Ive been waiting too! No update means he had poor results. I was waiting for Spare Changes update on the B&W 803s which never happened, but his video on the Martin Logan ESLs we pretty much found out why....same thing going on here...the Emotiva didn’t perform!
I did not do an update. Stuck with dual amp source 300's for my front LR and rear surrounds. They deliver solid headroom at 150WPC 8ohms class AB continuously. Thinking that the Parasound A31 might be the right solution for me at this point in time.
I'm listening music every day on my xpa dr2 +pt-100 +turntable teac +polk rti a9 and I never got enough. This combo is just amazing, clarity of sound and zero distortion is really fantastic. Dr2 drive polk rti a9 very easly
Hi Youthman, have you done a full review? If not, can you give me any feedback based on your testing/experience? I am looking for a 3 channel amp for my front 3 speakers. Other option is Buckeye Purify 3 channel amp. You talked about that one as well. Can you please give your input? Thanks
@Nat N i have a rf7 lll using a monolith 7x and my 3080 yamaha the sound volume is no different it seems like the yamaha is avr is louder by a bit. I Will test max levels soon when free. If the rf 7 will distort at 120 watt, it says rms is 250 with peaks of 1k so is 200 wpc is more than enough for it?
@@Youthman how would I bi amp the rf 7 using the monolith 7x would I need an active cross over unit? Same goes for rc 64 center, or should I just bi wire them using a 2x4 banana plug speaker wire.
@Nat N I'm no expert tbh when I put in bare wire 10 gauge for LCR and then compared them to nice sleeved 10 gauge speaker wire banana plugs the sound was lower. I have a set of Kimber 8tc I got for super dirt cheap and I will see if it makes a difference.
Hi Youthman I need some advice, I have the Denon AVR-X3700H, Am looking to get a External amplifier, My top 2 choices are the Rotel 1585, Or The Emotiva XPA-DR3 Reference Three-Channel Power Amplifier, I know the Rotel 1585 has 5ch at 200 watts per ch at 8omh, And the Emotiva is a 3ch at 450watts per ch at 8omh, Any recommendations?
i'm leaning towards this DR3 amp but i noticed that it has 0.1% THD. does it matter in terms of sound quality? or is 0.1% too small to detect with the ears. I noticed the anthem MCA 325 has very low THD 0.015%.
Freddy, I didn’t hear any significant difference between the Emotiva XPA11 and the Monolith 11X. Both are great performing amps. The Monolith has a more balanced power distribution (200x3 + 100x8 vs the 300x3 + 65x8 in the Emotiva.
Great Info👌as always. One question... How do I read the specs on the speaker ? 'db' being specific, I have read that db are what matters in terms on matching an amp with speakers... I am trying to purchase this amp to pair with my Klipsch R-28F, which handles from 150w/600w, but so far I am focusing only on the power output on the amp and the power handling on my speaker rather than the db because it is so confusing to read those numbers
Hey youthman I’m kind new to this. So far I have a 5.4.1 all Klipsch system with a Denon receiver. I’m just starting to look into adding amps to get a better full affect. My question is since this is a 3 Channel amp would you run your 2 fronts and center with it?? Would appreciate some advice. Thank you for all your great videos, have helped me tremendously with building my home theatre. Stay safe and be blessed.
Youthman did you ever review the amp? What did you think? Is the DR 3 worth the added dollars vs a similarly equipped XPA 3? Is there a notable difference
Youthman, How did you perform with the Martin Logan 60ti and center ,I just got a Martin Logan’s a couple weeks ago .. Do you think that Emotiva will be overkill at 4ohm?
I like Emotiva so much and think they offer great value so much that I went with the PT100 and A-150 amp. However, continually disappointed in how they state their specs and I guess there is a reason for that, right? Price. Even for this amp they don't state the power output is at the full frequency bandwidth. For the A-150 and A-300 the 4 ohm rating does double but measured at 1khz and at higher distortion so in the end it doesn't really double power output into 4 ohms vs 8. Gotta read the fine print unless there is none like on this amp. Anyway, happy for what I got at the price point.
@@Youthman I get that. I too cut my teeth on car audio in the 90's with an crazy award winning system, locally that is. In the end sad and miss-leading consumers. If you're not in the know your going to blow. While not a huge Audioholics fan I appreciate the exposure of mis=leading specs on the channel and crazy over speced AVRs. Get better Gean.
