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I'm amplifier looking. My rack has shelves with not a lot of vertical clerance. 7" tall amps need not apply. I've narrowed my choices down to these 3:Emotiva XPA-200 Odyssey Khartago Parasound Halo A23
Is there any reason to pay twice what the Emotiva sells for for either the Parasound or Odyssey amplifiers? Ideas? Suggestions?
Oh, smaller Maggies may be in my future.
Opus 33 1/3
Follow Ups:
d
Edits: 07/06/15
First I've ever heard of THAT!
My parasound P5 to the (pair of) A23 is dead silent even turned UP. NO Louder!
Too much is never enough
I have had an Odyssey Stratos amp, Candela preamp and Tempest preamp. I have also had several Parasound pieces. I now own an A21 amp and P3 preamp.
Never owned an Emotiva.
I think the Parasound equipment is much better in many ways. It sounded better, and I have gotten MUCH better customer service from Parasound than Odyssey. I had problems with ALL THREE Odyssey pieces. Klaus was not helpful, as he kept telling me I had an AC problem???? For many, many months I got the runaround from Odyssey, and I lost some good money on the equipment. Audiocircle has forum comments from others that back up my experience.
The Parasound is really outstanding and the pieces designed by John Curl are top motch. My two cents...
He was very helpful when I had a minor issue with one of my HCA-1500a amps about 10 years ago.
Opus 33 1/3
when I had direct contact with him.
"You can't know what the "best" is unless you have heard everything, and keep in mind that given individual tastes, there really isn't any such thing." HP
I know I'm Way Late, but if Maggies are in your future, consider a SINGLE A23 now and a 2nd, later for biamp.
With line level crossover, you'll easily exceed the effective power of a single A21.
I have a pair of 'em on my MG1.6 panels with good results.
Keep in mind that the 'Point 7' series are not bi amp able. At least not without major surgery, which would imply going to a line level crossover and completely eliminating the speakers issued parts.
Too much is never enough
A21 vs Magtech On MG3.6 , magtech wins hands down , of course cost more .....
I'm not sure of the cost of the Magtech, and do indeed consider it a First Rate amp. Not a question or even a shrug.
But, I'd ALSO be willing to take a pair of the A21 on even the power needy 3 or 20 series of the pre-point 7 versions as a biamp in preference TO Magtech. NOTE: I have NO idea how much loot I'm talkin' about here! I know the Parasound '21 can be had at a slight street-price discount, so a pair of 'em may be within stones toss distance of the Magtech.
The sweet high bias design and the path forward in the form of a Line Level crossover, netting as much as an additional 3db would 'ice' it for me.
Too much is never enough
You should try the magtech first , @600watts into 4 ohm i doubt both A23 or even 3 would be a match...
Regards ..
Edits: 06/07/15
just as an exercise in numbers, the A21 is 400x2 @4ohms.So biamp with a pair is already 1600 watts.
THAN, if you go to a line level crossover you gain ANOTHER 3db, potentially.
If power were the ONLY criteria, AND you had 1 dedicated outlet per amp, the biamp parasounds would be game/set/match.
The Magtech is a superb amp and I'm just comparing POWER. The Parasound is also biased fairly highly into class 'a' which some think is an advantage.
One quick question? What is current retail price of the Magtech? Any discounts likely at retail?
As for the A23 @200x2 @4? That's a total of 800 watts which nearly doubles again when going to a line level crossover. At some point, 'ya simply gotta recognize how YOU use your gear. I rarely exceed 10 watts with 100 watt peaks. Even with a line level crossover , I gain another 3db of headroom within those limits AND still have headroom beyond THAT.
Too much is never enough
Edits: 06/07/15
The OP was more concerned with how these amps sound. Not spec. wars. Better specs. don't always mean better sound......
Better specs. don't always mean better sound...... Audio Soul
How So ...? Specs tell you everything you need to know, about the behavior of an amplfier, what you "like" is based on what we need to know, not specs...
Regards.
It's the old Stereo Review approach, i.e., if you can't measure it, it doesn't exist, vs. the TAS/Stereophile approach, i.e., two amps/pres/carts/speakers that measure the same or close to the same can sound markedly different.
