Chokobolt:
Hello xtsili
I'd recommend buying the USP-1 preamp together with the XPA-2 power amp and then getting a warmer sounding source (dac, turntable, cd-player). As you can see in my signature I also have the ERC-1 cd-player, but will get a turntable in about 10 days
As for the sound: it delivers a very, very clear sound which in my opinion makes it a lot easier to imagine the singer is standing right in front of you (when you close your eyes). I love listening to Melody Gardot, Agnes Obel, Katie Melua and the likes on this system because it's very life-like. Just sit back, close your eyes and you are at a concert
I don't know what else to say (maybe it's because they are neutral)
Oh, imo they also deliver a nice wide soundstage and you can also hear where the singer is on the stage (is she standing a bit to the left, in the mid etc.). The same goes for the instruments. This again adds to the realism of the sound, so yeah I really recommend it.
The reason I am after a warmer sounding source may not be Emotivas fault. I think the acoustic in my room is pretty bad, with wooden floor, concrete walls and no soft furnishings (except for my sofa/bed). Something I must fix at some point I guess
Thanks so much chokobolt for your detailed reply.
It seems that this stuff is value for money and I can't resist buying the power amp at least, to fire my diamonds 10.7 - the A-S700 does a good job but...
Besides, I was wondering if I really need a pre amp. The souncard I have outputs 124 db and the vDAC 120db or something, may be they are already delivering a signal high enough to feed the power amp. According to various posts I run accross, a passive preamp may be the solution when the source is a good soundcard or dac.
Any idea how much the customs fees, duties/taxes added to the initial price? (I bet you live in UK, I live in Greece)