b&k ref 4420 vs emo xpa-3

[bopicasso]

So I just received my 4420. This is the second amp I ever owned. First being the emo xpa-3. I unpacked it and hooked it up to the pio 21txh.
I been listening to both amps back and forth for the past 2 hours with my favorite demo music.
The emo is definately louder, I find myself turning the pio up after switching amps. But the b&k is easier to listen to. The emo is harsher and bothers my ears after a few songs. The b&k is soothing compared to the emo..
Emo produces more pronounced bass and crisper treble. But the b&k sounds more realistic.
I do understand the xpa3 is made for home theater and not 2 channel audio. I can see how it excels at that being forward and louder.

To Be Continued......

[heiney9]

Emo's tend to be harsh and bloated. After a few days you'll be listening to the B & K exclusively I bet.

H9

[rdb2001]

So I just received my 4420. This is the second amp I ever owned. First being the emo xpa-3. I unpacked it and hooked it up to the pio 21txh.
I been listening to both amps back and forth for the past 2 hours with my favorite demo music.
The emo is definately louder, I find myself turning the pio up after switching amps. But the b&k is easier to listen to. The emo is harsher and bothers my ears after a few songs. The b&k is soothing compared to the emo..
Emo produces more pronounced bass and crisper treble. But the b&k sounds more realistic.
I do understand the xpa3 is made for home theater and not 2 channel audio. I can see how it excels at that being forward and louder.

To Be Continued......

I am looking for a B&K reference 2channel amp myself. I noticed you have a pio 21txh. I run the same with my sherwood newcastle A965 amp. I will tell u this, I prefer my old HK avr 254 to the elite. The hk was smoother and laid back compared to the Pio. So I am guessing pio and emo would be very harsh as both are a little harsh to me. Glad to hear you like the b&k. I hope to have one soon. As I tel people all the time, its not about how loud your system can be, its about the details it can have at those volumes.

[bopicasso]

Yea the harshness is the main thing I dont like about the emo. It definately has more power and the bass is more defined. But with music the B&k really smoothes things out. Its more enjoyable. I found myself getting lost in the music.
I just took the emotiva completely out of my setup for now. I want to see how the Pioneer 21txh can do driving the polk csi3 center channel. And Im going to let the B&K drive the Dyns. I need to buy a 3.5 mm mono to rca plug cable to use my 12 trigger on my receiver to power on the b&k.
So to be continued.....

[bopicasso]

After using the MCACC with the new amp in place, it is even better! Its definately a upgrade. The only complaint is the lack of bass with the b&k, but thats what subs are for.

[xcapri79]

Yea the harshness is the main thing I dont like about the emo. It definately has more power and the bass is more defined. But with music the B&k really smoothes things out. Its more enjoyable. I found myself getting lost in the music.
I just took the emotiva completely out of my setup for now. I want to see how the Pioneer 21txh can do driving the polk csi3 center channel. And Im going to let the B&K drive the Dyns. I need to buy a 3.5 mm mono to rca plug cable to use my 12 trigger on my receiver to power on the b&k.
So to be continued.....

I don't notice any harshness with any of my three Pioneer/Emotiva/Polk LSi setups, but this may be a matter of personal taste. One person's harshness is another person's detail and clarity. I do notice some harshness with the RTi's instead of the LSi's but that is fixed with some top end attenuation on the SC-07 AVR.

[bopicasso]

I owned the Rti8s and they were very bright with the emotiva. But it was great for ht. And bad for music. My dyns and the b&k are really getting me close to where I want to be.

[cnh]

Glad you're happy Bopicasso...

I'd agree that you need a 'warmer' amp for Rti-8s for non-HT use. Those things can make your ears bleed with the wrong amp/AVR!

B&K is a more balanced sound IMO. But it looks like that's also your opinion, now!

Have fun with the new toys!

cnh

[Gadabout]

I started out with just an Emotiva amp for the HT. Some experimenting lead me putting my Rti10's on the B&K 4420 and putting the emo on surrounds and center. They are paired with a DSW Pro 500. Onkyo doing the Pre/Pro. Running on the 4420, the 10's sound decent for music and in my opinion not bright at all. The 4420 is what prompted me to buy more of thier line for the 2 ch system.

Happy listening,
Scott

[TG Meat]

I love my B&K. Smooth, refined and detailed, and warmer...I felt it was an upgrade from my Outlaw 7500. I dont know if Outlaw and Emo are to be conpared, only that they are both from online outfits.

[coolsax]

I don't notice any harshness with any of my three Pioneer/Emotiva/Polk LSi setups, but this may be a matter of personal taste. One person's harshness is another person's detail and clarity. I do notice some harshness with the RTi's instead of the LSi's but that is fixed with some top end attenuation on the SC-07 AVR.

I think this is because the LSIs are more laid back than the RTI and RTIa series, the LSI's take off some of the Harshness. hence why you yourself notate some harshness with the RTI

[phipiper10]

Glad you found a 4420. This is a great amp at a great used price. The sound is Nice. I had RT800is with a Rotel amp and it was a little rough on the ears.

Enjoy!

[Toolfan66]

I'm not surprised,I liked my XPA-3 at first but it was my first external amp, I personaly think emotiva is ok for HT but for what's out there to get your hands on I would shop elsewhere. Emotiva! Well is not all that IMHO.

My XPA-3 will be for sale soon.

[bopicasso]

I dont miss my xpa3 one iota. I been listening to random songs for the past few hours and man it sounds soooooo good. Cant believe how more engaging and involving the music is. Really feels like your in the music. And its so relaxing compared to the emo. B&K is the SH*T!