EMOTIVA Thread Q&A [TECHNICAL TALK ONLY] - Page 2

Originally Posted by RuggSkins

The Emotiva MPS-1 and DMC=1 arrived yesterday, and I am waiting for the Gallo REF 3.1 & REF AVs to arrive next week. I am having an eletrician install a separate circuit to support the power drain of the MPS-1.


I am very excited to hear how it sounds, and hope I won't be disappointed.

I will let you know how it sounds and how it compares to the B&K AVR 507.

Originally Posted by wcaughey

just a thought....Is emotiva producing a new pre/pro with hdmi 1.3 this summer?

Originally Posted by hikinokie

With sq the equal of or better than receivers at it's price points and a much stronger multichannel amp the ultralites seem to me a better value and a no- brainer.

Originally Posted by Jason1976

Room correction isn't a fixall. Even the most sophisticated circuits can't take the place of a properly setup system. Also, just because there is room correction doesn't indicate the sound quality of the unit.

Bottom line, room correction has it's place, but it isn't the magical fixall, especially for music.

Originally Posted by DS-21

Actually, considering that some AVR's in its price range are now shipping with relatively sophisticated room correction software built in, the ultralites are probably a sonic step backwards from some similarly priced AVR's. Maybe even a big one, depending on how good one's mains speakers are and how optimal one's speaker placement is.

Originally Posted by Jason1976

DS21, When you say that the ultralites are a sonic step backwards, that evokes a conversation about sound quality. You said that because a mid range receiver has a room eq, it would automatically put it ahead of something without an eq.

Also, amplifiers/preamplifiers are not commodity products. The soundstage in the room can vary greatly based on the quality of components.

Originally Posted by Jason1976

Room correction isn't a fixall. Even the most sophisticated circuits can't take the place of a properly setup system. Also, just because there is room correction doesn't indicate the sound quality of the unit.

With regards to the LMCs, I currently own them. I have also owned several room correcting receivers, mostly in the Pioneer family. While room correction works well, the sound quality and open soundstage characteristics of the emotiva combo are much better than slapping an eq on top of an inferior preamp/amp and calling the sound "corrected." I would disagree that the LMC is a step backwards as far as quality. If you compare ease of use and features, then yes they would be a step back.

Bottom line, room correction has it's place, but it isn't the magical fixall, especially for music. I'm definetly looking forward to an affordable prepro with the current receiver feature set including room correction, but not at the expense of the rest of the system.

Originally Posted by DS-21

I thought this was "AV Science," not "AV Voodoo and Witchcraft." Am I mistaken?

Originally Posted by RuggSkins

I finally have had a chance to post my thoughts on the Emotiva MPS-1 & DMC-1 vs the B&K AVR 507 2.

Speakers
Main - Anthony Gallo Acoustics Ref 3.1
Center - Anthony Gallo Acoustics Ref AV
Surround - Anthony Gallo Acoustics Ref AV

CD Player
Sony M555ES 400 Disc Changer

DVD Player
Panasonic DVD RV30

Test Music
Stevie Ray Vaughn, Little Wing
Seal, Kiss from a Rose
Earth Wind & Fire, Fantasy
Acoustic Alchemy, Reference Point

Test DVD
Master & Commander


Both the B&K and the Emotiva "Big Dogs" were both around the same price point at @ $3,000 and both sounded very good. When compared against each other, each had stregnths that appeared to point out potential weaknesses of the other. I tested the music audio in 2 ch stereo, and switched the input and speakers between the Amps as quickly as I could with the help of Banana Clips, and digital (optical) input connectors. I listened to @ 30 seconds to 1 Minute of a song then would switch the connections to the competitive amp, and listen to the same portion of the song.

I am sorry that I do not have the time to provide a song by song analyses, however my impression is that the Emotiva provided a great deal of detail, and better imaging than the B&K. The B&K provided better and tighter bass response, however did not provide the detail that the Emotiva provided. At the start of Little Wing, the Emotiva excelled with the reverb from the guitar solo making me feel closer to a live performance. When the bass and drums join the guitar, the bass is much tighter with the B&K. The Choir at the start of Kiss by a Rose sounded awesome through the Emotiva, the separation and imaign was impressive, but when the bass kicks in the B&K was tighter... almost to a fault where it overwhlemed the vocals. With Fantasy, the horns, Philip Bailey's voice, and the little details (chimes & other noises) excelled with the Emotiva. The B&K was much more funky with the thumping bass, however almost over played Philip Baileys voice.

I could easily live with either of these amps.

I chose the Emotiva for two reasons. 1. because it is my impression that I can easily add a sub or bi-amp my speakers voice coil to improve the bass response from the Emotiva, where getting more detail from the B&K would be a challenge. 2. Upgrades - Future capabilities that I am interested in are: ethernet port, HDMI 1.3, Video upscaling/switching to 1080P, and lastly, USB interface for MP3 player. Emotiva is not afraid to share some of the details regarding the upgrade of the DMC-1. When I contacted B&K, who is known to also be very good at offering upgrade path, they explained that they are working on an upgrade... the reply that I received from them states "Currently our engineers are working on the next generation of product and upgrades and I currently don't have any information available. "

I also had 3 other audiophile friends and my wife listen to the comparison between these amps, and listened to the same songs plus any other music in my player plat they wanted to hear. They chose the Emotiva for the same reasons I did... great detail.

Originally Posted by Robert Whitehead

I have emailed Emotiva to see if their 40% offer also applies to its new rec'r, the DMR-1.

Interesting comparison between the DMR-1 and the MPS-1 & IPS-1 Combo.

The DMR-1 has the stunning cosmetics (and guts) of the DMC-1, the MX-500 remote and 125x7. $2000

The MPS-1 (prepro) and IPS-1 (amp) combo have ordinary cosmetics (w/the guts of the DMC-1), an in house remote that only controls the PrePro, and 150x7. 25wpc in dB is next to nothing. $2200

Both amps are type H with discrete monoblocks (subject to verification).

Originally Posted by EdS

Does anyone know if the new Emotiva pre-pro which will have HDMI 1.3 is a rebadged unit, similar to the DMC-1 which was based off the Sunfire platform, or a new design solely for/by Emotiva? I would think a rebadged unit is more likely to be available based on Emotiva's projections than a unique "Emotiva only" design.