Opus 33 1/3
The metrics is very important , the measurements will tell you how the amp will behave or it's sonic signature vs load , what you like is based on your metrics , this is why opinion mags like TAS are really like reading the enquirer . Unless you and the reviewer share the same perception of performance their opinion without measurements really mean nothing , this is why so many find opinion reviews worthless ....
Edits: 06/13/15
The measurements, as generally presented in Stereophile and Soundstage, are not immediately interpretable as they are presented. You cannot deteremine the sound quality at all without further processing.
One must come up with a proper weighting of the importance of harmonics, the importance of noise on harmonic distribution (i.e. intermodulation with the power supply hum harmonics) distortion vs. frequency and the shift in harmonics with frequency. Harmonic distortion weighting is a long and ongoing topic that was first addressed 80 years ago and most recently with distortion papers by Geddes et. al and Cheever's master's thesis. Bulk values like THD and IMD were found by Geddes to have NO correlation with subjective sound quality (while not significant it was found in fact to be slightly negatively correlated). Cheever found similar results.
It also largely explains the confusing discrepancy that Stereophile regularly has where the reviewer gushes and the measurements look like crap. The problem is the emphasis on unimportant metrics and ignorance of the ones that do matter...largely due to the complexity of obtaining the meaningful numbers. Soundstage has similar discrepancies. Amps that measure perfect, Like a Bryston, often don't sound anything like perfect (same for Halcro...terrible sterile sound but amazing numbers).
When the metrics get straightened out to actually get calibrated to listening preferrences then you will have metrics that mean something. Absolute numbers are meaningless since machines aren't listneing to hifi.
"Absolute numbers are meaningless since machines aren't listneing to hifi."
You may want to rethink that as it flies in the face of the rest of your posts. Perhaps something like: "absolute numbers are usually only helpful if they correlate with perception".
I know, that's obvious... but still and all if you look at the bulk of posts surrounding this topic, that's the missing link.
Ironically it seems to be well accepted here that price is THE sole measure of "High Endedness". Silly as that seems (and is) it's slightly better than nothing since throwing expensive parts at a problem MAY help out and sometimes actually is the most effective solution especially if cost really is no object. Typically the better the engineer the fewer the instances of such "solutions" in consumer products but "high-end audio" is an odd niche.
Rick
I disagree with your assertion that I am being contradictory. Absolute numbers are meaningless unless they are correlated with listening that was clearly implied if not stated explicitly.
With a good design, better parts will usually improve the sound. A poor design they won't matter much because there is too much obscuring the (relatively) subtle differences.
"With a good design, better parts will usually improve the sound. A poor design they won't matter much because there is too much obscuring the (relatively) subtle differences."
Maybe. Or maybe the "poor" design is just better at ignoring minor part variations making it more reliable in the real world... It's hard to generalize, ya really gotta chase the signal through the chain to figure out what's happening where.
Rick
Speakers which are open in the mid thru 8 K region (measures flat) will sound better on analog, recessed a bit through this range and digital sounds superior.
Same for Toobs vs SS
Hows that for correlation .........
over-generalize much?? LOL!
I agree, generally, and stipulated that in my first post:
That being said, if he DOES go to panels as he indicates he might, power becomes more of an issue . Maggies can make good use of almost as much 'good' power as you can provide. The Magtech which is 'out of budget' would be a FINE choice and was on my list, except for the reality of $$$.
Of course, room size and listening habits are not trivial concerns, either.
I have panels and would say I get by better than fine with a PAIR of the lower powered A23
….cheers….
Too much is never enough
the speakers in the lobby at Magneplaner (sp) happen to be run with a 35 watt tube amp, and sound pretty good.
gary
Gary
I ran MG-1s with a Kenwood KA-7100 for a while. 60x2 8ohm power.
I thought that was fine until I went to over 3x the power.
That Kenwood I bought NEW is STILL being used by a Nephew as a guitar amp!
I mentioned 'room and habits'. that's the decider, isn't it?
I'm sure they BLAST that 35 watt tube amp to nose bleed levels. No? How about background music you can talk over?
