Description
This is a super nice unit. NOTE: Volume knob has a click when turning but does not affect the sound, quality or performance in anyway. ConnectivityOn the back youve got 5 HDMI inputs, 3 component video inputs and three composite/S-video inputs. Thats enough to handle up to 11 video sources, not counting your integrated tuner and of course any dedicated audio-only sources like CD or Aux. For connectivity to an amplifier, the UMC-1 has unbalanced 7.1 analogue outputs and even a balanced subwoofer output. The other thing that makes this somewhat of an audiophile system is the fact that it doesnt have any provision for serial or network control. Its not really suited or designed for whole home integration systems. As far as inside the box.. theres a lot. For video processing, you have a Genesis Torino chip with Faroudja DCDi. The on-screen display is full color and will overlay overtop of video via HDMI. Theres even automatic setup and room EQ via Emo-Q and an included microphone. Bass management is pretty sophisticated, and you can set different crossover points and slopes for each speaker group (the main channels, center, surrounds). In terms of audio, the system is equally flexible and we liked how you could customize how it treated each signal type. REVIEWThis review, while short, has been a long time in the making due to the fact that the software for the unit has been pretty ordinary for the entire time Ive owned it. However, like many others, I have persisted, and IMO it is now good enough to make a thorough evaluation of the performance of the unit as a whole. I wont go into microscopic detail about test methodology (I played some music and really liked it) or output - everyone has different expectations and preferences - but will mention overall impressions and conclusions.FYI, my setup is as follows:Power amp: Elektra T7Speakers: Focal Chorus 800V series fronts and centre, 2 pairs of Emotiva ERD-1 surrounds (switchable bipole/dipole), HSU Research STF2 sub.Sources:PS3 (HDMI)Toshiba HD-XE1 (HDMI). Yes, Im still using it!Xbox360 (Component)Beyonwiz DP-P2 PVR (HDMI, plus digital coax for audio)Sherwood Newcastle CD player (both digital and analogue connections)Pro-ject Debut turntable, MF XLPS phono stage.TV: Pioneer 508XDA. Also a crappy projector (not used here).1. OverviewEmotiva UMC-1 AV Pre-pro. Currently selling new for USD499, but not available to ship until February 2012. The list of features is, for that price, worth emphasising:Decodes all audio formats that I know of up to 7.1Upscales to 1080p via HDMIApplies EQ and post-processing (eg. Dolby PLIIx) to high-definition audio codecs.Crossover and 11-band EQ can be set individually for each speakerImplements Dolby VolumeFilter slopes can be set to 12db or 24dB per octave for each group of speakers (sub, fronts, centre etc)3 discrete trigger outputs that can be assigned to each input.Zone 2 outputs and settings.Inputs and outputs are substantial - see the website for full details.2. Dealing with EmotivaEmo sell only via the internet. Youll be ordering via email, probably paying by paypal and paying a fair bit for shipping. However, their service in this regard is excellent, and the freight cost is as cheap as youll get anywhere due to their high volumes. Theyll send you a quote, including freight, on request.3. Shipping and Packaging.Ive ordered a number of items from Emo, and it has never taken longer than a week to arrive. The UMC-1 is packaged in a double box, with lots of foam inserts. The box includes a large metal remote, a calibration microphone, spare fuses, radio antennae, and a good quality US IEC power cable.The double box is very good - I used it to ship an Elektra T7 back and forth to Melbourne, and the box is still in good condition.4. Speaker SetupThe software includes a calibration system called EMO-Q. This uses the included microphone to automatically create the following settings for each speaker:distance from microphonerelative phasebass crossovertrim11-band EQIn my setup, this now works very well. Distances were spot on, crossovers were very close to the stated nominal ranges for the speakers, and the trim seems about right given the varying distances and sensitivities. In previous software versions, values would be set to just about anything - Emo-Q could be run twice in a row and give wildly different results.Having said that, Emo-Q is acknowledged as being only a starting point for calibration. Personal preferences obviously come into play here. For example, in my system the EQ was pulled down around 8dB above 2K. I changed this to around -4dB, and much preferred the result. What was measured as exaggerated top end, I see as the character of the inverted metal dome tweeters - take that out, and the sound is far too clinical for my tastes.Once complete, settings can be modified if desired and saved. The EQ can be saved separately into one of three separate EQ sets. These sets can then be applied to any input.5. Input setupUp