Emotiva really put there heart in this power house, a lot competition in class D at much much cheaper price. Like new crown, but personally I would use it, unless I was 20 year's old again with Cerwin Vega speakers, lol🇨🇦
@@Youthman lol I remember the boss amps lololol. I was huge back then into car audio myself. Stayed tru to Rockford Fosgate and MTX tho. Head unit always Pioneer.
Did you notice a huge difference between this amp and your avr? I have the same setup that you have (rf7-iii and rc-64)and looking for an amplifier with a lot of power but don’t know if it’s really worth it .
Awesome, I think there is no such thing as too much power….. There is something about these beasts of an amplifier 🤩 I bought a 90 lbs Adyton monster amplifier and I love it, probably even running at close to idle even when running very loud…. Just sounds and works better 😍
I'd love to see the insides. Emotiva has made some poor heatsink design decisions in the past when Audioholics gutted the unit. Likely this has been addressed and looks like a great amp but always nice to see some objective measurements of the hardware.
Perfect timing as I'm a new owner of Magnepan 1.7i's and I need lots of power and NO ONE has done a review of the differential series from Emotiva. Q: will I benefit since my AVR has unbalanced outputs & also how is the 2 ch soundstage? Thanks
@@amazoidal Wow, I wasn't aware of this model, I had my eye on the new a21+, but the 2350 puts out 600w into 4ohms using ice modules. a factory refurb sells for $900, that's amazing value. thanks!!
I bought a demo from Audio Advisor for about that price. Safe and Sound, which handles official refurbs for Parasound, also is a source. Zero Fidelity did a great review on the 2350. Sean said that the 2350 could even go up against the A23. It is very similar inside to the PS Audio Class D, but that uses two mono ICE modules instead of the one stereo ICE module. There are 3 manufacturers of Class D modules - B&O ICE, Pascal and Hypex, all European. The first two are in Denmark and Hypex is in the Netherlands.There are many Chinese companies making modules (TPA), but I don't know which audio products are using them. Some build lots of subwoofer plate amps. Neo Systems makes a lot of PA/Pro sound stuff like Crown does. You can also see some modules on the Profusion site. Definitely a growing topology that is taking over.
@@amazoidal Even if I don't go class D for my mains, I'll keep the 2350 refurb in mind to drive a pair of critically damped subs I built specifically to work with the Maggie's. Thanks again
Hey Michael I enjoy watching your channel. I am thinking about getting this amplifier. I was wondering do you have a video with the full review of this amplifier. Thank You and God Bless
What your thoughts on Rotel amps I have rb-985 mk ll it’s a THX amp its 5x100 and I’m thinking about buy a used rotel rb-1050 2x70. I’m think I’m going to get the Marantz AV 7705 pre amp to run my 5.1.2 home theater Klipsch r-51 r-52 for Front stage Klipsch spl 120 sub and Klipsch r-41sa for side surrounds , Klipsch 1680 incelling for Atmos I love the Channel. Or would you just get the 8812
Speaking of PSB ..You should review the PSB imagine T3 floor standing home theater speakers. Sounds like a plan to me. A lot of good info on this amp. Good review youthman.
Hello Youthman, all good ? I am looking for reviews of the Emotiva XPA Gen 3 Reference DR models, but only found your unboxing video. How was your review and findings ? Did you perhaps include the Emotiva DR3 amp review under another processor video review? Thanks !!
Hey Youth man, I'm curious about one thing considering you have tested the XPA11 as well. What does this XPA3 brings more to the front stage compares to the XPA11? The 3 front channel are also fully differential on the XPA11. So the only thing is the additionnal power brought by XPA3. But for instance in your case (meaning dedicated room, great conditions), did you hear the difference. Is it worth to have this dedicated XPA 3 VS an XPA7 9 11 which will power all of your speakers? Thanks in advance for your feeling
Awesome amp man! Plenty of power there. Awesome looking build quality, great rear panel layout. Love both the balanced, and unbalanced inputs. Great aesthetics on that front panel, this would would look awesome in any gear rack! Have a GREAT day man!
