Gorm Posted September 28, 2011 Share Posted September 28, 2011 WOW! The music has impact...even at low DB levels. I was getting clipping on the center channel, but now have none with the XPA. I have moved the UPA to rear surround and front height duty. I have read some reviews that say the UPA-5 and XPA-5 are nearly identical, well, obviously not. Although there might be something wrong with the UPA-5. It didn't sound that bad. I just think the RF-7's and RC-7 suck down a lot of power. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators dtel Posted September 28, 2011 Moderators Share Posted September 28, 2011 WOW! The music has impact...even at low DB levels. I was getting clipping on the center channel, but now have none with the XPA. I have moved the UPA to rear surround and front height duty. I have read some reviews that say the UPA-5 and XPA-5 are nearly identical, well, obviously not. Although there might be something wrong with the UPA-5. It didn't sound that bad. I just think the RF-7's and RC-7 suck down a lot of power. Glad it sounds better, I wonder if you did have something wrong with the UPA-5, unless it was really loud you shouldn't have had clipping. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wstanger Posted September 29, 2011 Share Posted September 29, 2011 Gorm, I noticed a huge improvment in my 7's when I swapped out UPA-7 for XPA-5. I am actually thinking about XPA-2 for the fronts Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elitedemo Posted September 29, 2011 Share Posted September 29, 2011 the upa likely isnt as capable as the xpa is in handeling the dips from the rf7s, xpa2 is a great addition for the xpa5, id recommend it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gorm Posted September 29, 2011 Author Share Posted September 29, 2011 I don't think an XPA-2 will be possible. I'm running out of room in my homemade rack. Besides, the speakers are as loud as I would ever want them. The room is 12x40. I have a shipment of cables from Monoprice coming today to hook up the UPA-5 to the heights and Back Surrounds. I'm sure they will be better off running with the UPA, than off the receiver. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nezff Posted September 29, 2011 Share Posted September 29, 2011 not sure why you would have been clipping? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gorm Posted September 29, 2011 Author Share Posted September 29, 2011 I'm not clipping a ton, only on the center channel, and only on certain vocal parts. Since the new amp, It has reduced it like 90 percent. I thought maybe it was a problem with the crossover, but that doesn't appear to be the case. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SuBXeRo Posted September 29, 2011 Share Posted September 29, 2011 im surprised to hear you have clipping with your center channel. What do you have it crossed at? I have mine crossed at 50hz. I am just surprised because 50hz shouldnt be nomming a shitton of juice in comparison to floorstanders which have depth and need that power. In my experience, any center channel that i have had i needed to set my freq crossover about 5-10hz higher than the listed bottom end. I always found the centers to become raspy and echoish. The rc-7 would definitely draw more juice than smaller centers but i would think that the power supplied by the upa-5 would be enough for it.The rf-7's are power hungry monsters especially on full range. The 10's are very tight sounding and probably require extra power to move them because of that. In my eyes, the upa-5 would be great for bookshelf setups. I will always stand by my notion that any speaker will benefit from more power than its recommended RMS but you also need to take into account your actual listening levels. For instance, i am trying to decide what speakers i want for a computer setup. Do i need 200 watts shooting at my ears from 2 feet away, HELL NO. If you have a bookshelf setup and you are in a condo, chances are you wouldnt suck up all 125 watts from the upa-5 per channel.I am happy to hear that the xpa-5 has brought alive your setup. I have blasted my rf-7's with that amp and it hasnt failed me in performance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CECAA850 Posted September 29, 2011 Share Posted September 29, 2011 Could it be the signal clipping? What is the center set at in relation to the fronts? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gorm Posted September 29, 2011 Author Share Posted September 29, 2011 Currently the RC-7 is set 2 db's higer than the RF-7s. I'm beginning to think a lot of it is the signal. For example, there is a certain spot on the DARK KNIGHT Dvd where a copy yells on his Radio for everyone to go down to avoid hitting a burning firetruck. Part of his voice always seems to "clip", where it is played on the Oppo or on the PS3. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fish Posted September 29, 2011 Share Posted September 29, 2011 I'm not sure what's going on but you must have an issue somewhere. I actually prefer the upa 7 as it has lower noise floor and more power than I ever get close to using,never clipped at 115 db. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gorm Posted September 29, 2011 Author Share Posted September 29, 2011 Not sure where teh issues are...I have replaced the following. Tried New wire between the AMP and center...still clips. Hooked up center channel info to RF-7..Still Clips Replaced Reciver...Still Clips Tried DVD in mulitple sources...still Clips Replaced Amplifier...No longer clipping. I'll be doing somore more tests tonight. It occurs to me that I've never posted pics of my system on here. I should probably snap a few. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fish Posted September 29, 2011 Share Posted September 29, 2011 The main thing is if you think it's working better and solved your issue just enjoy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SuBXeRo Posted September 29, 2011 Share Posted September 29, 2011 its amazing how much of source quality plays into what you actually hear and can make you think something is wrong with your setup. Whats the crossover set at? I also dare say it could be the Dean G mod, im not too familar with it, i just know it makes them a bit less bright. something isnt right, there are so many of us that have rf-7's in a similar setup and dont have clipping issues. It could have been that particular amp but i am more guessing your processor could be the culpret or the cables intrlinking items. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zen Traveler Posted September 29, 2011 Share Posted September 29, 2011 I'm not sure what's going on but you must have an issue somewhere.... +1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zen Traveler Posted September 29, 2011 Share Posted September 29, 2011 Gorm, I noticed a huge improvment in my 7's when I swapped out UPA-7 for XPA-5. I am actually thinking about XPA-2 for the fronts Did you do any level-matching tests at a certain SPL? [^o)] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wstanger Posted September 30, 2011 Share Posted September 30, 2011 Gorm, I noticed a huge improvment in my 7's when I swapped out UPA-7 for XPA-5. I am actually thinking about XPA-2 for the fronts Did you do any level-matching tests at a certain SPL? No, I did not but I may try that this weekend. I did notice at 90 + spl the Xpa 5 detail and imaging on the 7's was improved Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StephenM Posted September 30, 2011 Share Posted September 30, 2011 Did you do any level-matching tests at a certain SPL? One thing to note: It's essential in listening comparisons to match levels to at least within 0.1dB. A component that's, say, 0.2dB louder than another won't be heard as being louder. Instead, listeners will comment on greater apparent detail or better dynamics. http://www.stereophile.com/content/mark-levinson-no38s-preamplifier-level-matching As noted in the article, a voltmeter at the power amplifier outputs is the most effective way to accomplish this. SPL meters are generally not accurate enough for the purpose. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cornfedksboy Posted September 30, 2011 Share Posted September 30, 2011 Nm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gorm Posted September 30, 2011 Author Share Posted September 30, 2011 It was doing it before the Mod. I figured maybe there was something wrong with the crossover, so that figured partly into my reasoning to have them rebuilt. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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