The long (really long for some) wait for Emotiva's
UMC-1 AV processor looks like it will be coming to a close soon. A lucky few will get in on a small pilot run of UMC-1s later this month, and mass shipments starting in July will start whittling down the preorder list. It sounds like the UMC-1 has been put through the wringer, with the latest bug fixes centered on some pesky HDMI handshake issues (and you wonder why some folks are iffy on
HDMI 1.4). Also getting mention was the company's new $399 USP-1 stereo preamp with a HT bypass, also due in July. If you're a fan of being on wait-lists, though, how about the XSP preamp with balanced connections due for sometime before the year is out, or the Class H, 7x400Watt XPR-7 amplifier that's penned in for the top of Emotiva's amplifier lineup whenever it's ready? Well done, Emotiva -- give us something and keep us wanting more in one announcement!
posted Jun 6th 2009 2:24PM
That is good to hear about the UMC-1, especially for the people who have been waiting forever for it. Though I guess waiting isn't that bad if they work out all the bugs, instead of the common trend of most manufactures to release buggy products. I am hoping this means we will get more information about the XMC-1.
I am also glad to see that they are working on a MPS-2 replacement as it was an amp I was looking at. The MPS-2 was a beast with 7x200 and at 71 lbs and some assembly required (unit was shipped in two boxes and you had to inset the amp modules into the amp). Can't wait to find out the full specs for the XPR-7
Finally! I've been waiting for this to ship for ages. I'm disappointed that there won't be any balanced (XLR) and headphone output though. Maybe I'll have to consider the XMC but I suspect that take forever too! My MPS-1 needs a preamp companion...
I recently purchased an amp from Emotiva, the XPA-5 @ 250wpc x5 all channels driven and it is a beast! everything sounds so much better and alive. I can't wait to replace my current receiver with the UMC-1, I am hoping to have one by the end of the month if possible! I will, at the same time purchase another amp, the UPA-2 so I can pick up my 2 channel surround back speakers 7.1 and I am rolling! Excellent job so far, I'm an Emo man and proud of it!
So at the moment my home theatre consists of 7.1 speakers and a pioneer receiver that supports up to ...700 watts I think continuously? I would need or want to buy an amplifier like this if....
I needed more than 700 watts of power between by 7 speakers? I'm currently using a mid-range speaker system called a A1B Loudspeaker A1? I think its something like that. Canadian brand manufactured in Toronto. About $180/pair x3 that handles center, front left/right, rear left/right. Side left/right and cheaper speakers(but rarely used in most 5.1 audio streams(obviously). So nothing out of this world. $300 subwoofer by same company. Nothing out of this world but sounds fair.
Would this pre-amplifier in any way benefit my hometheatre system? Will I ever likely need to buy an amp being in the low to mid-range of the hd-circuit?
Do not get hung up on watts, there is more to it then just a high number. Like things such a Total Harmonic Distortion (THD), sensitivity, how they actually rate their amps (there is no standard to rate watts and there are a few ways to do it, some are more extensive and accurate than others). You also have to factor that you need to double the watts just to gain 3db, the minimum amount that the human ear can distinguish between, which is exponential and quickly becomes impossible and/or expensive.
To make even more complicated, the speaker plays a role in what you get out of the amp. If the speaker is efficient, then it will be a lot easier to drive and you shouldn't need a lot of power. There are also speakers that require an amp to be stable at 4 ohms, which a lot of low end to even mid end receiver amps can't do well or at all, but that is a different problem.
I don't know which Pioneer you have, but it is with in the past 5 years and not an entry level receiver, then it probably is fine for your needs. Pioneer has made good receivers with good amps in them for a while now and should be more than capable of driving most speakers. Also, if you think it sounds good and you don't notice any clipping (clipping is where you amp cannot deliver enough power, this most likely will only happen when you have the volume way up, to the speaker and will result in the speaker will make a thud like sound), you are probably fine. I would say that most people that have a receiver from the major brands (Denon, H/K, Onkyo, marantz, Pioneer or Yamaha) will be find with the amp in the receiver powering the speakers.
Would you benefit from getting an amp? Hard to say, but there is a good chance that you would. I am from the school of thought that all amps, similarly spec'd, sound the same. There is much debate about that school of thought, but everything I have heard and read makes me believe this. Especially since there has been a guy for the past 20+ years who is involved with the audio industry, that has been running a blind test to prove this. He has tested thousands of people, even offering up a large sum of money to back up his claim, but no one has been able to accurately tell the amps apart. Where you most likely would benefit from getting a dedicated amp, is that you would be able to go louder with out clipping. You may also be pushing cleaner power to the speakers, so it may sound better.
As far as a pre/pro benefiting your home theater, it depends on what you need out of your home theater. A pre/pro just handles the sound processing and the audio and video switching, the same thing a receiver does, just with out the amp. It allows you to mix and match, to get an amp that you feel will better suite your needs. It is also said to benefit the amp since the amp will have its own dedicated power supply and also since you have less components crammed in a small space, there is less chance or interference. Also, a pre/pro like the UMC-1 gives you a little more upgradability then a receiver as a lot of companies that make pre/pros will upgrade the firmware to update features. Obviously there are some limits due to hardware (like an older pre/pro with out HDMI obviously cannot add that feature), but some pre/pros actually do allow for hardware upgrades as well.
The UMC-1 has changed the pre/pro game since it is about half the price of other pre/pros and in fact, until recently we haven't seen pre/pros at double the cost of the UMC-1, they have been reserved for the rich or addicts. A lot of people actually use a receiver with pre-outs as a pre/pro, which if it is something you have and your receiver meets your needs, is a totally viable solution.
One thing you should consider if you are looking to upgrade your home theater, you are going to gain the most out of upgrading your speakers since they are probably the most important part of reproducing sound. General rule of thumb is for speakers to be about 70% to 80% of the total cost of your audio portion of your system.
Very good info Zargon, Thanks for the write-up.
I would really like to hear more details on this briefly mentioned soon to be released XSP preamp. I am assuming this is to be the best 2 channel pre-amp they have developed so far? Anybody have any information on this model?