Emotiva UPA-7 Amp. Impressions?

the upa-7 is essentially the same amp as the lpa-1 except channels 6 and 7 are 125 w instead of 50(?). You should be able to find numerous reviews of the lpa-1. It is quite a nice amp especially for the price. Unless you need the extra wattage for the last two channels you might be better off with the lpa-1. Used ones go for about 400+shipping.

Unless their website is wrong, it now says 125 to all 7 channels.

go to the emotiva site and click on forums. they have great advice and reviews there.

*
Those are correct specs and the same as in the manual. Thats with all channels driven into 8 ohm loads. All channels driven into 4 ohm loads is 185wpc.

As for sound quality, I own one and give it my highest recommendation. I listen to 2 channel most of the day. It puts out 150wpc into 8 ohms driving 4 front speakers, each speaker using a separate channel. You can spend more money on an amp, but unless you need more power than what the UPA-7 can deliver, you won't get better sound.

I also own a pair of their dipole surround speakers - ERD-1s. These are quality built speakers and also sound very good. Better than the 3 way bookshelf JBL E50s I replaced them with. They have much better mid and highs than the JBLs.

Now I'm just saving up the bux for their new tower 8.3s. If they don't do the job I'll be looking at the Salk Song Towers next.

This hobby is getting expensive as hell!

He meant that the LPA-1 has 50 wpc to channel #'s 6 & 7. The UPA-7 is the newer vesion of that amp.

Hey Emotiva Folks,
I can't find on Emotiva's website but does anyone know if the UPA-7 has fans or just heat sinks on each channel? I'm looking for quiet...

Thanks for any response

There are no fans in the UPA-7. Noise floor is also very quiet.

It never runs hot - just about right for a cat to sleep on it if you have one.

And the price is right at $599 on sale right now.

Another happy UPA-7 owner here!
In short, couldn't ask for more

I have the Integra DTR-7.8 AVR. Would adding the UPA-7 make any improvement? Or would the difference be insignificant? Thanks,

Problably insignificant. IMO of course. You may be able to hear a difference between the XPA3 or XPA5, but it may also be not worth the investment.

For most wit a decent AVR acting as pre/pro, I see the XPA-3 as a better value... let it drive your front three and the AVR will have no problem driving the surrounds (whether it be 2, 4, or more). More power where it counts, lower point of entry (unless you find a good deal on an LPA-1).

I had the upa-7 and the xpa-5 paired with a Marantz 7001 and while both provided an increase i performance I would spend the extra $100 and get the Xpa-5. It just has more umph. The reason I got the Xpa 5 instead of the 3 was incase I ever wanted to switch to a dedicated pre instead of the Marantz. This is just my $.02

I own the UPA 7 along with the XPA 3 and XPA 2. They are all fantastic and have the same sonic signature. The XPA gear has more of a dynamic impact than the UPA, but not by much. I would highly recommend the UPA 7.

I bought a UPA-7 to drive my new center channel. The rest of the theatre is powered by two Anthem Statement P2's driving the mains, two Anthem MCA30's driving the woofers, an Anthem PVA5 driving the existing center channel, and an Usher R-6.0 driving the surrounds. Once the new center speaker is installed and powered by the UPA-7, I will be able to make a better listening evaluation but just based on listening to a simple two channel set up I think the Emotiva amp is very comparable to my Anthem amps.

I also did a few basic measurements and found the Emotiva specs to be accurate. The noise floor is very low, about the same as the Anthem MCA series. It also runs very cool. The rack its in now is very open so I don't know if it would run dramatically warmer with less ventilation.

If I were building my theatre today I would opt for the Emotiva over the Anthem. Based on what I have heard out of the UPA-7 thus far I don't expect to be disappointed by it in the theatre. In fact, three UPA 7's could power the entire theatre. Think about how much that would have saved over the cost of my existing set up. I probably wouldn't do it that way, I would probably use Emotiva's bigger 2-ch and 3-ch amps for the mains and woofers the way I use Anthem 2 and 3-ch amps now but even going that route it would still save a bundle!

mk

LOL about the cat - we actually have one of those BUT the hair:0/ hmmm well I'll figure that out.

