New family member

[flyhigh]

Hello everyone....Since I just pulled the trigger on a USP-1 for my second system, you can all rest assured that the XSP-1 will be released any day now. It always works that way for me.

I'm hoping the USP-1 does a good job. I really wanted it to allow me to run my SB Touch at/near 100% so as to avoid the use of it's digital volume control (a rather good implementation AFAIC, but....), and...the bass management feature of the USP-1 was simply too hard to ignore.
That feature will let me use my Velodyne/Audioengine set up the way I want it.

All the pondering, comparing, etc that I did.....I never ONCE considered "levels". I want to keep the Touch as close to 100% as possible, and keep the Audioengine input level pot at a point where it tracks (channel balance) best....usually somewhere around 11-1 O'clock. Hoping the the line section of the USP-1 doesn't have a gob of gain....leaving me with 2degrees of volume control travel.

Surely someone here has some experience using the USP with powered/active speakers, and could share their experiences.

Thanks for having me here, and I look forward to enjoying the new toy when it arrives.

[geebo]

Congrats on the purchase. Enjoy it!
And welcome to the lounge!

[Deleted]

As I understand it, they use a stepped ladder analog type volume control on a chip so that no resolution is lost. At least thats what my faulty memory remembers reading online.

[flyhigh]

Would any one wager a guess as to about where in the volume rotation that unity gain is reached? Assuming a CD level line input?

There's a lot of chatter on the net regarding the USP-1...most of it subjective. The one technical review of the USP made no mention of the gain levels. Just curious....

[roadrunner]

In all the time the USP-1 has been released I have never seen a single owner complain about the Subwoofer volume range. I received one of the very first USP-1 to ship and it gives me plenty of volume range to play with. I have a 12" Infinity 3 PEQ adjustments. I have never given it a thought as to where unity gain is with regard to the USP-1. It was easy to setup and dial it in to blend with the fronts. I haven't touched the volume control in nearly two years now. I would be very surprised if you found this to be an issue.

My brother also has the USP-1 that he has used with several different subs without incident. We have both been extremely pleased with the USP-1; and I have recommended it to dozens of people on the Emotiva Lounge who PMed me for advice. This little jewel is one of the "biggest" bargains I have found in many years. I hope you enjoy yours as much as I do mine. Welcome to the Lounge.

[flyhigh]

Thanks for the reply RR. As luck would have it, the FedEx man dropped off a box with a USP-1 in it today! ;D Who knew?

I won't get to audition the unit for a few days yet, but in giving it a once over it seems to be a nice piece of kit. Hefty bugger it is, and if you bought it on a price-per-pound basis, you still got a good deal.

Read quite a few comments regarding the bright blue halo lighting around the volume control, and honestly? I don't find it so bad. In a direct A/B comparison to the blue halo on my Direct TV receiver...the Emo light isn't one iota brighter, and...no one in this house has gone into seizures from the DTV box...so I'd let that one ride. It's fine. If at some point I find myself being "drawn into" the light...I'll report back.

The USP comes very nicely packaged. That's a remarkably stout box,and considerably more solidly constructed than is the housing in many third-world countries.

I also got some X-interconnect. I guess I didn't realize that the cables were sold SINGLY. Oh well...I guess that's what the Mono button is for on the USP. A few keystrokes later, and I got another cable ordered so perhaps if the mood strikes....I can listen to BOTH channels.

At least outwardly, I'm pleased with what I got. For the heck of it, I have the new USP plugged in, and simmering away quietly. Really looking forward to listening in a few days! I'm confident that the USP-1 will do a fine job.

Stay tuned....

[flyhigh]

The other interconnect (Emo-X) showed up bright and early today, so now that part is taken care of.

I do appreciate fast shipping! It would be good however if the website made clear that these cables are sold SINGLY (ie: not in pairs). For no other reason that it could prevent "surprises". In my case, I am home for a very short period of time (when I collect my toys, kiss the cat, and kick the wife), and then I'm off to my work location....and it can be difficult to have things sent there reliably, or economically.

Very nice looking cables. Snug fit on the USP outputs...no issue there.

Itching to slap these things on my capacitance meter...if I could find where I have the meter hidden. If anyone knows the capacitance of the Emo-X interconnect, it'd save me from having to tear the house apart looking for the meter. No particular reason for this other than simply knowing. Generally, I like to see a low capacitance measurement.

