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I could be interested a decent class A amp for relatively cheap.See Emotiva's link below; up to 35 wpc class A ...
I love the music of ...... Gustav Mahler
Edits: 09/28/13 09/28/13Follow Ups:
The Class 'A' output matches the Pass XA30.5 to within 5 watts.
However, the AB output of the Pass is about 100@8 and doubles (roughly) into 4ohms.
The EMO? rated at 250/500 into 8/4 and has ONLY a 450va transformer, though it DOES have a pretty healthy dose of PS capacitance. I think the Pass amp (stereo) has about a 1KVA transformer.
The weight of the Pass is pretty much 2x the EMO, too.
At 700$ a wack, it may be worth a test of 4 of 'em on my Panels....biamp! The amp is fully balanced so will take full advantage (theoretically) of XLR connections.
A pair of 'em is over on Audiogon NOW for 900$........hmmmmmmmm
Too much is never enough
I don't think it's reasonable to compare the XPA-1L with that Pass, but it is reasonable to ask if it compares well with equipment at or a couple of times above it's price. And whether it has some characteristics attributed to class A amps.
I love the music of ...
I agree and see what you mean.
However, the GOAL of comparing to 'the very best' at what amounts to a bargain price is certainly a noble ambition.
The word over at the EMO forums is 'Space Heater' which I suppose is a 'characteristic attributed to class A amps'.
As for sound? Well, that is certainly TBD.....
The EMO fan base is pretty vocal...but not QUITE at the overall sophistication level found on other forums. For example, they are still debating 'The Switch'....which I wrote in and said should be a flush mount switch on the back panel. I'm not a big fan of miniature / sub-mini toggles....I've replaced bunches of 'em......and the switch parts were all still good....
Too much is never enough
The TRICK with this amp is to properly USE the 'switch'.
When listening....or a few minutes prior, flip it to 'A'.
When done? Flip it back.
That'll save heat / power and reduce the electric bill 'ding' while getting MOST of the benifits of this amp.
EMO makes....or DID make a fan system under the Sherborne name. That's gotta help, no? At the expense of moving the heat more quickly into the room.....
Too much is never enough
Parasound also makes a nifty rack fan.
This is also ripe territory for the DIY inclined.
Many quiet fans to choose from....add a wall wart PS of say......500 ma and a couple time delay relays and a thermister / thermal switch and you are golden.
Too much is never enough
What is the point exactly? You want to get class A to see if the forum pundits are correct or not right? Here's the thing - if you take this class A amp and it fails to live up to the forum pundit hype you KNOW what they are going to says it's because 1) Emotiva isn't really high end and thus 2) does no represent what class A SS amplification or class A in general is capable of producing.
If you want to judge the technologies you need to take home say three of the world's best class A/B amps, B amps, and Pure Class A amps regardless of price. Then you can judge the technology. Do the same at $1k and determine if what won the silly price shootout works at the cheaper end of the spectrum.
Just because something is Class A doesn't automatically make it better - Naim I believe is class B and they do pretty good. I have heard push pull A/B and hybrid amps sound better than SET. Just not at higher price levels. So I am somewhat inclined to believe that SET costs more to get right.
Sure there may be some "generalities" - take the old "less switches are better" routine - sure if all else is equal but if Amp A has a bunch of switches and amp B has none doesn;t mean B is going to sound better. It might but the rule to me only applies if you have amp A with switches versus amp A without switches. The former likely sounds better. But A with switches could kill amp B from some other worse designer.
I do want to experiment with different sound. You might have noticed recent Forte vs. Class D Audio foray.But don't be silly! There is no way I "take home say three of the world's best class A/B amps, B amps, and Pure Class A amps regardless of price". If you have some suggestions for affordable gear I can try, I'll listen, (but no tubes at this point in time).
BTW the Forte 5 will be going soon. It just doesn't sound right in general -- hard to put my finger on why. The Class D Audio SDS' shortcoming is clear but it's limited to the top high frequencies. Otherwise the CDA is a better amp so it stays for a while.
In that regard people tell me I ought to hate the CDA amp, well I know its problem but I also know its strengths (including value for money). I'll listen to people's ideas but I don't give a damn about their judgement of my preferences.
I love the music of ...
Edits: 10/01/13 10/01/13 10/01/13
Versus swapping amps in and out of your system, perhaps what you seek can be had by a loudspeaker change. No matter what you do to them, Maggies will not be MLs. Ever. As far as the Forte is concerned, it has this coppery tone overlaying the sound. The modded Forte 4 I had sounded nice until I latched onto it. Then I could not get past it. Good luck in your pursuit.
"Coppery"? Maybe, but like I said it just doesn't sound right to me although I can't articulate exactly why.I'll be sticking with the Maggies for a while for financial reasons if no other.
I love the music of ...
