8, 2009 you can't use the Merlin with a solid state amp Yes, you can... I thought the Merlin used the same circuit as the linestage section of the Blueberry? Unless Mark changed something, it won't work with the great majority of solid state amps without altering the frequency response. When I owned the Peach ll......it had a Hi-Z and a Low-Z mode switch for this purpose. I could be wrong but it was the only JMA preamp that could serve this purpose.That was a slick preamp......especially with the HT bypass. [] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woodsman Posted January 8, 2009 Share Posted January 8, 2009 Thanks for everyones input here. I did check with Mark D and got the info that I meeded from him. It is based on input impendance. Then shot an email off to Emotiva support to find out what the XPA-2 puts out. There were very prompt in their reply, another plus for them. Yes, the Merlin and XPA-2 are compatible. That made my day. I will order one up soon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jack Gvozdjak Posted January 8, 2009 Share Posted January 8, 2009 Sounds like my amp's humming issue is back. It appears to do it the first 3-5 minutes the amps is on. I can then pause the music and it's perfectly silent....odd..anyway it sounds like Emotiva is willing to help me out. Just have to wait till Monday to talk to the designer. Hopefully it's something easy. Don't really want to ship the amp back [:|] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rich_Guy Posted January 11, 2009 Author Share Posted January 11, 2009 The Emotiva XPA-3 is still impressing me more and more, it's been just over a week now and the sound quality performance changes this amp has made to my system is very pleasing. Imaging, separation, detail and bass have improved dramatically. [Y] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BerserkNitro Posted January 11, 2009 Share Posted January 11, 2009 I bought the xpa-5 back in nov....And to tell you the truth( well my ears) It sound better now then when i first got her...i know theres big debates on break-in..(which i dont beleive in) but to my ears theres a diffrerence....probably more like warm up period then break-in...But i cant wait to get a blu-ray...Now my debate is either a PS3 60 gig or wait for the oppo BDP-83......[:^)] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nezff Posted January 14, 2009 Share Posted January 14, 2009 im not sure whether to go for the xpa3 or get the upa 7. same close price, but less wattage. dont really need to drive the rs42s. I could use the receiver for that. what you guys think. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vital Posted January 14, 2009 Share Posted January 14, 2009 im not sure whether to go for the xpa3 or get the upa 7. same close price, but less wattage. dont really need to drive the rs42s. I could use the receiver for that. what you guys think. I went with the XPA-2 and XPA-5 over the MPS-2 because I wanted more slam and more power for HT. I plan to add a Scott 299b or something to the front two towers for 2 channel music when I get the urge. The MPS-2 can't hold a candle to that so it seemed like the right choice. You will get a lot more out of the XPA-3 than you will the UPA IMO. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Youthman Posted January 14, 2009 Moderators Share Posted January 14, 2009 im not sure whether to go for the xpa3 or get the upa 7. same close price, but less wattage. My vote would be for the XPA-3 and use your receiver to drive your rears. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nezff Posted January 14, 2009 Share Posted January 14, 2009 im not sure whether to go for the xpa3 or get the upa 7. same close price, but less wattage. My vote would be for the XPA-3 and use your receiver to drive your rears. thats what im screaming. gotta find a place to fit this thing though. lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve_L Posted January 14, 2009 Share Posted January 14, 2009 After listening to music much of the day today all I can say is I really love the change in sound. Listening to my music some songs are like I have never heard them before, the crispness and clarity. The XPA-3 has brought to life some recordings I thought were not recorded well. The change is definitely very good. With hot-rods and motorcycles there is no substitute for cubic-inches. Likewise with audio there is no substitute for more power. It just is. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rich_Guy Posted January 14, 2009 Author Share Posted January 14, 2009 im not sure whether to go for the xpa3 or get the upa 7. same close price, but less wattage. dont really need to drive the rs42s. I could use the receiver for that. what you guys think. I would definitly go for the XPA-3, your fronts will love the extra power and your surrounds will work very well being powered by the receiver. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nezff Posted January 14, 2009 Share Posted January 14, 2009 so you think it would be better to use the xpa3 for HT viewing instead of powering my whole setup with the upa7? a couple of the guys on the bluray forums seem to think so. I thought the extra power from the xpa3 would be great for my mains and center, and just power my 42s with the avr. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Youthman Posted January 14, 2009 Moderators Share Posted January 14, 2009 so you think it would be better to use the xpa3 for HT viewing instead of powering my whole setup with the upa7? Yup. I'm sure the upa7 would sound great, but I think the XPA-3 is gonna rock your world! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KlipschHead281 Posted June 3, 2009 Share Posted June 3, 2009 The Emotiva XPA-3 is still impressing me more and more, it's been just over a week now and the sound quality performance changes this amp has made to my system is very pleasing. Imaging, separation, detail and bass have improved dramatically. Rich_Guy, I currently own a Marantz SR5003, RF-82's and RC-64 for the front three, I am seriously considering the XPA-3 to take over the front channels and leave the AVR to handle the rest. Considering the how little power is needed to drive these bad boys do you think the XPA-3 would provide that much more for my system? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rich_Guy Posted June 4, 2009 Author Share Posted June 4, 2009 Rich_Guy, I currently own a Marantz SR5003, RF-82's and RC-64 for the front three, I am seriously considering the XPA-3 to take over the front channels and leave the AVR to handle the rest. Considering the how little power is needed to drive these bad boys do you think the XPA-3 would provide that much more for my system? Yes, I think you will be very pleased with what the XPA-3 will do for your system. Even at low volumes imaging and clarity will improve and the improvement is noticeable at all volumes. For me the XPA-3 completely improved my system, not only were the front 3 speakers powered by the XPA-3 improved but my surrounds powered by my receiver also were also nicely improved when the receiver no longer needed to power the front 3 giving all its power to the surrounds. There was an all around improvement, the best improvement of all came in two channel music. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Youthman Posted June 4, 2009 Moderators Share Posted June 4, 2009 Yes, I think you will be very pleased with what the XPA-3 will do for your system. Even at low volumes imaging and clarity will improve and the improvement is noticeable at all volumes. I think Rich_Guy is right on. When I borrowed a QSC amp (265 watts/ch) and hooked them to my RF-83's awhile back, I noticed more clarity, separation and much improved detail at low volumes. Bass was more pronounced and tight. The way I look at it, I used to have an older Hyundai Excel. It didn't excel at anything, especially in the area of acceleration. I could go 0-60 in about 1 minute. LOL. Now put a corvete next to it and take it from 0-60. The corvette has NO problem getting there is just a few seconds. To me, amps help out in the same way. The "engine" that they have is much more robust than one in a receiver, partly due to having a separate power supply. Have you ever been watching a movie that was a quiet scene, then all of a sudden a huge explosion occurs? That's a lot to ask of a receiver to go from "0-60" in a split second and make that happen accurately. To me, that's one of the values you get with an external amp. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KlipschHead281 Posted June 4, 2009 Share Posted June 4, 2009 Yes, I think you will be very pleased with what the XPA-3 will do for your system. Even at low volumes imaging and clarity will improve and the improvement is noticeable at all volumes. For me the XPA-3 completely improved my system, not only were the front 3 speakers powered by the XPA-3 improved but my surrounds powered by my receiver also were also nicely improved when the receiver no longer needed to power the front 3 giving all its power to the surrounds. There was an all around improvement, the best improvement of all came in two channel music. I have the RF-82's crossed over at 60hz and the MFW's take it from there. I wrote their sales staff to see when it might be going on sale again, if soon I'll be buying it for sure! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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