Emotiva XPA Gen 3 vs NAD vs Parasound vs Marantz vs Crown| Amplifiers for Home theater, Music Gaming
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- Опубліковано 9 гру 2021
- The amps reviewed in this shootout are the Emotiva XPA Gen 3, 5 channel Amplifier with 300 watta x 2 or 250 watts x 5. The NAD C388 150 watt x 2 Integrated Amplifier. Marantz MM7055 5 channel amp at 140 watts per channel. Parasound New Classic 2125 V.2, THX Ultra 2 Amplifier. With 150 Watts x2. And the Crown XLS 1002 Amplifier Series 2 with 210 watts x 2. these amps can be used for home theater, music and video games.
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There is only so much money and I have so many needs. I bought the Emotiva 11 XPA 3. It leaves me the ability to swap out boards if I every want to improve and/or add another amp. I am sure there is better etc. etc. But for one stop shopping it's hard to beat it. Maybe if I hit the lottery, I can look at monoblocks etc. I am quite happy with the Emotiva, it sounds awesome and I didn't go bankrupt! Nice comparisons.
Thanks for sharing that
My Crown Straight Line 2 pre amp and Crown Power Line 3 power amp have been serving me very well for over 40 years. Recently had them recapped just to have it done but it showed not much improvement in the sound so these must be damn good amps!!
Your crowns are a whole different quality . Your have low distortion specs too
@@OldtradesReviews what about 2 crowns runn
ing as a mono block for home system?
A lot of crown respect, I made them my front stage and they are barely on so distorting is non existent.
@@johnreis8520 Crown amps will not fizzle out on you due to high demands you may put on it. Crown is very dependable, and rugged. It can keep up with complex shifts in music demands, and can dip down into 2 ohms without issue. Crowns are a neutral sounding amplifier. The Crown can be bridged into a single mono channel. With 2 Crown's bridged into mono would have superior channel separation. So many benefits of having a Crown. Matching speakers to an amplifier is very important too. If you have bright sounding speakers, a warm amp would be complementary to the speakers to warm them up a bit. If you add a tube preamplifier, then you will have a warm sounding amplifier to complement bright sounding speakers. If you want to brighten up the sound, you could implement an equalizer to brighten up the sound. Crowns' make for a great subwoofer amplifier for high power handling passive subwoofers when bridged into mono mode. The Crown amplifiers are very affordable as well. The Crowns do have a slight noise floor. The noise floor is not bad enough to be an issue. When you have to put your ear next to the tweeter to hear the slightest of noise, this very acceptable. The class D drive core 2 amplifier is an awesome amplifier. Class D amplifiers run cool. The fan only kicks on when driven real hard. With high power Crown amplifiers you have plenty of over head reserves for high dynamics. 🙂
Awesome information and comparison. I am really considering that Parasound for my Focal Aria.
Glad it was helpful!
Would you go that route or work you recommend anything else?
I totally agree with you with the part about other peoples opinion.
Our hearing is individual, also depending on age.
The acoustics in our room is very different too, my setup is in a living room, other people have their own room for cinema.
Speakers has a big variety also, some are bright, some are neutral, others are warm/dark.
Room correction can correct some of this, but they can also be tweaked to suit your taste.
This was a good review/comparison between the amplifiers, with good explaination of the the differences.
Thanks for watching. If only everyone realized that!
I have a Crown XLI2500. It's AB. I think it is great for a pro amp, sounds pretty good, maybe a little heavy on the low end. I use it to power 15" Cerwin Vegas. So ya, party time! 🥳
I am interested in a pair of Emotiva XPA- DR1, so I'm watching amp reviews, yours caught my eye. Thanks.
On the one hand, giving a deep and distinctive bass is one of the best
There's alot of talk about watts but what about current output? The relative difference between 70 and 140 watts is 3dB. While there would (theoretically ) be more headroom for transients, that's only applicable at much lower wattage. Meaning if you are giving a steady 7 watts into a speaker, then the 70 watts comes in handy for transients to keep music from sounding, perhaps less real, distorting, etc. So, adding double the power may provide the additional headroom for higher watts but not necessarily much more in terms of sound volume output. Of course there is more to this.
