[niceguymr]

Aside from Emotiva, are there any other companies or manufacturers that offer amplifiers & processors of comparable quality at the same or better price point? I'm kind of new to the home a/v scene after a 20 year sabbatical and I'm unfamiliar with all the newer brands out there. I see Emotiva gets some good exposure here and I haven't read anything significantly bad about them. It just seems to me that they're the only company out there right now that offers pretty affordable stuff (sub $1k) components with reasonable performance in a package that looks sharp (not as important, but damn their stuff looks nice).


On a side note, The products I'm CONSIDERING are their UPA-7 seven channel amp ($699) and their UMC-1 AV processor (also $699) and these are pretty much already beyond the upper limits of my budget.


Any comments or feedback would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Frohlich]

I think the Emotiva amps have a great reputation but you might want to think twice about the UMC1. There is a thread about it and you can read and make up your own mind. As far as new amps, its going to be hard to beat Emotiva. There are plenty of good used amps on Audiogon in the same price range. Brands to consider are B&K, Sunfire, Anthem, NAD, Parasound, etc..

 

[croseiv]

Emotiva's amps are great products, and they seem to drive the amp connoisseurs nuts (those who may have spent a fortune on theirs). I've seen many a hornet's nest stirred up debating Emotiva quality/sound vs. more expensive amps. I can say that I see no need to upgrade my XPA-5. It's a good solid great sounding performer. I'd easily pay twice what I paid for mine given my good experience with it.


I would hold off on the UMC-1 personally until Emotiva gets all (or at least most) of the bugs ironed out. Many folks have been having to return theirs for issues that can't apparently be fixed from firmware updates alone.

 

[rdgrimes]

Consider an AVR for use as a processor for whatever amp. Any AVR with pre-outs to feed an amp. The Yamaha V665 can be had for ~$350 on sale, the V765 for about $400 on sale. Those 2 have identical front ends that although are slightly less feature-rich than the UMC-1, they essentially do all the same stuff. There are other choices in the same price range, but the Yamahas have very good DACs and DSP.


Many folks are using AVRs as a pre-pro and are very happy with them. They also give you the option of removing the separate amp if you need to do that for whatever reason. You'd be hard pressed to actually hear any difference between the UMC-1 and any decent mid-level AVR once connected to a good amp.

 

[saginawjuggalo]



Quote:
Originally Posted by rdgrimes /forum/post/18223256


Consider an AVR for use as a processor for whatever amp. Any AVR with pre-outs to feed an amp. The Yamaha V665 can be had for ~$350 on sale, the V765 for about $400 on sale. Those 2 have identical front ends that although are slightly less feature-rich than the UMC-1, they essentially do all the same stuff. There are other choices in the same price range, but the Yamahas have very good DACs and DSP.


Many folks are using AVRs as a pre-pro and are very happy with them. They also give you the option of removing the separate amp if you need to do that for whatever reason. You'd be hard pressed to actually hear any difference between the UMC-1 and any decent mid-level AVR once connected to a good amp.

I wouldn't say that, many UMC-1 owners have heard a upgrade coming from upper end AVRs.


I myself hear a huge step up coming from a mid-range Yamaha 663! The midrange opened up, better separation, better detail (without the Harshness) and a bigger soundstage. I felt like I had a new set of speakers! The UMC-1 also has zero noise (that I hear) from it's pre-out. It's been a while since I last hear the Marantz SR8002 in my listening room (so take it with a grain of salt) but I'm also more impressed with the UMC-1.


I'm pretty skeptical in nature and I honestly wasn't expecting much (if anything) but I am pretty amazed by the sound. It is a shame though, I was hoping to save some money! I sold the 663 on Craigslist once I heard the sound differences. I love the features and functions! Emo-Q is crap from what I've read but I've always set mine up manually with test-tones and a mic. Outside of Emo-Q it only has a couple annoyances (bugs) that affect me and most should be worked out soon with the upcoming firmware. (Emotiva claims)


Nothing horrible as far as I'm concerned. I can see how people would come to that conclusion, I would have myself had I not actually had hands on experience with it. It might be best to wait it out if one expects perfection (Very few HDMI pre-amp processors) come close to perfection out the gate or even sometimes long out the gate. This is where AVRs tend to excel (that and features.).. Not all AVRs are fool proof today but the 663 was pretty close. The UMC-1 sound upgrade is worth the minor annoyances IMO. This could make or break Emotiva in the field of processors and the UMC-1 is the backbone of their upcoming flagship processor, so I'm hoping for the best.


There is a 4-page long thread of UMC-1 owners attesting to the same experience I had coming from Yamaha AVRs... and no I'm not one of their crazy fan boys.

http://emotivalounge.proboards.com/i...ad=4357&page=1

Quote:
Originally Posted by croseiv /forum/post/18223237


Many folks have been having to return theirs for issues that can't apparently be fixed from firmware updates alone.

Like what? The remote issue?


The only hardware issue I heard of was the UMC-1's remote functions interacting with the USP-1. Emotiva will giving away a work around at no additional cost (as they should.)