@@Youthman where is the review? What happened? The martin logans and that amp is exactly what i want to buy. Did the amp smoke the speakers or something? What happened? Why did the review never post?
@YouthMam hey I was hoping you could provide me with som insight, my father just bought the XPA-3 Gen 3 less than a month ago. It has been working flawlessly, until yesterday. We were watching golf , so not pushing it at all and the amp has lost all power? None of the other equipment lost power, he uses a base x for rear channels and the Marantz 7705 for processing. Everything is fine. All equipment is powered by the pano max. We have tried even plugging it into a separate outlet, and do not even get the orange power indicator? Do you have any idea what it might be?
Hey brother, would really, REALLY appreciate a response. I need advise. I currently have a 7.2 system at home. KEF 950s towers, 650C center, and q350's for side and rear surrounds, along with 2 PB16ultra subs. They are all powered by Denon AVR4700h. I am sold on the idea to add an external amp to step up the power and clarity of my speakers. My question is, do I need a 3 channel (like this one you are reviewing with 450w per channel (3 channels) or would you recommend by going 7 channels with obviously less power per channel? What are your thoughts? thank you!
With the he KEF being 91dB, you definitely wouldn’t “need” 450wpc. I haven’t tested the Emotiva A3 yet but my guess is it will be sufficient to power your front soundstage and let the Denon power the rest. There’s never a downside to having more power, it just usually isn’t because of a “need”. Just don’t expect a night and day difference adding an amplifier to an AVR
@@Youthman awesome thank you for the reply! but will see a night and day powering my front to a dedicated external amp though right? My denon is only capable of 125w per channel, (if its even doing this)
Hi Mike. When are you planning to release your opinion/review of this beast ? I am highly looking forward to getting your feedback as compared to my current XPA-5 gen3. Thanks and keep doing your excellent and fun reviews ! Kris
I was looking at this amp to power my Martin Logan 60xti's and 50xti. I didn't pull the trigger because it is rated for 600 watts into 4 ohms. The Martin Logans are a 4 ohm speaker and recommend 20 to 400 watts. I was afraid that I would blow the speakers. is this the case?
Hello Youthman, thanks for awesome content! But then will you release another video about this amplifier? I am interested to buy one and I have been waiting for your extended review :) Take care and thanks again!
Great video dude! I literally just ordered this amp to power the 3 JTR Noesis 212HT’s i have coming next week. This amp looks beastly man I cannot wait!!
Youthman Got the DR3 hooked up in the gear rack and the JTR 212HTs are in the garage. I’m almost done painting! The terminals on the DR3 are indeed huge but the ones on the JTR 212s are even bigger!!! Serious gear these both are.
If he gets one in for review he could definitely do that. I don’t have test equipment like that but I don’t really get too deep into measurements. I’m more concerned with the experience of a product but I’m pretty simple like that.
It has nothing to do with being a content creator or an influencer. Gene and I are friends and have even been to his home and out to dinner with him and his wife. Gene is an engineer, I am not. I have no desire to get into measuring impedance, output resistors and using an oscilloscope. Besides, do not have testing equipment like Gene does beyond REW, a calibrated mic and an SPL meter. I’m just a normal guy who is passionate about home theater and sharing my experiences with others. I have shared some simple measurements with REW and recently the miniDSP but that is likely going to be the extent of my measurements.
Youthman I like that position, sometimes I get bogged down with the specs and it messes with my experience. If I were to focus on the experience I think I’d get more enjoyment from the experience and probably save some money!
Not all... That is where many folks run into issues, the ground. They will get the dreaded hum. It was smart of Emotiva to eliminate it. I will be getting my DR2 in two more days. Cannot wait.
Try your svs ultra towers too. I been waiting along time for this review. I’m running my tower on the emotiva xpa3. I need to no is it worth the money to move up to the dr3.
Sweet!!!! I've been waiting for someone to do an indept review of this beast. I am on the fence about whether to get this or the Parasound Halo 31A which is a straight solid state AB amp.
Good gosh, if you meant the Parasound 31 that is like 50% more at about $3k. If you can swing that for sure far far better than this and that is from an Emotive fanboy. Parasound is more audiophile territory vs mid-fi. If you meant the 23a+ 2 channel, for sure again a far better amp but 2 channels and about $400 less. Another option, 2ea Schiit Vidars. True AB amp and 4 channels for ~$1600 and doubles power into 4 ohms. I like that option a lot! Vidar will probably be my A-150 upgrade path, $800.