Another consideration is how much current a speaker may need for playback and transients, to move the cones properly to better present the sound, etc. Higher end products, or at least better designs can produce substantial output current when the demand requires it. A tiny budget class D might be capable of producing 70 watts but only up to 3 or 4 amps of output (and that may be enough) while a budget class ab amp may produce double the current output, at least for transients.
Better designed amps or a step or two above budget may be expected to be able to produce more amps if needed. say between 10 to 15 amps. Larger heavier amps may provide up to 25, 30, 35 and much more. That's not necessarily constant output but only when a speaker requires it. So wattage doesn't mean much to me relative to other factors. A well designed 20 watt amp can outperform a 200 watt amp.
I have two class ab integrated amps (not counting the two tiny class D amps I have). Both provide what I perceive to be a similar SQ at the volumes I typically listen at. One is capable of up to 60 watts of output at 8 ohms and the other approx 3X that. The smaller unit claims up to 15 amps and the larger about 35 amps capable. The larger unit would play louder while keeping the SQ intact vs the smaller, but not 3X louder. Perhaps up to 5db or so louder which is still significant but I do not listen at those volumes very long if at all, anymore. So, even with the smaller amp, I get room filling sound using only a few watts on the speakers I use.
So unless your speakers are highly demanding, low sensitivity, etc...you don't need to worry whether your amp is 50 watts (unless you need loud) and whether getting more watts will give you a substantial upgrade in SQ as long as it was properly designed. The more powerful amps may play louder but may or may not sound better.
As to why amps sound different from one another, when some say they shouldn't as all they do is amplify a signal is still another topic of discussion...but they do sound different, regardless of specs.
One example is heat dissipation. Some amps degrade the signal if they cannot properly dissipate heat generated, not to mention longevity. There are many amps that are under built for heat dissipation, even more expensive ones.
Thanks for that info
Thanks. very informative. I have a Denon X1500h, powering Hsu HB1 mk2 and hsu sft2 sub. The sound is laid back, compared to my previous receiver Onkyo TX NR 414 (hdmi board not working) The Onkyo had a bright, articulate, the modes were ok, the bass was solid. I am now coming to terms with all the info about warm, laid back etc. Will sell the Denon and get something better. Thanks
Glad I could help
Would be nice to see you review the Emotiva XPA-DR2. There are so few actual reviews on this incredible amp.
I have this amp and it is INCREDIBLE
I own a Pioneer sc-LX901 receiver (145W/ch) and I bought an EMOTIVA 6 channel XPA amplifier because some 140W/ch receiver onwers praised the Emotiva SPA amp. I had quite high expectations. However, after installing the amplifier and comparing them for more than 2 hours, (both bi-amping Front & center with paradigm studio 60 & cc-690) there was no difference - dynamics, clarity, details, and volume except sound color. The Pioneer is a D3 amp, so it's a little more vivid and bright, and the Emotiva is an AB amp so it's warmer and smoother. Both have great sound. I preferred the D3 amp sound, so I returned the Emotiva.
Its all about personal taste and component matching. There is never a right or wrong choice as it has to be best for the listener/owner. Thanks for sharing
Emotiva is not a class AB amp
I have 5 xls series amps 2 1002 2 1502 and 1 2002 and all do the job effortlessly and stay neutral and true and natural what you put in is what you get out my speaker pack a punch now and play every single note with Enthusiasm and confidence to put a smile on your face from ear to ear
I have 2 of the Crown XLS 2502's. AWESOME AMPS!
I have a parasound 2350 great low end drives my 4312g very well. Warm but I can adjust mids and treble on the monitors. I’m happy with it and it’s a class D.
Thanks for sharing. I considered that amp a while back before the price increased.
@@OldtradesReviews yup the price went up. Sadly.
I got a 2350 from Audio Advisor as a floor demo for about $900. It makes my two pairs of ELAC B6.2 sing. With 600 watts x 2, it should. I pair the 2350 with a Parasound 2100 Preamp.
