2. amps-preamps
  3. 1272122982

Emotiva vs. some bigger boys

I have just ordered a Emotiva 3 channel amp after testing it against a few better known models. Here's the short story...

My recent gear....Manley Stingray II, Def Tech BP7004 speakers for theater, Magnepan 1.6, Odyssey Stratos, Rogue Metis pre, Rotel 1090, MJ Acoustics Sub, SVS sub...and so on! I typically spend 7-10K on a system and I like to call that the low end of high end....

My buddy bought my latest set of Magnepans 1.6's which were modded with better stands (I'm waiting for my new Merlin TSM-XMr's to mate with my new Stingray II) and he also has the Odyssey/Rogue combo, which he bought after he heard mine. Other speakers in the room: Revel M20's and an old pair of Proac floor standers-not sure of the model.

The amps were the XPA-3 and the XPA-2. Most of the listening was done with the Metis by Rogue.

I'll cut right to it. Both Emotiva amps had less than 100 hours on them and both sounded better than the Rotel 1090 for dynamics, detail and soundstage. Bass was stronger on the Emotiva, but we also thought the Rotel's bass was a bit more true and quick. Space around single instruments was superior on the Emotiva XP3, open and very lifelike. But on some recordings the Emotiva was a tad too bright and in those cases I may have chosen the Rotel for extended listening. Still, with a fine recording, such Lyle Lovett Pontiac, we both agreed the Emotiva was superior to the Rotel.
Next up was the Odyssey, which matches beautifully with the Rogue pre. This was a MUCH closer contest. The Odyssey is well broken in and has a dry accurate bass response that is very hard to beat, better than on some FAR more expensive amps in fact. The Emotiva had a slight edge in the upper midrange, but the Odyssey seemed to offer a smidge more resolution/detail. It was very close. On the Proacs we couldn't even hear much of a difference, but the Magnepans exposed the character of both amps more.
Just to be "complete" we tried my new Manley Stingray II, which is not broken in at under 60 hours. The Stingray could not control dynamics as well as the big amps, but vocals and single instruments were far more "real" and "in the room" sounding. We still felt that the Emotiva would not make music lovers unhappy, especially if mated with a nice tube preamp.
Pitting the 3 channel XP3 against it's more powerful 2 channel sister, we noted very little difference. The 2 channel version MIGHT have created a deeper soundstage, but we were getting sleepy and running out of ear power!

Summary:
I was seeking a used amp in the 2000 dollar range to run my theater, but I have ordered a XPA-3 instead. I will most probably add the 2 channel or monoblocks from Emotiva next. For home theater these are VERY serious amps that give up nothing or very little against pricier stuff. The bonus is that they can be quite musical. With their higher power they even will eclipse some gear that costs more. For example, I've listened to a lot of Bryston gear and I think the Emotiva amps are more musical...and that was with a very low cost Rogue preamp.

So that's my review and opinion. I will post a follow up review when I have the Merlins. I'm very curious to see how the Emotiva will sound on them vs. the far more expensive Stingray. I don't expect the Emotiva to ever be as sweet sounding, but I suspect it will be more dynamic and fun for certain recordings.

Cheers,

Rob
robbob
plato
1,543 posts
 
Rob, the Wyred 4 Sound ST-250 is priced at only $995, and sounds just as good as Wyred's more expensive amps... the main differences being power output and whether or not it is an integrated model. So if the Emotiva is priced at $800 and the Wyred 4 Sound at $1000, I grant you that it is 20 percent more expensive... but not exactly 3x the price as you suggested. And the ST-500 is only $1500 for anyone who needs that much power. Many systems will need no more than the ST-250 provides...

Weseixas, yeah... I feel your pain. It did take my unit around 3 months of playing on and off for it to sound its best. Same for my speakers. I wish manufacturers would put more break-in time on products before sending them out, but I doubt that it would be very practical for them.
robbob OP
273 posts
 
Plato, the unit you mention is only 125 WPC, while the Emotiva unit for 20% less offers 300 WPC.

Quite a difference, especially if you've got some tough to drive speakers or a big room.

A more reasonable comparison would be the ST-250 against the Emotiva UPA-2, which is also 125 WPC and sells for just 299.00. So as you can see Wyred is nowhere near the price point of Emotiva for comparable products.

Emotiva also sells a monoblock XPA1 for 999 where Wyred sells their slightly higher powered model for 1200. I'd say that they are in direct competition on the mono blocks only.

Rob
mrkoven
73 posts
 
Wyred 4 Sound amps sound much better than Emotiva. My friend owns both, it's no comparison, the W4S is actually musical, the Emotiva is just globs of power but dull sounding.
robbob OP
273 posts
 
I've also heard both and I find the Wyred too bright for my tastes. I heard the Emotiva with the Rogue pre and felt that it was a nicely balanced combo.

Unless you try a variety of pre-amps it's unlikely that you'll fully know the sound of an amp. And that goes for the Wyred as well, which I only heard with a Onkyo processor. Perhaps it has a lot more to offer.

Even an old Carver amp can sound quite musical when mated with the right pre, so I'd have to conclude that you had a pretty poor pairing with Emotiva.

When my XPA-3 is all setup I'll post a more "serious" review. I've got a new Manley Stingray II which is far more musical than either, so we'll see how they all stack up and I'll even throw an old Adcom into the mix.

Rob
shakeydeal
979 posts
 
I'm still shaking my head at you replacing 1.6s with TSMs......
More to discover