Emotiva XPA Gen3 two-channel power amplifier Page 2

"Can't you hear the Blessed Savior calling you?"

Genuine artists seldom need fashion tips; and some, like mountain-music master Ralph Stanley, are always so damn fashion-forward that none of us will ever catch up. I know, 'cause I've spent my whole life imitating Dr. Stanley's personal style and attitude of gratitude. The cover photos on Ralph Stanley (CD, DMZ/Columbia CK 86625) will show you exactly what I mean.

While I still mourn Stanley's passing—he died in 2016—he remains an inspired minister in my Bed-Stuy church. So many times, his version of Hank Williams's "Calling You" has unburdened my soul and transported me to the Promised Land. I prayed that the combo of Emotiva XPA Gen3 and KEF LS50 would at least set me in a front pew.

And after I'd adjusted the LS50s' toe-in a couple of times, it did just that. Unfortunately, this combo did not let "Calling You" make me cry, break out in goose bumps, or feel safe in the cosmos, as the recording does with PrimaLuna's tubed Prologue Premium, which puts out 1/10 the power at more than twice the price ($2200); or with the four-times-as-expensive Line Magnetic LM-518 IA $4450); or even with Schiit Audio's Ragnarok integrated ($1699), which loves the LS50s.

In my experience, the KEF LS50s can swing either toward the masculine (Apollonian, disegno, precise, linear, well drawn, dry) or the feminine (Dionysian, colorito, poetic, atmospheric, colorful, wet)—depending 100% on what type of amplifier is driving them. The Emotiva XPA Gen3 made the LS50s lean about 30° toward disegno.

Mr. Objectivity liked the Gen3 driving the LS50s much more than the same amp driving the Magnepan .7s. (O. believes reproduced sound should be precise and well-drawn.) "Now Herb, that is what I call accurate to the source." To which I responded, "But O., Ralph Stanley is the source! I need accuracy to his creative vision. I want to be transported to Ralph's church in the mountains!"

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When I played Roscoe Holcomb's The High Lonesome Sound (LP, Smithsonian Folkways FA 2368), the XPA Gen3 gave me every note from Holcomb's banjo, clean and unblurred—but the high-lonesome part of the experience came up a tear shy. (More proof that true artists never need fashion tips: Compare the photo of Holcomb on this album's cover to any photo of author William S. Burroughs—the resemblance is uncanny.)

Don't get me wrong—the Emotiva allowed the LS50s to sound enjoyably detailed; the bass seemed cleaner and more transparent than ever before; the midrange wasn't really dry; and force and momentum were exceptional—almost good enough to make my heart move. But somehow, despite the good articulation of voices, the Gen3 was always a little short on love and prayer. It just couldn't get roots music to stretch my humanity or deliver the full sensual pleasures of women's voices.

Once I'd accepted that, I decided to switch my investigations of the Gen3-LS50 pairing from looking for high lonesome to checking for high resolution.

The next record was the newest on the Stereophile label: composer Sasha Matson's Tight Lines (LP, Stereophile STPH022-1, footnote 1). I heard a starry night full of gently provocative detail, strong and naturally rendered bass, enchanting narrative-lyrical inventions, engaging spatiality, even a little wet magic (which I suspect was enhanced by the EMT echo plate they used on the recording). Listening to the first movement, Cut to Bar Interior, for piano and string quartet, I became transfixed with pianist Mark Gasbarro's playing. The Emotiva-KEF combo clearly revealed what is most enjoyable about this carefully mixed and mastered recording: its perfectly balanced high frequencies. Because they were neither too bright (tipped up) nor too dull (rolled off), they let the midrange and bass regions express themselves with exceptional naturalness, as if part of the same fabric. Tight Lines' properly balanced highs made the clarinet, brass, and piano—and especially the strings—into something I think all audiophiles would want to experience through their own systems. This record and these speakers combined to make possible the XPA Gen3's finest moments in my bunker. This was the wet magic I was looking for.

And then . . . with the Technics SB-C700s
Ages ago, I used to frequent a liquor store on the Bowery. I was always greeted at the door by a white Labrador with a single milky-white eye (he must have been blind). The guy behind the Lexan security wall called him Night Train. Every time I petted Night Train, I thought of Huddie Ledbetter (aka Lead Belly) singing "Midnight Special," the traditional southern prison song he's often credited with writing. By the time I got to the order window, I'd be singing this in my head: "Yonder comes Miss Night Train / with a bottle in her hand . . . / Let that Midnight Special shine its ever-lovin' light on me!"

