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Amps on a budget......


tommyboy

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tommyboy- another vote for Emotiva, very well designed stuff and the price is awesome! I started out with XPA-2/-3 for 5.1 sound and liked the XPA-2 so much I decided to get two more to replace the XPA-3 (they were on sale for $100 off at the time). I used the fact that I was going to move the XPA-3 into the wifes living room for 3.1 to get her to agree. Go and look at the Emo website and you'll see there are differences in the way the XPA-1/-2 are constructed vs the XPA-3/-5, which are very fine amps in their own right. So I ended up paying $2197 for 1500 watts(XPA-2 x3) to drive my Klipsch reference speakers and during a movie the dynamics of the soundstage is exhilirating and mind blowing at times. When I listen to music in stereo I just turn on one XPA-2 and the other two get to rest.

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I did not know about the Emotiva when I bought my stuff. I bought some used Carver/ B&K/ HK amps off ebay during my pre- forum days which work great. The Emotiva sounds like a better plan given the price and reputation. I can tell you this.. When I went form 100 WPC to 250 on the fronts and the center- 200WPC on the rears and 150 on the sides- the difference was night and day at all voulme levels. My system went from OK to sounding like one of the high end 15k systems in the audio stores. If I were you I would definitely folow through with this plan in some form or another. Receivers- even the 130 WPC variety are no match for separates.

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Well, she's pretty against the amp idea. she gave me the firmest NO I've heard from her so far. But......... she did say why not use that money towards something we can all use. I said like what? And she said........................................................... a new TV! I would still like to have the amp before the TV. She asked me if I thought she would honestly be able to hear any difference, seeing as she's not a "stereo freak" like me, and I told her probably not. I didn't want to lie to her, or deal with the," so you bought this new amp, and I don't hear any difference." And I KNOW she'd notice a difference in TV picture. Mine was built in '03 and is non HDMI. I guess I sort of lost this battle, but won another at the same time. I'll settle for the TV, and get my amp some time later in the year.

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I guess I sort of lost this battle, but won another at the same time. I'll settle for the TV, and get my amp some time later in the year.

Way to go Tommy Boy, you indirectly let her win(and you win also), This time. Wait till the dust settles and talk amp again. If she fights it this time let her know she gor her TV and now it is your time.

Bill

PS

It will work. I got the Mitsubishi 57" DLP. My wife got the Dell desktop. I got the Onkyo receiver and an RW-10d. She got the Toshiba laptop. I got the RC-62 and the RF-63's. She got the nice leather laptop carrier. I got the Blu-ray player. She got the 37" LCD. I got the RSW-10d. She got the pedicure. See how it works. O.K. bad idea. This method is a sure fire way to the poor house.

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She did have a valid point. the system sounds fantastic, with both music and HT. I'm simply a "stereo freak" (her words, not mine) constantly on the hunt for better sound. And ashe also had another valid point. That if we get the amp now, I'll get "used" to it, and want better speakers. How correct she was in saying that!!!!! I'll keep you posted on my TV hunt.........

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Bi-amping, like we can do with our 7th channels with the Pioneers may work but it will play havoc with your MCACC.. and you'll need to all that complicated room balancing and frequency responce stuff manuall that the Pioneer gives you for free.

My opinion, I wouldn't worry the bi-amping.. You've got more power now than your speakers know what to do with. But if you want more power, think about one of those 5 channel Emotiva units written up on here recently, forget the bi-amping, those amps (even your Pioneer) have soooo much power the speakers will sing without any bi-amping. Then, you could someday use the Pio amps for the rears in a 7.1 system if you go that way.

Or use the money for something else. Like some big Reference Series or something. Or buy some Syn 3s for your fron and use the Syn 2s for surrounds. (I forget what you have for speakers, Syn2s?)

PS the Emotiva XP-5 is $800! [:P]

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There's a few used XPA-5's for sale in the emotiva forums right now.. you could ****** one up for a steal.. just an idea..

The XPA brought new life into my speakers like nothing else.

I always use the "I could be like a normal guy and blow $200 at a titty bar if you'd prefer." as my excuse..

But a new TV is always good, too :)

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There's a few used XPA-5's for sale in the emotiva forums right now.. you could ****** one up for a steal.. just an idea..

The XPA brought new life into my speakers like nothing else.

I always use the "I could be like a normal guy and blow $200 at a titty bar if you'd prefer." as my excuse..

But a new TV is always good, too :)

Better ROI on buying new HT gear!!

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Though it has been mentioned here in another post, I only added an outboard amp to my mains. I am running a Fort'e 3 but before that I ran a Yamaha power amp that had LED redouts for the power it was generating. In movies, played at reference level the most I have ever seen the amp put out was about 75W pc. 99% of the time it was below 1 w pc. The main power amp I am running now (Fort'e 3 1988-1991) is 50wpc class A / 200 wpc class AB and has more than enough power to drive my Fort'e1 main speakers to ear numbing levels while saving the power supply on the AVR to power the center, sides and rears. Aside from the center, the sides and rears don't have HUGE amounts of content and they are at a reduced volume so the power supply on the Yamaha AVR is more than enough to have great sound throughout any movie. I have had very positive comments on my HT from another forum member here that has heard it and wishes his RF setup sounded as nice.

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So, I've convinced her to let me get the XPA 3. We decided that we don't need to get a new TV. The only catch to me getting the amp is that I have to save up for it. It's on sale now, so I hope it stays on sale for about a month. I'm selling my B2's to help with the money. So, hopefully this time next month I'll be writing my review of the XPA 3

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We decided that we don't need to get a new TV. The only catch to me getting the amp is that I have to save up for it.

IMO, you can't go wrong with that. Only over the past 5 years, I have learned the value of saving and paying cash for purchases. Debt is dumb. LOL. Even if it goes up in price, you would have spent that in interest and there is no greater feeling than having a new toy and not having payments to go along with it. [;)]

It is taking me much longer to build my theater room that way, but it is so worth the wait. (youthman begins looking under the couch cushions for loose change to help fund his HT). [:D]

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Ya I hear ya. I ususally do cash; well pretty much always. It surprises me sometimes who doesn't take cash. When I bought my car last June, (08 Pontiac G6) I put 2,000 down on it; and I had cash. I stopped by the bank first. You should have seen the look on the sales mans face when I handed him all that cash. He gave me "that" look, so I said, no, I'm not a drug dealer. the reason for the cash is because I just moved here from England, and like a fool, I had the movers pack up my safe with all my checks in it. He tried to refuse the cash, so I told him take the cash, or I'm not getting the car. He took the cash.

That was the first time Rachel called me ghetto.............

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(youthman begins looking under the couch cushions for loose change to help fund his HT). Big Smile

Once it is complete invite guests over to the home theater, turn the sub and bass up and maybe you will find some extra money in the theater seat cushions. [:P]

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