Unifie 2.0 Speakers, thoughts? Incredible reviews! 3 models, all amazing 🤘😁
Almost forgot: loved the video!
Thanks for watching
THE BEST audio advise on youtube
I have a Carver AV 705x, 5 channel AV amplifier 125 watts channel thx , 180 x 2 @4ohms owned it for 18years love it
Wow thats a long time. you definingly got your moneys worth out of it
The original Carver Sunfire pre-amp and power amp were so beautiful and their thx amps were no joke.👍
By far the best reviewer
Thank you for watching!
Two amps I just can’t seem to get rid of: original NAD 3020 and Realistic STA-2200 receiver with MosFet power amp.
Hello, I also have the original first NAD 3020…great amp, i had a chance to hook it up to NAD 2200 power-amp oh…my..the sound stage opened up sooo much, but a few days in listening the 2200 left channel gave up…could you recommend any other power amp…? Listening with Infinity alpha 50 towers and infinity sub. Thank you!
Good info, THANKS. Please tell me what Pre-Amp would you recommend, with a Parasound 2250.V2 ? Any help is appreciated... Thanks again
My pre-amp is a Parasound pre 200 connected to an old NAD 214 amp. I am using the Dynaudio Evoke 20 and I like how it sounds. I'm just worried about my amp because it is over 25 years old. I was thinking of pulling the trigger on the matching Parasound 2125 amp but from what you said, it might not be a good match for my speakers because I think my Dynaudio is already warm sounding. The search continues.
I also found the Dynaudio I reviewed to be warmer sounding. I would not match it either
I got the pre same as you and a nad 216. And the 2125. I found they sound pretty similar.
What do you think about the Emotiva DR3 3channel vs a Parasound Halo A31 3 channel. I’m using Arendal 1723s Towers and a center ch. for my atmos and surrounds they are in ceiling/wall and thinking of just getting a smaller decent amp to power those.
Thanks for your review...good job.
I am looking for recommendations for a 2 channel power amplifier that will give my 70 wpc Pathos Classic Remix Hybrid Integrated Amplifier a little more juice.
I prefer a warm sounding amplifier.
In fact, I use a Parasound Halo P6 Preamp.
I am thinking of an EMOTIVA XPA power Amp. I'm still learning about the Emotiva line.
Thanks!
Thanks for your reviews. I'm looking to pair the Rotel RB-1582 MkII with Polk Audios Reserve 700 floor standing loudspeakers. Do you think it would be a good fit ?
Power wise it should be a great fit.
I'm running a crown xls 2502 in my 2 channel hifi system and it is far better than just a garage or party amp. It even rivals my Emotiva XPA-2 and has twice the power to boot.
I have not heard the xpa-2. But my crown had audible hiss, scratchy glass sounding treble and frequency's sounded off. Despite changing settings.
The crowns are notorious for having a noisy floor. You can mitigate that (somewhat) by pairing it with low sensitivity speakers.
@@OldtradesReviews i would have been totally fine with my crown xls 2002, but it was a noisy amp with both audible hiss and especially that nasty sounding hum like a guitar amp....perhaps I had some grounding issue but they just didn't work for me....also my avr can't push them enough with their voltage requirements even though they had a high and low sensitivity adjustment...
Thanks for sharing that. I also changed the sensitivity and many other settings. But It just had to many issues for me to enjoy.
The hum you hear and possibly the other noise issues are most likely caused be your source having a floating ground and the Crown amp having an earth ground, third pin on the power cord. I had the same issue and you have to use an isolation coil on the RCA cable which will tie the two dissimilar grounds together without it and cause the hum. I picked two up from blue jeans cables and it worked great.
i have the Anthem 225 integrated amp 225pwc at 8ohms it is a absolute beast.
Have you compared the Anthem MCA 325 Gen 2 vs Emotiva DR3?
Good afternoon, Since this winter I have bought two great speakers, hand made with the seas drivers CX 871. I like it very much. My amplifiers are rotel RB 1552 and RC 1550. I like the sound of these amplifiers, may I ask what your opinion is? Cause now I read that the Parasound better is than Rotel. Thanks for your answer!