I ordered one today! I can't wait, I need a place to find some good cable... Speaker wire and RCA.

I can't wait for their processor - on the pre-order list.
Thanks for the info and reply.
Stephan

One heck of a center channel!! Really with the UPA-7? What about the other 6 channels?

It's pretty heavy. I think it would leave an impression on a softer surface. I suggest thoroughly kilning your clay table top before setting the UPA-7 down.

Ideally the center speaker alone would use 15 channels but I squeezed it down to 7 so I would only need the one amp.

mk

Woah, ok MK - teach me my master 15 channels for a center? I am so wet behind the ears in the audiophile world- what kind of center would you have the capability for doing this? AND here I am thinking one channel for my B&W 603 LOL...

Check this link http://www.xlrtechs.com/dbkeele.com/papers.htm Paper # 34 is a good place to start. Don Keele does his example with one amplifier channel for each frequency band so this can be done but to me it just makes more sense to use multiple channels.

mk

I have the MPS-2 (class H 7 x 200 watts). Why did they discontinue it?

Monoprice Premium RCAs are great for the price. Check out the Component Video section and they have 5 cable bundles. In the Digital Coaxial section they have individual cables. In the RCA / 3.5mm they have standard 2 cable bundles. Connectors are soldered and molded under the plated connectors which are robust and snug without being tight. Component Video and Digital Coax are 75ohm RG6u, while the analog audio cables are 22awg twisted pair. Either the component, digital coax, or a combination of the two would be my choice.

Monoprice 14awg and 12awg in-wall speaker cable is also hard to beat for the price. I've used it for several in-wall runs and also dressed it up with techflex/heatshrink/bananas for a friend who wanted "expensive looking" cables. In its bare form it's heavy without being overly stiff, but don't expect to turn any 90 degree corners with it.

Done and Done! I ordered in a wrapped bundle I also found BlueJeanCables.com from a buddy of mine, good cable there also.

Thanks for the reply on this as well - I should be all set, also ordered an AMP Stand for the 7 channel Amp, Lovan Soverign series from BizChair.com.

CYA

BlueJean makes some great cables, but I've honestly found the Monoprice stuff to be good enough at a much lower price. Since going HDMI, cable quality almost seems like an afterthought... these days, I'm just looking for solid build quality/materials and decent strain relief... Monoprice delivers on both at a bargain price. I built my own Canare cables (same materials Blue Jean uses) for awhile and it was great piece of mind, but there was never a single time I could attribute an audible or visible performance gain to those cables.

I have the UPA-7 paired with a Yamaha RX-V661 (until my preorder UMC-1 arrives) and am very happy with it. Also use mono-price cables and wire.
I had an Outlaw 770 (7x200w) and honestly feel that the UPA is as good or better.

The key is not to look back once you have made your decision and second guess yourself, just enjoy the audio!

Indeed. Most of us do. The few who cannot seem to take that sage advice are on the 'search for the perfect speaker' or search for the perfect amp.

Needless to say - they won't ever be happy with what they find - not for long anyway. I know a guy like that and he's got about $100k tied up in audio gear. Too bad he can't use it all at the same time and most of it he 'just can't part with'.

I'd hate myself if I couldn't find audio gear that satified me because I'd likely be broke. Must be a compulsion similar to what gamblers have.

Hi,

I unearth this thread as I'd like to have some long-term user feed-back concerning this Emotiva UPA-7.

Thks,

Hugo

Same question here. I'm trying to decide between the UPA7 and a XPA5/XPA3 combo for my 7.1 setup in a 17' x 13' x 8' room.

Would the power difference be worth it in such a small room?

I think that would depend on your speaker efficiency, distance from speakers to listening positions and your desire for SPL.

In theory, math alone suggests no more than a 3 dB gain in SPL with the XPA. That assumes the posted power output is correct, and ignores dynamic power.