I just joined to say thank you for this thread! I've had an Extron XPA 1002 (not plus) for almost a decade when my old company was pitching it after a conference room renovation. I've been using it as an amp for some background listening speakers for a while. Sadly, for various reasons I haven't been able to setup my primary system for a while (kids, WAF, space in house).
Shortly before the move that resulted in my system packed in a closet (
) I picked up an XPA 4002 off ebay for about $100. My thinking was I wanted to be able to leave the big system on at all times so it could be used for background listening in the house. My problem with that was my Bryston 3B NRB amp. The Bryston is a great amp with lots of power but it draws something like 200 watts at idle. That's enough that I wouldn't leave it on unless I was going to listen. After my limited experience with the XPA 1002 I decided to try to find the high power big brother. The really low power draw is great. No need for a power switch if these draw less than 1W when not in use. I picked it up just before we moved so I've never actually compared it to the Bryston. I suspected these were quite decent amps. It's really nice to see some evidence to confirm as much.
For those looking into these things, in my searches I've noted the following:
*The numbering system is "watts-channels" So the 1002 is 100Wx2 channels (4 ohms numbers). The 2001 is 200Wx1.
*Watch out for the high impedance versions. The various XPA amps all look similar but the 70V versions aren't likely to do much for most of us. Look at the back of the amp where the green speaker connectors are. You will typically see either a 4 pin 4/8 ohm stereo connector or a 2 pin 70V connector.
*The XPA1002 is 60W into 8 ohm, 100W into 4. Since it was free and I don't crank it, the power has never been an issue.
*Most sellers don't include the connectors. Keep that in mind when buying. It took me a bit to figure out what connectors I needed the first time.
*Some of the larger models have both low and high impedance outputs. Not sure why but presumably that would be OK to ignore the 70V outputs. However, it doesn't seem like these 3 channel models are priced well enough to bother with.
I have no idea when I will be able to try but I would really like to see how well the 4002 does vs the Bryston. My hope is they sound close enough so I can sell of the Bryston without feeling I was leaving performance on the table (an odd thing to say since the stereo is packed up - family life can really put a damper on loud listening).
Anyway, thanks again for the review!
Shortly before the move that resulted in my system packed in a closet (
) I picked up an XPA 4002 off ebay for about $100. My thinking was I wanted to be able to leave the big system on at all times so it could be used for background listening in the house. My problem with that was my Bryston 3B NRB amp. The Bryston is a great amp with lots of power but it draws something like 200 watts at idle. That's enough that I wouldn't leave it on unless I was going to listen. After my limited experience with the XPA 1002 I decided to try to find the high power big brother. The really low power draw is great. No need for a power switch if these draw less than 1W when not in use. I picked it up just before we moved so I've never actually compared it to the Bryston. I suspected these were quite decent amps. It's really nice to see some evidence to confirm as much. For those looking into these things, in my searches I've noted the following:
*The numbering system is "watts-channels" So the 1002 is 100Wx2 channels (4 ohms numbers). The 2001 is 200Wx1.
*Watch out for the high impedance versions. The various XPA amps all look similar but the 70V versions aren't likely to do much for most of us. Look at the back of the amp where the green speaker connectors are. You will typically see either a 4 pin 4/8 ohm stereo connector or a 2 pin 70V connector.
*The XPA1002 is 60W into 8 ohm, 100W into 4. Since it was free and I don't crank it, the power has never been an issue.
*Most sellers don't include the connectors. Keep that in mind when buying. It took me a bit to figure out what connectors I needed the first time.
*Some of the larger models have both low and high impedance outputs. Not sure why but presumably that would be OK to ignore the 70V outputs. However, it doesn't seem like these 3 channel models are priced well enough to bother with.
I have no idea when I will be able to try but I would really like to see how well the 4002 does vs the Bryston. My hope is they sound close enough so I can sell of the Bryston without feeling I was leaving performance on the table (an odd thing to say since the stereo is packed up - family life can really put a damper on loud listening).
Anyway, thanks again for the review!