In most popular songs, beat and rhythm are everything, and never were they more so than in Lead Belly's Last Sessions (4 CDs, Smithsonian Folkways SF 40068/71). His version of "Midnight Special" transports its full load of heartfulness via deeply affecting beats and forceful forward momentums. (This is why I'm always talking about forward momentum—it carries 90% of music's important content.) I know Ledbetter's a little older here, but this recording is on analog tape, and his 12-string guitar work is a fantastic, good-sounding, foot-tapping joy all by itself.

Lead Belly's guitar rhythms came up very strong through the Emotiva XPA Gen3 and KEF LS50s, but they came up even stronger through the Gen3 and the more analytical-sounding Technics SB-C700 speakers ($1700/pair). The Emotiva-Technics combo enjoyably emphasized Lead Belly's strumming beats, but it also showed—and screeched more than a little—when that 1947 tape deck pinned its VU meters in response to Huddie's high-pitched vocal notes. While this combo felt notably controlled, open, and pacey, it also revealed the Emotiva's primary shortcoming: transistor sound. With the extremely neutral Technics speakers, the Gen3 sounded hard and 100% masculine disegno.

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O. and I Share a Fine Moment
One day, I played for Mr. O. Chesky Records' new MQA recording: tenor saxophonist Camille Thurman's Inside the Moment (CD, Chesky JD397). O. had been in the audience at Rockwood Music Hall the night this live recording was made, so he listened carefully as first Billy Drummond's drums, then Thurman's tenor, and finally Ben Allison's double bass emerged from an unassuming little bunker system comprising the Emotiva XPA Gen3 ($999), the KEF LS50s ($1499.99/pair) on Sound Anchor stands ($599/pair), a Mytek HiFi Brooklyn DAC ($1995), and my stoop-sale Integra DPS-7.2 CD player used as a transport. AudioQuest Cinnamon digital links and interconnects and Type-4 speaker cables tied it all together. Total system cost: under $6000.

O. checked to see that the DAC's blue MQA indicator light was glowing, then grinned in awe. "Wow! This sounds so much like how I remember it . . . and only $1500 speakers and a $1000 amp. Herb, now this is good!"

Joined in mutual admiration, we grinned and shook our heads in high-value wonder.

Obviously . . .
The XPA Gen3 confirms that Emotiva's reputation as a maker of low-cost, high-performance audio equipment is well deserved. Class B sound at a class-H price.



Footnote 1: Tight Lines. Composed and conducted by Sasha Matson. John Atkinson, prod., CD mastering; Michael C. Ross, eng.; Mike Marciano, mix; Joe Harley & Michael Gray, LP mastering; Art Dudley, liner notes.
COMPANY INFO
Emotiva Audio Corporation
135 SE Parkway Court
Franklin, TN 37064
(877) 366-8324
ARTICLE CONTENTS

COMMENTS
mrkaic's picture

"I don't want to embarrass my friend, so in this story I will call him O., for Mr. Objectivity."

You should be proud of your friend. His is the correct way of assessing audio equipment. If measurements are bad, ditch the stuff!

rorie's picture

Audio equipment is for listening to dude. Measurements matter only when you measure the right stuff, and we haven't figured out all the right stuff to measure yet and likely the right tools haven't even been invented yet

Glotz's picture

Measurements only tell us what we want them to tell us.

I am sure there are measurements that will effectively tell the whole picture someday. Until then, they simply reward preconception and bias. I wonder what each of the reviewers would write knowing what the measurements were ahead of time. I surmise the most brave and honest would not flinch in the least (notably MF and AD).

I think if every review were given the small side-bar of writing space and the brunt of the article devoted to measurements, there would a fraction of the readership.

'Stereophiles' will never get excited about how a component measures- only how it sounds. 'Sterophile' as a lover a stereo is still the best definition, incidentally.

a.wayne's picture

Hello ,

That's a pretty ignorant position , listening and measuring occupies two distinct positions, both are required when making a decision .

Regards

Anton's picture

I love these discussions.

Interesting, to me, almost all the 'objectivists' I know shop by listening to gear. Do you just check the specs?

What comprises your system?

Probably most interesting would be how you choose speakers. I find I can only do it by listening, which, of course, renders me a pitiful subjectivist.

mrkaic's picture

Your second sentence is not an example of clear writing :)) But I'm doing my best to decode and answer it.

Yes, I mostly just check the specs. What else is to do there? Do studio engineers indulge in auditions to see what distortions they prefer or do they just go for the most accurate gear? You should do the same. I know I do.

