Schiit Vidar vs. Emotiva XPA Gen 3 - Amp Battle! 

Schiit Vidar bit.ly/3kUrzdD ==============Emotiva XPA Gen 3 Two Channel Amplifier bit.ly/3nVFO4O Wharfedale Evo 4.1 www.wharfedaleusa.com?sca_ref=582904.nfUgrqsNGJ ------------JBL Stage A130 amzn.to/3zmSm7G +++++++++++++Bluesound Node amzn.to/3km2Orx ;;;;;;;;;;;; ;;;;;;;::::::::::::::::Amazon Music and Disney Plus Free Trial amzn.to/3DRAVj9

Great review as always as both of these manufacturers are on my one-and-done list. It would be cool to see a full Schitt and Emotiva setup (Schitt for example with Loki, Vidar, Freya and Bifrost) Emotiva, with it's other components to see how they would compare on the whole. I'm a rather loyal person so usually, I like to stick with the family of products. ;-)

I’d love to see a comparison between the HC1 Monoblocks vs the Vidars in a mono block setup.

Something I've never seen, but would like to see: An A:B comparison and writeup (2 channel) posing the Emotiva BasX amps versus the Emotiva XPA of similar output. What does ~$650 more buy you in sound quality (other than ~2x the output max. power)? I'm pretty sure that most (not all) listeners do not need 300 watts per channel in a home system. Is the BasX substantially inferior to the XPA sound?

Excellent comparison and review - in a world of mostly Class D amps, it is good to have top notch Class A/B amps to choose from! Slight clarification - the Schiit Vidar has a "conventional" laminated core power supply transformer, and is a linear power supply, with "classic" regulation and noise filtering. From what you say about the Emotiva XPA Gen 3, about it having a switching power supply, means that it has a foot in the Class D world on the power supply, but uses Class A/B amp stages.

The Emotiva is a class A/B amp with a Class H switching power supply. This design is wickedly smart, since it allows the Emotiva to ramp up power much quicker and more efficiently than 'traditional' class A/B designs, and I in terms of current production line amps I think it's unique to Emotiva. I own the Vidar and love it, but if I'd do this again I'd buy the Emotiva for the wickedly smart design.

That's no moon... it's an Emotiva power amplifier.

Regarding linear vs switched mode power supplies - both have their various benefits and drawbacks. A linear psu is always going to be inefficient as it needs to be able to deliver full power including transients at all times (think of your car at constant full throttle). Hence the huge toroidal transformer. Which means a lot of unused power is wasted. But they are inherantly clean. Switched mode psu 's by their very nature are noisy (but this can be filtered with careful design). But they operate at much higher frequencies and are therefore a lot more effecient. They can idle or provide full power instantaneously as required (think of your car being revved) and if well designed can follow musical transients without issue.

Great video! I was choosing between Vidar and BasX A2 and gotta go with Vidar although Vidar has less power and is more expensive. I really like Schiit Audio. Have their Fulla and love it.

I love the Yamaha amp in the background...I have a CR-1000...beautiful sounding amps..

Loved the video. Let us know about the latest vintage acquisition also:) No brainer for me.. I love the Schiit

Thanks for the review, I was hoping you would throw the Emotiva A2 into the mix but I can understand we’re that would smear the review up and likely become hard to explain differences

I'm also raising my hand to see a video comparing the vidar and A2. The cost of them are more in my budget. Thanks Randy👍!

In a previous video, you said you were gonna compare Vidal with the E A2 BasX 160w RMS per. . .

Super review and description as usual. Both products would be great. The Emotiva looks like it was manufactured by Sith audio. Large and hulking. A particle ray emitter maybe?

I own the Emotiva XPA-2 Gen 2 which puts out 300 WPC into 8 ohms. With the Gen 3 Emotiva went modular in order to give consumers the option of buying two, three, five, seven or more modules for additional channels. The Gen 2 has a great big toroidal power transformer and while the chassis is the same size the weight is greatly increased. The Gen 2 weighs seventy-five pounds and is a drag to carry up and down stairs. I've never owned any Schiit products but they are well received by those who own them. I'm sixty years old now and if I had it to do all over I might choose the Vidar over the Emotiva solely due to the weight. It sounds great to my ears but it's SO darn big and heavy. It certainly has more than ample power to light up my vintage KEF Reference Floorstanders and rattle the windows.