The GENERAL consensus with which I agree is that good watts are good. MORE good watts are better.
Panels are only 83 or 84 db sensitive.
Too much is never enough
When I purchased my MG-1's, I had a 75wpc Sansui integrated and couldn't figure out why they didn't sound as good as the 50wpc (as best I remember) Mac tube amp that I heard them on in the showroom. I was very new in the hobby then. Didn't quite understand power/watts/voltage/efficiency/etc. Long story short, I reluctantly purchased a 110wpc Hafler amp (which had originally been suggested by the tech at the shop), and was blown away at the improvement in performance. Not specifically true to the OP's post, but kinda in the ball park. Just my experience. Dave.
Everyone thinks I'm strange except my friends deep inside the earth
The Parasound has very nice home-theater styling to me.
The Odyssey looks a bit more serious for two channel setups.
The Emotiva styling is too boyish to me, but the price is right.
I don't think the OP can go wrong on any of these three!
(How's that for a superficial analysis? ;-)
Only one I have experience with is the Khartago, actually two of them, driving Magneplanar MG-IIIa.
A friend owns these amps and well they are packed to get damaged in shipping and that is how I met Mike. He needed to replace the led (turned out to be the resistor) and a set of output connections which were bent. He found me to do the repair (through my brother) and I had the amps here for a period of time.
Klaus was great to work with, sending the needed parts quickly and it was not problem fixing this issues. The resistor/led, infant mortality, happens sometimes. The WBT output connector was damaged because the amp is only single boxed and got a bit of rough handling. NBD, no other damage.
The thing about the Odyssey stereo amp is that you can return it for a mono build and purchase another mono amp for the cost of the mono amp as Mike did. He didn't need the power with his Salk HT-1 speakers, but that system sounds great and natural. When the amps were here, they were a good match and Mike preferred the sound of his amps to the McCormack DNA-1 I usually use. Both great amps. I don't know the others but these two are very highly rated.
You are looking at the list price of the amps. I'd at least contact Klaus and see what kind of deal he has today. Sometimes folks will trade in an amp and move up and well that amp is going to be available for way less. Don't talk for long or you will be getting that stereo amp and realizing you should have the mono amps and shipping it back.
Anyway, without hearing the others, I comfortable saying the Khartago is a very capable amp and would be a good choice.
I owned the original John Curl designed Parasound amplifier an absolute piece of rubbish, at least Parasound did take it back for a refund. No doubt the later models are better. . An important consideration when buying an amplifier to match a pre-amp is the input sensitivity , Rotel 1582 200 wpc amplifier is totally useless without its own matching pre as the input sensitivity is an absurd 2 volts it should be 1 volt. Buying an amp on line is a good move as it can be returned if not suitable for whatever reason.
Edits: 06/06/15 06/06/15 06/06/15
JC never designed that amplfier and you need to start back on your meds, man you starting to sound like a full looney , any pre-amp can output 2volt.
The only fully JC designed amp you can buy today is the JC-1, all other parasound uses bits of his designed, just enuff to say JC designed.
Edits: 06/06/15 06/06/15
John Curl designed all of Parasounds high power amplifiers, however the HCA crap amplifier I received was probably down to the very poor quality of the Taiwan manufacturer and lack of QC by Parasound. Maybe pre-amps do output 2 volts or more, but the fact remains that the Rotel 1582 Mk2 with 2 volt input sensitivity has insufficient gain for me. Goldmund Job 225 input sensitivity .775 volt, Arcam P49 I.I volt , Quad QSP .775 volt my own nearly 2O year old amplifier (yet to hear a better one) I volt input sensitivity.My pre out comes from the Sony STR-DA5400ES AVR and with the Rotel amp had to advance the VC to almost maximum and it still did not sound right. The What Hi-Fi ? review of the Rotel 1582MK 2 does not give it 5 stars and says the Rotel sounds best with its own pre.
Edits: 06/07/15 06/12/15
He used to show up here occasionally.
