IOTAVX AVXP1 7 Channel POWER AMPLIFIER

[Rick84]

2yrs

 

[jakimp]

how much are IOTA owners spending on RCA connects?

I am thinking of adding the IOTA to my system at the moment

 

[Rick84]

I went for the Mark Grant cables

 

[1pudding1]

I bought these for my AVP1 a couple of weeks ago. https://cpc.farnell.com/pro-signal/...ono-phono-1-2m/dp/AV14146?CMP=i-ddd7-00001003

 

[Derek S-H]

how much are IOTA owners spending on RCA connects?

I am thinking of adding the IOTA to my system at the moment

I bought these:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/AmazonBasics-Digital-Audio-Coaxial-Cable-Black/dp/B01D5H8TS4/ref=sr_1_5?crid=3KUAR3XBS5SCB&keywords=coaxial+cable&qid=1558596571&s=gateway&sprefix=coax,aps,179&sr=8-5

I bought 5 at £4.99 each = £25.

I didn't go with phono cables as my online research suggested that Coaxial cables have better magnetic shielding and I wanted to minimise hum. Of course, this could just be overkill and the cables suggested by 1pudding1 would work just as well, but cables are usually a one-time purchase so may as well get it right first time.

 

[meduk1]

I just spent around £50 getting 7 Van Damme cables from ebay. A bit more expensive but wanted the quality and colour combinations. My unit is arriving tomorrow.

 

[Creditor]

I recently got the IOTA AVX1 7.1 processor and was thinking of pulling the trigger on the matching amp. I already own two dual mono blocks:
2x Emotiva XPA-1 Gen1
500 W 8Ω
2x Emotiva UPA-1
200 W 8Ω

Fronts: Emotiva ERT-8.3
Center: 2x ATC SCM11 (bookshelves, stacked vertically)
Surrounds (to be purchased): Emotiva E1/E2 (& Atmos when IOTA makes a processor release)

I was planning to use the IOTAVX AVXP1 for surrounds, and the Emotivas for LCR, as they have more power.
Will I run into a mismatch in sound, with two brands between LCR and surround channels?
The Emotivas are very neutral, with a slight warmth that only gets exposed by very analytical speakers, such as ATC SCM40 <

The XLR outputs on the IOTA and price tag is very tempting whereas the almighty XPA´s [i.e. XPA-5 and XPA-7] with balanced outputs, is double the budget.

 

[Creditor]

Has anyone a mixed setup of different branded amps, e.g. IOTA and Emotiva, with good results?

 

[Derek S-H]

Has anyone a mixed setup of different branded amps, e.g. IOTA and Emotiva, with good results?

Your written English is very good!

To answer your query: the IOTA power amp can go with anything. I've paired mine with a Marantz SR 7011 receiver and the sound is seamless, you would never know there were two separate and different devices working tonally.

I can't see how the IOTA processor would be any different, especially as you plan to use yours solely for Surround duties.

It'll all be good!

 

[Creditor]

Thanks, Derek!

 

[meduk1]

Got the iota yesterday. Haven’t used it properly yet, planning a few movies tonight. First impressions are good though, and it’s also a beast! Very heavy and much larger than I imagined

 

[SonOfSJ]

@meduk1 Did you not know the dimensions and weight beforehand? They were easy to find out, no?

 

[meduk1]

Oh I knew. Just still until you see it in the flesh I don’t think you appreciate it

 

[SonOfSJ]

If my fortunes improve, I'm hoping to find out for myself just how big and heavy it is in about Christmas 2020!

 

[Derek S-H]

If my fortunes improve, I'm hoping to find out for myself just how big and heavy it is in about Christmas 2020!

Will it be for your Parlour system?

Mind you, you've got so many systems it's hard to keep track here!

 

[SonOfSJ]

It will, if it comes to pass, indeed be for my parlour system. Though in truth I would have to find a dealer, or maybe Iota themselves, who would allow me to audition it in my parlour before purchase, to see if it really makes a difference to my system. At present, I am using in the parlour a Denon AVR 4810 receiver, which does faux 11-channel processing (7.1, plus front height speakers plus front wide speakers using Audyssey) with the addition of a separate stereo amplifier (which I don't have enough characters in my signature here to show!). You see, sometime before the end of this year I will be installing my new 9-channel Denon AVR-X7200WA receiver, the main reason for its acquisition being genuine, rather than faux at present, 7.1.4 Atmos processing, and also 11-channel DTX. So I'll be using the X7200WA with my current stereo amplifier. The question then will be if that arrangement could be improved upon by using the IOTA for the flat 7.1 channels, and using four of the Denon's nine channels for the Atmos speakers. I will be able to decide if the IOTA gives a worthwhile (namely, £1,000) improvement only then, if a kind dealer can lend me an AVXP1 to try!

 

[Derek S-H]

It will, if it comes to pass, indeed be for my parlour system. Though in truth I would have to find a dealer, or maybe Iota themselves, who would allow me to audition it in my parlour before purchase, to see if it really makes a difference to my system. At present, I am using in the parlour a Denon AVR 4810 receiver, which does faux 11-channel processing (7.1, plus front height speakers plus front wide speakers using Audyssey) with the addition of a separate stereo amplifier (which I don't have enough characters in my signature here to show!). You see, sometime before the end of this year I will be installing my new 9-channel Denon AVR-X7200WA receiver, the main reason for its acquisition being genuine, rather than faux at present, 7.1.4 Atmos processing, and also 11-channel DTX. So I'll be using the X7200WA with my current stereo amplifier. The question then will be if that arrangement could be improved upon by using the IOTA for the flat 7.1 channels, and using four of the Denon's nine channels for the Atmos speakers. I will be able to decide if the IOTA gives a worthwhile (namely, £1,000) improvement only then, if a kind dealer can lend me an AVXP1 to try!

