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Edited June 8, 2021
at 11:26 AM
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The BasX A-100 offers all the essential features that make a great audio component, like a heavy duty power supply, great sounding high-current short signal path Class A/B amplifiers, industry standard unbalanced audio inputs, and full-sized five-way binding post speaker terminals. The BasX A-100 delivers a solid 50 watts per channel into 8 Ohms and 80 Watts per channel into 4 Ohms; plenty to drive most speakers to satisfying listening levels.
https://emotiva.com/collections/a...ucts/a-100
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It has LOTs of power, like you said, but also LOTS of noise relative to good $100-$150 headphone amps and a high likelihood of channel imbalance. The recent Audioscience Review test
[audiosciencereview.com] shows distortion at .012%, Noise at 78dB below signal, and about .5dB L/R channel difference at 5W (likely higher at headphone volumes).
By comparison the $99 Schiit Heresy has .0007% distortion, Noise 103dB below signal, no channel imbalance...and PLENTY of power for 99.5% of all headphones. Plus, the Heresy has an external gain switch, so you do not have to open the chassis anytime you want to switch between high/low sensitivity headphones.
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1. I'm looking to use this with my computer. I'm currently using a SoundBlaster Z but am moving to a smaller case and want to ditch the sound card. In general, I thought I'd be hunting for something with an optical input so I could send optical out from my motherboard, which this doesn't have. Can this achieve the same fidelity/quality if I use an adapter to line-in with RCA?
2. I've been using beyerdynamic 990 250 ohm open back that I caught on sale a long time ago. I like them, but their bass output isn't as strong as my V-Moda Crossfades (not the Crossfade 2), but the sound quality is overall much better on the 990s. Would they be capable of capturing any notable improvement if I grabbed this or a DAC, or should I look into upgrading my cans?
3. Should I be aiming for a DAC or DAC& instead of this product?
Emotiva's $229 BasX A-100 amplifier wows the Audiophiliac [cnet.com]
"With an audiophile recording as good as Austin Wintory's "The Banner Saga," the BasX A-100's vivid transparency and uninhibited dynamics came to the fore..."
However I got some micca bookshelf speakers and use the amp for that now. I wouldn't get this just for headphones though, unless you need the power. If you're running bookshelf speakers and headphones and just want one unit instead of a separate headphone amp, this works great.
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Actually trying to sell mine for $100. No headphone amp though.
Hint--Don't buy it unless it is heavy.
However I got some micca bookshelf speakers and use the amp for that now. I wouldn't get this just for headphones though, unless you need the power. If you're running bookshelf speakers and headphones and just want one unit instead of a separate headphone amp, this works great.
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You need an amplifier (not a pre-amp, that's the receiver's role here) for 2 speakers. This would work for that. (Presumably it would work quite fine, but i don't have one to give an opinion on)
I have a Marantz 6011 running in this configuration for 7.1.4 Atmos, using a tpa3116D2 as the amp for the two rear ceiling speakers, which is plenty for those at the levels we watch movies at (e.g. not shake the house loud). If bi-amping front speakers, or wanting louder listening levels, something beefier like this or like the tpa3255 based amp someone linked earlier would probably be a good choice.
Anyway, the "classes" of amplifier aren't a direct indication of quality, just of the electrical circuitry topology. Nothing makes a given class AB amplifier *arbitrarily* better than a given class D. A good modern class D can keep up with AB design amplifiers in terms of distortion/noise, all while wasting less energy into heat (they're generally far more efficient). The trouble usually is more in finding one that can do that at high enough power levels for the target speakers at a desired volume while retaining those characteristics. And of course, individual amplifier designs differ.
Emotiva usually has a good reputation for the price points they sell at, from everything I've heard. Equally, some tpa3255 based amps are notorious for quoting theoretical max wattage based on 48v while only coming with (and only really supporting) 36v power supplies. And the distortion curves on class D often favor not exceeding about 50% rated wattage (as a very, VERY loose rule of thumb), but it various on the chip used and the componentry of the surrounding design. But even 50% of the rated max output on a tpa3255 based design, running two speakers, is going to be plenty for most home listening setups, short of something built out to a degree where they would be expected to already know otherwise if it were the case.
Thanks for explaining. Yes you are correct, I am mixing things as I have a hard time understanding Amp vs Pre amp vs external Amp.