Emotiva XPA - 1 mono blocks.

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I bought a pair of the generation 1 XPA-1's last year to drive a pair of BG Corp 520DX ribbon/hybrid loudspeakers. I'd been using a Theta Intrepid and biamping the speakers with 200 watts/channel into the speakers' 4 ohm load. The sound was smooth and detailed, quite open and transparent, but also slightly lacking in upper bass slam and weight. The speakers are rolled off prematurely so the bass performance wasn't a surprise. I wasn't necessarily looking to upgrade the amp as I'd also been using a pair of Def Tech subs to good effect. However, I saw a pair of the XPA-1 at a good price and thought I'd try them out, after all, I could always resell at about the same price I'd paid.

My source is an Upgrade Company modded Oppo BDP-83SE, which I drive the amp(s) directly from, and the cables are all sourced from a very good silver plated copper solid core wire. I use the Oyaide 046 plugs on my power cords and have a Maestro outlet in the wall. My system is hi-rez on a budget but I'd put it up against anything in stereophile's Class B. I bet it could even challenge some of the Class A contenders.

Having said that, I want to stress that my conclusions are based on my personal feelings of the importance of resolution, transparency, and PRAT or boogie factor. Installing the XPA-1's into my system and using the same power cords and interconnects, I was immediately aware that the top end had lost some sparkle, that it seemed closed in, perhaps even opaque. Detail was good across the spectrum from upper bass on up but I just wasn't as engaged. The Emotiva amps were more bass prominent, not necessarily tighter or more detailed though. So, if you need the extra wattage, the Emotiva amps are pretty good for the money but really the Theta outclassed them easily.

While still in possession of both the Theta and Emotiva amps, I picked up a Cambridge Audio 840W. I had to wait a week for a 20amp Oyaide 046 plug to arrive before I could do a fair comparison but, even hampered by the stock power cord, the Cambridge seemed special. Another week gone by to let the new plug burn in, I compared the Cambridge to the others. I felt the Cambridge to at least equal the Theta in detail and smoothness but it was obviously the more transparent amp and the 840W has a killer bottom end. I found myself turning off the subs (which were set at lowish levels anyway) because their input wasn't needed and it muddied up the sound. I've since pulled them from the system entirely and never miss them.

Now compared to the XPA-1's, the Cambridge was in an entirely different league. There was NO area where the Emotiva amps bettered the Cambridge. Actually, they weren't even competitive. If you like a warmer, fatter bass, then perhaps you might prefer the Emotivas in this area, but otherwise, I can't even imagine anyone preferring the XPA-1's on sound. The do look like a lot of amp(s) for the money but you can do MUCH better in this price range. Sorry if that disappoints but you shouldn't have any trouble reselling them. Good luck!

Thanks Lcherepkai I hear so many different reviews of these amps! I haven't seen a lot in my price range 1,200.00 mostly very old amps that mostly are due for new caps and etc to sound their best again when it comes to the big name amps.

While at the price of the XPA 1's I wouldn't be looking for them to sound like the omega buck amps none of which I have ever owned. I been more in the Rotel, Adcom, Parasound leauge of amps and many say the XPA 1's are on par with this group and better than a lot of them?

I have also read many write ups where the folks who have owned the mega bucks amps have said that while the mega buck amps do out class the XPA 1's they don't outclass them to the point of justifying the sometimes 4k and higher price differences.

I have also read where many audiophiles believe the philosophy that it's all about the front end and that the amp only amplifies what it's feed?

Either way buying amps is a difficult process here in Columbus Ohio as all the dedicated audio stores have closed up or have went the way of home theater! The closet audio stores are about 2hrs. away in Cleveland and Indiana. So theres not a lot of room to demo an amp in my set up which leaves me to online reviews and a huge guessing game of trial and error and hoping if i don't like a piece i can resale without taking a loss!

I have no experience with the XPA-1, I had the XPA-3, which is a different animal and on par with the XPA-5. I owned it for 3 years paired with their XDA-1 as preamp. I was never completely happy and couldn't figure out why, mind you it was my first serious attempt at a dedicated 2 channel system and I did a lot of reading on the internet which can actually be a bad thing, because there is bad advice out there.

I found the XPA-3 on par with the Adcom amp it replaced, which disappointed me since it was a later entry level model Adcom(5300). The sound got harsh at higher volume levels and there was distortion in the vocals when an "s" was pronounced with some tracks. I couldn't really tell if anything else was wrong, as my recent experience was mostly my home theater.

So I finally bought a different amp, a Parasound A21. The distortion disappeared, but I also got improved imaging and more accurate bass, which I didn't know was missing. I got rid of the XDA-1 and finally replaced it with a Parasound preamp, the P7. Another improvement, more analog in the room sound was achieved

The XPA-1 is a different animal though, it should be better than their multi-channel amps. I'll make a suggestion that gave me a good improvement also. Audioquest Type 4 speaker cables, if you're using the typical 10 or 12 gauge stranded copper, I was surprised to find a more focused clear sound from the solid core cabling. Well recorded music will reward you as well, everything can have an effect!