Anyone here using an Emotiva UMC-200? What are your thoughts? - Page 4

The XMC-1 still has not been released so I wouldn't expect the RMC-1 to be released anytime soon.

Bill

I know. I was just pointing out that there is always something new around the corner.

- Rich

In Emotiva's case it's a pretty long corner.

Especially from Emotiva where "around the corner" can be quite the road trip .

Bill

No things definitely do not stay on topic in this thread . My point was the discussion was about $300 AVRs having the volume settings. Its a given that $300 AVRs do not have preouts and will most likely not have the SQ of the UMC-200. I prefer better SQ over the volume settings being discussed as well. But there is no reason why you can't have both especially with the $699 UMC-200.


Understood . I believe my first "system" was a Fisher 8 track/phono combo so I'd only want that for sentimental reasons.

Bill

If you dont want a phantom center dcnblues [and want to simplify your cables?] the 200 has a 7.1 to 2.0 mixdown over a pair of 2ch analog outs . Havent tried it myself

Even better ;the lfe channel [subwoofer] would be routed to your L/R mains . The 200 has a late night compression mode to help with the db's ; also no center channels behind couches ; urgh

How many separate input devices can be connected to UMC-200 at the same time? I tried in vain to get this question answered by sending emails to Emotiva. Also, there is no explanation in the manual. Since there are only 4 HDMI inputs, I assume that all 4 can be active at the same time, e.g., one can connect 4 HDMI capable devices to UMC-200. But can you then connect 3 more devices to Coax and Optical inputs and be able to configure all of them and select from all 7 inputs without having to swap cables?

All of the digital sources are assignable. You won't have to swap any cables unless you have more digital sources than the UMC-200 has inputs.

Yesterday, Jeff Meier (Accucal) calibrated my 5.2 HT audio system - the results are stunning. The improvement over EmoQ2 and Flat are huge - such is the power of the parametric equalization in the hands of a pro. His summary is attached: the first chart is with EmoQ engaged, the second is his manual calibration. Per Jeff, for lower-end or mid-range systems, the benefits will typically be substantial. Those of you with Aerial 20Ts and great acoustics can probably do without but for the rest of us . . . . He ranks it as equalling or even surpassing the Classe 800, mainly because the q per channel has greater range . Using 5 channel white noise, the end product was a full and fluid waterfall/stream sound, wherea EmoQ sounded hollow (too much highs and lows) and flat was better but nowhere near as full/rich.

A few quick notes. EmoQ's main defects are a too low center (which we all knew) and a too hot sub. Changing the crossover slope to 12 from 24 allowed a lower crossover for my small Atlantic mains and center. And the peak between 20 and 30 hz is by design - to give more oomph at low listening volumes (otherwise it would have been flat).

One defect found in his thorough testing of the decoding - DTS-HD MA 7.1 track rear sounds are not folded into a 5.1 system (True HD and pcm 7.1 are fine). The easy workaround is to have the player decode and send as pcm on those fairly rare instances where you have a DTS-HD 7.1 track.

We listened to a variety of music and film soundtracks to test it - they all sounded great. I would strongly encourage anyone who wants to tap the potential of this gem to get Jeff or another pro to calibrate the parametric equalization for your system. AccuCal Calibration Report.pdf 543k .pdf file

Very impressive, but not all that surprising, especially knowing Jeff''s work first-hand.

Jeff's review is up: http://homecinemaguru.com/?p=3622

Hi everyone,
I am new to this forum and in the market for a new Home Theater set-up. I was wondering your thoughts on sound quality: Marantz SR6006 vs UMC-200 w/ xpa-5?

Music/Movies 50/50

Also, would the 6006 sound better if using an external amp such as the xpa-5? For speakers I have Definitive BP7006 up front, CLR2002 center and unmatched polk speakers for the rears.

Thanks for the help.
Edited by gspan01 - 2/25/13 at 3:34pm

Since you can get UMC-200/XPA-5 for 30-days and the Marantz for 30-days through best buy you might just want to compare them yourself. It isn't apples to apples because the Marantz has many more bells and whistles with more inputs and legacy inputs to boot. As far as sound quality in my opinion there is no comparison the UMC-200/XPA-5 wins hands down, but you need to be the judge because again it isn't apples to apples. The marantz has decent room correction and in my opinion the EmoQ room correction on the UMC-200 leaves much to be desired. Now if you are adept in doing manual EQ adjustments using REW software and a mic or if you get the sound calibrated by a pro, the UMC-200 again wins hands down IMO.

I have compared the UMC-200/UPA-500 (much less power than you are considering) to a Denon 3312CI and Pioneer SC-61 and without room correction just running the sources in Direct Mode I am finding the sound of the UMC-200/UPA-500 to be unequaled by these two receivers.

Thanks for your input. I actually have the Marantz in my possession. I like it so far but something keeps telling that I can get something better for the money. This is the first receiver I have bought in years and I'm not sure if it me or the receiver but I cannot get certain things to work. Its kind of turning me off. For some reason when I'm playing a dvd that is recorded in DTS my receiver doesn't recognize it. I keep hitting the AMP button to cycle through the modes like the manual says but the button doesn't seem to work or do anything at all. Also, the HDMI switching is slow and doesn't always work.Maybe I just got a dud.