I'm considering adding my first amp and was thinking of the Emotiva XPA-5 on my front 5 (Klipsch RP600Mii (L/R), RP504C2 (center), and RP500SA (front height) to be paired with my Denon X4700H running the remaining Polk surround satellites. My "theater" is also my bedroom, so it's not big, but I just like to try to improve my system as budget permits and I get a better space for my equipment. Any thoughts?
@oldtradesreviews I have focal Chora 826's do u think would pair better with this Marantz or XPA-2? Or would you put with another one.
The Crown is amazing for driving the low end. I use mine to drive woofers for biamp and waiting for the 2502 to drive my open baffle 15/18 cabinets.
Something thats never mentioned is synergy so thank you for that!!
. I didn't like my xls 1002 until I got a Geshelli J2 Dac with USB... Holy batman
I have the parasound and its about to be sold. It's not that great. I have a citations 7.1 and a Cambridge cxr200 that kills it.
Thanks for sharing your experience.
@@OldtradesReviews do you have a Geshelli J2 dac? I hope you try it. Its a game changer with class d especially the Crown xls. It will no shit surprise you with what it does with that amp. I didn't like the crown full range at all because it sounded like class d. It now sounds amazing in comparison.
@@ufarkingicehole Try also using a tube preamplifier. That will bring your audio experience up a level as well.
Great video, I managed to get myself a pair of Polk RTiA9 500-Watt Tower Speakers like 2 years ago and still don’t know which amp and matching AV receiver I should get to drive them properly. I don’t think I can get away from putting it together for less than 2K range. Any tips would be appreciated.
Fantastic Speakers. A Denon receiver with a emotiva xpa amp may sound good. At least to my ears
I have a Crown DC 300A driving my nominally 4 Ohm speakers (Infinity QLS-1) for Over 45 Years, FLAWLESSLY !!! The Crown is starting to show signs of Age !!
SO, I AM RESEARCHING FOR A POSSIBLE REPLACEMENT ???
I am in the process of having Control4 installed at my home. Mainly for music all over the property and a handful of TV's. I have issues with speakers that are to bright. I favor speakers like Polk because they are more of a warm sound, but still sound good. I also like NAD and use them to run Polk Atrium 8 speakers outside. I am looking for a solution for our great room. We have 16 ft vault ceilings and all hard surfaces. The automation company replaced my floor standing klipsch with 3 origin Acoustic THTR68 and 2 D69 in ceiling and D69's in other areas of the home. A Denon AVR-X6700H powers the 5 speakers inn the great room. I am not happy with the setup in any way. The highs are harsh and there is almost no mids. The Denon was just something to be used temporarily and will be used elsewhere on smaller speakers. I was informed of the Anthem line and have not heard one for myself. What would you recommend that has a warm sound like NAD and realy good room correction for my cave of a house :) 100% want to go with separates.
It sounds like with that room it will be alot of trial and error. The components have to match what you like. I have never used room correction. I listen and make adjustments
Hello Sir. I'm having a hard time figuring out what I want. I bought the Polk Reserve R 200s and was going to get the Yamaha rxa4a that's 1399.99 but it's out of stock or I don't have enough to comfortably buy it . Money is tight. I thought about going Emotiva Pt1 and A2 amp for about 900. I was music 1st then gaming through my tv and movies of course. Have u had the Emotiva Pt-1 ?
I have not tried that Emotiva. But it might be worth it. I think they have 30 day return policy.
Not a fan of Crown class D. I have one but XLi class AB is to my liking. Klipsch foum highlighted an important improvement. The small signal coupling caps were replaced with polypropylene audio caps. This amp is now toe tapping foot stomping good. With JBL 4425 studio monitors sound stage is fantastic from delicate to explosive. It is now my main amp.
When I shop a power amplifier in the future, I'm considering the Monolith 11x. Wondering how that compares in this line up.
I have not listened to that amp.