Opus 33 1/3
On the A21, it does have some of his design but he considers the JC-1 a full curl and the A21 as too much watered down. Ironically , when last we communicated He was starting to run an A21 on his Wilson's , until such he did not think it was as good as it was until he tried it, it was recommended to him by Dave Wilson, who uses them for his subs.
He also did most, if not all, of the HCA-2200 and 2200 II. I've yet to hear one of his sound bad.
Opus 33 1/3
I owned two HCA-1500as and both were excellent. I've heard the Halo A21 and it's a winner. Ditto the JC-1s.
Opus 33 1/3
Your idea of excellent is obviously very different to mine.
d
Edits: 07/06/15
Probably using cheapest possible components. My amplifier is 20 years old and I can not find a better sounding one and that includes Devialet, Job 225 , Quad Platinum, Arcam P49 etc. etc.
Edits: 06/13/15 06/13/15 06/13/15
Opus 33 1/3
$449 with free shipping.
Opus 33 1/3
Yes Henry please let us know what you think of the XA-200 amp. I need a reliable inexpensive back up amp for my aged Belles Model 2 amp.
He's used an XPA-200 for some time now.
Opus 33 1/3
I'm actually excited to finally hear a review on that amp.
Post-um when you get-um!!!
Looking forward to reading your comments on the Emotiva
charles
Opus 33 1/3
I can't comment on the Parasound or the Odyssey since I have not heard
them. But I do currently own the Emotiva XPA-200.
Here is some background....
Back when I had am Arcam FMJ C31 Preamp I tried several different amps
trying to find a combo that worked with my speakers. I also had
several different sets of speakers at the time. I wanted a more
relaxed and natural top end but with good bass and dynamics. I listen
to a lot of Hard Rock and some Metal. Many of these recordings
tend to be bright and edgy so I was trying to find a combo of
amp/preamp and speakers that I could live with and still listen
to a variety of music. At that time I tried one of the Emotiva
XPA-2s. I found the bass and dynamics to be very good, but the
top end was too bright for my tastes. So I sold it to a fellow
who has a set of Maggies.
As time went along I made 2 purchases that finally made the difference
for me and have transformed my system into what I was looking for.
1st was a Proceed AVP preamp/processor. I wanted a Levinson preamp
and this was the closest thing I could afford. The 2nd and equally
important purchase was a set of Goldenear Triton 3s. I now finally
have a system that has a natural non-fatiguing sound with good
bass, imaging and dynamics. I guess I FINALLY learned that the
preamp and the speakers really do more than the amp to define
the overall sound of a system. A good preamp and avoiding metal
dome tweeters were the determining factors for me.
Along the way I tried some older B&K stuff. I still own one of their
Reference 4420 amps which I have kept since it was my favorite
amp up until this point. But given the age of the 4420 and
considering the condition of it when I bought it, I have been
concerned about how many more years it had left in it. And you know
finding someone to work on B&K equipment is not easy. So I started
looking at new amps again. Given that my budget is usually limited
I looked at Emotiva once again. I was hesitant since I was not
totally satisfied with the XPA-2 when I had it, but I wondered if
I did not give it a fair shake since in the end it wasn't the amp
but the preamp and speakers that made the difference for me.
I found some interesting posts on the Emotiva site where several
Emotive 'fan boys' as they are called here, had tried just about
every one of their amps and said that they found the XPA-200 to
be most musical and warmest sounding of their amps. I found this
to be very interesting. So last year when they ran their winter
sale I bought an XPA-200 for $330.
I use it all of the time in my system and rarely even hook up my old
B&K 4420. I compared the 2 extensively at first. I found that the
B&K was a bit softer on top while the Emotiva had more clarity
better bass and dynamics with the preamp and speakers I have.
And I honestly have stopped looking at amplifiers. I think the
XPA-200 is a neutral(maybe a little warm), dynamic, and very
musical sounding amplifier that is a killer bargain when you
can catch it on sale.
Good Luck!
The Emotiva offers a transformer of similar rating and substantially more power supply capacitance than the Odyssey (in base form) or the Parasound. Both the Emotiva and Odyssey have four output transistors while the Parasound has six. The Emotiva has more heat sink area than the Parasound and significantly more than the Odyssey. In the final analysis, no one design appears to be leaps ands bounds better than the others.
