Topic: Emotiva XPA2- Review Part II- Finally

[resident_evil]

After a month and a half, she finally arrived.
Extremely heavy amp. Backbreaking in fact.
So excited to try it out. Plugged it in. Made the connections. Played Friends of Carllota. WTF. Crappy sound. No Imaging whatsoever. Let it run for 3 more hours. Same results. Sound was all over the place.
I had no choice but to read the manual. I hate manuals. Lo and behold, the switch at the back of the amp was on bridged mode. Switched it off and voila.
Suspense.

Will post more comprehensive layman's review in a week or two after I burn it in thoroughly.

As a preliminary, I am very happy with it and it was worth the wait.

Here we go:

Very Big and well packed box






There she is. In the middle.











Paired with:





Porn






If you want power, this Big Momma has lots of it. The Dyns couldn't be happier.

Equipment used:

Conrad Johnson PV14L Tube Preamp
Rega P3-24 Turn Table with Exact Cart
Pro-Ject Tube Box II Phono Stage
Dynaudio Audience 72 SE
NAD 515 CDP
Chord Silverscreen Speaker cables courtesy of Darwin (Defcon3)
Absorbers courtesy of Valsky
Diffuser and Bass Trap courtesy of Tony (Trod)
VDH IC from Preamp to Amp courtesy of Rex
Furutech ICs

Thanks Mick for helping me bring in the Emotiva.

I hope I can finish the review soon. I also promised Narayan that I will do a review of his Furukawa power cable. Will be comparing it with Rega, XLO and Xindak. 

[sientobente]

Looking forward for that extensive review atty nice gears by the way.

[synchro_01]

Looking forward to the Emotiva-Dynaudio review. Been considering this brand as well.

[vgsison]

Can't wait to read the review. Ang bastos pala ng Emo pag porn shot nakaka orgasm. TFS

[dodie]

Kinabahan ako dun sa initial review mo atty. Buti na lang nagbago tunog   I havent tested mine since im still waiting for my xpa3 to complete my ht pre/power combo. Im just keeping my fingers crossed that everything will turn out the way iwant it after the room renovation. San na sir  yung lenco?
 

[resident_evil]

Hi bro Dodie. Nasa bahay na Lenco. Pinapalayas yung Rega P3-24. Hahaha. Will try to do a more comprehensive review of the XPA2 over the long weekend. Will also post pics of the Lenco. Maraming Salamat ulit.

[resident_evil]

I would have wanted to do a review of the Emotiva XPA 2 over the long weekend but the CJ preamplifier is exhibiting some tube rush/hiss although barely noticeable from the listening position and negligible when music is playing. However, since I promised a review, here it goes.

Please note that this review is system dependent as the amp cannot be evaluated on its own.

Let's first get rid of the things I do not like about the Emotiva XPA2.
1. Chassis Design- For me, an amplifier that sounds good must also look good. It must look classy, elegant, and pleasing to the eyes. I'm not saying that the XPA 2 is an eye sore because it is not. I just wish it had a little more style. Some curves would have helped and the cover should at least give one a chance to see what is inside. The cover is also a bit thin given the 75 pound weight of the amp. You would thus not think just by looking at it that it is a back breaker. The fascia would also benefit from a restyling that would at least give the buyer an idea on the power the amp carries. It is a bit too unassuming for my taste.
2. The use of blue lights in front is a bit too "artificial" and pretentious in my opinion. If I sound like I'm contradicting myself by asking for a little bit more style but not liking the blue lights, I'm not. I use blue led lighting for my listening room but I am not too thrilled with its implementation in the XPA2. I actually like the amber light when it is on standby.
3. I would have preferred a more substantial chassis footing given the weight of the amp. This is a ver minor gripe though.
4. The back panel is simple enough to understand except for someone who is as stupid as me who used it without checking if it was on bridged mode. Remember to flick the bridged mode switch to off. Flick to unbalanced if you are using RCA.

SET UP

As stated, amp is being controlled by a Conrad Johnson PV14L. Sources are Lenco Goldring GL75 Turn Table and NAD CD 515 CD Player. Speakers are Dynaudio Audience 72SE using Chord Silverscreen Speaker Cables. Interconnects are Furutech.