@@briansimmons5363 Thanks for the good insight. I am looking for a 3 channel unit so the Schitts won't work in my case. Yes, I meant the Parasound Halo A31, it is their 3 channel offering of 250W x 3 at 8 ohms. You are correct to note that the Parasound is a bit more coin at ~$3K but it is straight class AB vs the Emotiva XPA DR3 which is 450w x 3 at 8 ohms and is not a straight class AB amp. Instead its design features SMPS, which is class AB output with soft switch class H power supply (switched mode power supply). I know what I'd be getting with the Parasound however, the DR3 has more power and cost less hence my interest and Youthman's indept review would certainly help in narrowing my choice.
@@briansimmons5363 Yes, I looked at the Monolith,@ 200WPC is only a small step up from what I am currently running (150 WPC ×2 AB for Front L&R Klipsch RF7III's and 200WPC class D mono for center RC64 III) and I didn't think was worthwhile.🙃 I am looking for a solution that can deliver ~250WPC or more x 3 class AB for my front stage.
@@Omegga26 why do you need so much power? The Klipsh RF7III have a 100dB sensitivity. RC64 III 99dB sensitivity. Unless your room is the size of a football field and you are trying to play at reference levels. What am I missing here?
They all say that. Look on the bottom left where it says "fully differential" thats where my XPA2 Gen 3 says 2/ 2.0 when you see the back irs totally different from XPA2 Gen 3
i like to buy one of these and run my main fronts klipsch speakers FR,C,FL and use my pioneer sc-lx701 9.2ch run my 2x klipsch subs ,my rears .and front and rear atmos and later on add side surround and more atmos speakers. cheers youthman for sharing can't wait to see your next video :)
I know this is an old thread, but your AV receiver needs to have audio outputs, or pre out connections. They are normally found in AVR's in the $1000 and up range for full home theater. Some lesser cost units will have a pair of audio outputs or pre outs, to power the L/R channels, or two channels on the amplifier to run a left and right speaker.
Brother, it is difficult to find any reviews on these DR amps. I ordered the XPA-DR2 and it will be here on Thursday 6/15/23. I have the original 1st generation XPA-2 in my system right now. I will let you know how it goes. I sold my XPA-3 to my buddy, he is using it in his HT rig without issue. Great amps.
@@michaelwright1602 I have a dr3 now like it. Just have always really liked the best amps xpr line that emotiva made and now they don’t. But still can’t find them for good deal. Thinking of buying a xpr5 for my front stage.
@@derekhoshaw3072 They did have some good ones back in the day. I am hoping this DR2 I have coming is as musical as the few reviews I have been able to find say it is. If it cannot beat my old XPA-2, then we are off to something else. Fingers crossed. What is feeding your DR3, I am assuming an AVR? How is it with two channel music? Or your thoughts using the DR in a dedicated two channel rig? I cannot even find these on the used market, well I did find one. You simply do not see many of these out here, and the reviews are far and few between, mainly unboxing. And this is supposedly one of Emotiva's most popular amps. Rather discouraging.
Nice PSB plug.. I like to see 'some' companies are reaching the YT communities for some spread of joy =) These Emotiva amps ..... oooooooWweeeeiiiiii .. I like them. I have never heard them tho. No one up here has them.. Guess we'll see how it goes. I know "ours" are all Canadian made.. We'll see how the dust settles =)
Thank you, youthman. I will be retracting all my negatives. Literally thanks to you sir. I was contacted by the right person. Lady's and Gents'! If your not subscribed to "YOUTHMAN", you might as well not be RU-vid-ing at all. This guy not only takes his time to do the spec work, but he does the leg work "for you". He personally saved me, without asking I must add, $2000.00 on a purchase I evidentally needed an olive branch with. I have Emotiva, Crown 2002's, Marantz, Behringer, and Denon Amplifiers. My Emotiva XPA-7 Gen 2 is not only powerful like many, but for my taste it is both warm and robust. I will be purchasing Emotiva in the future. For the money and with the way shown by my new friend, whom I am indebted too, "YOUTHMAN"... I am forever greatful sir. Emotiva is where I will be investing from hence forth forward. Hats off to "YOUTHMAN", Ladies and Gentleman. Thank you sir. You are truly a scholar and a gentleman. Mark Reeves and the Tech Truth.
