I did not get to directly compare the XPA-2 to the XPa-1s at the GTG. I think the only XPA-2 there belonged to the homeowner. Also didnt get to really crank them because they were in the living room upstairs. The setup had the USP-1, ERC-1 and the XPA-1s Someday I hope to own the same setup.

For me having the power amp is not just about headroom. It is probably more about sound quality. I went from a yamaha receiver and added a LPA-1, then a XPA-5, and now the XPA-2. Along with receiver and pre/pro changes every time I felt the sound has improved. May be just placebo but I know when I switched back to the Onkyo amps a few weeks ago I was stunned about how much different the M80s sounded. Not nearly as good IMHO. However the Onkyo did sound pretty good as a preamp.

M80,VP150,QS8,ERD-1,XPA-2,XPA-5,UMC-10,PS3,XBOX360,Dish VIP622,PB13 Ultra,Panasonic PT-AE3000U