The amp is plugged in directly into the wall socket and not passing through any AVR or Line Conditioner.

The room still has a bit of echo but it is carpeted with bass traps and diffusers. Listening position is 7 feet with slight toe in of speakers.

The amp has been burned in for 30 hours since date of arrival.

It had been running for 6 hours today before doing critical listening. Amp is barely warm so no problem running it without air conditioning. Your room will not become a sauna.

Volume of CJ Preamp plays between 30 to 35. It's probably the same as 10:00 to 11:00 in your volume dial.

SOUND

Bass. If you want bass that you can feel, this is the amp for you. It takes the Dyns to a new level in bass and the Audience series is known for bass. Is it the boomy type of bass? At the onset yes but using a couple of bass traps from Tony did the trick. Bass is tight and fast. The drums of November Rain, Nothing Else Matters, and Enter Sandman never felt deeper. Does the bass gobble up the other instruments? In my room it does not. Probably because of the room treatments. JT's Whenever I See Your Smiling Face and Jack Johnson's Curious George Album are a joy to listen to. I always like it when acoustic guitar is backed up by solid and punchy bass. The vocals and instruments do not get lost.

U2's live version of Bullet the Blue Sky is astounding. Bass guitar and drums provide the anchor for Bono's voice. The music feels so alive.

Soundstage of the XPA2 reaches about 1 to a foot and a half beyond the sides of the speakers on some tracks. There is also a bit of height. However, I would prefer the vocals to be a bit higher than my speakers. Probably an inch or two above the speakers would do it for me. The XPA2 places vocals between the tweeter and midbass of the Dyns.

I like 3D sound using two speakers. The XPA2 provides good 3D imaging but I feel it could use a little bit more depth. Using the Depth Track on the Chesky Demo Disc shows that the XPA 2 could benefit from some more depth. Don't get me wrong. There is depth. It is not flat but the trumpet at the intro should be 10 feet away but I perceive it at 5 feet probably. Perhaps I am being to critical but as I said, I like 3D imaging. 

Vocals are realistic and with enough body to give the sensation of being there on good recordings. Most listeners who like vocals prefer female vocalists but I feel that the male singers benefit more from the XPA2. Bono, James Taylor, Jack Johnson, Livingston Taylor, Elvis, Frank Sinatra, and others all sound very good using the XPA2. Emotions are conveyed very well. No discernible sibilance except for Noting Else Matters of Metallica which I think is due to the LP and not the amp.

Vocals are good but horns sound better. Saxophones are saxophones and not some other instrument. The Saxophone Track in the Chesky demo disc is hauntingly real. You can even hear the fingers of the player moving on the sax. But again, I prefer a little more height. This may be due to the speakers and not to the amp. Will do some more tests and isolation to find out.

Vocals are about six inches to a foot in front of the speakers. Just the way I like them. Not in your face but not too distant that you feel like you are sitting in the bleachers.

TO BE CONTINUED....

It is bright or dark or in the middle?
Does it add color to the music?
Does it suffer from excessive roll offs?
How does it perform with classical music? Does the headroom help?
Do the speakers disappear?
Is it the amp that will end my quest? Abangan.

[defcon3]

hatorni, hanep ang set up mo sa 2 channel. walanjo, ni sa panaginip, hindi talaga ako magkakaroon ng ganyan. hibang klase. hanganda gandah!!! sana balang araw, matikman man lang ng tenga ko yang gamit mo. masaya na ako! 

malamang sa malamang mamomotivate ung gusto magemotiva nyan sa review mo. congrats bosing!

[resident_evil]

Thanks bro Darwin.

[vgsison]

Very informative and useful review sir. Looking forward to the chapter of the review.

[defcon3]

Atty, ano ung tower type na nasa wall sa 4th pic, ung may ilaw na blue ba un, tabi ng bag at LP's? mahilig pala kayo sa electric guitar, additional na pampawala ng stress. 

[♡ lvcdg23™ ✌]

Atty, ano ung tower type na nasa wall sa 4th pic, ung may ilaw na blue ba un, tabi ng bag at LP's? mahilig pala kayo sa electric guitar, additional na pampawala ng stress. 

