Emotiva X‐Series Amplifiers – Table of Contents SAFETY PRECAUTIONS 5 NEC (National Electrical Code) Standards A Note for the Cable Television (CATV) Installer Antenna Grounding Outside the House 7 7 7 Thank You For Your Purchase 8 Emotiva X‐Series Amplifiers Overview 9 X‐Series Amplifier Features 10 Power Rating Note 10 Unpacking Your X Series Amplifier Inventory 11 11 Front Panel Layout 12 Back Panel Layouts XPA‐1 Back Panel XPA‐2 Back Panel XPA‐3 Back Panel XPA‐5 Back Panel 13 13 15 17 19
Troubleshooting Guide No Sound (from one or more speakers connected to the amplifier) The amplifier shuts down often or the line circuit breaker trips often Poor Bass Performance From Full Range Speakers connected to the amplifier Turn‐on and turn‐off thumps “Hum” Noises in the Speakers Other Probable Causes of Noise One or more RED lights on the Front Panel are Blinking Problems with the whole A/V System 28 28 28 29 29 29 30 30 30 TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS XPA‐1 Specifications XPA‐2 Specifications XPA‐3 S
Safety Precautions Read this User’s Guide thoroughly before attempting to install and configure X Series Amplifier. All the safety and operation instructions should be read before any operation of the component(s) begin. After successful installation and configuration of the amplifier, be sure to retain this manual in a safe place for any future reference needs. All warning on the amplifier and in this Operation Manual should be followed.
To prevent electric shock, do not use this polarized plug with an extension cord, receptacle or other outlet unless the blades can be fully inserted to prevent blade exposure. Grounding or Polarization — Precautions should be taken so that the grounding or polarization means of the component is not defeated.
NEC (National Electrical Code) Standards A Note for the Cable Television (CATV) Installer This reminder is to call the CATV system installer’s attention to Article 820‐40 of the NEC that provides guidelines for proper grounding and in particular, specifies that the cable ground shall be connected to the grounding system of the building as close to the point of cable entry as practical.
Thank You for your Purchase We’re happy you chose Emotiva Audio! We believe our products set a new standard for performance and value. Emotiva amplifiers are designed for maximum performance, ease of use, and simple installation. Our experienced engineers use practical, proven designs, along with innovative ideas to create amplifiers that will easily power your speakers at any level while remaining as efficient as possible.
Emotiva X Series Amplifiers Overview The X series amplifiers were designed for multiple applications, and work well in both home theater and musical settings. They were engineered to be highly responsive, dynamic and deliver a clear, neutral and natural sound. XPA‐1 This amplifier works extremely well for stereo use (requires two amplifiers), and offers an extremely dynamic home theater experience – tons of power while retaining an open, relaxed sound miles away from listening fatigue.
X Series Amplifier Features: • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • Audiophile quality performance and sound High current power supply Low noise toroidal power transformer Complementary, discrete power amplifier design incorporating high current, high speed, On Semiconductor power devices Channel status indicators for standby, operate, and fault 12 volt trigger connections Completely stable into 4 ohm loads Signal to Noise Ratio is greater than 100dB, unweighted ref. full output THD .
Unpacking Your X Series Amplifier All Emotiva amplifiers are double boxed to survive the rigors of long distance shipping and arrive to you undamaged. The outer box may show wear and tear, but this is no cause for alarm. The outer box’s purpose is to protect the inner box. If the inner looks heavily damaged, and you are concerned about damage to the amplifier, please call Emotiva Technical Support at 877‐366‐8324 (877‐EMO‐Tech).
Front Panel Layout The face of an XPA‐5 is shown above. Although there is variation within the X‐Series amplifiers faceplates, the basic features are the same: a power button and LED Status window. 1. Front Panel LED Display The front panel display contains Status LED lighting to indicate the operation status of the amplifier. • NO LED = Amplifier is OFF • BLUE LED = Normal Operation • FLASHING RED LED = Fault Condition ‐ see “Troubleshooting” section for details.
Back Panel Layouts XPA‐1 Back Panel 1. Rubber Terminal Protector – Four terminal protectors extend 1.5 inches from the back plate of the amplifier to absorb shock and protect the terminals when they are close to a wall or other surface. 2. Negative Speaker Terminals – Connects to the negative speaker inputs. These 5 way binding posts accept stripped speaker wire, banana plugs, or spade connectors.
