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Denon X4400H with Emnotiva XPA GEn 5 power amp


Spirit_Rises

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Hi guys

 

i am deciding to buy Emotiva Audio XPA5 5-channel audio amplifier in order to drive my Front Left / Right and Center channels with two rear surrounds.

i already have Denon X4400H so do i really need this power amp?does it make a noticeable difference? 

and as far as i read on the internet, Emotiva power amps do some hissing noise or humm whatever it is called.Is that normal? does any other power amp brand make the same noises?

 

and i have read some information about being in phase or out of phase for the speakers.I really could not understand what they have been talking about.What do they mean by phase? 

if i buy Emotiva, is there anything i should pay attention to when connecting speakers or channels etc ?

thanks in advance.

Edit: Klipsch RP-260F 

Klipsch 440C

RP-160M for rears

2x Klispch R-112SW

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Probably the wrong guy(very biased) responding here but I feel it is always "better" to have more horsepower under the foot than not enough.  If it is cost effective for you to add an outboard amp then by all means do it.  I shop mainly on the used market and some of the amplifier bargains I have taken advantage of have really enhanced my systems.

 

4 hours ago, Spirit_Rises said:

and as far as i read on the internet, Emotiva power amps do some hissing noise or humm whatever it is called.Is that normal? does any other power amp brand make the same noises?

A little hum that is not audible when things are all fired up never hurt me.

 

4 hours ago, Spirit_Rises said:

if i buy Emotiva, is there anything i should pay attention to when connecting speakers or channels etc ?

Yes, have everything powered off or better yet unplugged.;):D

 

Bill

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@teaman is the local Emotiva guru.  It will be interesting to hear his take.  @willland has good advice directly upstream ^^^.

 

I have the XPA-5 gen 1.  I added it to a 2014 model Onkyo 717 AVR, rated at 110 wpc  (MUCH fewer watts in real life) which was showing its age trying to drive some not so efficient CF-4's and an MTM center.  Since I only use 3 of the channels the XPA-5 makes 250 wpc available to the speakers.

 

In my case the external power amp gave some more life to the Onk 717.  FYI the XPA-5 is totally silent.  I hate hiss and if there were some I'd tell you.

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Hey Spirit_Rises, welcome to the forum. I own eleven Emotiva amps right now and have owned about fifteen more that have been traded or sold. I have not had any Emotiva amps that hum or buzz outside the regular slight hiss with your ear to the tweeter of 100db efficient Klipsch speakers. 

Red to red and black to black with the power off is all you need to worry about for hooking up the speakers to your amp. I don't believe your Denon offers XLR outputs otherwise i would tell you to use them in lieu of the RCAs, they always sound better, hold tighter and offer higher gain. I hope you find what you are looking for. The XPA-5 is a nice amp and should be plenty to power your speakers.

 

 

Tim

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9 hours ago, teaman said:

Hey Spirit_Rises, welcome to the forum. I own eleven Emotiva amps right now and have owned about fifteen more that have been traded or sold. I have not had any Emotiva amps that hum or buzz outside the regular slight hiss with your ear to the tweeter of 100db efficient Klipsch speakers. 

Red to red and black to black with the power off is all you need to worry about for hooking up the speakers to your amp. I don't believe your Denon offers XLR outputs otherwise i would tell you to use them in lieu of the RCAs, they always sound better, hold tighter and offer higher gain. I hope you find what you are looking for. The XPA-5 is a nice amp and should be plenty to power your speakers.

 

 

Tim

Does it really make a big difference according to the Denon X4400H in terms of sound? I mean , what is the sound going to be like? Will it allow me to crank the volume up more?

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2 hours ago, Spirit_Rises said:

Does it really make a big difference according to the Denon X4400H in terms of sound? I mean , what is the sound going to be like? Will it allow me to crank the volume up more?

One thing that is true about adding a quality outboard amp is that the power supply will never be near it's limits.  No compression or current limiting(under most conditions) especially with Klipsch and their high efficient qualities.  My experience has been better bass drive capabilities especially with the Acurus amps I currently own.  Your mileage may vary but dynamic headroom is where things really shine, IMO.

 

Bill

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6 hours ago, Spirit_Rises said:

Does it really make a big difference according to the Denon X4400H in terms of sound? I mean , what is the sound going to be like? Will it allow me to crank the volume up more?

It will actually let you turn the volume knob down to hear the same loudness, unless you want more volume,  the amp will help your receiver run easier.

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I have owned about 7 Emotiva amps over the years and they are very good for the money.

 

Can’t believe this hasn’t been asked yet.. How large is the room? 

 

In a small room, with everything crossed over around 80hz (dual 12” subs) I don’t think you would even notice a difference between amp vs. receiver, driving the speakers. 

 

Been there and done that many times. I like the additional lights in my rack and the knowledge that the system is overbuilt, vs wondering if I am maximizing my $$$/performance ratio. But so am s but of a nut, when it comes to my HT gear. 

 

That Denon is a stout unit and has more power than most home theater receivers, so unless you are watching action movies at extreme levels, it shouldn’t need an external amp. 

 

Also so check out the Monolith line of amps. This is the direction I am going to go next, if I ever get a dedicated room.

 

I always think putting money towards quality subs it the most impactful change you can make in the system. My second change would be to bump your center up to the 450, if you have the room for it. 

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9 hours ago, willland said:

If my memory serves me, his room is multiuse and on the mid/large size with many speakers.

 

Bill

That is correct :)

 

the room's pictures are in the link below

 

 

but i am deciding to move in a smaller room which is around 18-21m² I couldnt provide a good acoustic in the current room and it is very hard.I am dealing with some echo with the extended boomy bass.

 

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