Emotiva and Monoprice are the value kings if we are talking Watts/$ imo. Monoprice Monolith stuff is made by ATI. For me I'm only really interested in 3 channel amps because my center needs good juice too considering it's doing all the heavy lifting during a movie. I think the Emotiva A2 and Vidar is a more fair comparison.

Review frozen pizzas! DiGiorno vs Walmart vs Sith Audio audiophile frozen pizza.

I would love to see you review the Aegirs in dual mono. I'm considering a pair to power Cornwall IVs. With Freya+ preamp and Modius DAC.

Vidar vs A2? Do A2 and XPA have the same sound signature?

I recently came across your Audiophiles are Full of CRAP! video and you appear to be a man trying to cut through some of the BS surrounding this hobby, so I was curious to hear your take on amps. I've been doing a fair amount of research in recent years regarding audio equipment as well as researching topics such as the limitations of human perception and the effects of bias. I've come across debates as to whether we can actually detect a difference between an amp of relatively modest spec/cost vs the most exotic amp costing tens of thousands of pounds/euros/dollars. The argument goes that if you have two amps that measure flat to within less than a decibel from 20Hz-20kHz, has THD less than 1% (let's say 0.5% just to be on the safe side), is being run with sufficient headroom and doesn't have any other major deficiencies (such as phase issues) that it shouldn't be possible for a human to detect the difference. I've also sought out blind tests, and while I wasn't able to find nearly as many studies as I'd like, the few I found seemed to confirm this. I have however found counter arguments and this is a topic that's still hotly debated. If there is a perceived audible difference between two amps that measure flat and we shouldn't be able to detect the difference, one of the following statements must be true: 1) The difference perceived is placebo. 2) The measurements on a spec sheet don't fully take into account the interaction with the speaker. If point 2) is true, then the measurements listed on spec sheets have very limited value as we don't have objective information about how the amp performs in real world applications. From a manufacturer's point of view, I suppose they don't really care as misleading specs ultimately help them. From the perspective of consumers (or anyone that just wants to know the truth) though, it means we need a more effective testing method. If there's an actual audible difference between amps, it is measurable. We simply measure the in-room response. This debate could and should have been put to bed a long time ago. It's not beyond our capabilities as a species, but somehow the debate continues to rage on. I'm curious what your take is on this. While I'd love to be able to have someone blind test me while I compare amps of varying spec and price so I can make up my own mind, I'm simply not in a position where that's feasible (and I suspect that's true for most people). I'm willing to spend money on something with good build quality and pleasing aesthetics, but when it comes to performance, I honestly don't feel we as consumers have the necessary information to make a truly informed decision much of the time. The majority of hi-fi publications don't perform bench tests (so we don't even know if the spec sheets manufacturers provide are accurate) and are completely subjective in nature. It's these publications that hi-fi manufacturers send their products to, so for many products they are the only source of information. If I were to don my tinfoil hat, it could be pointed out how this arrangement very closely resembles a hypothetical scenario where we're basically being kept ignorant and milked like cows.

Thanks Randy, I like your 'everyday man" approach to these vids. Interesting comparison and good advice/perspective on speaker matching. I always get a better idea of such amps when speakers are brought into the mix ... just do. I don't know if this is possible but I would love to hear your take on the Schiit Vidar versus the Aegir. As well, good comment re the Loki. I've got 3 pieces of Schiit gear but all DAC related. Considering the Vidar but maybe the Aegir? Thanks for this.

I sure wish that you still had the big Klipsch speakers to play these amps with. I bet that would be heart warming and soul soothing with some well recorded Blues or smooth jazz.

The XPA Gen 2 is better than the Gen 3 - yes it was heavy but, if you can't lift it, you shouldn't buy it. I ran mine through Totem Metals. It was highly detailed and still able to punch you in the gut. However, that could have partly been the speakers

I have the gen3 XPA as well. Bought for 600 from a reviewer who lives near me,, he had it for a review, liked it so much he bought it.. and then at some point he bought the little class d monoblocks that came out.. ao I bought the xpa. That was a great buy. I added the matching preamp around the same time and am gery happy with the result

Wouldn't the BasXA2 make more sense if you really just need 2 channels?

To be fair to the Emotiva… the chasis was designed to be expandable to 14 channels. My Mark Levinson amp does 100 wpc like the tiny Vidar yet is bigger and almost 3X heavier (97lbs) than the Emotiva.

Another great review. I am digging your retro Yamaha receiver. I'm currently using a 30-yr old Pioneer receiver to feed a pair of Klipsch floor speakers, with a Bluesound Node 2i as the source. Regarding the Video sounding lean on the bottom end, wouldn't I be able to get around that by feeding a sub directly from the Node?