The internal build quality of the Emotiva looks cleaner than the Parasound and on par with the Odyssey. The Parasound includes gain controls that allow the system gain to be optimized -a definite advantage unless the potentiometers become noisy with age. Each carries a decent warranty from companies likely to still be in business should service be required. Again, more or less a draw.
As to sound, I can only comment on the Parasound and Emotiva. Both were similar in noise floor and either can handle current hungry loudspeakers better than would be expected. Neither produced any mechanical noise, turn-on/turn-off transients, or excessive heat. Both sounded smooth and appropriately detailed. The Emotiva handled driving subwoofers better. The bass was taunter yet weightier at the same time, a rather unexpected result given the significantly larger transformer and greater number of output devices in the Parasound. Slight advantage to the Emotiva.
The real difference is in value. The Emotiva costs $499 delivered to your door. During the summer sale (until July 15), it is only $450. Less than half the cost of the Odyssey or Parasound. Try the Emotiva for a few weeks and if it doesn't work out you will only be out the return shipping. I'll wager that you won't send it back .
Just curious. Where did you get the info on the Emotiva regarding output devices? I looked on the website and could find nothing on it. Inmate olddude55 has the XPA-200 and it drives his new MMGs just fine. The SMGa is a bit more efficient than the MMG, around 87 dB/w/m vs. 83 dB for the MMG. The SMGas will be Magnestand modded (hardwood frames, upgraded crossovers, etc.)
Opus 33 1/3
The number of output devices in the Emotiva was determined by looking inside the unit. If the photo on thr Emotiva website is carefully examined, it too shows four devices per channel.
If you keep the PS pre,you will want a little more warmth in the amp or cables.
I'm not a huge Emotiva fan,maybe on subs.
The X150 would be a good match for maggies.Maybe use a Belles preamp with it,but make sure it can operate the Pass in balanced mode.
Tom:cat
In any case, even though the P.S. pre has remote volume and muting (a plus for me), I'd most likely keep the Forte' preamp because A) it sounds better and B) it has a very good MM/MC phono section.
Opus 33 1/3
VTI stand is $120 - and will allow you to consider much wider range of amps.
whichever one is NOT made in china...
Many Odyssey fans here, and yes Klaus is a nice guy, and yes the amps are a good value. But the fact of the matter is, you really need a ballsy amp even for a modestly sized pair of Maggies, like the 1.7s I tried.The Odyssey amps all share the same basic design. Some just add more power supply to base models that start with a relatively tiny 400VA power transformer and a small handful of filter caps.
For example, the Stratos begins life with one 400VA power transformer and four filter caps mounted to the circuit board. The Stratos Plus adds 4 more filter caps bolted to the chassis with relatively long cables to tie them into the circuit board near the other filter caps. The Stratos Extreme bolts a 2nd 400VA power supply transformer onto the first one and adds four more filter caps, again, far away from the circuit board with more long cables.
On the other hand, my Pass Labs X150.5 that I owned begins life with a 1000VA power supply transformer (greater than 2x that of the Stratos Extreme) and many more filter caps all neatly mounted on the circuit board near the other circuitry where they are most effective.
And.... that X150.5 sounded a lot more powerful and robust (and more refined) than the comparably spec'd Odyssey Stratos Extreme.
To John Elison's comment about which is more essential to power delivery, the power supply transformer or more filter capacitance, the answer is the transformer.
As for Maggies, I took my Rogue Stereo 90 Super Magnum 100wpc KT120 amp to a friends house to drive a pair of Maggie 1.7s. This amp normally sounds robust and dynamic on my modest Tannoys and even my more difficult Thiels. It sounded compressed and and almost feeble on the Maggie 1.7s. We had to bring my friend's 300wpc monoblocks back into the picture to make those Maggies come back to life.
That was the day I learned for myself that I would never buy Maggies unless I had the funds for a very ballsy amplifier.