Edits: 10/01/13
Same here as far as describing the sound we both latched on to. Once you hear it, there is no getting past it. It's the amp and not your speakers because once my 4 was gone, so was that sound. Have you done the crossover and fuse bypass mods to your Maggies? Both changes brought me excellent results on my little Maggies, for less than 50 bucks and some time spent.
nt
I love the music of ...
Well-built, well-designed, and priced very aggressively. They have a 30 day in-home trial, why not avail yourself of that and see how it works for you?
-RW-
So shipping is not free and I would also have to pay taxes and brokerage. Consequently the 30 day trial isn't nearly so attractive.
I love the music of ...
I listen at moderate volumes in a small-medium room. Also, I listen to a lot of chamber music. I dare say it would kick over into AB mode occassionally but I'd be listening to class A more often.
I love the music of ...
Sure sounds like a winner, doesn't it! ... still i'd keep it well ventilated for Class-A operation.
N/T
Most of the listening with any speaker will be in class A. Even a speaker with 80 db efficiency(very low)will be at well over 90 db with 35 watts. Only very short term peaks will go out of class A and you won't notice that unless you drive the amplifier into clipping.
By the way, technically this is not a class A amp. It is a rich AB amp. A true class A amp stays class A into clipping at any load. But that's rare. Perhaps one of the few amps that was class A that way was the 25 watt Levinson ML2 that was still class A into 2 ohms where it put out 100 watts. But this amp is effectively a 35 watt class A amp into 8 ohms.
Being a big fan of Magneplanar speakers, I can tell you that they are quite power hungry, and like a nice high power / current amp. While not being a really difficult load, they like power, and remember they are really a 4-ohnm load, so your amp may not stay in class A that long, as the demands on the amp increase.
So, if my understanding is right, operating in class A mode is a way to mitigate distortion at low levels of power.
According to Emotiva, the XPA-1L can set to operate class AB from a low lever OR to operate class A up to 35 at the expense of greater heat and power consumption.
I love the music of ...
You can switch from pure Class A mode 100% of the time, limiting the output to 35 watts/ch. or to a Class A mode that then switches to Class AB above 35 watts output OR if their thermal sensor indicates that it needs to switch modes.
-RW-
If I understand the EMO 'stuff' on this amp....and I've even hung around the EMO boards, is that the amp will 'slide' into AB above 35 watts with the switch in 'A'........or simply SKIP 'A' altogether when the switch is in AB position.
Also, this amp is 35 class 'A' watts, and 250/ 500 @ 8 / 4 which exceeds the Pass performance of say...the XA30.5
Personally? I like the Pass 'switchless' approach.
The bossman at EMO visits the boards and calls the L1 a 'spaceheater'. Me? In winter that would be tempting but in summer, a drain on my electric bill!
Even the Pass X.5 series has a class 'A' margin. But NO switch.
I've considered 4 of 'em to BIAMP my MG 1.6s!!!
Too much is never enough
"I've considered 4 of 'em to BIAMP my MG 1.6s!!!
Too much is never enough"
%^D
axolotl
Sure.....4 of 'em.
Need a balanced preamp with low output impedance and XLR splitters. Amp stands would take up QUITE a bit of floor.....might need double-deckers!
But OH! 70 'A' watts per speaker! and a KiloWatt in reserve.
It's even possible with a preamp with bass managment to take some of the LF load off the panels...say at 60 or 70 hz and make better use of the sub. A 70hz crossover at 12 db/oct would put the panel down 12db at about its lower limit, anyway....of 35hz.....a good idea?
Too much is never enough
Emotiva says:
"In Class A/B Mode, the XPA-1L is a potent, superb sounding, fully balanced mono-block Class A/B amplifier – delivering 250 watts into 8 ohms (or 500 watts into 4 ohms) with incredibly low levels of noise and distortion. Flip the switch into Class A Mode and the XPA-1L transforms into pure Class A, high bias 35 watt sweetheart... with a kick. If you exceed the 35 watt threshold, it seamlessly transitions into Class A/B mode when the signal level goes above 35 watts, allowing it to deliver its full power. You get the awesome purity of Class A for power levels up to 35 watts, with none of the high power limitations. (The XPA-1L does run a bit warmer in Class A Mode, but hey, it's worth it.)"
I love the music of ...
While class A has pluses the price you pay for it is high in less power and lots of heat, which is minimal at full power and greatest at least power, where the amp operates almost all the time. A watt is a fair amount of power, 85 db or more on most speakers, and that's pretty loud. Biasing class A at a watt or less does a pretty good job.
Let's say 1-5 watts which gets rid of the most blatant notch distortion. But a higher bias -- or pure class A -- gets rid of additional distortion according to various pundits.
I love the music of ...
That's the conventional wisdom and it makes sense to me. But I recall an article somewhere where the writer claimed class B done correctly was better. And some of the greatest amps are probably David Berning's designs and his are as close to class B as he can make them.
So nobody has heard them?
bigshow
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