Is it worth the extra $1000 over the XPA-3 ? Is there a noticeable difference my front 3 speakers are Monolith THX-365T with matching center. Since you did a review on those, I purchased them. Like to thank you on them so many great speakers in that price range now ,all left to get 3 channel amp. Using 4 Sony SS-CS5 bookshelf and dual SVS-SB2000. Thanks again, stay safe. 🇨🇦
I never answer if something is worth the cost as that will look different for everyone. Someone’s $100 might be equal to someone else’s $1000 or $10,000. Everyone has to decide that on their own.
Yeah what does that even mean? Lol. I got called lots of names in elementary school and in middle school. I began working out by the time I hit high school people stopped messing with me LOL
Michael whatever happened to the Mart Logan video against the RF 7 friend of mine was asking about that video I told him I'll send you a message I did tell him you probably have a lot on your plate and eventually you'll get to it if you still have them
midevil1980 a fully differential amplifier is the equivalent of a fully balanced amplifier this means the amplifier is fully balanced from the input to the output this enables the signal through XLR cables to be very clean and clear sounding meaning no buzz or hiss will occur in your speakers this ultra low noise floor can only be achieved if you are running something called separates which is a bit pricey however it is awesome and sounds so great if you have fully differential amplifiers and pre pro setup with some quality speakers/subs. separates is when you buy your pre pro and amplifiers separately rather than buying a receiver which has both of them together in one box hence the term separates is used. Also A fully differential/balanced amplifier will have some serious juice to it and will make your speakers hit hard 😁
On stop the fomo he explains why is their a need and do you need separates over an avr and talks to Amir from Audio science review about xlr and rca connections. Which is interesting. But to each is own on what is better for the person with audio. Personally i don't hear any buzzing sound from rca connections
The reality is, if you do not hear any issues, you’re not going to hear an audible difference going from RCA to XLR. Saying separates is a “need” is like saying having a Ferrari is a need. 😀
It’s considered a “Pro Amplifier” which were designed to be used in commercial PA type applications. I have used many of them over the years in non home theater applications. A lot of guys use them to power their home theater because they are often less expensive but they were designed for large venues, DJ’s, churches etc.
@@Youthman it is cinema amplifier. It is mentioned on official web site. Sir please do research while replying here is link www.crownaudio.com/en/products/dsi-4000
It actually has nothing to do with not having anything nice to say. Sadly I’ve just not installed it in my setup. Epic fail on my part for this review.
Yeah. The processor I want to go with this cost even more (3K). That's 5K total. But you have to pay 3K to get the common features that processors should have. And this is a budget brand? Really?
Monoprice monolith 3 channel so much better value at around $1,100. Virtually half the price. No one needs all of those Watts tons of Overkill. Plus emotiva is pulling a fast one and combining Class A B with class H which is garbage topology.
Youthman it was 2,800 a few months back now its 3500 and yea i know website looks like shit but the amp looks well built model 7220 model 7900 is the 5k which is a monster amp
Jose T I’m not following you. Why is a 7x220 for $3500 being compared to a fully balanced differential amp that is 450x3? Comparing apples and oranges.
Youthman I believe it is fully differential balanced amp and 220x7 is probably more than enough for 80% of us ....... and you could always bi amp if you had too and have extra channels .... check out Audioholics review on it
I put a thumbs down as this person called youth or whatever dosen't hsve the basic knowledge about base management and gets angry if asked a compicated question. So Absolutely not the person to do technical reviews. Brand promotions is something ofcourse you can do without any knowledge.
I have yet to get angry over any comment that has ever been made on my channel. I think you are bent because I didn’t provide 1on1 tech support for you. You are welcome to thumbs down, dislike, comment and even unsubscribe if you do not find value in my content. I’ll continue to make content for those that do. Be blessed.
Hi Youthman, have you done a full review? If not, can you give me any feedback based on your testing/experience? I am looking for a 3 channel amp for my front 3 speakers. Other option is Buckeye Purify 3 channel amp. You talked about that one as well. Can you please give your input? Thanks