Few more days, and I can try the whole works out. Looking forward!

[monkumonku]

Mar 17, 2011 10:08:34 GMT -5 flyhigh said:

The other interconnect (Emo-X) showed up bright and early today, so now that part is taken care of.

I do appreciate fast shipping! It would be good however if the website made clear that these cables are sold SINGLY (ie: not in pairs). For no other reason that it could prevent "surprises". In my case, I am home for a very short period of time (when I collect my toys, kiss the cat, and kick the wife), and then I'm off to my work location....and it can be difficult to have things sent there reliably, or economically.

Very nice looking cables. Snug fit on the USP outputs...no issue there.

Itching to slap these things on my capacitance meter...if I could find where I have the meter hidden. If anyone knows the capacitance of the Emo-X interconnect, it'd save me from having to tear the house apart looking for the meter. No particular reason for this other than simply knowing. Generally, I like to see a low capacitance measurement.

Few more days, and I can try the whole works out. Looking forward!

Well in fairness to Emo, it does say on the product page that the cables prices are "per cable" and the picture shows only one cable. Actually all of them say "per cable" but then the Ultra RCA cables have a picture showing two cables, whereas all the other ones show single cables so I guess it could be confusing but you have to go by what the picture shows.

[flyhigh]

Probably my bad...it's no big deal, and all is well that ends well.

Sure is a nice looking cable tho'

[flyhigh]

OK...I made it back to my work residence (yuk), and trust me...the first thing I did was get my new USP-1 hooked up!

Yes..I have to travel with my toys, and maybe it was that big "FRAGILE" sticker that Un-Continental Airlines slapped on the box, but as checked baggage, my USP arrived at it's destination unmolested by bag handlers, or TSA personnel.

Sweet! 1am, and I'm hooking things up.

(It's getting to the point where I travel with more equipment than a rock band)

The basic set up is my Logitech Touch into the CD input via Emotiva-X interconnect. HP output via Mogami microphone cable to my powered speakers (AE5's) with the freq at approx 70hz. 70hz is a known good HP point for my AE's.

LP is output via the Full Range outputs, and managed by my Velodyne sub. Nice visual display on the sub just makes it easier to know where you're setting things.

Without any real fine tuning...things sound good with the few recordings I've been able to play at this late hour, with a very tired head.

Later, I'll fire up REW (Room EQ Wizard) and get serious about tweaking the X-O point, and levels.

Off the cuff however, I'd say the USP-1 is a keeper. Not hearing any negative effects with it in-circuit.

My concerns about levels posted earlier were unfounded. With my Touch at 100%, the USP delivers a comfortable volume at about 9:30-10:00 on the volume knob. No issues whatsoever.

I'd say that right now I'm pretty happy. NOT so happy that the USP-1 went on SALE only a few days after I bought the blasted thing.

After I get things dialed in the way I like them, I'll try and post a mini-review in the User Reviews section.

[NorthStar]

Hi flyhigh; just keep flying high! ;D

Welcome to the Lounge bro!

Bob

[flyhigh]

Thanks LOTREE...Happy to be here!

[Deleted]

Flyhigh, those things happen to me too. Glad to see you here!

[roadrunner]

flyhigh

You will be happy to learn that Emotiva will refund the price difference when a product you purchase goes on sale within 14 days of the date you made your purchase. This should happen automatically, but if it doesn't just e-mail or phone Emotiva and they will take care of it.

You are going to love the USP-1. All of your audio listening is going to be experienced on a higher plateau of pleasure. When I added the ERC-1 CD Player to my system, CD music sound quality improved dramatically. When I later added the USP-1 to the signal path my jaw hit the floor in amazement. I literally rediscovered my love for music after combining the ERC-1 and the USP-1. This combo delivered pure "analog bliss".

[flyhigh]

Super to hear the deal about the price difference.

I've spent ALL day listening to stuff. I like this.

I live about 150yds from the Atlantic, so there is a higher than normal ambient noise level here. Like "pink-noise" 24/7. As a result, the subtlest of differences might go un-noticed. I'm focusing on the big picture, and the USP-1 makes a positive difference.

