EMOTIVA AMP???

[FSUBALES]

I diving into a new pair of RF7II and I'm looking at the Emotiva XPA-2. The reviews i have been reading have been really good, I just cant get how cheep they are going for (709$) I'm willing to pay more for good sound quality but WOW that's awfully cheep.

Does any one have experience with this amp or other Emotiva amps? would love some good input.

[tragusa3]

I think the amps are really that good! I was using a Denon receiver to run the THX Ultra2 system and switched to an XPA5. It is impressive physically and sonically. I don't know what more you could expect from an amp? I suspect there prices will rise with popularity.

[USNRET]

I have the XPA-1s, the -3 and the -5. While the -3 is idle right now, the -5 runs the RF-83/RC-64/RS-7 combo and works great with no floor noise present HOWEVER, the Emotivas do present enough noise that on my Belles I am disappointed. Love the sound, love the bottom end horsepower but really miss the quietness of the VRD amp.

I would assume that on RF-7s you will have no floor noise issues and will enjoy the 'upgrade'.

[nixonrsx]

I have an XPA-3 running my front 3. RF-7's, and an RC-7 and it is awesome. So I am assuming an XPA-2 would be even better, dont be scared off by the good pricing, its not too good to be true, go for it.

[v3spitfire]

Is the floor noise a hiss? That's a bit concerning. Seems like it might be present on the RF7s then too. I'm considering the XPA2 as well, but am curious as to whether any floor noise may not be present in the RF7 because they are only a 2 way? The sensitivity doesn't seem that far off. Thanks for any more detail.

Del

[SkyDover]

Emotiva is very good! They are not cheap! They are built very well and compare well to the likes of Rotel, Parasound, etc. They have a better value price wise because you are buying direct from the manufacturer and by-passing the store/middle man, where cost are added to the product for each to make profit off of it, like retail is! I own some Emotiva products and they compare very well to much higher priced gear I have. They are well worth it and a great value when buying direct from the manufactuer.

[USNRET]

Is the floor noise a hiss?

Yes. On the Belles readily apparent on the -3 and -1 monos. On the RF-83s I don't hear it on the -3 or -5.

[mark1101]

One major weakness of Emotiva amps is that they have no output level controls. They are just full ON all the time. You can not control your gain structure. That is why you hear complaints of noise (hiss). I emailed them about this and never received a reply. I was interested in these amps myself but I would not buy them because of that issue. I can not tolerate any type of noise like that. No way.

[nixonrsx]

Sorry, but I would have to disagree with you on that one. That seems kind of a silly reason not to buy a quality amp. "Most" new consumer home amplifiers do not have a gain control, its just the pro amps that all have them. As far as not wanting to tolerate a hiss, Im not sure of your listening room or distance you sit from you speakers, but my RF-7's only have a slight hiss that can only be heard when you have your ear within about a foot from the horn, and I have an XPA-3 running them. OP, good luck with your decision, just giving you my opinion.

[mark1101]

I should have been more clear. The issue is not an Emotiva issue, it's an issue with any amp and system. I have McIntosh amps that hiss away if I turn their gains up all the way. I am running an MCM-3 Grand Klipsch system with an active processor and tri-amping. Those Klipsch are 109db sensitive and it's not silly or unusual to try and adjust the gain strucuture of such a system to minimize the noise floor...........which is done by taking most of the gain up front of the processor........and then by opening up the gains on the amps only as much as is needed paying close attention to noise as well as gain. Perfectly normal.

[BigCliff]

WOW, I was considering the Emotiva XPA-3, I will definitely have to look more into this HISSSSSS problem; that is not

what I want to hear.