You might be better off with a monolith 7x and something like an emotive basx a4 if you’re trying to drive something like a 7.2.4. More horsepower for the bedlayer for basically the same total cost.
Yes have you done any reviews on ToneWinner? They have a 7 channel amp with the big meter up front I think it's new version of the 7300...looks good and well built and I believe ToneWinner use to make Emotiva so hoping maybe this is good quality...but don't see a lot of info o it Thanks
Not yet. Thats good info. Thanks
Hi Any experience with the anthem MCA amps? I am running b&w towers but will be upgrading to a 702 towers later this year. I do both home theater n music
No sorry.
I think this is great content, thank you for your efforts…BOOM
Glad you enjoy it!
Good job thanks for all your hard work 👍
Thank you for watching.
I'm thinking about getting a Crown XLi 3500, as a subwoofer amp for my passive subs, highest power amp that I can find that's not crazy money.
Im a Crown owner. I love them but you have to get the correct series for the correct application. The XLI are great for full range speakers since they're class AB amps. The XLS are great for bass applications. Yes, they work for full range, but they're not the best option. Hope this helps.
Great video
Thanks for the visit
Good luck with the Def Tech powered towers lasting. Sounded great for a few years until the amps started humming and gradually died.
Sorry to read that my old 7006 towers in the video are like 15 years old or more now.....still going strong
@@OldtradesReviews That's great! Mine are the same age, so far out of 4 of them, 2 are dead, 1 is making the hum sound but still usable and 1 is still working great. At some point I hope to either repair them myself or find someone to repair them. Loved them while they worked.
Hi, total noob here. I am trying to build a 5.1 setup. What amp would you recommend for the Marantz sr5015 receiver? Would the Emotiva be better to power the 2 main speakers and let the receiver handle the rest? Adding a SVS SB-1000 PRO subwoofer should help to handle the lower frequencies should help with the power right? For the speakers I am considering the Polk Reserve series or KEF R series. I found these in a store nearby and will be testing them soon.
Hi. I actually might be able to help you out. I have the marantz 5014 with svs sb3000. I just ordered an emotiva xpa3.m to power the front 2 speakers and center. Ill report back with findings this week.
I have 3 crown XLS for subwoofers(dyi subs will slam! the thing can run stereo in 2 ohms so insane good on subs.), and two emotiva DR1's for the mains.
One example, I had an Emotiva BasX A-400z Zone Amplifier compared to a little Keces eE40 integrated. While the Emotiva produced more extended highs than the E40, the E40 had substantially better bass, more bass, more tight and more texture. The E40 had more robust, more lifelike mids, more depth/dimensionality vs the flatter stage of the A400 amp. All of this was easily noticeable. The Keces E40 is a unique product in how it presents SQ in both music and soundtracks. If you live in an apartment or have a moderate sized room, even for desktop, the E40 is one of the best performing integrated amps under a grand$, albeit not the most powerful in watts, IMO.
So the trade off in high frequency extension was small considering what the better performing amp could do. It still had nice highs and only in direct comparison could I notice. I think Marantz also provides a similar extension to the highs. I typically prefer a sweeter but still extended high frequency to a more matter of fact, harder display of high frequencies. I think NAD is a bit harder in the highs for example. Some amps are more veiled, etc. How much it is perceived by someone is the question.
Whether you get a more/less warm-neutral-cool presentation depends on the amp, the speakers, the room...and how you yourself perceive it. One person's warm may sound cool to someone else or a syrupy mess of the low end. I prefer a faster response to the lows, hard hitting but ends when I feel is it supposed to rather than lingering.
Thanks for sharing that
I have the Marantz AV8802a, MM7055, and the MM8003 8 channel. My MM8003 has blown a protection circuit twice and I'm running all Klipsch in a small space, so I'm not blasting it, but the 7055 is still perfect. Is the MM8003 a bad product?