Maybe running my Touch at 100% on it's digital volume plays a small role, but the Bass Management of the Emo is the deal maker. Small speakers such as mine benefit SO much from that. No matter how much you like them "as-is"...they're that much better when they're not trying to reproduce frequencies they simply aren't capable of. Letting the sub do the heavy lifting makes so much more sense.

Cleaner, more dynamic...more fun to listen to.

If I had to pass judgement right this moment? I'd say that the USP-1 was a good purchase. If someone were sitting on the fence wondering if the USP-1 was worth it? I'd say yes. Buy now.

[flyhigh]

I was going to post a mini "user review" at some point, but a very nice, and altogether more comprehensive review of the USP-1 appeared on Audiogon recently.

A "third party" review probably has more street cred anyway.

I've spent every hour I could free up listening to my system with the USP-1 in it, and simply can't come up with a "weakness" in the unit.

I'm sure somebody will. " The pace of the music seemed a bit off compared to our reference...."

How the hell do you measure pace?

In my system, Mark Knopfler came through beautifully, and his "pacing" was impeccable.

Favorite recordings that I've listened to for 20-30 yrs on a variety of systems come through like familiar old friends. The stereo separation...the depth of the recording...the tonality all sound as they should to me. Nothing seems compromised, or "OK for the price" to me.

I expected compromises. "OK" would have been good enough given my listening environment.

The USP-1 doesn't seem compromised at all. The sonic flavor of a recording comes through intact. I would have expected such from a much more expensive unit, but hearing the USP-1 consistently leave the music unmolested is NOT what I anticipated.

A pleasant surprise. I like those.

The Audiogon reviewer made it clear. The Emo preamp is NOT a $4K pre-amp, and if you want one of those...by all means go and buy one. I've owned those too. They're great but!!...I can assure you that you will not have the out-of-body experience some magazine reviews would lead you to expect. The post-purchase "come to grips with reality" is a tough pill to swallow with that super expensive gear as well.

The Emotiva preamp plays far above it's league in my estimation, and will leave you with happy ears, and sitting on a much thicker wallet than you might have otherwise. Buy some music with the savings, and you'll still have plenty of money left over.

Definitely a value/performance leader that will upset the apple cart for a lot of folks.

Solid purchase!!!

[iceman66]

Mar 24, 2011 23:32:01 GMT -5 flyhigh said:

I was going to post a mini "user review" at some point, but a very nice, and altogether more comprehensive review of the USP-1 appeared on Audiogon recently.

A "third party" review probably has more street cred anyway.

I've spent every hour I could free up listening to my system with the USP-1 in it, and simply can't come up with a "weakness" in the unit.

I'm sure somebody will. " The pace of the music seemed a bit off compared to our reference...."

How the hell do you measure pace?

In my system, Mark Knopfler came through beautifully, and his "pacing" was impeccable.

Favorite recordings that I've listened to for 20-30 yrs on a variety of systems come through like familiar old friends. The stereo separation...the depth of the recording...the tonality all sound as they should to me. Nothing seems compromised, or "OK for the price" to me.

I expected compromises. "OK" would have been good enough given my listening environment.

The USP-1 doesn't seem compromised at all. The sonic flavor of a recording comes through intact. I would have expected such from a much more expensive unit, but hearing the USP-1 consistently leave the music unmolested is NOT what I anticipated.

A pleasant surprise. I like those.

The Audiogon reviewer made it clear. The Emo preamp is NOT a $4K pre-amp, and if you want one of those...by all means go and buy one. I've owned those too. They're great but!!...I can assure you that you will not have the out-of-body experience some magazine reviews would lead you to expect. The post-purchase "come to grips with reality" is a tough pill to swallow with that super expensive gear as well.

The Emotiva preamp plays far above it's league in my estimation, and will leave you with happy ears, and sitting on a much thicker wallet than you might have otherwise. Buy some music with the savings, and you'll still have plenty of money left over.

Definitely a value/performance leader that will upset the apple cart for a lot of folks.

Solid purchase!!!

Could not agree more with you, I have had mine for about 18 months, run it everyday and love it, every time I see a deal on a more expensive pre and feel tempted to 'upgrade', I spend a few minutes with the USP-1 and I know there is no need...at this time anyway