Meron ako nyan brader Darwin... Electric fan yan

[synchro_01]

Looking forward to part two of the review. Nice part 1 BTW. Very informative

[resident_evil]

Atty, ano ung tower type na nasa wall sa 4th pic, ung may ilaw na blue ba un, tabi ng bag at LP's? mahilig pala kayo sa electric guitar, additional na pampawala ng stress. 

Electric fan bro. hehe.

[resident_evil]

Looking forward to part two of the review. Nice part 1 BTW. Very informative

Thanks bro. Hirap lang talaga mag comprehensive review because sometimes you do not know if it's the amp, the other components, or the room. Like the additional height that I'm looking for. It could be that the room is too small for the amp and speakers.

[resident_evil]

Very informative and useful review sir. Looking forward to the chapter of the review.

Thanks bro. Will try to complete review as soon as possible.

[synchro_01]

Thanks bro. Hirap lang talaga mag comprehensive review because sometimes you do not know if it's the amp, the other components, or the room. Like the additional height that I'm looking for. It could be that the room is too small for the amp and speakers.

Bro try to tilt the speaker up by adjusting the spikes. Was able to improve the height of my Contours by doing so. I bought longer spikes for the front side of the speakers and was able to tilt the speaker up facing the sweet spot by 1/4th of an inch. Toe in also helped a lot. I configured mine to the point that I don't see the sides of the speakers when I'm seated at the listening position. Dati din yun ang hinahabol ko sa soundstage. I was even thinking of having custom made 4 inch risers made for the speakers but luckily the positioning tweaks helped a lot so no gastos at all.

Probably that's one of the reasons why the latter models of Dyns have the mids on top of the tweeter.

BTW what was the amp that the Emotiva replaced?

[resident_evil]

The Dyns are tilted up a bit na bro. Will try to tilt some more. I previously used the Rega Brio R. Have tried the NAD power amp, Unison Research, AMX dual monos, Fisher Integrated tube amp, NAD 326, Yaqin MC10T. The Emotiva is the most powerful in my opinion. Not only based on paper but on performance. It's toe to toe with the NAD power amp with the Emotiva having a little more headroom. I haven't done an A-B test though.

Maybe some of the guys here are willing to bring their amps to my place so we can do an A-B. That would be interesting.

[synchro_01]

The Dyns are tilted up a bit na bro. Will try to tilt some more. I previously used the Rega Brio R. Have tried the NAD power amp, Unison Research, AMX dual monos, Fisher Integrated tube amp, NAD 326, Yaqin MC10T. The Emotiva is the most powerful in my opinion. Not only based on paper but on performance. It's toe to toe with the NAD power amp with the Emotiva having a little more headroom. I haven't done an A-B test though.

Maybe some of the guys here are willing to bring their amps to my place so we can do an A-B. That would be interesting.

I'm sure the increased bass response that you noticed in your system is because of the added headroom of the Emotiva. PM me your contact info bro. Kung malapit lang sa amin probably we can set up something.

[audi]

very clear and informative review atty., at take note part one pa lang yan. i'm sure maraming mag-aabang sa part two nyo at isa na ako dun. more power to your sir.

[Courage]

very clear and informative review atty., at take note part one pa lang yan. i'm sure maraming mag-aabang sa part two nyo at isa na ako dun. more power to your sir.

I'm alswo waiting for part 2

[stilljey]

waiting din ako 

[resident_evil]

Thank you bros. Medyo busy lang.

[intellution]

nice partial review sir...looking forward to part 2 as well

[mickmads]

Uy astig ngayon ko lang nabasa ito ah! Ganda ng review sir! Grabe ang antayan na naganap para sa amp na yan hahahaha! Buti sir sulit

[mbtorn]

Nice review. Makiki antay na din ako ng part 2 at baka maka antay din ng emotiva.

[ultimatedls]

Nice review sir.

