UN-limited power - Headroom-headroom-headroom - dynamics - actual power far exceeds the rated specs on bench tests. - they look menacing - one of the more accurate power amplifiers i have ever heard - I would love to do a side by side with Krell FPB-600W mono-blocks - and yes on a 220 line for max from each pair.
crystalline sound envelops you in a omni-directional soundwave which is everywhere!

Many things are great about these amps. The ability to make music seem lifelike, the detail and seperation of instruments at any volume. The ability to have BOTH finesse and slam at any given volume is unmatched with these behemoths!
I am a true believer, I am keeping these for the long haul in my main system as they privide me with the most accurate and beautiful rich sound I have heard since I purchased my Classe' CA-301 - 300W 2CH Amplifier years ago. Emotiva has and will be a force to deal with for years to come if they keep up their outstanding performance and willingness to provide us with the best ratio of price/performance/quality.
Very good control over the drivers, even at the loudest of volumes, this impressed me, my 15-inch Cerwin Vega woofer was moving, but moving much less than with the Krell or Mcintosh. When the cannons erupted in tchiakowski's 1812'th Overture I was stunned to see the woofer come out a good 1/2 inch and give the best bass and lifelike reproduction of t his part of the song I have ever heard - It was awe-inspiring to say he least!!

There are not to many here....

Many people may not like the look or the LED light bar on the front panel, but if your a plain jane guy, just turn them off on the back, and dont worry about it. simple really.

Not as fast as my Classe' CA-301 in the speed and dynamics, but the XPA-1's were tailgating very close.

they look quite retro,like a mid 1980's power amplifier would, but the laser etching helps alot in this dept, THAT is what gives this amp its HIGH-CLASS looks!

They are heavy, and if thats a weakness, your just weak and should eat more wheaties. That is about the only things I could come up with after a few months of listening to these beautiful amplifiers.

I am not sure where to start on this. I have been listening to seperates for 20+ years, I was in the mood and it was time for an improvement for my audio system.
I have several amplifiers I have used in the past and some I still use today, Krell, Threshold, Mcintosh, Classe' are the ones I own still. BUt this review is about the new XPA-1 mono -blocks rated at a whopping 500W/ch-8ohm & 1000W/ch-4ohm.
These hulking amplifiers were delivered by Fed Ex, and I could see the face on the poor delivery guy who wanted to just leave them at my door, but I insisted he bring them in the house for me. The packaging is first rate, the inside box is thick and of the finest quality to boot w/ nice thick top & bottom styrophome bricks w/ a nice stiff cardboard on each one to give more support. Upon opening the boxes I noticed a shiny black bag, under the user manual. This velvet-velour bag is a very nice surprise, as even some of my so-called HIGH END amps didn't have this when I opened them, so it is a nice surprise to see such a detail in packing these huge amplifiers.
I unpacked these amplifiers and let them sit on their pedestals(amp stands) for 2 days to warm up and dry off, as there was condensation as is all have this coming from a nice warmer southern state to Chicago. I had to admire the wicked looking faceplate which does look quite menacing and bautiful at the same time and its laser etching is VERY cool.
Once I was ready for power up sequence, and double checking all cables and making sure the toggle was set to balanced, as you can set the switch to un-balanced as well(nice feature). I noticed a cool looking amber glow from the on/off button, I gently pressed the power button, and CLICK, the front panel lit up like a christmas tree for a few seconds in all red light array-I heard another small click, and then a nice warm blue light was on the front panel-and the power switch also changed to a bright light blue hue, which is very cool indeed. I had no worries about popping my breakers, as these fine amps have a very good inrush-current limiter to protect against t his, how cool is that?!! Upon initial fire up, I heard nothing, not even a hiss, the blackness was like a blackhole sucking in the universe, it was just nothingness, which I cant say about my Krell ksa-250.
I turned up the volume on my B&K PRO-10mc pre-amp to power my B.I.C. America dv-84 tower speakers w/ the crossovers by one Ed Frias!! I was just amazed at the sound right out of the box. My soundstage was EVERYWHERE, I could not find a dead spot with these, the only other amplifier to do that was my Classe' and the price difference is HUGE between the two. I was astounded at the sound quality I was getting from these amplifiers. From the depth and slam of the low end, to the slightly harsh midrange(which came around like a madman after a month of constant listening!!!) to the just pleasant and just relaxing tweeter of the now freshly tweaked DV-84 towers- very fluid like, and not at all harsh, it was pleasant even at EXTREME volumes, WOW, I think I found a definate keeper. The sound WILL improve quite a bit after a month or 2 of constant listening, as this is a solid state amp, and the electronics do need to fully charge and warm up a wee bit for full effect. I ran through several CD's and LP's, I was just amazed at the depth of the complete audio spectrum, it just seemed a wall of sound was in front of me. Granted my speakers are frowned upon by the high-class audio snobbs, but after Mr. Frias re-done the crossovers, I'll put these up against any of your Snell or Paradigm speakers, yes that good! There seemed to be a center speaker right in front of my face for all listening, I would open my eyes to the amazement of nothing but my flatscreen in front of me, the soundstage was ALL AROUND ME, I was lking this very much, ONLY my Classe' has given me this effect in the past, I was stupified how an amplifier of this price could give such a accurate and warm uncolored sound, truly amazing to me.
I will say I have compared these amplifiers to my big 4, and I am overwhelmed that these XPA-1's have outclassed, outthumped, and can rock out harder than any of those(small exception to Classe") and when listening to some old blues like Johnny Winter or Clarence "Gatemouh" Brown how the openess of the background just seems to ONLY let the instruments play, and nothing else is heard, like a black hole again, and its only letting the music out, cymballs are so real, high-hat lifelike, kick-drum just as tight if not tighter than a live concert, vocals as if Rick Derringer or Buddy Guy were in your living room giving a live performance. I can not say enough good things about these amplifiers, If I were to nit-pick, I owuld say there not as good looking as the Mcintosh or Classe' but if this is my only gripe, I have alot to learn, as its the sound that should attract you not the aesthetics of the gear. These are truly world class mono-blocks, and have to be heard to be believed, Emotiva have definately made the playoffs with these beasts, where they go from here is up to them, but I see a nice championship in their future.