Funny enough, I actually own both these amps! I've never compared them, but I've been really happy with both. Went from a Schiit Saga/Mimby/Vidar to Emotiva TA-100/Denafrips Ares II/XPA-2 GEN 3 setup. Schiit gear is currently in a closet, but I should be moving next year, where it'll be setup once again. TA-100 will be retired, once the Onkyo RZ-50 I pre-ordered finally delivers. Should be next month. I cannot wait to see what Dirac can do!

Thanks Randy - it's easy to overlook the importance of a power amp. Is the crown XLS in the same league as these two?

Both seem like great products, thanks for the vid! What is the switcher you mentioned using to switch between amps while testing?

The RU-vid audio is clipping, the video audio recording sounds like the mic is been over driving during the recording. Great review!!!

What do you think about this combination of Emotiva TA1 integrated pre-amp with Vidar amp to power Mangapan LRS plus speakers?

I have seen many reviews and read many user testimonials of the Emotiva XPA Gen 3. Everyone agrees that they are too bright and should be paired with warm sounding speakers. You are the only one who says the absolute opposite!!

I still like my dinosaur Realistic STA 2100 receiver 49 pounder.

I really dig your approach on your videos but I fear that you might be drifting away from being the cheapaudioman to become just another reviewer of relatively expensive stuff... Thus far, though, I am always looking forward to viewing your next video.

If you have "great" cables, no two pieces of audio equipment sound the same anymore. There are cable people who have a dozen different cables and they have no more difficulty telling them apart than being able to tell their children's voices apart or their personalities. Of course equipment paired with different cables will all sound different and have a different character. We're talking good cables here, not cables less than hundreds of dollars, not that there couldn't be some real sleeper cables out there for less. There was a big argument on one of the audio forums a while back pertaining to something Randy mentioned; and that is integrated amps with a preamp out. When using both the preamp and power amp section of an integrated amp, they usually give you these metal jumpers which are U shaped. You can pull these metal jumpers out and replace them with a good interconnect. They were arguing whether it makes a difference. It makes a whale of a difference in favor of the interconnect, if it's a good one. Those who can't hear any difference are unbelievably lacking in perception as always. Some of them have their overriding theories as a mind block.Those metal U shaped things should be used only for playing miniature horse shoes. I hope this doesn't attract cable doubters like fleas. Their opinions should be swatted away. Their systems never sound any good to me, even before I know what cables they are using. There has never been one instance otherwise in my experience. It seems like warm sounding frequency responses almost always de-emphasize detail. Warmth and detail seem always to be at odds with each other. You have to always pro- rate the amp that is warmer. Take some of that warmth away and it will always sound more detailed, but thinner. The Audiophiliac long ago said the Vidar can satisfactorily drive the high end bargain of the century in speakers, the Magnepan LRS. Many people like them with Hegel amps.

Just found your channel! Your no-nonsense approach is very much appreciated. Keep it up! Oh, and I love the In Utero poster! Now I'm feeling like watching their Unplugged concert tonight :)

Stop eating all that processed food, it's what makes people sick, and a trip to an early grave..

The emotiva is 3x the power and more stable into 4 ohms. I sent my vidar back and kept emotiva.

Hey "Cheapaudiman", I've just found your channel and like it very much 👍. As we might say here in the UK - it's jolly good or spiffing. Seriously though, I do like your presentation style, it's far less stuffy than most. You cover a wide degree of audio from all the various sources, through amplifiers to speakers and headphones. From budget to not so budget. I've subscribed 👍 And look forward to your reviews which make excellent bedtime viewing with which to unwind after a busy day. Cheers!

I find tubes produce a softer "warmer" pizza crust than solid state. If I'm eating a pizza that leans toward the softer fluffier crust I like to go solid state to bring out the crispiness and "bright' crust that it may otherwise lack. Being serious for a moment, I have a BasX amp and it DOES have a toroidal transformer. I really like it. It's a much less expensive unit so it's interesting that it has the traditional heavy power regulator while the higher end unit has the new switching type of supply.

Cheapaudioman my question for you: I have the original unifi uf5, would you go with emotiva gen 3 to monolith amp????

Why people always start talking about inputs and outputs... like I care about sound... it's like you taking a look at a sports car and the guy starts talking about trunk size...

