I'll start at the beginning...excellent packaging and nicley double-boxed. Give it your best shot FedEx, this packaging is going to last through shipping with no issues. Build quality of the unit is excellent, but this is no surprise as this is what I have come to expect from Emotiva. I have looked at pictures of the unit on-line, but I don't think the full functionality of the amp sunk in until seeing it in person. I didn't really notice you can choose balanced or unbalanced connections for each channel until I had the unit in front of me. While there are not multiple display brightness like on the MPS-1/RPA-1, there is a switch that will either illuminate the front panel channel indicators or shut them off completely. The power button stays on regardless of the switch's position but puts out very little light. Speaking of connections, they are all top notch similar to those on the RPA-1 and a cut above those on the LPA-1 and MPS-1.
I got everything hooked up and decided I would start by doing some stereo listening. I normally use the sub since my mains are a little weak, but I didn't want to give the XPA-5 a break so I changed my mains to large and set the mode to "Source Direct" on my DMR-1, and decided I would use the DACs in the Onkyo for a while. The bass was tight and controlled and stronger than I am used to in this configuration. It seemed even stronger than the bass the MPS-1/RPA-1 produce in the front channels. I rocked out to a few Queensryche tracks. I went back to my optical connection from the Onkyo and "Stereo" mode on the DMR-1 and turned off my sub so I could just hear the mains. Things got a bit better as the DACs in the DMR-1 are superior to the Onkyo. I moved on to some Jamie Cullum and was again impressed with the sound of the XPA-5 produced. It was very well balanced. Highs stood out, but weren't harsh. Mids were full and rich, and bass is simply awesome.
I am guessing the bass is awesome due to the extra headroom this amp has due to the massive transformer. If this is the case, I can't wait to hear the XPA-2! I continued to listen to some Nora Jones, Diana Krall, and Def Leppard and all sounded excellent. Piano from Diana Krall was incredible and the XPA-5 did very well on her voice also. Bass notes were clear in the jazz I listened to, but not overbearing...very controlled.
I went a little crazy with Hysteria from Def Leppard and my my cat may never be the same...
I pushed the hell out of the XPA-5 and even stood outside the HT room at one point and took the volume up higher as I already couldn't stand it in the HT room. I felt like I was battling the XPA-5 and it just kept asking me "is that all you got?" No doubt this amp will reach insane levels in my HT room as well as a much larger room.
While sitting in the closed room, the XPA-5 starts losing a tad of composure at 106dB in my HT room compared to the RPA-1 which is strong to about 109dB before a noticible change in sound when driving the front channels. I don't really enjoy anything over about 95dB even if I am in a rockin' mood. I measured these values with the SPL meter and did not stay there long as I value my hearing. The XPA-5 was room temperature after my 2-channel jam session.
For multi-channel I turned the sub back on and I decided to test things out with a 5.1 config instead of my normal 9.1 so I could focus on the sound of the XPA-5 alone. I popped in Episode II and went to chapter 40 (the arena scene), the sound the XPA-5 produced was stellar...I had no doubt it would be after its two channel performance. The details I am used to were all there and voices were excellent...not harsh even at loud volumes. I continued to watch the next couple chapters.
Then, I put in U-571 and selected the DTS audio and went to chapter 15 "depth charges"...yeah, you know what I'm talkin' about! The XPA-5 was quite convincing in this sequence. All the drips, breaths people take, and of course the depth charges were in full force. The sonic qualities of the XPA-5 seem to be a bit on the warm side similar to the LPA-1. Speaking of warmth, the amp was just a tad warmer than room temperature after listening to the scenes from Episode II and U-571, but nowhere close to being hot.
Putting my ears right up to the speakers with a paused source, I noticed the noise floor of the XPA-5 was a tad higher than the MPS-1/RPA-1 but lower than the LPA-1. Not an issue as none of the amps I own from Emotiva exhibit any background noise when my ear is about 6 inches or more from the tweeter and none of the background noise has ever been anywhere close to audible from my listening position which is about 5' from the nearest speaker.
The MPS-1/RPA-1 seem to provide just a bit more detail and extension in 2-channel listening, but this slight advantage was unheard by me in multi-channel. If I was choosing the best multi-channel amp, I would still choose the MPS-1. However, if I did not have an amp and was auditioning both in my home, I would have a hard time deciding whether to keep the XPA-5 or the MPS-1. The performance of the XPA-5 is close enough it is hard to justify anything further.
I am left wondering if the XPA-2 is going to level the playing field even more as it's 2-channel perfomance may be even closer to or better than the MPS-1 or RPA-1 and the 2-channel arena and absolutely insane volume levels are the only places I really notice a slight edge for the MPS-1/RPA-1 over the XPA-5. I don't know how Emotiva can put an amp of this quality out at the price they do it...but I am definietly not complaining. Way to go guys, you have another winner on your hands. Competition beware!
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