Dedicated Amp...Would I notice a difference?

[SWL]

Alex, how much of an improvement do you hear with the XPA-3 over your Denon?

Yeah.....inquiring minds would like to know. []

[Arky]

You guys already know the answer.[]

[bhenry]

I have almost the exact same set-up (except for an RSW15 SUB and no rear center speaker) and wouldn't even consider using a "common reciever" with it. That system deserves a good quality amplifier, no question.

[bairda]

I am having a group of friends over to show off the system tomorrow morning (black friday) while my wife goes shopping with my oldest daughter.

This is a show off session for the improved audio (upgraded speakers and amp) so I will be cranking through my personal demo favorite scenes (flight of the phoenix (sandstorm), war of the worlds (pod emerge), hulk (state college beat-down), LOTR TFOTR (mines or moria), Cloverfield (street fight to subway), Master and Commander (1st canon volley), etc..).

I should be able to tell more then and with a little more demo material this weekend.

I will give a review then.

Thanks for all the help!

-Alex-

[bairda]

Now that I have had a chance to live with the Emotiva XPA-3 I thought that I would give you my impressions and answer my own question: A dedicated amp....would I notice a difference?

Just a quick rundown of my system and setup that forms the foundation the XPA was put into: I have a ~ 1200 sq/ft dedicated home theater in my basement. It is double drywalled with carpet on the concrete foundation. Crappy, but comfortable couches line the walls and are the main listening seats. Equipment is in a rack at the back. The Audio equipment includes:

• Denon 3808 integrated receiver
• Toshiba XA-2 HDDVD player
• Sony PS3 (20 gig launch model upgraded to 120gig)
• Klipsch RF-7 for the Front Left/Right Speaker
• Klipsch RC-7 for the Center Channel
• Klipsch RF-3 II for the Surround Left/Right Speakers
• Klipsch Quintet for the Rear Left/Right Speakers
• SVS PB-13 Ultra subwoofer (located on rear wall of viewing area)

All of this has been calibrated using the Audyssey Multieq with DyamicEQ turned on the Denon Receiver.

The Emotiva was put inline to power the Front RF-7 L/R pair and the RC-7. They are fed the pre-out signal from the Denon. The Denon continues to power pair of RF-3ii and the Quintets. After installation and checks on the Emotiva, I recalibrated the system using the Audyssey from the Denon.

Impressions of Emotiva XPA-3 on Blu-Ray and HDDVD and broadcast HD....

I used a good variety of my favorite demo discs as well as various HD broadcasts to test out the new amp over the past two weeks. These have included traditional action/scifi/adventure rumblers such as Hulk, LOTR:FOTR, Flight of the Phoenix, Master and Commander, Cloverfield, Quantum of Solace, Ironman, WOTW, etc... as well as standard family fare such as The Nightmare before Christmas, Mama Mia, The Santa Clause, The Lion King and HD broadcasts such as football and sitcoms. These were listened to at volumes ranging from the very quiet (-35db) to reference (0db).

I found the additional amp to be a unremarkable at low volume levels. This is what I expected. The system maintained its good sound as it had before the Emotiva went into the chain and it neither detracted or enhanced my or anyone else's experience. As I said, this did not suprise me as the Denon has very good power and sound at low to mid levels.

However, when approaching reference volume levels (-10db to 0db) a subtle but noticeable change took place in the sound. This was especially true with very lively soundtracks such as WOTW, The incredible hulk, Cloverfield etc... At these increased volume levels I noticed that the RF-7's and the RC-7 were not muddling as the volume increased. This isn't to say that they were distorted before with just the Denon powering them. However, with the XPA-3 powering the the front speakers, as volume increased toward 0db and above there was no smearing of the sound. I could hear all of the effects, dialog and music from these 3 speakers with great distinction and they all behaved as they should with even the loudest peaks. As before there was a kind of general wash of sound from the front stage when volume hit these levels, now with the Emotiva in place there was placement and sharpness to the front stage.

This was especially true in the Incredible Hulk university, sound canon scene. Where before I couldn't really distinquish much of the sound at a volume of -4db, with the Emotiva I could crank the scene up to 0db and here all effects, music and dialog quite clearly. As a sidenote, I also noticed that I was not fatiguing from these sound levels as quickly as I had before and in fact could "push" the volume to a level that I had not heard before the XPA addition.

The addition of the XPA-3 did not have a noticeable effect on the surrounds that remained powered by the Denon, with one distinction. I believe that the clean-up in the front soundstage did moderately affect my ability to hear the RF-3 ii's and quintets with more distinction, since at reference levels there was less of a sound wall coming from the front.