6. Balanced/Unbalanced Input Selection Switch – When the switch is turned towards ‘Un‐Bal’, the RCA (unbalanced) input is chosen and active. When the switch is turned towards ‘Bal’, the XLR/Balanced input is chosen and active. 7. XLR/Balanced Audio Input – Connects to the XLR/Balanced output of a preamplifier or processor. 8. Positive Speaker Terminals – Connects to the positive speaker inputs. These 5 way binding posts accept stripped speaker wire, banana plugs, or spade connectors.
XPA‐2 Back Panel 1. Remote Trigger Input ‐ The XPA‐2 can be remotely triggered by another device. When a remote trigger output from a preamplifier, processor or other audio device is connected to the trigger input here, the amplifier will power up and shut down along with the first device. A 3.5mm, 5‐12 volt mono audio cable is used for both inputs and outputs. If building your own cable, center is positive and outer shield is negative. 2.
10. Left Channel XLR/Balanced Input ‐ Connects with an XLR/Balanced cable to the left channel output of a preamplifier or processor. 11. Left Channel Speaker Terminals ‐ Connects to the left side speaker inputs. These 5 way binding posts accept stripped speaker wire, banana plugs (single or dual), or spade connectors. Be sure to observe correct polarity when connecting speakers and be sure that the wires do not touch between positive and negative terminals. 12.
XPA‐3 Back Panel 1. Status LED Selector ‐ The three status LEDs (one for each channel) can be turned on and off with this selector. 2. Channel Three Balanced/Unbalanced Input Selector – When the switch is turned towards ‘Un‐Bal’, the RCA (unbalanced) input is chosen and active. When the switch is turned towards ‘Bal’, the XLR/Balanced input is chosen and active. 3. Channel Three RCA Audio Input – Connects to the RCA output of a preamplifier or processor. This is the Channel Three unbalanced connection. 4.
Under normal use, this switch should remain on, leaving the amplifier in standby position, and coming to full power with either the front panel ‘STANDBY’ button, or activation through the remote trigger. In ‘STANDBY’ mode the power button will emit an amber glow, but the unit is not fully powered. A small amount of amps are used in this mode, less than an average night light would use.
XPA‐5 Back Panel 1. Status Led Selector ‐ The three status LEDs (one for each channel) can be turned on and off with this selector. 2. Channel Five Balanced/Unbalanced Input Selector – When the switch is turned towards ‘Un‐Bal’, the RCA (unbalanced) input is chosen and active. When the switch is turned towards ‘Bal’, the XLR/Balanced input is chosen and active. 3. Channel Five RCA Audio Input – Connects to the RCA output of a preamplifier or processor. This is the Channel Five unbalanced connection. 4.
12. Channel Two RCA Audio Input – Connects to the RCA output of a preamplifier or processor. This is the Channel Two unbalanced connection. 13. Channel Two XLR/Balanced Input – Connects an XLR/Balanced cable to a preamplifier or processor. This is the Channel Two balanced connection. 14. Channel One Balanced/Unbalanced Input Selector – When the switch is turned towards ‘Un‐Bal’, the RCA (unbalanced) input is chosen and active.
25. Voltage Indicator ‐ All Emotiva amplifiers operate on either 115V or 230V. The voltage is detected when the amplifier is turned on, and is identified by the indicator lights. There are no user adjustments, the amplifier automatically adjusts to the voltage.
Installation and Connections AC Power Considerations The majority of household electrical sockets (in places other than the kitchen and garage) are 15 amperes maximum, which is sufficient to power your X series amplifier. However, remember to account for the electrical power that other components will require if they share a common wall socket or electrical circuit.
Input Connection Considerations High quality, fully shielded RCA or XLR cables are recommended for use with X amplifiers. ‘Twisted Pair’ cables are not recommended. X amplifiers have an extremely high bandwidth, and twisted, non‐shielded cables can actually act as an ‘antenna’, receiving outside interference and signals (EMI and RFI), which will cause the amplifier to go into protect mode.
Connection Diagram (using an XPA‐5 for example) 24
Connections Using a Multi‐Channel Preamp/Processor with Speakers The diagram on the preceding page depicts an XPA‐5 connected to an Emotiva UMC‐1 Multi‐Channel Processor/Preamplifier. Your personal setup may differ, depending on which amplifier you own, and how many channels you are using. The XPA‐5 is simply shown as a basic example. The image shows a basic 5‐channel surround configuration connecting the RCA/Unbalanced outputs on the processor to the RCA/Unbalanced inputs on the amplifier.