[nixonrsx]

I hear what your saying, and we all have our opinions. Personally I dont care if there is only a slight hiss within 12 inches of the horn, I mean that is with no music playing. I never have my speakers powered without playing something. Again, Im just giving another point of view. If you older and have any sort or hearing loss your not gonna hear it anyway. lol

[vnzbd]

Last year I attended the Axponia show in Jacksonville where Emotiva was a vendor showing off their gear.(and selling at a discount) I went specifically to see their set up and talk with them about their amps. I was interested in the XPA-2,3 and 5. The gentlemen that I spoke with was Lonnie. I believe he is one of the engineers at Emotiva. I expressed the desire for better power than my avr could put out to bring out the bottom end in my Chorus IIs. I really wanted to pull the trigger on the XPA-2 as I was considering going 2 channel and for the same price as the 5 I could have more power and reserve. Lonnie actually recomended either the 3 or five due to the higher "rail voltage" inside of the 2. He explained that on extremly sensitive speakers such as Klipsch, the 2 had a high chance of hearing a "hiss" at a zero volume level. It would be inaudible at low volumes and up, but the hiss is not because of a defect in their product. Based on that, if a hiss is present at a zero volume level, you might be chasing your tail trying to fix it.

Also was explained to me was when the 3 or 5 was used in a 2 channel mode, the amp would produce power numbers well above the "all channels active" rating. I believe the 3 was actually rated at 250w at 8 ohms and 400w at 4 ohms. They do not advertise those specs as those amps are not designed for exclusive 2 channel.

I ended up purchasing the XPA-5. I had gone to the show with the cash for the 5 and with the show pricing it was only $150 more than the 3. $150 for 400 more watts in the same chasis size seemed like a no brainer. It did bring out a lot more bottom end on the CIIs and I use a third channel for my academy center.

[RockOn4Klipsch]

the high gain structure of the emotiva amps has always had me shy away with the klipsch speakers.

Any audible hiss drives me absolutely bonkers, I hear the slight buzz and hiss from things that no one else hears, so for some of us it can be very bothersome.

[Xki]

the high gain structure of the emotiva amps has always had me shy away with the klipsch speakers.

Any audible hiss drives me absolutely bonkers, I hear the slight buzz and hiss from things that no one else hears, so for some of us it can be very bothersome.

And there's the rub. The headroom we look for can introduce audio issues with very sesitive loudspeakers. I, too, would appreciate a gain control on the Emo amps. However, once the preferred source material is underway, the impact of the floor noise is all but gone for me. That is unless the source has very quiet passages. I can hear quite a bit that no one else can hear, too. I'm just more tolerent with the floor noise and chalk it up to the trade off between high efficiency and high power..

Actually, I'm rather unsophisticated lately when it comes to sonic quality. When the budget allows, I upgrade. When the kids are not around (2% of the time) I squeeze in some favorite tracks. Each upgrade has introduced plenty of smiles and plenty of "what if I had purchased... instead."

I will be purchasing a UPA-7 in the near future. I feel it will be part of my kit for 10+ years. There are a lot of Klipsch owners who have driven them with Emo amps. I just don't see a lot of aingst regarding hiss. I could be wrong but, I'm willing to try. And the resale value on Emo gear - if there is an issue - is outstanding. Darn near 100%.

[peshewah]

I have a XPA 3 and its dead quiet. I've had luck so far. I have it plugged in to a different outlet away my other HT stuff.

[Xki]

I have a XPA 3 and its dead quiet. I've had luck so far. I have it plugged in to a different outlet away my other HT stuff.

That's really great news. I was waiting to purchase until I ran a separate 20 amp circuit for amplification. Me thinks that could be the resolution! We shall see. Thanks for that tid-bit!

[e2g]

I have an XPA-3 and XPA-2 that I am experiencing a slight hum. Are you plugging on the same circuit and just a different outlet? I found a way to plug it on a different circuit, but woudl require an extention cord of 20ft+

[peshewah]

It is a different circuit.

[Fish]

I have 0 hum and 0 hiss, unlike my old Parasound hummed, Rotel hissed.Of course Emotiva is the the best buy in amps, there really is nothing close for the price, or better at 2x for that matter.