Some pics of the Odyssey Stratos Plus and Stratos Extreme. I think the other Odyssey amps pretty much share the same basic design:
Stratos Plus with extra caps bolted to the chassis
Stratos Extreme with 2nd 400VA transformer and even more far away filter caps.
Edits: 06/05/15
Abe,
things have changed a great deal over the last ten or twelve years at Odyssey. The Khartago will drive the Maggie 1.7 speakers very well. Klaus has a pair being drive by Khartago amps.
gary
Gary
Their sensitivity is up near 87dB/w/m, compared to other models 83 dB or even lower. I drove SMGas with a decent 100 wpc amp back in the day. I think it was a Forte' , IIRC. I think the 240 wpc (at the Maggies 4 Ohms) Emotriva should handle them.
Opus 33 1/3
... and with more balls than some more powerful amps I've owned such as the Phase Linear 400 (of course) and the Adcom GFP 555II.
I love the music of Dmitri Shostakovich
The Pass X150 and X150.5 that I once owned were more capable and powerful sounding than the similarly 'spec'd' Odyssey Stratos Extreme. The Pass was much better built too.... but what do you expect from Pass and the fact that it costs much more than the Odyssey.
The Odyssey were fine on my rather benign Tannoy speakers but even so, when I tried the Pass amps the difference was immediately noticeable with better unrestricted dynamics, ease, and effortlessness that wasn't quite there with the Odyssey.
... to the Phase Linear 400 and Adcom GPA 555II, my Class D Audio SDS-258 which is spec'd at 250 wpc @ 8 ohms, and my Bel Canto eVo2 and NAD C270 both nominally close to the Pass at 120 wpc @ 8 ohms
Abe, the SDS-258 more or less confirms for me your conclusions about class D bass. The 258 had precise bass but much too lean. The X150.5 is the first amp I've owned that produce anything like the real impact of orchestra bass instruments or crescendos. Also, the Pass makes all percussion instruments sound better than I'd heard, including piano.
I love the music of Dmitri Shostakovich
I have no experience with the highly regarded SDS-258 and similar products. My Class D experience consisted of:- Wyred4Sound ICEpower
- Bel Canto ICEpower
- Rogue Audio UcD Hypex
- A DIY ncore 400 Hypex (I didn't build it)
- PS Audio HCA-2
- NuForce Ref 9v3
- Sonic Impact Super T amp (low power)and a couple others I'm probably forgetting. While some were very good, none were quite right for me compared to traditional high quality Class AB amps like Pass Labs. The argument goes that if you pay upwards of $8000 to $12,000 for nCore Class D technology they start to compete with the great traditional designs. My response: what's the attraction and why bother at those price points?
Edits: 06/08/15 06/08/15
... is that Hypex will sell NC400's, (but not NC1200's), to DIYers for €335.00. Add an SMPS600 power supply for €180.00.
So two of each would be about USD 1200.00 (plus shipping, etc.); add say $300 for a half-decent case and connectors and you have an interesting amp for maybe 2 grand.
I don't trust my competence for this task but it would be a trivial project for many DIYers.
I love the music of Dmitri Shostakovich
The very well built Rotel 1582 200wpc could be a best buy today if only it had more gain for different brand pre-amps and input sensitivity was around 1 volt .
I have an Odyssey Khartago & AR 3a speakers & it is a great match.
Perhaps this?
...after selling your pre-amp.
I wouldn't go for any of those options to go with Maggies. They may have the grunt, but I believe you will find a better sonic match else-where. It's much easier with an integrated. And there are a lot of great integrateds out there, and there are also a lot of mis-matched pre/power combos.
Look at integrateds from Exposure, Plinius, Leema, Cambridge, Naim, Arcam, Prima Luna, Rogue Audio.
Good post. I agree about getting the maggies first.
I don't think Naim is a good match for maggies, nor Primaluna (personal experience).
The Exposure stuff doubles into four ohms and has lots of power. Rogue is certainly my fav if you're into tubes.
"A lie is half-way around the world before the truth can get its boots on."
-Mark Twain
Can't beat personal experience. Maggie owners (current or previous) are best qualified with this thread.
I would love to hear Maggies with Quad II Forty's and the matching pre-amp. If they can drive ESL57s and 63s..