Impressions of Emotiva XPA-3 on Music....

As I have remarked when I orignially posted, I use my audio mainly for Home Theater with a smattering of music and games...probably a 80/20 split. I did test the XPA-3 with music using my MP3 and itunes catalog and various CD's being played through my PS3. I tested this with 7 channel stereo, Stereo, and Pure Direct.

Once again, I did not find any noticeable difference in the sound of the front 3 speakers when using the Emotiva at low to moderate listening levels. This was with a variety of music including Rock, Live Concerts, Adult Contemporary and Country/Bluegrass. The speakers behaved as they did with the movies at these lower levels; sounding no different to my untrained ear then they did when powered by just the denon.

However when at higher volumes (-10db to +5db), there was a noticeable differnce on almost all music. This was especially true when I switched to Pure Direct mode. The RF-7's really came alive at these louder levels. They had a kick and punch that the Denon had never produced. For the first time I could listen to the RF-7's and not notice the lack of a sub. The 7's were able to push a very detailed and strong stage by themselves. This was suprising and very pleasent. In addition, I noticed that the high volume fatigue that sometimes sets in was gone and I could, as I had with the films, push the content louder without the harshness that sometimes comes with the sound levels.

Conclusions....

My conclusions and recommendations for the addition of the XPA-3 are mixed. At low to mid volume levels, the XPA-3 added no noticeable sonic improvement to either film or music listening. If you are a quiet listener or rarely crank the volume and you have a good sound from your existing integrated amp, I don't think that the Emotiva XPA-3 would be a wise investment. However if you like dynamic movies and music at high volume levels, I think that the Emotiva amp will moderately improve your film viewing experience, and significantly improve your music listening.

Hope this helps others considering an external amp and specifically considering the Emotiva/Denon/Klipsch combo like I have.

Thanks,

-Alex-

[wuzzzer]

Thank you for the review bairda. It definitely sealed the Emotiva deal for me!

[Colin]

good, now you can upgrade the crossoveers on the mains and add room treatment - those changes you will really notice!

[tragusa3]

Thanks for the thorough review Alex! Based On my experience, I would say you are pretty accurate. Although, in my case, I think the KL650's have a bit tougher impedence dip than your 7's. Therefore, at reference volumes my improvement was more than "moderate".

[Zen Traveler]

...Although, in my case, I think the KL650's have a bit tougher impedence dip than your 7's. Therefore, at reference volumes my improvement was more than "moderate".

Fwiw, I don't believe that the KL 650 would have passed THX ultra II certification if it had the impedance dips that the RF-7s have and in fact is an easier to drive speaker.

[tragusa3]

I'm sure you're right...don't know what I was thinking. [*-)] Still, I would describe my improvements as slightly higher than "moderate".

[bairda]

Thanks for all the input! I have now gotten quite a few new Blu-Ray's for the holidays which I have plowed through with the new amp in place. The thing that still strikes me about the addition of the Emotiva into the chain is how much more I can turn up the Volume on my Denon 3808 and still have clear sounding front stage. As I mentioned, I used to have to turn the volume no louder than -10db when listening with the family. Now everyone listens at ~-2db with no complaints to "turn it down". Very clear and comfortable with strong bass and mids.

Anxious to hear other klipsch owners experience with the Emotiva.

Happy new year!

-Alex-

[Zen Traveler]

The thing that still strikes me about the addition of the Emotiva into the chain is how much more I can turn up the Volume on my Denon 3808 and still have clear sounding front stage. As I mentioned, I used to have to turn the volume no louder than -10db when listening with the family. Now everyone listens at ~-2db with no complaints to "turn it down". Very clear and comfortable with strong bass and mids...

Do you have an SPL meter and know how loud that is at the listening position, or did you run Audyssey and have "0" as Reference level? [^o)] Btw, Happy New Year. :-)

[bairda]

Ran audyssey and let it set "0" as a reference.

I will see if I can get my wife out of the house and run some tests with my RS Sound meter.

However, I don't have any records of the levels before adding the Emotiva.

Thanks,

-Alex-

[Zen Traveler]

Ran audyssey and let it set "0" as a reference....

....However, I don't have any records of the levels before adding the Emotiva.

If you ran audyssey (correctly) before adding the amps and use the same reference material, I trust that "0" was the Reference level prior and would be a good benchmark on your antidotal observations. Thanks for sharing your experience.