That's a load of garbage. I don't eat dog**** for dinner. That doesn't mean that I avoid it because I just haven't had quality dog****.
Do you really need the amplification? Probably not. Amplification in blind tests with equalized volume levels show that all amplification sounds alike. If you don't need the extra oomph from the XPA (most people don't) then it's a waste of money. Unless your speakers were clipping with your AVR, it's a waste of money.
Not really. I don't understand why people make such a big deal out of amps.. I can understand it if your going to do a pre/pro setup,but if you have a decent receiver I don't see much of a benefit,unless you like going towards reference level..
Only you can determine if the XPA-3 is providing benefit to your system.
Simple to test. Go direct from AVR to speakers and listen.
It boils down to the efficiency of your speakers and the true output of your receiver.
I have the XPA-3 coupled with my old Pioneer Elite receiver and there is absolutely no benefit. I hang onto it as it is paid for and I don't know if I may need to use an outboard amp for future equipment or additional zones. For me at this time - cheaper to keep her.
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Originally Posted by LowTech1 /t/1527081/to-sell-or-not-to-sell-emotiva-xpa-3#post_24600425
Not really. I don't understand why people make such a big deal out of amps.. I can understand it if your going to do a pre/pro setup,but if you have a decent receiver I don't see much of a benefit,unless you like going towards reference level..
No problem with the idea that having quality amps are important, but I'd like to hear what ATI's do that competent but far less expensive amps can't do.
Please understand that by "Best" in this case I mean "Most Impressive to Audiophiles".
With the well designed speakers I had it performed like a fairly run of the mill good 125 wpc power amp that sounded no better and no worse than any other good amps of that power class I had on hand such as a Behringer A500 or a QSC USA 400.
Where this amp could shine was with some of those contemporaneous (late 80s, early 90s) speakers that were inefficient, could sop up the power and had impedance curves in the bass range that dropped well below 2 ohms. The brand name Infinity comes to mind. Speakers that should have never been built.
It quickly evolved that this amp could still be sold for well up in the 4 figure range, and that happened. I paid some bills.
I think a lot of placebo goes into the amp equation,not to mention speaker choice and room acoustics. When someone says it a night and day difference,then I'm extremely skeptical. Plus those guys are talking about amps that are pretty expensive and Emo has a bad name over there..
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Originally Posted by Theresa /t/1527081/to-sell-or-not-to-sell-emotiva-xpa-3#post_24602391
There are AVRs that cannot drive some speakers. This is justification for a different amp. But generally people don't need separate amps.
I think too many people want to get their money's worth and don't,so they try to talk themselves into a drastic change they hear. If your trying to drive maggies,yes the amp is a must,but for most other speakers,not so much. JMO of course.
What speakers are you running? My logan's are supposed to drop to less than 2 ohms,but I think you would have to really be listening at ref or something,which I never get close to.
I have conventional drivers rated at 4 ohms. They dip somewhat lower than that. My AVR is a 4520ci which could drive them. But they are DIY with active crossovers so I must use separate amps. They're Emotivas, except for the subs which use a Behringer EP4000. I think many receivers would have trouble with these ScanSpeak drivers not even considering their low sensitivity. The average speaker system would work fine with most AVRs though.
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think a lot of placebo goes into the amp equation,not to mention speaker choice and room acoustics. When someone says it a night and day difference,then I'm extremely skeptical. Plus those guys are talking about amps that are pretty expensive and Emo has a bad name over there..
It all depends on your speakers, and what you're coming from. If you can't hear the difference between a Yamah 373 and a ATI then something is wrong with your hearing. I went from one quality amp to another and couldn't tell the difference, if there was one, probably so small that just my imagination. But that's poweramp to poweramp. Not integrated to integrated (ie Roksan versus Arcam)
I have other speakers, 6 ohm, 8 ohm and I have no problem with these. I did notice with a 50W amp wasn't capable enough for some sealed box speakers as they have low sensitivity.. I think generally once you get 4ohm speakers it's good to look into dedicated amplifiers. Stereo integrated amps are capable of driving 4ohm speakers (a £300 rotel can do it) but a £300 AV amplifier- not really.
The main issues in whether you should sell an amp is dependant on your speakers and room size as well as volume expectations for the most part.
The 818 has your typical amp section for the price range. It won't shine with 4 ohm speakers, too bad that it's the center. But if you are happy with the Onkyo, then I'd say for your ears you're doing alright. So I guess you bought the UMC and XPA and ran with them for a while? What made you switch to the Onkyo? Do you notice any difference between the Onkyo sound with Audyssey and the UMC?
I'd hold off on selling the amp for a while, in my experience it's nice to have options.
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