some features are: you can turn on and off the LED lights on the back of the amps with 2 switches, I like to have them all off for that classic look myself, but the LED lights hardly move in the 4 ohm config when hookoed up to my Cerwin Vega D-9's, and yes the sound was deafening and my windows were really rattling, either i need better windows or a smaller amplifier!! hhmmmm
I know i dont have Totem or B&W speakers, but my old warhorses will compete with your silly little dual 6.5 woofers and fluid tweeter anyday. there by no means audiophile speakers I know, but when I feel like really rocking, i hook up the Vegad, and do just that, When I want a nice softer listening experience, I hook up my Venturi speakers by Ed Frias or my Altec Lansing 508's. back on track here....... These amps have very nice binding posts and everything is built like a tank, from the soilid milled faceplate to the huge heatsinks in the chassis, I have no complaints about these at all except the un-modern looks, but I actually like the pre-retro look!!!)
These do not get very hot either, I had my Cerwin Vegas at 4ohm at pretty much as loud as they could go Im sure, as it was loud, my neighbor heard them in dead of winter with all doors and windows closed, now thats power!
I had them running for a good 10 hours continuous, yes I do this all t he time for a break in, at no time were these amps HOT to the touch, granted they were warm, but not at all hot. Emotiva has a 30 day trial policy, give em your credit card info, they will send you the amps, and you have 30 days to decide, I knew after the first week I was keeping the bad- as*es. SO how can you lose? I think you will like these, This company has been selling their products like hotcakes, its NOT just the price, they make very reliable and good looking audio gear, and many of their amplifiers are first rate, and have numerous awards and accolades by many magazines and reviewers, If you think for one minute your not getting something good because they dont cost you $20,000 dollars, think again, these amplifiers are for real, and they mean business! Kudos to everyone at Emotiva for making my experience with your company very pleasant and rewarding.

Customer Service

This is the part I have a hard time understanding - Emotiva CARES about their customers and what they think about their products. Nowhere have I experienced this kind of sheer willingness to make the customer happy. The 5 year transferable warranty is one of the best in the business, and a cd player with a 5 year warranty - this IS UNHEARD OF. You can call the company and they WILL answer your calls, and you can talk to their designer or their other very qualified technicians and people working there. I am mystified at their curteous and friendly nature at the place of business. If this kind of service and positive attitude lasts the life of their components, you will have happy customers for a very long time. This what makes this company stand out from its competition and shine like the first glimpse of morning sun across a barren plain of freshly laid snow. I am 100% impressed ny th is company, and I guarantee you will be to.

Similar Products Used:

Rotel-1090 2-ch amp
Krell - KSA-250
Classe' CA-301 2/ch amp
Mcintosh - MC501 mono-blocks & MC2500
Threshold - S/1600e 750 Watt STASIS MonoBlock Power Amplifier
QSC - PL-340 2 ch/amp

B&K PRO-10 MC
Acurus - ACD-11 cd player (r.i.p.)