to 12 sources, plus the inbuilt AM/FM tuner, can be defined. Ill leave the tuner out of further comments- it works but it isnt brilliant - except to note that its the only input source that cant be turned off or renamed.For each of the other 12, there are buckets of parameters to set and play around with. Ill list them here rather than go into unnecessary detail.Name - this can be changed for each input (except tuner).Visible Y/N - setting this to N removes it from the list when scrolling through inputs.Video Source -anything from None through any of the composite, svideo, component or HDMI inputs.Audio Source - any HDMI, Optical, Coax or analogue input. If HDMI is chosen it must be the same input as video, however its possible to have HDMI video and, say, coax audio.Input level - can be modified up to 10db in either directionLip syncTrigger - up to three can be selected for each source.EQ Mode - can be set to off, or to any of the three EQ sets (see above).In addition to the above, the audio processing default mode can be set for each possible input source/source format combination. Thus, each input can have a definition for each of:Analogue2-channel PCMMulti-channel PCMDolby DigitalDolby Digital 2.0Dolby Digital EXDTS 2.0DTSDTSESDolby Digital PlusDD TrueHDDTS HD MasterOf course, not all will be appropriate for any source, and not all output modes are relevant to all sources. Possible modes include:Dolby DigitalDolby Digital EXDolby PLIIxDolby PLIIDTSDTSESDTS HDDTS Neo 6StereoDirect (bypasses all EQ and bass management)All-channel Stereo.This last one is misnamed - it exists only to apply EQ and bass management to multi-channel PCM sources.ReviewIll make this short and sweet. Previous versions of the software exhibited many problems for many people, including:Randomly dropped audio (single channels or everything)An unusual bass management structure whereby EQ and distance settings were applied prior to the crossoverStatic clicks pops and the odd explosionFlaky EMO-QSlow audio pickup on source changes (eg. a 2-3 second delay changing TV channels)Dolby Volume functioning strangelyplus a number of other annoyances.With the latest firmware and DSP update, these issues have all either disappeared completely or have been much improved. In fact, the only issue I still face is that audio stream changes from the Beyonwiz take longer to start via HDMI than I would like, thus I use a digital coax connection for this source only. Probably simplest to state my views as pros and cons:Pros:PriceAudio performance is very good. Its surprisingly good operating as an analogue preamp as well, which is a bonus in a multichannel processor.Vast array of parameters and settings means you can tweak to your hearts content.Cons:If anything goes wrong youre a long way from the source! They are very willing to help though (I lost my first one in a storm, so this comes from experience).Tuner is cheap and crappyNo phono stageRemote is horrible - its too big, heavy and clunky, the buttons are too loud and there is no backlight.Software upgrade process is prehistoric. Worse, its decidedly hit-and-miss in terms of accurate flashing to the unit.Too many annoying fanboys and Pollyannas on their forum.Summary:Until now, the UMC-1 has only had potential. Now I think it has realised it to a great extent.Frankly, this level of functionality and performance at this price is unheard of. There is precisely ONE HT prepro anywhere near this price point, and to have it perform this well and be so flexible is a bit surprising. Add in the 40% upgrade discount certificate (worth at least USD400 on the latest XMC-1 estimates) and it looks even better.Certainly, some things about the unit speak of working to a budget - the tuner is worth approximately 3 cents, and there is no phono stage, and only unbalanced inputs and outputs (except for the sub). But the bugs appear to have been fixed, and the bass management design flaw has been fully addressed.The one thing that stands out above everything else is audio performance. For comparison I previously used a Marantz SR7300 OSE, which I thought had excellent audio for an AVR. And, given its age and competition in the price space, it most certainly did have. The Emotiva absolutely smashes it in mutichannel and especially both analogue and digital 2-channel sources - it is honestly chalk and cheese (and thats using the same poweramp for both). Im not deluding myself that the 2-channel performance is better than even a modest dedicated stereo setup, but even so its surprisingly good for a multichannel processor.Anyone in the market for a processor should seriously consider this - it isnt a toy. Even those looking to upgrade their existing AVR should have a good look at this in combination with a suitable power amp. Naturally, no device is everything to everyone - or even anyone - but in terms of performance for price Im not sure that anything else on the market can match it.
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