which amp Adcom or Emotiva
- Thread starter rselby
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While I'm happy with an Emotiva XPA-5 used with the HT, I suspect the Adcom might sound a tad better within its (slightly lower) power range. Why? Singled ended class A input, MOSFET output and stiffer power supply. Don't like the captive cord, but...
Nelson Pass designs them very well. I have an '81 Stasis in the garage system.
krowmagnum
Compulsive speaker freak
I have a 5500 and I am very pleased with it for what it's worth.
shovelhead
Active Member
emo amp
I have an xpa-2 gen2 and I love it.driving b&w dm7 mk2's and polk 10a's.money back guarantee 5year owner transf warranty.just my 2cents
regards shovelhead
I have an xpa-2 gen2 and I love it.driving b&w dm7 mk2's and polk 10a's.money back guarantee 5year owner transf warranty.just my 2cents
regards shovelhead
JarredCrowe
AK's drunk troublemaker
Recently I picked up an adcom amp myself and am using it to power my CV 380ses, so it's kinda similar to your situation. I quite like the pairing though I'm also a proponent that the pre has more influence over the sound than the power amp. Quite a few people don't care for adcom amps since they lack any speaker protection there's a possibility they can send straight DC to your speakers and fry them. I live dangerously so it dosent bother me. Also if your CVs are like mine (and many I've had/seen are) they have fuses to protect them. That adds confidence to their safety. That said I think you'd be happy with the adcom or the emo, emotiva now is like how adcom used to be, a good bang for your buck company.
Never been able to listen to a system with an Emotiva... Adcom will be a very solid bang for the buck amp.
It would be good to know what preamp and speakers you will be pairing that amp. Most comments on Adcom will indicate its strengths are in the bottom end so that will be something to consider.
It would be good to know what preamp and speakers you will be pairing that amp. Most comments on Adcom will indicate its strengths are in the bottom end so that will be something to consider.
Uncle Paul
Super Member
The Adcoms and Emotivas I've heard sounded very good to my tin ears. Speakers, sources, room and pre-amp will all have a much greater impact on sound quality than your amplifier selection. Both amps have well designed power supplies, nicely designed electronics, and excellent construction. The 5500's uses a FET, and not sure but I think the XPA-2 is a BJT. That should give the edge to the 5500 and I'm not one to nit pick a Nelson Pass design, but both transistor styles can produce excellent amps given an excellent design. I will say that I recently picked up an XPA-5 Gen 2 for HT purposes and it greatly exceeded my expectations. It compared very well to my V-FET Yamaha B-2 on my main speakers. I think you would be very happy with either, but hey, this is AK - why don't you buy both?
PierreBCN
New Member
Not an expert but had a couple of Adcom amps and they all sounded really good. It's a classic and Nelson Pass is to some one of the best audio designers there is.
On the other hand, Emotiva, which I haven't heard, consistently gets good reviews and is considered one of the best for pure band for the buck.
To me it's a kind of a toss up. You really cannot go wrong really. I'd pick the Adcom because I like vintage and I like the real audio brands.
Have a listen if you can!
On the other hand, Emotiva, which I haven't heard, consistently gets good reviews and is considered one of the best for pure band for the buck.
To me it's a kind of a toss up. You really cannot go wrong really. I'd pick the Adcom because I like vintage and I like the real audio brands.
Have a listen if you can!
TebbieBear
Active Member
I have an Adcom GFA 5800 which is the 5500s big brother. I love it, it sounds clean and direct. No experience with the Emotiva but I would not hesitate to get another GFA.
Uncle Paul
Super Member
How is Emotiva not a real audio brand?
Adcom: US intellectual property, mass produced in Asia, sold by direct marketing
Emotiva: US intellectual property, mass produced in Asia, sold by direct marketing
Tedrick
Infinity-phile
Those CV's are very efficient (97dB) so you don't need much power OR high current to make these play ear-bleeding loud. 100 wpc with these speakers should be more than enough. Either brand of amp will work just fine. However, since you don't need a ton of power you can go with a lower-powered less expensive amp and still get plenty of clean sound. I've never heard Emotiva, but I've been a long-time owner of Adcom, so between these two my vote is for Adcom. If the GFA-5500 is a good deal, go with that, but the 125 wpc GFA-5400 would be equally capable in this installation.
FYI, impedance for the CLS-215 is listed on the owner's manual as 8 ohms, so no need for a low-impedance capable amplifier. Also, the 500 watts max spec is the maximum instantaneous (i.e. millisecond burst) input power rating, not the continuous power rating.
FYI, impedance for the CLS-215 is listed on the owner's manual as 8 ohms, so no need for a low-impedance capable amplifier. Also, the 500 watts max spec is the maximum instantaneous (i.e. millisecond burst) input power rating, not the continuous power rating.
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rselby
Active Member
I think that is strange that they list specs of 8 ohm.....but they measure 4 ohm
Im driving them with a Kenwood basic M2 now, will swap in the adcom in a day or so....I wonder if a CLASS A amp would sound better on these since they are pretty efficient ?