I don't know if its a bad product. Is it possible there is short somewhere? A wire is grounding somewhere or touching something it should not? I would try to narrow it down
@@OldtradesReviews It happened while I was feeding through my new HDMI cables from my new Ryzen 9 5700. I didn't notice anything touch, but pulling the 8003 out a little to feed the Marantz 8802a caused the protection circuit to go off. Also, this might be worth mentioning, but the 8802a can't handle the 4K 60 processing (that it's rated for) without constant screen flickering. I finally found in the manual where it says "Must use Ethernet HDMI cable," but after 3 sets of ethernet, it was only the 8K 48GB ethernet that helped, but still didn't fix. (FYI, the Ryzen 9 outperforms the i9 in almost every category and only 699 at Walmart.;-) What I finally figured out was hooking one HDMI directly to the TV and another to the amplifier then the TV. Your receiver can't have anything controlling the HDMI or it messes up the signal, but it still gives you the full Dolby Atmos. It took me days and I couldn't find a video on it anywhere. I'm sure others could use the help.
Wow, just wow.
Great review & Happy New Year! I am saving for the Emotiva NexGen5 paired with u guessed it the SR7013 thanks to you! By the way on Blizzard's website last week 75% off on The Lich King statue that's $825 off the statue 😲😲😲😲😲
Thanks and Happy new year to you! WOW 75% off a statue. No doubt that's a great deal.
Question
I have an old pioneer receiver sc-25 and I was wondering how to connect more speakers. Can I connect an extra receiver into the multi input channel RCA, from the pre output RCA on my pioneer sc-25?
That sounds about right. The pre outs on one receiver to the inputs on the other. Just read the owners Manuel to confirm.
Hello, which endpoint will be better Parasound or Benchmark. Regards
I have a chance to pick up a Emotiva XPA5 Gen 2 for a good deal. I want something that will drive my Cerwin Vega VS-150's and really make them shine. I listen to all kinds of music and would also use it for movies. Any advice on it would me great. 😊
Hi. Not sure how gen 2 sounds
I am kind of struggling to see how amps can sound so different. The purpose of an amp is to take an input signal and reproduce it at higher output. If the has demand calls for a certain volume the difference cornrow vs 300w should not mean anything unless the demand is higher than the amp can deliver or the load from the speakers is an issue due to very low impedance.
The purpose of a speaker is to take an input signal and turn it into audible sound waves.
You can make anything seem simple by describing it in simple terms, actually doing it is a different story.
Amps are actually very complex machines using thousands of parts and created with different philosophies and intentions. They also interact with connected equipment in very different ways. Every audiophile has a unique setup. I find it amazing we can learn anything from one another!
@@bearclaw5115 I see two different perspectives here. Logical and audiofile jargon 🤣😂🤣😂👀
Have the Thx94, Pioneer receiver, 140 -7 Elite model, any impressions? Recommended Speakers ? Thanks 🤘
Sorry i have not listened to that receiver
Can you please make a video on martinlogan 40i and the avr which can support it
What amp or avr would you recommend for B&W 702 s2, htm71 s2, 706 s and subowoofer? I have a Marantz sr7010 and I don't like it, it sound too bright to me.
I have not listened to the 7010 but I have the 7013 so the tonal quality may be different. The 7013 is a warmer sounding receiver. With that said the BW 702 tweeter may be to much. The Parasound I reviewed would be a very warm alternative to add on to the Marantz
I have the Parasound New Classic 2250 v2 in a 2 channel system. To my years, in my room it sounds pretty neutral from the bass through the mid range. Good bass control and drive, open & clear sounding. I wouldn't call it forward, but neither is it overly warm & thick. Kind of a "jack of all trades", does everything pretty well, but not truoy extraordinary in any individual area of performance.
Thanks for sharing that.
Do you think the parasound is good with Polk r700? I have them with the rotel amp and it’s fatiguing
It may help if your finding the sound too sharp. The important thing is to buy a amp from somewhere you can return it within 30 days. To see if your ears are ok with the sound.
marantz cinema 40 with B&W 705S2, which power amp will match well to power LCR?
Polk Audio Monitor 240’s? or is it Monitor Series 40 II?🤔
Question. if you had to choose an amp to be used strictly as a subwoofer amp. which would you choose? Thanks.
