Cerwin Vega CXA8 vs CV1800 vs Emotiva XPA5

Cerwin-Vega! has a long reputation for building quality products that provide clear sound at the loudest levels, so be confident that both models are made to the highest standard possible.

Home theater enthusiasts will always be building to the latest and greatest. With a basic two channel, two rack unit height Cerwin-Vega! amplifier, at a later time you can always upgrade to higher power version (more power never hurt!). Or buy another to add more channels. You can also argue that it’s better to share one power supply with 2 channels than with 5 channels on the Emotiva XPA-5. And racking a box that’s almost half the weight will always be easier.

FYI, Check out Emotiva’s Audio Precision report on their website. Emotiva claims 300Watts into 4-ohms (@ THD 0.1%) yet the plot on Page 6 shows THD breaking the 0.1% limit way before it can reach 300Watts. Ouch, it must be the power supply! Might as well stick with the amps in an AVR or expect home theater in a box performance (sarcasm).