I choose speakers based on measurements and budget (of course). Sometimes I listen to them, but find such "auditioning" to be an almost complete waste of time. Speakers sound different when you move them from the showroom to your listening room anyway. If you are serious, you will need to measure your room and reprocess the source music anyway. Start with speakers with a reasonably flat response curve and fix them with equalizers.

Anton's picture

I must have made a typo on shop and Spellcheck changed it to should!

Robin Landseadel's picture

"Do studio engineers indulge in auditions to see what distortions they prefer or do they just go for the most accurate gear?"

They go for the distortions they can live with. I recall a session at Skywalker, WATTS were on hand to demonstrate the inherent limitations of the 16 bit recordings we were making. The Head engineer decided on some British Mini-Monitors he was used to, the WATTS were distracting in comparison.

Les's picture

I hope then you are praying for JA's continued good health... Apart from a certain German magazine (that does a bit of measuring), I don't know a single other magazine that shows such a comprehensive set of measurements. I'm not an objectivist, but even I enjoy reading them.

These are the good ol' days...

mrkaic's picture

I am totally grateful for his measurements. For example, I traded in a pair of NEAT speakers after reading one of his his reviews. If a manufacturer produces even a single piece of gear that does not measure well, I refuse to buy ANYTHING from that manufacturer.

a.wayne's picture

+10

mrkaic's picture

1. Micromega M-One + Focal Aria 936
2. Quad VA-One + Quad S1 (BTW, this amplifier is great if you like to measure gear -- and you should give measuring gear a try. That way you will know that they have not snookered you with a bad output transformer.)
3. O2 Headphone Amplifier + Philips Fidelio X2

And yours?

Archimago's picture

"Probably most interesting would be how you choose speakers. I find I can only do it by listening, which, of course, renders me a pitiful subjectivist."

That's not true. You can certainly have an objective viewpoint without running your own measurements.

IMO objectivism is simply an acknowledgement that there are factors which can be elucidated and judged regardless of individual preferences and psychological mechanisms.

- Is a speaker capable of reproducing the frequency from 20Hz to 20kHz?
- Is a DAC truly hi-res and able of >16-bit dynamic range?
- How many watts can that amplifier produce cleanly?
- What is the nature of the time domain step response for that speaker?

An objectivist I think tries to understand this stuff and incorporates that understanding in determining whether the product is worth the money. Some things are hard to do - eg. frequency response flat to 20Hz so if objectively a speaker can do this well, then I'd be happy to spend more money for example...

This is why I appreciate the value of Stereophile - that despite the arguments and debates, as a magazine it does try to incorporate the subjective and objective elements in a review.

mrkaic's picture

I am still waiting for you to list your components...

Anton's picture

Open baffle Lowther-based horns. (I don't like box resonances nor crossovers.)

McIntosh 275 amps in mono configuration.

ModWright SWL 9.0 Anniversary Edition pre amp

ModWright PH 150 phone preamp.

Sony PS X800 turntable, rechipped (!) with Clearaudio Maestro 2 cartridges.

Michell Gyrodeck, 1985, Pabst motor, Zeta Van Den Hul arm and Shure V-15 5 MR 'needle.'

Technics SL 1200 GAE with Charisma Reference 2 cartridge (I like vinyls.)

Esoteric DV 50 S digital player thing.

(I am playing with an IFi Micro 2, I think it is, for the Michell table. man, it is amazing for the price.)

_

I other rooms, I like various things.

I like to listen to how different gear sounds, so I rotate things in and out.

Current joy in a very small loft is a pair of Infinity Intermezzo 2.6 speakers (300 bucks, used) driven by an SMSL 160 (99 bucks from Amazon) and an Oppo UDP 205. A pair of Audioquest silver interconnects (o.5 meters via HCM Audio) and some home brew speaker cables. It sings. I wish we could post pics.

My M-I-L lives with us and in her apartment is a Yamaha C-4 preamp, M-4 amp, and NS 1000 speakers, with a Marantz SACD player from about 7 years ago.

Lastly, family hang out room. Marantz CD-SACD changer, also about 7 years old and drawer motor is dying so soon to be replaced. To Krel KAV 300i integrated to Cerwin Vega XLS 215...which I adore.

When we finish our basement, I have some fun stuff ready to go, hopefully 2018!

Cheers, and apologies for not checking back.

mrkaic's picture

You have some very nice gear!

I am also thinking about getting the MC275, but would not use it in mono--too expensive, you need two.