The sub would have its own built in amp so really the preamp would be important. And its only bass frequency so no worry about detail
@@OldtradesReviews The reason I asked. was I decided to build my own subwoofers. so I bought four passive 10-inch subs. I bought a Crown XLS 1002 to power them. the amp has plenty of power. (I would not consider it a HIFI amp). but most subwoofers retailers do use a Class D amp anyways. mostly for power consumption saving, I don't know if it's just me. but class AB has a better sound. (I could be wrong) Thanks again
I have 8 speaker towers rated at 300watts each 8 ohms. I know I’m nuts. 😆 and I’m shopping for a preamp and maybe a few power amps but I don’t want to pay $10,000
And the amps need to have enough over head wattage. I also don’t mind looking for something used to save money.
What’s your solution? 😉 QSC, Rotel, Marantz, Yahama???
Its always about your own personal taste. What appeals to your hearing? What amps/Preamps/Receivers match well with your speakers, room acoustics and hearing. I would look at what specs seem to match best and make sure the store has a good return policy.
At 8 ohm? Is it for a theater. Just go with something like a monoprice monolith. Look into them. Highly recommended.
Thank you very much for this review, I would like to know your thoughts on the arcam pa series such as the pa720 or (that I am considering) vs a mm7055 and add a pa240 for my front speaker. Of note my set up is for a small home theater room, 7.2.4, I currently use the entire Focal chorus 800 series, 836V front, 806Back, SR800 surround, CC800 for center. I do have a pair 100ICLCR5 atmos and a pair 100IWCl6st for atmos potentially. I currently run an arcam avr390 that is an AVR and would like to try to have separate preamp/amp. I am not sure yet whehter I would keep the arcam for now as it would add onto the cost. I am also asking this because of course the Emotiva are soo much cheaper, so wondering whether the sound quality is actually keeping up compare to an arcam for example.
Unfortunately I have not listened to the Arcam. People seem to like the sound from the brand. The Marantz is higher powered but it depends if the tonal quality of each amp matches well with your hearing and speakers.
Soo true
I agree with one of your commenters: The Crown is the only amp in this collection that has a built-in low-pass filter, combining that with high power (it can drive 4 ohm and even 2 ohm loads) and you have a perfect amp for single or multiple subwoofers.
Have you listened to the SVS Ultra towers? Trying to find the best amp that would make them sound better.
The SVS Ultra center sounds good with the EMotiva XPA gen 3
Hi! What amp would you ultimately recommend for the Polk Audio ES60 speakers? Thanks!
I reviewed those speakers. They are more flexible with various amps. it all depends what your ears like. Just make sure the store offers 30 day returns.
@@OldtradesReviews Thank you for reply! I am leaning towards the Marantz NR1200 but am concerned that the Polks will be underpowered since the Marantz tops out at 75 watts a channel. Have you had an opportunity to listen to any Crown XLI amps compared to the XLS?
No. My favorite sounding amp of all the ones I have heard is the Emotiva xp gen 3
Thank you!
I have Marantz 7706 thanking buying 7055 marantz amplifier or emotiva bas x 6 amplifier i’m playing 9.1 Channel I have a three channel amplifier ati I have two front speakers center I have marathon Logan Speakers 60xti and my Center speaker 50xti and I have four motion 4 speakers for my ear level Which amp will be better for me let me know thank you
Please let me know I’ve been waiting
Any experience on the xtz edge a2 300?
No sorry
You should have a look at the kef Q650 center channel
That a big center .
@@OldtradesReviews it definitely is I own one and I had to replace my tv stand to a bigger tv stand so it would fit and it was to heavy for my old tv stand that it was sagging
I know how that goes too .
Nah the Monolith thx 365c is better. The q650 is good but the Monolith is superior.
I have a 2 channel amp can I add a 3 channel together making it 5 channels without loosing power
Objective measurements?
I noticed you talk a lot about watts and power. Amp power ratings have always been very inaccurate. The problem is there's no standard that everyone uses to rate an amps power, so manufacturers are left to rate them however they see fit. If you took 10 amps from 10 different companies, all listed at 100 watts in to 8 ohms, and rated them all the same way, everyone would be different. You can easily have a situation where an amp rated at 50 watts 8ohms, is substantially more powerful than one rated for 100 watts 8ohms.
