EMOTIVA AMP/PROCESSOR RECOMMENDATION?

[DMR]

I have a pair of Cornwalls from the 70's, that's were I begin. I am planning to piece together a HT system.

Will buy Klipsch speakers as center and rears, though unsure which ones (62's?). Maybe 2 used K-horns, if I could find them in good condition and fairly priced in my area (Chicago).

What's the general consensus to drive a Klipsch,Tube or Solid State?

I am looking into EMOTIVA amps, they seem to be a hightly rated value, any experience with them?

Any advice, recommendations or suggestions regarding amp and AV preamp processor would be appreciated.

I welcome your feedback and look forward to hearing all opinions.

This my first post, glad to be here. Thank you.

[SuBXeRo]

I have never heard a tube amp i have only had solid states but this is what people generally say. If you are a true audiophile, analog is the way to go for crisp warm sound. A good tube amp will cost you, a higher powered tube amp will cost you even more. Good thing is that klipsch speaker have a high sensitivity and don't need much power to push them. Solid states are digital and witht hat you get something you dont with tubes, good power at a cheaper price. Its a preference of sound in the end, the warm crisp sound of a tube amp or a solid state. Each manufacturer makes their amps a different way and they all produce a different sound, both tube and solid state. Some are brighter and cleaner than other.

I have an emotiva UMC-1 and have only used it for about a day since i just got it. So far its not bad I havent really had a chance to explore its full capabilities but the quality appears to be there. Some people have had issues with theirs with the current update, i haven't updated mine yet. I am getting an XPA-5 which was backordered, it has 200 watts a channel and enough overhead to power a majority of speakers both klipsch and not. What i like about them is they are selling an amp that will give you a minimum of 200 watts a channel, its not like most amps/receivers where they say its 100w a channel but when you run all channels you actually only getting like 50watts per channel. That is why i chose emotiva, that and the price was right. A quality product at a good price. I have only heard good things about their amps. Amps should last for years upon years which makes them good as a component, you should get your money's worth. Preamp/processors, well, they will get outdated as new connectors comne out and new sound formats and will eventually need to be upgraded so in a way, its good to splurge on a quality preamp/processors and otherways not. I think emotiva makes a processor at a good price, i will use mine for years to come. Thias is the reason why i like seperates over a receiver, only half the setup really needs to be upgraded over the years as the amps usually, if taken care of will last years and years.

Hope my input has helped, you have alot of options.

[DMR]

Thank you for your quick and comprehensive reply. It is always great to get the opinion of someone who has the product you are thinking of buying.

I just thought it would be better to get some ideas from people before I make any move. I appreciate your input and reply!

[SuBXeRo]

not a problem. Most of my experience has been with receivers. I have never had any issues with my receivers, some are more complicated to setup settings in but other than that, picture quality has always been good, same with the amps. I nevber was in a situation where i could pump the speakers becsause they were always too small and would blow. To me, the emotiva was a bit of a splurge but i feel like i bought a solid product and hopefully it will perform in a way that i can see a difference between my receivers and a component processor/amp setup. I don't consider myself to be a true audiophile but i do consider myself one to an extend of where i believe in doing things right and buying quality products that will last me years to come. I follow the motto that you can buy 1 very good thing or spend more money and buy 5 "eh" things over the years. Check out outlaw audio, parasound, marantz, these are common high fidelity componays to buy speakers/audio components from, all with varying price ranges.

[jokris]

i have the upa 1 from emotiva,3 of them and they are a big bargain for the price, the soundquality is as godd

as any transistor amp i have had, and a far better value for money

[Ironsave]

Congrats on the Corns and welcome to the forum!

I am envious... I want Corns....

I am not sure what your budget is......

Emotivas are a great bang for buck; however some have "glitches" that have not been ironed out comletely. (Search function on the forum).....

I love my Emotiva sub and based on that and what I have read; they truly are some high quality preamps and amps.

I will tell you that a good receiver is not as desirable as a dedicated pream/ amp combo.....

That being said; my Heresies sound GREAT. My receiver cost me $140 used (~$900 new in 2007)..... 2 channel sounds AWESOME and HT is jaw dropping..... The advantage is you could always use the receiver as a preamp; or just start a second (smaller; more budget) system somewhere else in the house down the line.....

It might be the cheapest way to get your HT up and running..... and free up some moolah for those surrounds......

I reccomend KG line for surrounds; (KG 1.5 or 2.5).... Great bang for buck also......

If you have a higher budget for this; there are better surround options.... FYI....

Good Luck..... Enjoy the experience of learning and putting this system together.....

The journey IS as fun as the destination......

[TxEvo8]

I have a 2 channel Anthem amp that I replaced with an Emotiva XPA-5. The Emo is a little warmer with the RF-7s than the Anthem, but also seems to have a little, slightly noticeable hum when there is no sound coming from the horns. This might be just a interconnect issue or the amp itself, but it is hardly even worth mentioning. The price is excellent, I paid more for the Anthem in 2001 than I did for the Emo this year, and I got three additional channels. I would highly recommend the XPA-5. This is the only product that I've experienced from them..