No need to apologize, we all have other things to do, not just audio.

Best,

MM

mrkaic's picture

"Measurements matter only when you measure the right stuff, and we haven't figured out all the right stuff to measure yet and likely the right tools haven't even been invented yet"

How do you know this? Can you recommend any peer reviewed studies?

Anton's picture

For many things, an "N" of one is powerful enough to determine whether or not a hypothesis is valid.

Example: I hypothesize that stepping in front of an oncoming train is dangerous. How many trials are necessary before my data qualifies as valid?

So, if I listen to a piece of gear and say I like it, or not, why on earth would you want to insist I have a peer reviewed validation of my opinion?

You can't take my word for it that I prefer one thing over another?

With regard to Mr. O, did you notice how he reached his conclusions about all the different gear? Yup, subjectively. Inside every 'O' is an 'S' who is repressed.

Herb Reichert's picture

my reports for Stereophile ARE "peer reviewed studies"

Glotz's picture

in the start of your review, but then was annoyed when caught out in his own act of 'lying' to himself about the sound. (By 'lying', I mean trusting ones' own preferences, rather than challenging ones' audio value-system consistently.)

There were huge flaws that you heard, but only until you brought them to his attention, did he admit that this system was flawed.

His possible bias (about money dumped on the system and it's 'inherent' performance expectations) is much like a bias about measurements. It encouraged a bias that was proven wrong when one further defines and explores what one heard (and confounds as well... if this expensive system measures well, and was reviewed well, what gives?? Set-up, synergy and component matching...)

I have heard some really crappy $100,000 system demos (with very well reviewed components) in the past that my cohorts admit after challenging them; that it too, was a poorly-set up and performing system with major issues, after they got past the price-tag demanding such 'admiration' from the casual listener.

Proof that a review needs more than a few hours of listening, and how 'peer reviewed' input can assist in breaking bias. I think the same holds true for measurement assumptions.

One draws assumptions by analyzing measurements and only when the review and the data coincide do they provide meaningful insight into a component's sound. When they differ, head-scratching always follows (and doubt from those that don't trust their ears first).

(Yes, I heard you this month and I do agree about attention as a concept, and personally, I try to challenge my own attention 'requirements' at every critical listening opportunity possible for many years. Without that, how I am learning about my own system?)

(All audio purchases require a return policy from a trusted audio dealer that will allow the true nature of the component- in our own system- to shine through, and give us recourse when it does not fit our long-term attention.)

AD and Herb have brought the concept of 'Force' to the minds of many readers... and reviewers! Kudos again to both reviews. Very thought-provoking and extremely important to the study of our hobby.

mrkaic's picture

I think we have a different interpretations of "peer review". In science, your peers can ask you to update/improve your papers. They can also reject your submissions. I don't think that anyone has the courage or clout to reject your reviews :)

rorie's picture

@ mrkaic : Are you asking for specific peer reviewed studies that look at exactly what i wrote...or would pointing you to the IEEE site where you can for yourself search the number of new measurements techniques, methodologies and "tools" created over the last 5, 10, 15 , 20, 30, or 40 years be enough to extrapolate the very essence of my meaning. Alternatively if you are a member of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), you could do the same there. The point being that if one has an applied science or science background one should know that research is continuous and furthermore these fields have advanced beyond what I would have imagined when I graduated in the 1980's. Spend some time perusing the fields of nanotechnology and spintronics to get an understanding of where we are headed. Good luck, its actually fun and fascinating.

mrkaic's picture

I can do the search, but you seem very knowledgeable about these things. If you can provide a few links, it would be great.

romath's picture

@mrkaic
"Measurements matter only when you measure the right stuff, and we haven't figured out all the right stuff to measure yet and likely the right tools haven't even been invented yet"

How do you know this? Can you recommend any peer reviewed studies?

----------

LOL! Nice one. Now, back to sanity...

mrkaic's picture

Assessing audio is not equivalent to stepping before a running train. Yours is a bad analogy.

ToeJam's picture

I like the idea that the person paying for the purchase determines the decision criteria. Humans are a highly subjective species.

Emotiva is about value. There are many among us who's budget is Class H, and to find Class B sound at Class H prices is a home run! Thanks for the review!

corrective_unconscious's picture

I believe Class B is considered to be inferior. Perhaps you meant Class AB. Maybe Emotiva would prefer to present its own value claims.... lol

ToeJam's picture

In this context, Class B and Class H refer to the classification within Stereophile's Recommended Components list. Meaning this Emotiva warrants a performance designation of Class B and a cost measurement of Class H. By definition, that's value!

corrective_unconscious's picture

There is no Class H in the "Stereophile" Recommended Components universe. There are Class H amplifier topologies - I believe it means one thing in the US and another in the UK. My wry comment stands.

