[Rhydon]

I just purchased an Emmeline XP-7, it should be here by the 28th. I cant wait to give it a listen. But to keep myself from insanity, perhaps you guys could entertain me with some information:
How long do the batteries last on the XP-7? Does it matter if i use alkaline or rechargables, or even standard recharables vs. energizer lithium?? Also i had Ray up the op-amps to the ones standard in the HR-2 (cant remember exactly what they're called), now going on the fact im using them with MSPRO's and that particular can having a slightly rolled off high-end, do you think the XP-7 with the HR-2 op-amps would mate well?? Ive herd from various sources the op-amps in question have a very smooth sound. Does this mean less detail?? or less brightness/ sheen on the upper frequencies?

And finally..... does it sound thaaaaaat good???? Please humor me with ANY response to that, i have to somehow justify spending 515$ on an amplifier, a headphone one at that.


Rhydon

 

[recstar24]

Well, just by looking at your profile, it seems you've got some nice sources - the beauty of ray's amps is that they are incredibly transparent with a blackground that will let the details and music shine through, also, Ray has a great ear and voices his amps accordingly so that there is a smidgen of warmth and sweetness that provides a very liquid and engaging sound, his solid state offerings really provide various tube-like qualities like wide soundstage, liquid midrange, and a tint of sweetness and warmth throughout the range, the highs are very smooth and beautiful sounding without detracting any of the details or providing any sibilance.

The Ad797's are great op-amps, those are the stock ones on hr-2 and the xp-7 will sound great with them. Battery life is about 35 hours for regular 9 volts, i think your better off just buying new batteries vs. rechargeables but that's just me.

My rs-1's sound great on my hr-2 and sounded just as great when i had the xp-7 on loan - i've also notice you have some dynaudio speakers, and if you decide to use the xp-7 as a preamp at all they will synergize amazingly well with your dynaudios - dynaudios have a full bodied sound with a great midrange due to their excellent drivers and ray's amps all that same sound characteristic as well; full bodied, liquid organic sound that to me is incredibly addictive!

 

[drp]

Rhydon,

IMHO, It doesn't sound *that good* . . . it sounds even better. With the 797 (HR-2) op-amps, it is smooth, detailed, balanced across the frequency, and notes appear out of a completely black background. I had one paired with HD650s for quite some time and really came to appreciate it. When it was first introduced, it compared favorably to the HR-2 as just a slight step down but very similar sound

A search (same ones you used to help select this amp, right) will mention the ~35 hour battery life with alkies. Never tried the ultra version batteries.

I think you made a great choice and this amp will take you a long way with a variety of sources.

Edit: ha ha steped away from a partially written response only to see that *the* answer was posted in the mean time.. . . yeah, what he wrote... 8~)

 

[Rhydon]

thanks recstar, ive been collecting/ upgrading for several years. From what im hearing about Ray's equipment, and the love he has for his work, im going to be verry pleased. You say that you prefer regular alkalines, why is this so? Do they offer a different sonic signature?

 

[recstar24]

I'll be honest with you, i don't have the patience nor the drive to listen for battery rolling options, i leave that for the hardcore elitists like steve rochlin from enjoy the music! I like the regular alkalines merely for the pure sake of convenience; you pop those suckers in and 35 hours is a crappola amount of time, just listen to the music and have a good time is what i say...supposedly, dry cell batteries are better sounding than alkalines, but to be honest i don't hear it on ray's battery powered amps because the things are simply engineered so well that they really don't need any extra help soundwize from battery rolling

 

[Rhydon]

drp, an awesome post! I cant beleive its 4 days to go! seems like forever.

But i have another question. I have just begun to discover "crossfeed" on my meier HA-1mkII (selling it soon if anyone is interested). Seems to be rather enjoyable: albiet not accurate, but fun. Now i know the XP-7 dosent have cross feed, but does anyone recommend buying an external 3rd party option? Or is it more of when you buy this kind of amp, crossfeed is for 'them consumers'.


Rhydon.

 

[Rhydon]

Recstar, i think your right. The convenience of alkaline is unbeatable. Due to my situation- the amp probably being on 5 hours/day i am going to give the recharagables a try. If it gets too much of a pain il have to opt with the alkies.

Rhydon.

 

[markmaxx]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rhydon I just purchased an Emmeline XP-7, it should be here by the 28th. I cant wait to give it a listen. But to keep myself from insanity, perhaps you guys could entertain me with some information: How long do the batteries last on the XP-7? Does it matter if i use alkaline or rechargables, or even standard recharables vs. energizer lithium?? Rhydon

I talked to Ray this past weekend and he does not like the recharable batteries because they do not always discharge at the same rate and that can effect the sound. I belive the energizer Lithium is the battery he was talking about that lasted over 100 hours and then throw them away!

I sat in front of the XP-7 half the night at the Detroit meet and never stuck my headphone jack in. Now I am mad at my self I loved the HR-2 so if the XP-7 is between my SR-71 and the HR-2 you are one luckey guy!

 

[Rhydon]

lol, one lucky guy with no more money

 

[markmaxx]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rhydon lol, one lucky guy with no more money

This quality (Rays amps.) audio seems to hold it's value. I am looking to upgrade my amp. I don't use it (SR-71)as a portable so I may get a desk top to go with the Meridian later this fall. I hear you!

 

[Ozniot]

Rhydon, expect good sound from your XP-7. I've used AD797 the longest; it sounds the best with no break-in. I've also enjoyed LT1028 and LT1122 for several months. People on this forum touted OPA637BP as the best of breed. They are certainly the most expensive. Initially they sound congested. I forced myself to listen to them for one month in order to burn them in and allow my perception to adjust. After the month was up, it was a pleasure to get back to AD797. But during another opamp rolling kick I convinced myself that OPA637BP is best overall: midrange is the most prominent, tone is sweet, bass is nearly as good as AD797. In my experience, all opamps have nice detail and treble with XP-7. If you use rechargeables the choice of opamp significantly affects battery life. AD825 gives the longest battery life; OPA637BP the shortest.

 

[Dimitris]

Congrats on your purchase!I am sure you will like it a lot!Let us know about your impressions.

 

[insomniac]

I have to agree with most of the posts above. They really do sound best to my ears with the AD797 op-amps installed. The result is an incredibly smooth and liquid sound for a solid state amp. And the craftsmanship, if you've never owned a Ray Samuels product before, is expectedly top notch. Just an excellent amp. And portable to boot.

 

[EdipisReks]

hopefully this amp does it for you, Rhydon

 

[kunwar]

AURAL BLISS