Amp for ethos and stage x?

Hey all

I need a amp for ethos and stage x

I have a yamaha 2040 receiver but assume I need more power

The local dealer would like me to get a mcintosh 7 ch but it's over the top on my budget

I am thinking if maybe a emotiva xpa-7 or Xpa-2and xpa 5

What's the thoughts on that ?

Will I really see avdifference to the mcintosh for tv / home theater and light music?

Emotiva stuff is decent and priced right. It's a step in the right direction, IMHO. McIntosh would be even more up the food chain, but don't feel you need to do it immediately. Get the Emotiva stuff and live with it for a few years.. You can always upgrade to something better later on.

Larryfl1 said:

Hey all

I need a amp for ethos and stage x

I have a yamaha 2040 receiver but assume I need more power

The local dealer would like me to get a mcintosh 7 ch but it's over the top on my budget

I am thinking if maybe a emotiva xpa-7 or Xpa-2and xpa 5

What's the thoughts on that ?

Will I really see avdifference to the mcintosh for tv / home theater and light music?

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Have you plugged your current amp into a wall outlet with a watt meter or power conditioner that displays the watts at your desired listening level? My average listening levels are under 10 watts per speaker and couldn't max them out with my $300 50wpc slim Marantz. I since sold my high end NAD Master series amps, pre-amps and such as I couldn't hear a difference between the two. I had an Emotiva but it felt just as cheap as my Marantz and seemed to run as hot as an Onkyo but if you need the extra power then go for it. Just remember it is statistically proven with many independant and professional tests that there is no such thing as a quality watt. A 500 watt measured radioshack amp will sound just the same as a 500 watt McIntosh, again as proven by independent and professional blind tests. You're welcome for saving you thousands of dollars for brand names and extra metal that you won't be able to ship for repairs without breaking your back. You will hear salesmen on here as well as others justifying their large purchase by poetically wordsmithing their personal review of the cables like an add from a stereo magazine. You'll also get that from those suffering the placebo affect in any case, independent and professional blind tests prove that to be the case