I'm not sure if you'd be able to have a demo in the way you describe i.e. an unpaid machine on loan.

IOTA do offer a free 30-day returns policy and if you do decide to purchase you'd be doing so directly through Ian himself, who I think is either the owner or designer or both!

My suggestion would be to chat with Ian closer to the time and see what he suggests. He is not some hard-nosed salesman but someone who genuinely cares about his products, so he'd want you to have something that was right for your needs, not just good for his profits. And if it meant no sale, then that's what he'd say.

 

[Garry123]

Are people still happy with their IOTA's?

 

[jakimp]

yes thanks

mine is paired with an arcam receiver to help power my 7.2.4 system

 

[rccarguy2]

Pity iota support are lousy I've asked for specs on pre outs and never got back to me.

Mixing brands of power amps isn't a problem I've used arcams and audiolabs together, those gains/voltage are different you just use the channel adjustment on the av pre. I guess if the two are so far apart in gain, and speaker efficienxy and distande you may run into a problem

 

[Chavassea]

Are there any experts on bi-amping here? I currently have an XPA 5 Gen 3 driving my main 5 channels whilst my RXA 3060 drives the 4 heights.


The XPA puts out 250W/CH into 8ohms all CH driven. The IOTA on the other hand puts out only 110W albeit with two extra channels. Having heard the benefits of bi-amping my question is:


Will bi-amping my fronts with the IOTA's two extra channels be an improvement over the mono amping with the XPA? This is especially given the lower power rating of the IOTA? The IOTA when bi-amped should give out 220W total into each speaker ( 110W into each LF and HF drivers ) vs the XPA 250W in mono amp? Will this 220W biamped sound better than 250 mono?
Thanks in advance.

 

[Conrad]

Bi amping is a thorny subject and there's generally no single right answer.

Assuming you're passive bi-amping and using the crossovers in the speakers, the gain should be very slight if at all. You're essentially using a channel to amplify the full range signal, a large proportion of which is then discarded at the crossover stage (everything above the crossover on the LF terminals and everything below the crossover at the HF terminals).

So the amp now has to amplify four full range channels instead of two, meaning that it's working harder and potentially increasing distortion. You're also still limited by the maximum power of the transformer and so you'll potentially run into headroom problems now that you're spreading the same load across four channels instead of two.

If your speakers are high sensitivity or you're close to them (so you don't need much power and will have headroom) AND your crossovers are placed such that the power required to amplify the portion above isn't the same as the power required to amplify the portion below then you might get a marginal benefit from passive bi-amping.

Or if you're active bi-amping with a crossover before the amp then that should give a good improvement, you're only asking the amp to amplify a proportion of the signal. But doing that relies on you removing the crossover from the speakers otherwise you can get some really weird effects.

 

[Chavassea]

Bi amping is a thorny subject and there's generally no single right answer.

Assuming you're passive bi-amping and using the crossovers in the speakers, the gain should be very slight if at all. You're essentially using a channel to amplify the full range signal, a large proportion of which is then discarded at the crossover stage (everything above the crossover on the LF terminals and everything below the crossover at the HF terminals).

So the amp now has to amplify four full range channels instead of two, meaning that it's working harder and potentially increasing distortion. You're also still limited by the maximum power of the transformer and so you'll potentially run into headroom problems now that you're spreading the same load across four channels instead of two.

If your speakers are high sensitivity or you're close to them (so you don't need much power and will have headroom) AND your crossovers are placed such that the power required to amplify the portion above isn't the same as the power required to amplify the portion below then you might get a marginal benefit from passive bi-amping.

Or if you're active bi-amping with a crossover before the amp then that should give a good improvement, you're only asking the amp to amplify a proportion of the signal. But doing that relies on you removing the crossover from the speakers otherwise you can get some really weird effects.

Thanks for the excellent analysis. The speakers are a pair of monitor audio MR6 rated at 150W/CH and according to the manufacturer, can go down to about 33HZ. Despite this I set the crossover to 80HZ ( which is nothing for these speakers ) at the receiver end so any amplification that takes place is 80HZ and above.

When I had it bi-amped with the internal amp of my RXA 3060 rated at 150W x 2 into 8ohms I definitely heard a difference. The front stage sounded more open and spacious, with lots of headroom vs before, plus it was noticeably louder and the dynamic range also seemed a tad more aggressive.

My thinking is if the internal amps of an AVR could have made such a difference, imagine what bi-amping from a dedicated power amp could do? I was just wondering whether 250W from one amp into one speaker will sound better than 110W x 2 bi-amped into the same speaker?

 

[rccarguy2]

Thanks for the excellent analysis. The speakers are a pair of monitor audio MR6 rated at 150W/CH and according to the manufacturer, can go down to about 33HZ. Despite this I set the crossover to 80HZ ( which is nothing for these speakers ) at the receiver end so any amplification that takes place is 80HZ and above.

When I had it bi-amped with the internal amp of my RXA 3060 rated at 150W x 2 into 8ohms I definitely heard a difference. The front stage sounded more open and spacious, with lots of headroom vs before, plus it was noticeably louder and the dynamic range also seemed a tad more aggressive.

My thinking is if the internal amps of an AVR could have made such a difference, imagine what bi-amping from a dedicated power amp could do? I was just wondering whether 250W from one amp into one speaker will sound better than 110W x 2 bi-amped into the same speaker?

There is no +/- spec on those speakers I could be 3,6 or 10db...which means that 33hz number is suspect.
Highly likely the figure is +/-6db

 

[Chavassea]

There is no +/- spec on those speakers I could be 3,6 or 10db...which means that 33hz number is suspect.
Highly likely the figure is +/-6db

Specs here MR6 | Floorstanding Speakers | Monitor Audio