Amps are they worth it?

[EM3]

I visit another forum and some guy just picked up an Emotiva amp http://www.emotiva.com/xpa5.shtm and was wondeing if they really do make all that much difference? I have looked and looked at these things and I just have no idea. I am looking for opinions. My setup is RB 61's, RC 10 and RS 42's with an SVS sub. My fronts are 10 ft away from where I set.

Any thoughts?

[TxEvo8]

That is a matter of perspective and there is a whole range of them out there. For me, I personally like the added power of external amps, you get effortless power from them; your sensitive speakers will really sing with the additional power. I am currently waiting for my XPA-5 to arrive TODAY, it is replacing a 2 channel amp that I've enjoyed for the past few years. My suggestion is to find another member in your area and go demo their system. Makes a HUGE difference from my perspective.

[CECAA850]

I don't know if they'd make a huge difference driving bookshelves or not. Normally, with outboard amplification, there's a noticeable difference at louder volumes when your receiver runs out of steam driving a difficult load. The extra power of an external amp helps drive the load with less distortion. Bookshelves crossed over with a sub shouldn't present too hard of a load on a receiver. If you normally listen at moderate levels, I wouldn't think you'd notice a thing.

[carbon summit]

Emotiva has a 30 day return policy but you have to pay shipping back. On a XPA-5 you're probably looking at around $75.

I'm not sure I needed my XPA-5 considering how efficient Klipsch speakers are and considering the fact I use sub woofers for the heavy lifting. But it is nice to know I have the power available to me! The other thing to consider is most AV receivers are rated a lot higher than they really put out. I think I read my Yamaha RX-V663 only put out 35 watts per channel instead of the 100 per channel its rated at with all channels driven. Watching a movie the argument is the rears don't really do much but I listen to music on all channels so that was part of my justification in getting an amp.

I do think it sounds a little better now, more separation but who is to say I'm not just hearing what I want to hear? I should unhook mine and go back to letting the 663 power everything and see for myself again if I think the music sounds less dynamic or the separation of the different instruments and vocals isn't as distinct. Maybe I'll have a used XPA-5 in the garage section!

[Youthman]

The other thing to consider is most AV receivers are rated a lot higher than they really put out.

Yeah, I just recently found out that in actual testing, my Yamaha, although it is "rated" at 130w x 7 and was a $1200 receiver when new, with 7 channels driven, it puts out a whopping 55w/ch. Quite disappointing if you ask me. 5 speakers sounds good. I'm curious what differences I will hear when I add the Emotiva XPA-3 to the front three speakers and let the Yamaha power the two RS-52's.

I know when I borrowed a QSC 265 watt/ch at my previous house, I heard more bass (even at low volumes) and more separation of musical instruments like carbon said.

I would believe that adding an amp to bookshelves would provide much more bass than a receiver would.

[carbon summit]

I'm curious what differences I will hear when I add the Emotiva XPA-3 to the front three speakers and let the Yamaha power the two RS-52's.

Comparing your HT to mine I'm surely not one to give you advice... But I will!

I thought about the XPA-3 but I was afraid I'd wish I'd had gotten the XPA-5 instead if went to a pre/pro down the road and then need another amp. Shelf space is at a premium for me so I didn't want to try to fit two 70 lbs ish amps in my set up. I figured if I ever went to a pre/pro I'd be set, and if I went to 7 channel down the road I could power the last two off of my receiver or add a UPA-2 if I had a pre/pro. The UPA-2 and UMC-1 stacked on top of each other would be about as big as my Yamaha receiver so perfect fit into what I already know works. The XPA-5 stays freakishly cool so I'm sure the UPA-2 would be fine with the UMC-1 on it.

But for now I'm pretty sure I'll be happy for a while with a 5.1 (at least until we get a new house) so the XPA-5 was an all around safe bet for me. YMMV

[Youthman]

I appreciate the advice. I've thought about the very things you mentioned but in my setup, I have plenty of room behind the false wall to put as many amps as I need to and not be a problem. If I decided to go pre/pro down the road, I could pick up a UPA-2 to power the RS-52's and if I decided to go with a 7.1 system, I could buy the XPA-5 and only use two of the 3 channels in the XPA-3.

[stl1cjg]

Depends on alot of things. What type of AVR you running? WPC? How loud do you listen to your music? If you have a low wpc avr or one where the manufacturer has overstated wpc, and you like to listen to movies loud or listen to music at reference levels...I would say yes. If you turn the volume up and hear distortion, that is your speakers way of saying your AVR or current amp is being overworked. It is always nice to have the added headroom in the way of an amplifier for instances like these. That way when you you have big impendence drops when listening to music or movies at reference levels, it will sound, look, and feel, seamless. The speakers will not yell...they will sing. Think McClaren/Merecedes V-10 Formula One engine 2001 (if you are into F1) Some speakers need external amplification to make them sound their best, or really bring them to life. Klipsch makes very efficient speakers and each of us has differnt ears and listening habots. See if you can borrow a friends amp and find a part of a movie with big action scences, explosions, etc ....and listen to your favorite track on CD. Try them both once with your AVR only, and once with the amp and AVR. See if you can tell a difference. Remember is not what I or anybody else thinks....Its what YOU think sounds good.

[peshewah]

I had a Denon reciever that pushed 80 watt and I ended up with a blowen center channel tweeter. A dealer told me it was lack of power and told me about the 663. I got it. It helped, I could tell the difference but I was still having trouble hearing dialog. So I got the XPA 3 and I have no trouble with anything. My little RF 62's sound large. I'm very happy with my XPA 3. One day I will upgrade my speakers and I will still have the power to push them no matter what they are.

Good luck

[Islander]

An external amp often is more powerful than an AV receiver, but the added power is not all it brings to the table. A high-quality (often expensive) power amp may send a much cleaner signal to your speakers, allowing you to hear detail in the music that didn't seem to be there before, as well as more authoritative bass, for a more realistic overall listening experience.

[Rich_Guy]

An external amp often is more powerful than an AV receiver, but the added power is not all it brings to the table. A high-quality (often expensive) power amp may send a much cleaner signal to your speakers, allowing you to hear detail in the music that didn't seem to be there before, as well as more authoritative bass, for a more realistic overall listening experience.

Exactly, adding an amp is not just about loud volume, a quality amp with extra headroom provides a better quality cleaner more detailed listening experience at all volumes and also tighter more powerful bass.