[resident_evil]

Thanks for the kind words brothers in this insane hobby.
I cured the height issue by following the advice of one of our brothers here. Tilted the speakers up a bit some more by using thin rubber padding under the spike shoes and toed them in a little bit more. Vocals are now where I want them. Just a little bit higher than the tweeters.
I guess a bigger room would reveal more dynamics. My room is quite small for my speakers and amp. Ideally, I would want to be at least 10 feet away from the speakers.
Anyway, on with Part II of the review.
Since Part I, I think the XPA2 now has a total of 50 hours of burn in.
Using my humble NAD 515 CD Player, I listened to Classical music ranging from Vivaldi to Bach to Beethoven to see how the XPA 2 handles sudden drops and peaks in music level. Soundstage is very satisfying. In large passages, speakers will actually disappear. However, violins are a tad bright for my taste. As stated in Part I, I favor horns. So this is a matter of taste. The instruments have their respective places in the soundstage. The violin is upfront when doing solos while the other instruments are in the background. Perhaps due to the limitations of the CD Player, pin point accuracy is lacking but just a little bit. A well built external DAC would probably help. Sudden surges in sound level are handled very well without hearing any strain on the amp. However, again, strings are a bit too bright for my taste. I have heard a real violin up close and I think the sound from the set up lacks a little bit of that string feel. When listening to a real violin, you can actually feel the strings singing each note. Maybe I’m asking too much from the XPA2 or the whole set up. The improvement in the height due to the adjustments earlier mentioned helped a lot when listening to classical. The sound is bigger and more enveloping.
The ability of the XPA2 to put out very convincing bass helps in classical music. Large passages are really large. There is drama when the composer wanted drama. Ecstasy when the composer wrote notes to make the listener feel the emotion. There is speed when the composer wishes us to get excited.
In short, classical music with the XPA2 is very satisfying except for my minor complaint that the violins sounded a bit on the bright side. Remember, this is a Solid State amplifier.
In order to eliminate the NAD 515 CD Player as the source of the brightness and probably the CD too, I used the Lenco to play Bach’s Magnificat in D Minor. The Lenco is connected to a Project Tube Box II. The tubes helped tame the brightness a bit. By the way, the Conrad Johnson preamp also has tubes. The improvement in height due to the adjustments suggested by Synchro_01 helped create a cathedral in the listening room. Or something smaller than a cathedral. Hehe. But definitely larger than the listening room.
On whether the XPA2 adds color to the music. I think if it does, it is very minimal. On a scale of 1 to 10, 1 being bright and 10 warm, I will put the XPA2 at 4.5. I expected it to be in this position even before it arrived. That is the reason I am using a tube preamp. It may be a bit bright only on some tracks but in most tracks it is on the neutral side. It even gives life to some recordings that I feel are too dark.
It also does well in live recordings because it can give flesh to some recordings that sound a bit thin. Note that I do not equate thin with being bright. Thin for me means the track lacks flesh and body.
A noticed a bit of roll off  in the very high frequencies but it is something that you will only notice if you intend to go insane by focusing too much.
Can it play loud? Of course. This is where the extra headroom is an advantage. We had a party in the house recently and it was playing really loud such that if you have neighbors, they will likely be singing along with the music then report you to the Barangay in the morning. The XPA2 was a bit hot after 5 hours of playing loud but not too hot that you cannot touch it. I do not think this amp has a problem with heat.
And so we go to the final question- Is this the amp that will end the quest? In another forum, Hotel California of the Eagles was quoted- “You can check out anytime you want, but you can never leave.”
There will always be a better sounding amp or set up. As I said in Part I, the review is system dependent.
Am I satisfied with it? Hell yeah. Haba nga ng review ko e at anong oras na.
I bought the XPA2 because I did not want any excuses. I wanted as much power and headroom as I can get my hands on so that at the end of the day I will not think that the Dyns are underpowered. The Dyns are being exploited and whipped to their full potential because of the XPA2. I wanted an amp that will reveal what my entire set up can do. This for me is enough reason to keep it and sleep soundly at night thinking I made the right decision.






Until the Hi Fi Show. Hahaha.
Thank you for your patience bros.

[mickmads]

Nagbabasa lang ako pakiramdam ko naririnig ko na

[resident_evil]

Hahaha. Salamat Mick. Hay. Walang katapusan to.