Emotiva XPA-1L User Manual - Introduction

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XPA-1L

Introduction

Ask any audiophile what kind of amplifier they dream about owning, and they’ll tell you:

“A set of Class A mono-blocks!” 

Audiophiles know that Class A amps sound the best. There is zero crossover distortion, and 

the output devices are biased up to their most linear operating range. Class A, fully balanced, 

differential amplifiers, although a rare breed and very hard to find, sound even better! 

Unfortunately, Class A amps are typically very large, very expensive, and tend to heat up the 

whole house when you run them. Also, they usually aren’t the most powerful amps in the world, 

either.

Well, we’ve changed all that! We’d like to introduce you to the new Emotiva XPA-1L, with 

selectable Class A and Class A/B operating modes. Now you can have both: remarkable sound 

backed by real power. In Class A/B Mode, the XPA-1L is a potent, superb sounding, fully 

balanced mono-block Class A/B amplifier – delivering 250 watts into 8 ohms (or 500 watts into 

4 ohms) with incredibly low levels of noise and distortion. Flip the switch into Class A Mode and 

the XPA-1L transforms into a pure Class A, high bias 35 watt sweetheart... with a kick. If you 

exceed the 35 watt threshold, it seamlessly transitions into Class A/B mode when the signal 

level goes above 35 watts, allowing it to deliver its full power. You get the awesome purity of 

Class A for power levels up to 35 watts, with none of the power limitations. (The XPA-1L does 

run a bit warmer in Class A Mode, but, hey, it’s worth it.)

Maybe we should also mention that the XPA-1L also includes the other luxury features you’d 

expect from a premium amplifier: a machined, gold plated, RCA input connector; heavy duty, 

gold plated, audiophile grade speaker terminals; a solid milled aluminum face plate with an 

individually laser-etched serial number plate; and our advanced microprocessor controlled 

operating system. And did we mention it was fully balanced, and fully discrete? Well, it is.

The Emotiva XPA-1L: the dream made real. 

Enjoy

The Emotiva Team