If you're not sure how powerful an amp really is, listen to it. Its very easy to hear an amp straining to power a speaker.
The whole point of the nad is to have the integrated streamer. That’s NOT bluetooth.
Good to know
Parasound or Rotel amplifier?
Different sounding and depends on speakers and amp match.
Someone else here mentioned the Monoprice Monolith amps. They seem to be pretty close to performance to Emotiva in most respects. Speaking of, more watts doesn’t give you more bass per se. More watts gives you more headroom and dynamics at higher volume. The bass should stay balanced with the frequency range no matter what the volume or wattage.
You might also check out the XTZ edge series amps. They’re a Scandinavian audio company that makes well regarded speakers and amps in this general price range.
As for me, I recently bought the Starke AD 4.30. It’s a 4 channel amp that’s class D, but voiced to sound like class AB. It can also be bridged to 2 channels. I use it to handle my main LCR channels (bridge the center, and L and R get normal power) and it sounds fantastic. Sounds much better than both the Crown XLS amps I had, as well as the internal amps from my Pioneer Elite receiver. You might give it a try.
Thanks for sharing that information and recommendations. My research also found Monolith was similar. But it was much heavier and different method of power distribution.
Elac 2.0 unifie, thoughts? ❤️😁
I have a video for the 2.0
Emotiva preamp Sux, I put an onkyo avr in its place, and wow, that emotiva pt100 sucked in comparison
Your model of Onkyo most likely has a different audio signature due to having a different DAC. The PT100 uses a basic Burr Brown DAC. I use the Emotiva PT100 with a SMSL D300 DAC which is a more elaborate DAC. The sound is night, and day. The Emotiva PT100 preamplifier does not suck in the slightest, and is a great working preamplifier.
Emotive class A B with a H power source
I would pick Monolith over emotiva any day. The emotiva customer service of the past is long gone. Now is a nightmare.. You have been warned
Would you say the monolith gives "bright" sound? Im trying to avoid amps with too much highs, ears are too good haha
I have the Emotiva XPA GEN3 2 channel connect to a pair of polk S20 to me has a veryfull sound.
I have the Emotive XPA-3. I like it alot but don't necessarily love it. It does run very cool.
What would make you “love” an amp? And how far/close is “like it a lot” to love?🤷🏻♂️
Amps should not be used as tone controls!
parasound full stop
Of course!
Damping factor guys. At least take it into consideration here.
Is crown the budget winner
From what I have seen and read about crown products ....you are going to need a good pre amp ...for their amps...because they have a hiss to them when you turn them on...this is the reason for the good pre amp apparently the better one reduce or eliminate the hiss. So I think spending the extra money on the emotiva bass x would be worth it I just watched a video Where this guy bought a new Anthem receiver the 11 channel one and hooked up the Emotiva the one here being reviewed and said it sounded better than just hearing the Anthem alone...that's pretty impressive to me
@@jimhamlin6551 The hiss is due to an excessive amount of gain. The way to get rid of it is to alter your gain structure. Putting a "good" preamp in the system may or may not fix anything. It could even make the problem worse. When fixing a hiss or distortion problem, too much gain can distort the signal but a volume control can't. Most pro audio amps come with gain adjustments. That's how you are going to get rid of the hiss. Set the gain low enough to where the noise goes away, and use volume to set loudness after the gain is set right. Any piece of audio equipment can be prone to noise or distortion no matter how expensive or well designed it is. Problems like this are fixed with setup.
@@AT-wl9yq I agree, good advice. I use dual transformer isolators at RCA/XLR connections, and I also use ferrite beads wherever possible in my audio rig connections. Most people that own Crowns' or other pro audio amps turn the gains to the maximum for reasons I don't understand. I guess they think it is a volume knob of some sort. They are their mainly for gain matching. The 12 O'clock position seems about right for most, and is the neutral position.
Crown lmfao