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Emotiva?

F

FredtheFilmFan

Active Member
So, I've been "out of the game" for a while, and not around here much for... quite a while. New projo and some home made sound panels have reinvigorated my enthusiasm. I've even put RTA on my surface so I can mess around with the panels a bit.

My thoughts have come to power for my speakers. I've done a little reading here and there and Emotiva seems like a player in the world of affordable power, but virtually nothing on this forum! I'm really surprised as I've always felt, going back to S&V days, that this is a forum of value and performance driven people. Outlaw, SVS, HSU, Bluejean, DIY panels etc..

Has anyone had experience with Emotiva? Good or bad? From what I've read they seem well built, but I'm not nearly qualified to say, as some on this forum are. Any feedback would be welcome.
 
I have not personally had any dealings with Emotiva, but many of my friends have tried them out. The general consensus is that while the value for Emotiva is very high, the quality is hit or miss and the real world performance is slightly (and sometimes quite) lower than the specs would suggest.

So, like most value brands, you have to be cautious and not expect perfection.
 
Thanks guys. I'm trying to find a website for ATI, I've found the old graphics card company. I'm losing my faith in google. :D

Flint, the consistent quality is one of my concerns. I live in Canada and shipping to and from the US is costly. I'd like to set it and forget it. Also, SQ is a big concern too. "You get what you pay for" keeps ringing in my head.
 
I had a Parasound A23 go bad on me last year (out of warranty naturally) that I used for center channel purposes. Long story short, I decided to give Emotiva a try and bought their XPA-100. I have not been sorry.
 
Flint said:
I have not personally had any dealings with Emotiva, but many of my friends have tried them out. The general consensus is that while the value for Emotiva is very high, the quality is hit or miss and the real world performance is slightly (and sometimes quite) lower than the specs would suggest.

So, like most value brands, you have to be cautious and not expect perfection.
Click to expand...

:text-+1:

I was going to say exactly the same thing.

Personally I'd probably avoid an Emotiva pre/pro due to the relaibility and update issues I've read so much about. If I were shopping for a power amplifier I'd definately consider them.
 
So, I'm not saying that I'll do this, BUT...

If I were to buy one, probably the XPA 2, would there be any value in shipping it to a couple of "central" locations for member reviews? Then after its seen a couple locations it gets shipped to me. It's solid state power so I'd doubt that any of you would break it TOO badly. Just an idea. The exchange rate would kill me a little, but that's ok. :D Would anybody be willing to review it?
 
FredtheFilmFan said:
I thought some here may be able to decode it.
Click to expand...

I'm no expert but I'll give it a shot.

The amp reviewed can be set to run as a class A/B amp which should produce more power with the less heat relative to being run in as a class A amp.

In either mode the amp reviewed gets rather warm which is not unusual. But in class A mode the review sample's chassis components were "clicking" due to thermal expansion which was loud enough to hear over the music at normal listening volumes. One person in the comment section noted he had the same problem but resolved it by loosing the screws for the chassis.

Every amp has harmonic distortion which are peaks in the amplification of the input signal. Those peaks occur at specific frequencies relative to the input. Second order harmonics are considered "even" because the distortion is at even multiples of the fundamental frequency with the second multiple being the loudest. Third order harmonics are considered "odd" harmonics because the distortion will be odd multiples of the fundamental frequency with the third multiple being the loudest. Amps with louder even harmonics are usually considered to sound "fat" or "warm" sounding. If the second order harmonics are excessive it may sound "soft" or "muddy". Odd harmonics are often described as "sharp" or "harsh" sounding. Total Harmonic Distortion (THD) is an expression of the sum of all the harmonics. A low THD would indicate that the amp's output is an accurate reproduction of the input. ... but ... two amps with identical THD measurements may sound different if one's distortion is primarily second order and the other is third order. The amp reviewed has THD of 0.004% which is typical. The third order harmonics are louder than the second order harmonic so one may expect this amp to sound more "harsh" than "warm".

Every amp introduces some "noise" into the signal. The signal to noise ratio for the amp reviewed here is somewhat higher (worse) than other amps they have reviewed in this class. That said the SNR is still well below the audible level.

My take of the review is that the person who wrote it had nothing really positive or really negative to say about the amp's performance.
 
Also note that the ATI 1802 is a 2-channel amp. The Emotive you referenced is a monoblock, so you'd need to purchase two to power a pair of speakers.
 
It didn't look like ATI made a Mono block. Thanks for the explanation of the harmonics. It kinda makes sense now. I've read some comments from guys with the amps that say they are a little bright. Makes sense now.
 
If I were to go outboard amplification, I'd go with Parasound, Adcom, or Rotel over Emotiva.
 
The idea of two mono blocks is pretty enticing, for less than 2 G's! I guess you could get a 2 channel for your left and your right main and it wouldn't be that much more money with what are expected to be a higher quality and "better sounding" amp.
 
FredtheFilmFan said:
and "better sounding" amp.
Click to expand...
Nowadays, solid state amps sound really good even at lower price. Some audiophiles spend extra for "bling" factor or bragging rights, not the sonic quality (even though they think it is, i.e. placebo effect).
 
Truth be known, we'd all be amazed and surprised at the number of "name brand" amplifiers that contain parts and are assembled at ATI's 50,000 sq ft manufacturing facility in Montebello, CA.

Rope
 
^ Then shouldn't it say "Made in USA" at the back of the amps? Or at least say "Made in USA and China"? :think: I think that would be a better marketing tactic. :confusion-shrug:
 
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