Today it's Walmart pizza. Tomorrow it we be Home Depot paint. A slippery slope Randy, a slippery slope.

Being a werewolf on the full-moon nights of listening, I like the amp with "more meat on the bone". 🍖🥩 Thanks!!

Footprint of the malt liquor amp makes me rethink all three emotional amps in the house. Buyers remorse is a co-morbidity of chasing sound side effects. Sigh.

“These both toasted it” … wait, what? 😂

How about reviewing the Emotiva HC1s?

Would the vidar beat my parasound 2250 v2

I would be more interested in your thoughts on Vider vs Emotiva A2. I have a TA-1 and am pretty happy with it, but could it use a little more mid range body. Any other improvements are welcome, of course.

Thanks Randy for the great comparison of these heavy hitters. Your right that most people won't have both to do a direct comparison in home and having this information is helpful. I think the Emotiva's ability to have multiple channels makes it a great option for 2 channel with a home theatre option. The Vidar is a looks great, looks like a fun size next to king size candy bar.

just my opinion, but I think you're getting out of the "cheap audio". I understand that there are only so many products that sound decent under a thousand bucks, and you are a reviewer. One of my favorites!!! I have a lot of background in hi end audio for years. Got out of it for 10 years, now getting updated, especially from you. KEEP GIVING YOUR OPINIONS TRUTHFULLY!!!! GOD BLESS YOU

the video would be better if you were drinking a nice glass of bourbon.

Hey randy does feeding the Topping dac directly into each of these power amplifiers change the sound significantly as opposed to Topping into Freya into the power amp?

Without an audio demo the demo is useless. I do not want to hear talking, i want to hear the amp.

There is no replacement for displacement.

I'm guessing the Vidar would be a better fit for my Mirage OM-9s as they are very full. Plus my Asgard 3 would fit perfectly on top.

A Node and a Vidar would be a great digital system. Just add speakers.

A fantastic Monday morning to you I hope this video was placed after the aircraft had its little accident yesterday, and you and your family are doing safe keep up the great work buddy

on the subject of doing it cheap, I just realized that cd recorders often have an optical and digital input on the back. connected one off eBay (£50) as a dac, sounds great.

Definitely interested in your Vidar vs Aegir impression.

The shelf is bending under the weight.

To be fair, the preamp makes a big difference in sound as well. I wouldn't spend this kind of money on an amp to use a cheap headphone amp or DAC as a volume control.

I think this assessment is spot on. I have B&W N803s and the Emo DR2 sounded much better with those.

I really love your channel and have learned a lot. Will you ever consider showing us how to properly hook up this equipment . I have a marantz AVR how would I run a digital Out to an amp for example. Maybe you cam publish a guide of how to effectively hook up equipment.

im curios about the peachtree amps

I'm a bit confused...is the Vidar a class D? With my old school magapans, class D doesn't bother me...I'm running a crown xls drivecore now. I'm good presently, but I will be upgrading power amplifier soon. I'm running through an emotiva USP-1 preamp. The emotiva looks like a great fit, but I'm open to opinions...your take, Rsndy?

Running Definitive Technology Super Towers in the viewing room BP7001 Towers and BP7002 rears. Running with the Emotiva.

This is a great review. I am looking at both of these. I currently have a vintage system. A Pioneer SX 1250 with a Thorens TD 125 turntable and B and W 600 speakers. I want a to build a new system. Thanks Randy.

Nice review! I've been living with the Emotiva for about a week now, and I totally agree about the thick, dark color of the sound. I got it because I wanted something that could drive my old Magnepan mg3s, but then while I was waiting for the order one of the maggies died (cat jumped on it one too many times) so now I'm searching for replacement speakers. I'm currently testing the Emotiva with KEF LS50-metas (sorry, I realize this is out of the cheapaudioman bailiwick) and the whole combination just seems a bit too weighty for my taste. I wish the Vidar had 2 balanced inputs instead of only one.

This guy calls himself the "Cheap Audio man", I don't consider this stuff cheap? "I feed my family $2 Walmart pizza" ... Oh, now I get it.

What amp would you prefer for a 3.1 , svs ultra center, svs prime bookshelfs, and svs sb2000 pro? I was thinking emotiva xpa 3 Gen 3. But I know very little about audio equipment

I actually have and am using the Emotiva XPA 3 Channel Gen 1, purchased September 2010, to drive Vienna Acoustics Mozart Grands. Wonder what kind of power supply is in my Gen 1????