In your opinion do separates have a distinct sound advantage over receiver? I would test out the UMC-200 but there is a waiting list and the next ship date isn't until mid-March sometime. I am mainly just concerned with sound quality. I don't need all the bells and whistles such as networking and airplay to be happy with my set-up.

When you say the receiver isn't recognizing DTS what is it doing? Does it say PCM? If it does then your DVD player is doing the decoding and needs to be set to bit-stream the DTS instead of decoding it internally.

The input switching on the UMC-200 is very quick compared to the receivers that I tried. Note that the UMC-200 only has HDMI inputs for video sources, no component inputs.

IMO, yes they have an advantage, and did compared to the two receivers that I compared it too. I still have the Denon, in my family room in a 3.1 setup.

Unfortunately there are still a few glitches with the UMC200. Mine recently died in a similar fashion to at least one other I know of. It stopped recognizing the firmware.

Unfortunately, there is currently no way to reload firmware so they are sending me a new motherboard.

There a couple of other annoying quirks which need to be fixed in new firmware as well.

That aside, it works very well. If you are clever and have measuring equipment you should be able to get better results than most automatic RC systems.

I recently owned the UMC-1 for about a year. Emotiva never solved all the issues before abondoning the firmware updates. The unit had potential I thought...tons of connectivity, and very customizable. I finally gave up on it and sold it. Don't think I will ever buy another Emotiva AV pre pro. Just my .02.

I am starting to feel the same way about the umc-200.

Great potential, poor UI & design decisions. Can't even turn off the display.

We'll see what happens with the firmware update.
Edited by Repdetect - 3/1/13 at 1:49pm

Does the room calibration software EQ the sub and speakers on this pre pro?

The key is the sub, at least for us with untreated rooms. Many lower/mid priced receivers have calibration to the speakers only without the sub. This is why I am asking.

I am also looking for a 40% off coupon if anyone has one available. Please PM me.
Edited by power - 3/5/13 at 4:59pm

Power,

Even though the automatic calibration on the UMC-200 makes it easy to get started and delivers great sound, we haven't forgotten the serious audiophile. We’ve included a full array of calibration options for those who prefer to manually tweak the performance of the UMC-200 to absolute perfection. These include a flexible quadruple bass management system, eleven user programmable fully parametric equalizers per channel, configurable speaker crossover points and slopes, and outputs for both balanced and unbalanced subwoofers, and the ability to bi-amp the main front channels.


Advanced Emo-Q Gen2™ automatic multi-channel room correction and loudspeaker setup gets you started fast (calibrated measurement microphone included).
Flexible quadruple bass management, with 12dB or 24 dB per octave crossover filters, configurable in precise 5 Hz steps below 80 Hz (and 10 Hz steps above 80 Hz), helps you get the best bass performance from virtually any room and subwoofer.
Eleven user-programmable fully parametric equalizers per channel provide exceptional manual control over room acoustics (with storage for three separate configurations).

Thanks. I am asking if the auto calibration eq's the subwoofer or not? I read the product info and am aware of all the manual calibrations.

Hello there!!
Can anyone help me??I hope so.In EQ menu what is the 3. column for??The Q,it can be adjusted from 0,25 to 24 if i remember well. Anyone adjusted that??
Any help would be appreciated.

Try reading some of these threads on the Emotiva Lounge. Lots of guys that know the UMC-200 quite well from what I've read.

Thanks ,i ll try it!

Curious how a UMC-200/XPA-5 sounds compared to an Anthem mrx300. Would pull a extra amp for the other two channels for the emotiva. The Emoitiva has much more power but Looking for clean sound. The anthem seems to have the best room correction software. Has anyone Listened to these two side by side at all? Any suggestions? Thanks in advance for your help.

UMC-200 was going to ship this week, but I canceled the order Monday morning. I figured out how to get JRiver to convert 6 ch to 8 ch out to my Lexicon instead. It works great giving me 7.1 sound from any 2 or 5.1 input. Plus the Lexicon still functions like new and sounds great. I don't see the need to upgrade now. I still have Logic7 and 8ch by-pass and SACD playback ability from my Oppo and the HTPC with JRiver provides what I need for my soft media. I'll save the money and wait until absolutely necessary to upgrade (like when MC-1 dies, if ever).

Emotiva needs to get out of the pre pro business before it kills the reputation of the company, and in turn the good products it makes.

I'm not certain one or two people saying their system died is representative of the entire line. So far the reviews have been very favorable. I've had worse luck with the video game consoles this round. Every single one has had to be shipped back for one issue or another. PS3, 360, and Wii. Two dead, and one with corrupt video memory. Trifecta of bad luck.

Hoping mine ships next week..
Edited by Philtho - 3/7/13 at 10:12pm

Onkyo has survived although a large % of their units haven't.