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Emotiva vs. some bigger boys

I have just ordered a Emotiva 3 channel amp after testing it against a few better known models. Here's the short story...

My recent gear....Manley Stingray II, Def Tech BP7004 speakers for theater, Magnepan 1.6, Odyssey Stratos, Rogue Metis pre, Rotel 1090, MJ Acoustics Sub, SVS sub...and so on! I typically spend 7-10K on a system and I like to call that the low end of high end....

My buddy bought my latest set of Magnepans 1.6's which were modded with better stands (I'm waiting for my new Merlin TSM-XMr's to mate with my new Stingray II) and he also has the Odyssey/Rogue combo, which he bought after he heard mine. Other speakers in the room: Revel M20's and an old pair of Proac floor standers-not sure of the model.

The amps were the XPA-3 and the XPA-2. Most of the listening was done with the Metis by Rogue.

I'll cut right to it. Both Emotiva amps had less than 100 hours on them and both sounded better than the Rotel 1090 for dynamics, detail and soundstage. Bass was stronger on the Emotiva, but we also thought the Rotel's bass was a bit more true and quick. Space around single instruments was superior on the Emotiva XP3, open and very lifelike. But on some recordings the Emotiva was a tad too bright and in those cases I may have chosen the Rotel for extended listening. Still, with a fine recording, such Lyle Lovett Pontiac, we both agreed the Emotiva was superior to the Rotel.
Next up was the Odyssey, which matches beautifully with the Rogue pre. This was a MUCH closer contest. The Odyssey is well broken in and has a dry accurate bass response that is very hard to beat, better than on some FAR more expensive amps in fact. The Emotiva had a slight edge in the upper midrange, but the Odyssey seemed to offer a smidge more resolution/detail. It was very close. On the Proacs we couldn't even hear much of a difference, but the Magnepans exposed the character of both amps more.
Just to be "complete" we tried my new Manley Stingray II, which is not broken in at under 60 hours. The Stingray could not control dynamics as well as the big amps, but vocals and single instruments were far more "real" and "in the room" sounding. We still felt that the Emotiva would not make music lovers unhappy, especially if mated with a nice tube preamp.
Pitting the 3 channel XP3 against it's more powerful 2 channel sister, we noted very little difference. The 2 channel version MIGHT have created a deeper soundstage, but we were getting sleepy and running out of ear power!

Summary:
I was seeking a used amp in the 2000 dollar range to run my theater, but I have ordered a XPA-3 instead. I will most probably add the 2 channel or monoblocks from Emotiva next. For home theater these are VERY serious amps that give up nothing or very little against pricier stuff. The bonus is that they can be quite musical. With their higher power they even will eclipse some gear that costs more. For example, I've listened to a lot of Bryston gear and I think the Emotiva amps are more musical...and that was with a very low cost Rogue preamp.

So that's my review and opinion. I will post a follow up review when I have the Merlins. I'm very curious to see how the Emotiva will sound on them vs. the far more expensive Stingray. I don't expect the Emotiva to ever be as sweet sounding, but I suspect it will be more dynamic and fun for certain recordings.

Cheers,

Rob
robbob
robbob OP
273 posts
 
Well, as you can read, both Emo and the W4S have fans. Two points. Not all Emo amps are great sounding. The 200 watt monoblocks are the most musical and at their best with 8 ohm speakers. A tube pre-amp works very well with them.

Amps like the XPA series are more suited for home theater, but sound surprisingly fine with the Rogue pre.

In the price range of the W4S I prefer several other amps, such as the Odyssey. In the Emo range? Forget it.

Rob
face
516 posts
 
Yes, but Odyssey is as reliable as an 80's Jaguar.
pubul57
3,712 posts
 
Can any Odyssey owners confirm whether there are any reliability issues with their amps? I never heard that before and it is too easy to create the wrong impression about a product.
robbob OP
273 posts
 
Between my friends and I we've used 4 Odyssey amps or 5 if you want to count monoblocks as two. The only issue is the blue Odyssey light blows easily!

Beyond that no problems nor have I heard of any unusual frequency of failure anywhere. That all said the Odyssey amps are quite special providing a better midrange than the W4S amps I've heard (Halo series mainly).

The Odyssey is backed by a LONG warranty so it's hardly the end of the world if something does go wrong. And Klaus is always ready to mod an amp to a higher spec. He's a great member of the audiophile community to say the least.

Rob
bondmanp
1,807 posts
 
My Odyssey Audio Experience: About four years ago, I purchased an HT3 with cap upgrade from Klaus at HE2006 in NYC. Note that this was a one-off, which had the old circuit board for the center channel and the new boards for the L/R channels, so I got a deal. In terms of reliability, overall I am happy. I guess Face had a bad experience. When I first hooked it up, there was a hum issue. Klaus had me remove an internal grounding wire, and that improved the situation dramatically. Since then, I have also upgraded to a PS Audio AC chord and a PS Audio Quintet. There is no longer a hum issue. A few months into my ownership of the HT3, a capacitor developed a leak (manifested as white noise in one channel). It was repaired under warrenty and has been trouble-free ever since. No issues with the light on the front panel. My only complaint is that shipping this 64 pound behemoth back for a warranty repair is expensive.

I must also say that I really enjoy this amp for both music and film. It serves as the L/C/R amp for my combo HT and 2-channel system. The 2-channel sources are run through a Conrad-Johnson PV-11 all-tube preamp. I have found this to be a wonderful combination (the rest of my system is in the System link). I bought this amp to replace a Rotel RMB-1066 (run bridged for 150 watts X 3). Note that I also tried a Van Alstine Omega-line 3 channel amp prior to purchasing the Odyssey, and the Odyssey was better in every respect. Super-smooth, great soundstage, good dynamics, excellent detail and decay retrieval, and plenty of power for my purposes (I do not run it full-range, however).

I am sorry Face had such a bad experience or heard of others' bad experience, but checking the Odyssey owners' forum at the circle web site, he seems to be in the minority.
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