Could be wrong but I seem to recall the Odyssey is not great into lower impedance (4 ohms) loads.
If Maggies are in your future....
And I would take the Parasound over the Emotiva in a New York Minute.
"A lie is half-way around the world before the truth can get its boots on."
-Mark Twain
think your post is incorrect, as I've never seen any Oddyssey amp that wasn't stable in a continuous two Ohm load. The bigger ones will run a one Ohm load forever.
gary
Gary
Doubt that , not enuff heatsink for starters ......
I've owned a couple of John's amps, Parasound HCA-1500as to be exact, and liked them a lot. I'm leaning toward the A23.
Opus 33 1/3
I have a pair of A23's that I've used first singly in stereo mode, then together in stereo bi-amp mode and am now running as a pair in monoblock configuration.
I can only tell you that, for me, they are phenomenal.
I would not trade them for anything that cost less than 5X the price.
Which as it turns out I'm going to do - moving up to the JC1's.
But this only comes after very very extensive conversations with
Richard Schramm at AXPONA (and others) re their design ( and the design of the JC1), and even then, it's a tough call.
Separately, I'm told, but have not heard myself, that they pair well with maggies. In any case - I love 'em and I don't think you'd be disappointed.
Not if you get the plus or extreme versions. They have upgraded power supplies among other things. Not a bad idea really to have an amp cheaper at the base level and then those w/ low Z loads can pay more for an amp that does better @4 ohms.
E
T
Well I have never cared for Emotiva's sound, they are just pretty and priced right. Parasound gets a little more respect but they cost too much for what they offer.
I'm much more impressed with Odyssey. Look into their upgraded versions of the Khartago the plus and the extreme.
E
T
Get a bigger rack, choose the best amp .............
What is your reasoning for such a statement?
Opus 33 1/3
he meant for proper ventilation
E
T
I've never listened to any of them.
The Emotiva has twice the power supply filter capacitance, but only half the transformer size compared to the Parasound A23. I don't know which is more important -- transformer size or filter capacitance.
I'd probably go with the Emotiva since it's half the price. I don't know what its reputation is like. On the other hand, Parasound has a good reputation. I own the larger A21 and I'm totally satisfied with it.
I don't know anything about Odyssey. However, for some odd reason they don't want to give the weight of their amplifier. The Emotiva is 31-lbs and the Parasound is 28-lbs.
I'd probably go with the Emotiva since its half the price. On the other hand, you know what they say: "You get what you pay for!" ;-)
Best regards,
John Elison
"The Emotiva is 31-lbs and the Parasound is 28-lbs.
I'd probably go with the Emotiva since its half the price. On the other hand, you know what they say: "You get what you pay for!" ;-)"
So your saying that at half the price the Emotiva is also a better value per pound? !> )
> So your saying that at half the price the Emotiva is also a better value per pound? !> )
To be honest, I don't have direct experience with any of those amplifiers, so I'm just guessing. Your guess is as good as mine, maybe better! ;-)
I own a pair of Khartargo Mono Blocks the last 9 years with no problems hat so ever. And they sound good. Talk to Klaus the owner, he won't steady out wrong.
I've bee impressed by them at shows, and Klaus has a great reputation. Alon Wolf of Magico has used them to drive his speakers.
If money isn't a huge restriction, get the Odyssey.
I've bee impressed by them at shows, and Klaus has a great reputation. Alon Wolf of Magico has used them to drive his speakers.
I was impressed at a show w/ the sound of an Odyssey amp.
Emotiva in a friend's Maggie 1.6 system sounds great.
I have a Parasound that is ok (used on my 1.6s in my secondary system).
Of course, I heard all 3 brands in very different systems.
First eliminate the ones that will not match well with your preamp impedance.
Also I remember hearing a complaint about mechanical noise on the Emotiva amps????
And speaking with NOOOO experience with these amps I always wanted to try the Parasound.
Ditto for my P.S. Audio P200 preamp.
Opus 33 1/3
Try asking some of the guys in the planar asylum , quite a few have purchased the Emotiva brand, they may have some insight for you.
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