ToeJam's picture

In all my prior comments I referenced Class H, but I meant Class K. So, what I literally said was rubbish as you wittily pointed out. I meant to say Class K - "keep an eye out" (my paraphrasing), which is not the best analogy either (Class B for Class K).

I only meant so say, Class B performance for not a lot of money, and I failed miserably!

corrective_unconscious's picture

It can be mildly amusing when people accidentally say the opposite of what they intended. Except when I do it. In those cases a neurologist should probably be summoned.

tonykaz's picture

Emotiva has been exciting.

Now, Schiit has it's 400W. Mono Amp for $699.

During my Retail Days, I ( we ) favored Electrocompaniet Mono Amps., back then I'd be paying $2,000 each.

Now, we can have the Emotiva for $1,000 ... or a pair of Schiit Mono's for $1,400. Phew.

Schiit has Audiophiles loving them ( like me ), Emotiva is Pro stuff finding it's way into living rooms.

I'm a Left Coast leaner rather than an Elephant leaning Tobacco Country loving person. ( I just quit Smoking so I'm now a Tobacco Apostate ! )

Still, Schiit has that Shitty Name. My Minister Wife won't tolerate potty naming stuff or potty humor. Schiit should be Stoddard & Moffat Inc.

Schiit has that 4 ea 6SN7 PreAmp for $699. ( aren't 6SN7s the Kings of PreAmp Tube-ology? )

The Full Schiits would be $2,100 with their Big DAC adding $2,500 making the total of $4,600.

Can a Trustworthy Stereophile person ( HR ) pllllllleeeezzzzzeeee tell us what to do?, which way to turn?, what to believe?

What HI-Fi?

Thanks,

Tony in Michigan

ps. With Baited Breaths, I wait, impatiently, for the story about the Manhattan DAC - I'm spitting out those dam worms, petueee!

mrkaic's picture

...and assemble a superb amplifier yourself.

tonykaz's picture

Thanks for the tip, Mrkaic.

I could agree with that type of thing except I seem to prefer Brand Name stuff to the junk I create with a soldering iron and a box of parts.

I don't even work on my Wife's Car.

I built Ham Radio Stations, back in the 1950s, till I could afford the Good Gear, then I owned Collins stuff.

I understand that the Recording Engineers will build and maintain their own electronics.

Now-a-days I like the shinny lights of CHORD stuff and the polished performance of well designed gear.

Thanks for mentioning Hypex.

Tony in Michigan

Anton's picture

I didn't know it was out and will try to find a way to hear it!

tonykaz's picture

Geez, we're able to have some pretty darn-good Music Systems for 1985 Era Money.

A CHORD Hugo2 + some Genelec 8020s w/Sub for $3,500

A Full Schiit System + some Magnapans for $6,500

A PrimaLuna System with nice Speakers for well under $10,000

Back in 1985, a Full Electrocompaniet System, a VPI Table/Arm/Koetsu + a Pair of Thiel CS3s w/MH750 Cables would Retail-out for $10,000.

I don't quite know if the Loudspeakers are any better now than 30 years ago but I'm feeling like the Electronics are better and lower priced, plus they don't have to cope with low signal sources like phono cartridges.

It's a great time to be an "Audiophile" or a "Stereophile" or simply a gear buying "Music Lover" ( like me ).

Tony in Michigan

adrianIII's picture

Stoddard & Moffat Inc. = S&M???

a.wayne's picture

Have you heard the Vidar ..... ?

Anton's picture

People, Herb is O!!!

Herb is Tyler Durden!

I reread the review and O stands out like Patty Lane, or is O Cathy Lane!?!?!

siouxiebuff's picture

Ofcourse listening impressions are the most important as the amps are for listening to music. Here the threshold of hearing v.s. distorsion is paramount.
Anyways, its remarkable that amps designed with todays tools and components are no better than amps from the eighties. Quality of design doesn't seem to be a priority nowadays.

Baneling's picture

Hi all, I'm deciding between the Emotiva XPA7 gen 3 vs Monoprice Monolith 7x. Which would you choose for watching movies? Assume the price is the same because although the XPA7 is cheeper, they do free shipping. So they are roughly the same price. thanks

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