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Emotiva PA-1 Amplifier Preview

See the complete review for the Emotiva PA-1 Amplifier.

The Emotiva PA-1 balanced class-D mono power amplifiers don’t generate any great expectations – Three pounds?

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Size of a paperback book? Only $600 a pair? This isn’t an audio amplifier; it’s a toy! And class-D to boot – I don’t want any rough-sounding pro-audio junk!

Well – surprise! This is the first affordable class-D power amplifier with audiophile sound. Emotiva, the company known for making high-end affordable, surprises yet again with their PA-1 monoblock amplifiers. Having owned “pro” class-D amplifiers before, I wasn’t expecting too much from them, but the B&O ICEpower AS300 modules in these little boxes sound stunning. Yes, Hypex and other high-end companies have used class-D amplification with audiophile-quality results, but their high prices have been commensurate with their high performance. Emotiva now lowers the price significantly for audiophile sound from a class-D product.

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Set your prejudices aside and prepare for the most surprising amplifier I’ve ever heard. The Emotiva PA-1 leaves both cost and performance expectations behind and manages to compete with far more expensive power amplifiers in almost all aspects. Every manufacturer selling upscale amplifiers now has cause to really worry… Emotiva strikes again! Full review coming soon.

See the complete review for the Emotiva PA-1 Amplifier.

Glenn Young

I learned to play the guitar in high school, hoping to persuade Berma Sanchez to date me, but alas, no such luck! In the late 1970s, a neighbor who was the station engineer for the local PBS network took me under his wing and taught me the electronics of audio reproduction. Throughout college, I used that knowledge to modify Dynaco vacuum tube equipment for friends. After graduation from LSU, I took a job in the chemical manufacturing industry, learning about industrial hygiene and the mechanics of hearing. In the 1990s I learned to write, initially as the newsletter editor for my local Safety Engineering chapter. In the early 2000s, I had my first book published (I’m now working on my third). A few years ago, the Secrets of Home Theater and High Fidelity website issued a call for authors. I responded and was excited to be selected. Over the years, I’ve published a number of equipment reviews and am honored, in 2019, to be given the title of “Senior Editor.” But none of the above offers the “why” of my interest in home audio. My musical tastes are highly diverse, and my love of music (acquired probably in the church choir of Grace Baptist Church) has been passed on to my daughter, who got her B.S. degree in music and her M.S. in violin performance and music education before being switching gears and then going on to graduate from Harvard Law. Although the majority of my extended group of friends and family prefer hobbies such as hunting, fishing, football games, etc., I’ve found that I still greatly enjoy time with my audio system and discovering new music. At some time in the fairly near future, my hearing will decline and I’ll no longer be able to listen analytically. But so long as my audiograms show acute hearing, I’ll keep doing what I enjoy best - listening to wonderful music and sharing my thoughts and impressions with like-minded friends.

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