Series and Parallel Speaker Connections Whenever connecting more than one speaker per channel to an amplifier, you must consider the way in which the amplifier will be impacted by adding the additional speaker(s). Additionally, speakers with dual voice coils also apply to this consideration. Two voice coils in a single speaker also cause different reactions from an amplifier depending on the way in which they connect to the amplifier.
Parallel Connections A parallel circuit is established when voice coils are connected in a way that there are multiple paths for audio signals to flow “in” and multiple paths for audio signals to flow “out”. When speakers are connected in parallel, the total resistance at the amplifier is proportionally divided based on the value of each individual voice coil resistance. The term “divided” simply means all of the values together in parallel are a SMALLER value than each all by itself.
Troubleshooting Guide X Series amplifiers are expertly designed and built to provide years of trouble‐free performance. Most problems that occur can usually be solved by checking your setup or making sure that the audio and video components connected to the amplifier are on and fully operational. NOTE: Before turning on your amplifier for the first time, be sure to check: 1. The Balanced/Unbalanced selectors for each amplifier channel (located on the back panel).
Poor Bass Performance from Full Range Speakers • Make sure that your preamp does not have the bass (tone control) level turned down. • Many surround preamplifiers have controls, which can direct all the bass to subwoofers, or let your main speakers play the full range. Make sure that the preamplifier has been correctly set. If you are not using a subwoofer, set the speaker options to “Large” where possible.
Ground loop isolators are available for audio lines and video devices. If you need assistance, contact Emotiva. Although this is not always an ideal solution, the grounding differences between certain home entertainment components sometimes require ground loop isolators. This is the exception rather than the rule. Other Probable Causes of Noise • Speaker noise may also be caused by interference or noise on your AC line.
TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS: XPA‐1 Number of Channels: 1 Topology: Fully Discrete, Dual Differential, High Current, Short Signal Path Class A/B Power output (all channels driven): 1,000 watts RMS @ 4 ohm (0.1% THD) 500 watts RMS @ 8 ohm (0.1% THD) Power Band Response: 20 Hz to 20 kHz with less than .
XPA‐2 Number of Channels: 2 Topology: Fully Discrete, Dual Differential, High Current, Short Signal Path Class A/B Power output (all channels driven): 500 watts RMS @ 4 ohm (0.1% THD) 300 watts RMS @ 8 ohm (0.1% THD) Power Band Response: 20 Hz to 20 kHz with less than .05db deviation at rated power Broadband Frequency Response: (‐3db): 5Hz to 150kHz Amplifier Gain: 32db Signal to Noise Ratio 1 watt: >91db Full Power: >110db Input Impedance: Unbalanced ‐ 23.
XPA‐3 Number of Channels: 3 Topology: Fully Discrete, Dual Differential, High Current, Short Signal Path Class A/B Power output (all channels driven): 300 watts RMS @ 4 ohm (0.1% THD) 200 watts RMS @ 8 ohm (0.1% THD) Power Band Response: 20 Hz to 20 kHz with less than .
XPA‐5 Number of Channels: 5 Topology: Fully Discrete, Dual Differential, High Current, Short Signal Path Class A/B Power output (all channels driven): 300 watts RMS @ 4 ohm (0.1% THD) 200 watts RMS @ 8 ohm (0.1% THD) Power Band Response: 20 Hz to 20 kHz with less than .05db deviation at rated power Broadband Frequency Response: (‐3db): 5Hz to 150kHz Amplifier Gain: 32db Signal to Noise Ratio 1 watt: >97db Full Power: >111db Input Impedance: Unbalanced – 23.
Limited Warranty Emotiva offers the following warranty to owners of X Amplifiers: Emotiva Audio warranties your X‐Series amplifier to be free from defects in materials and workmanship for a period of five years from the original date of purchase. The following items are excluded from, or will void this warranty coverage: • Damage caused during shipment and handling. If you receive an item that you believe to have been damaged during shipment, please contact Emotiva immediately.
Emotiva Disclosure Copyright 2009 Emotiva All Rights Reserved. Emotiva reserves the right to make improvements to its products at any time. Therefore, the specifications of the product and the specific details of this manual are subject to change at any time. Emotiva and the Emotiva "E" are registered trademarks of Emotiva Audio Corporation.