Great Review , I love the comparison videos!

hi I have humming sound comes from switch mode power supply and also humming sound comes from my speaker after connecting the external power amplifier xpa 11 gen 3 before using this external amplifier i was connected with marantz sr8015 and wasn't there this issue, I don't know how to solve this issue if I use power conditioner it may solve this issue or not because I'm planning to buy a ' Taga pc - 5000 ' power conditioner do you think it's going to solve this issue or not if you have also any suggestion I'll be appreciate that hope to assist me with it ASAP

Look for a XPA5 used you can biamp using for channels 200 W each comes out to over 400 watts per speaker a lot of Headroom. You can find them under $1,000 on eBay( I got smart and know how to bid and I got mine for $530......

Hi Randy just find your channel and subscribe right away good videos I have a pair of Klipsch RP 8000 f with a two Klipsch subwoofer Running with a Yamaha network receiver A-N803 and my music source is a tone pro2 and LG phone streaming tidal Sounds good but Do you have any suggestions for a better amplifider with subwoofer out that will sound better? Thanks

Hands down IMO the Schiit wins this. Smaller, clearer, cheaper, made in USA, better customer service (yes I have experience with both) cutting edge designs and yeah, if you want more bass, just buy their cute little EQ. Done. Years ago I was a big emotiva fan. that is till I AB-ed their amp against some competition. I’m going to guess your model sounds better than the entry level amp I had but my god was my emotiva amp a pile of mud. The generic amp I had at the time from partsexpress blew it away and at the same price point too. I then made the mistake of comparing them both to a decware amp and realized why decware costs so much. Yeah, there's a lot of snake oil out there but some "audiophile" companies really do deliver performance light years ahead. I REALLY would be interested to AB Schiit's power amp against Decware's entry level amp. Close in price and no it doesn't matter to me which has more power. My speakers are efficient enough that even a couple solid watts would be painfully loud.

Help! I own some Kef Q350's. I bought a cheap Fossi amp at the time because my wife would divorce me and take all my nic things if i bought a nice amp too. Do you think a Vidar would be overkill? also I cant see a volume knob? For reference im using a jds labs element 2 as my dac hooked up to my pc and I'm short of space as my desk is full of computer crap for work.

I hauled my butt two hours away to find an audio store and was surprised to see the older salesman running around behind the speakers pulling cables. I didn’t know about switch boxes, but yeah, I think I expected that. 🤨 Makes you feel more beholden I guess to see the guys working. 🤦‍♀️

I like your system, I would like to get some information (education) your education input will be helpful!

The Emotiva I believe has a switching power supply? With no exception, when I'm around a switching power supply I notice a high pitched noise emmited from them, I can't stand a phone charger in the same room when it's silent for example. Is this apparent on the Emotiva as well or is the switching power supply dead silent?

"$2.76 feeds the whole family" Damn you're cheap Audioman! LOL

I would also be curious as to the Vidar vs the BasX A2/A300

I have emotiva xpa3 gen 2 pretty good amp. But i think i have issue one blue light was pulse/little blink but i have no issue with sound of that speaker......... Does anyone know what that might be

I bought the Cambridge audio integrated amp the axr 85 clean sounding amp but I regret because it is not enough power 85 Watts just doesn't push a tower speaker once you get past 60% of the volume you start to get into the distortion characteristics of the amplifier bigger is better

Emotivas are good.. its what got me started with separates.... I had a pair of XPA2 Gen 1s... I since moved on to better sounding dynamic gear...

I'll make room.

will XPA match Dynaudio excite x34 speakers?

Randy is that a new t-shirt? I'm asking because I just got a Schiit t-shirt and my wife told me I look extra macho

Very funny. Come on if you have such space restrictions you definitely don't need so much power to start with.

Great information! Could you compare a Monolith to Marantz amplifier ? I can’t find any other videos. I do know that Monolith is better tonal quality than Emotiva

good review .have you by chance have you reviewed the nad 316 beev cheap price fine product .thanks

Ok, what would recommend for driving the power hungry Elac UB 5 first gen.

I be hesitant to buy an amp from a company whose name sounds like fecal matter 😁

Hold on dude you feed your entire family on one frozen pizza? I take those frozen pizzas to the head all the time.

How would you compare the Bas X A2 which is closer in size and power to the Vidar ? thanks for the good review.

There's a Vidar in my future! (Provided I don't destract myself with something else...) Great Review! 👍👍👍

Hey man can I request a video on which speakers for a pc setup. Thanks.