|
|
Post by Youthman on Nov 3, 2011 19:50:07 GMT -5
xki, I would totally be open to that.  You could sleep in the HT when you visit. LOL This is obviously a very painful experience for you. I suggest you return the UMC-1 and go back to whatever you were using before. That sounds like a pretty condescending statement. Who said I was in pain? Last time I checked, one of the purpose for forums is to acquire knowledge that you do not possess. I would not be here if I wasn't willing to learn how to properly setup the UMC-1. I'm not mad, I'm not even disappointed. I'm just uncertain of what settings to change. I don't expect a Pre/Pro to function like an AVR. Emotiva has sold more than 5000 UMC-1's and the vast majority are very happy including me. Right out of the box it sounded fabulous. I don't use Emo-Q, Audessy or any of those room correction things. I use my ears and what I think sounds good. If your that disappointed then something is really with your UMC-1 or your ears or your room. I would take a guess to say that if you were sitting in my HT, you would agree that a totally flat EQ, or no EQ sounds pretty blah. I have never claimed to be an audiophile nor do I have what I consider critical ears. Maybe the UMC-1 isn't for me, at this point I don't know but I'm not giving up on it. I want to give it the benefit of the doubt and say that it's the user, not the machine. Life's too short to be unhappy :-) Again, you are making an incorrect assumption. I'm truly blessed well beyond what I deserve and I can assure you that my happiness does not come from material possessions that I own. Cheers. |
|
|
|
Post by carbonsummit on Nov 3, 2011 19:53:15 GMT -5
I guess knowing what I know now from my experence with the UMC-1 if music was my focus I'd purchase a UPS-1 for music and a different pre/pro for HT.
The UMC-1 in my experence wasn't as good for HT as my outdated Onkyo 886 is, not even close. I don't hear many people rave about the HT experence with the UMC-1 like they do the music, and that said I'll chime in right with the music crowd, it sounded great! Much more musical than my Onkyo is, without question. But I bought it to be a HT pre/pro, if I wanted music I'd have purchased the UPS-1 instead.
I've said it in PMs and I'll say it in open forum: In my opinion if music is your thing and HT is a secound thought the UMC-1 is a great choice. If your main focus is HT I just think there are better options out there. I say that with cost not considered into my opinion. Yes the UMC-1 is a bargin but if in the end spending more will get you the results you'll truely be happy with I'm not sure saving a few bucks is worth it. It wasn't for me.
But that said I'm not hating on Emotiva, in fact I have my discount card from my first UMC-1, hoping for something better to come in the future. I sold my second UMC-1 with the discount card included for way too cheap and hope it brings the new owner years of happiness!
|
|
|
|
Post by carbonsummit on Nov 3, 2011 19:58:13 GMT -5
I guess knowing what I know now from my experence with the UMC-1 if music was my focus I'd purchase a UPS-1 for music and a different pre/pro for HT. I guess I meant was if I was closer to a 50/50 split between music and HT, I'd want something that did both well. I have not heard of a pre/pro being really good at both yet. |
|
|
|
Post by Porscheguy on Nov 3, 2011 20:00:07 GMT -5
xki, I would totally be open to that. You could sleep in the HT when you visit. LOL This is obviously a very painful experience for you. I suggest you return the UMC-1 and go back to whatever you were using before. That sounds like a pretty condescending statement. Who said I was in pain? Last time I checked, one of the purpose for forums is to acquire knowledge that you do not possess. I would not be here if I wasn't willing to learn how to properly setup the UMC-1. I'm not mad, I'm not even disappointed. I'm just uncertain of what settings to change. I don't expect a Pre/Pro to function like an AVR. I would take a guess to say that if you were sitting in my HT, you would agree that a totally flat EQ, or no EQ sounds pretty blah. I have never claimed to be an audiophile nor do I have what I consider critical ears. Maybe the UMC-1 isn't for me, at this point I don't know but I'm not giving up on it. I want to give it the benefit of the doubt and say that it's the user, not the machine. Life's too short to be unhappy :-) Again, you are making an incorrect assumption. I'm truly blessed well beyond what I deserve and I can assure you that my happiness does not come from material possessions that I own. Cheers. Well I was just kidding with you.... It's a shame you can't get it dialed in easily. Nothing worse than when you hate how something sounds :-) |
|
|
|
Post by billmac on Nov 3, 2011 20:36:26 GMT -5
Emotiva has sold more than 5000 UMC-1's I'd be curious to know where you got that statistic from I would be curious as to how that number was attained as well. As far as I know Emotiva has never come out and publicly stated how many UMC-1s have been sold. Bill |
|
NorthStar
Seeker Of Truth
"And it stoned me to my soul" - Van Morrison
Posts: 0
|
Post by NorthStar on Nov 3, 2011 20:37:08 GMT -5
Youthman, as I said before I am not the best person here to help you out with a machine that I only know from reading about it.
But like I also said, some people here had success with it in their HT rooms.
But I might add that some of them added other external DSP units to help with that, in particular in the bass department.
Also, adding a second subwoofer is a great improvement.
________________________________
***** I'm sure I'm not the only one here, but just like you I search for that dose of amphetamine, that ephemeral subsistence, for life simplicity and unexploded ordnance, and believe in myself first and foremost...
I know someone here can help you out much better than I on this specific matter (I never tried the UMC-1 in my own system), and that all my beliefs and juxtapositions won't matter much in the final outcome.
Everything is possible if you stitch at all the right places; just different paths to get there...
You already chose yours (UMC-1); now you just need some correlations into a corrected sound in your own environment. Totally understandable.
I just wish I had one (UMC-1), so I can explore for myself all the sound/vision intricacies of that unit with the rest of my own gear.
But me too I already made a choice, and it just wasn't meant to be.
But my choice is not better or worse than anyone else; it's just my choice.
But my choice is also to help others, and all others if I can.
...With judicious reasons, and balanced equations.
Youthman, talk to Nemesis.ie, DYohn, LCSeminole, Roadrunner, jamrock, geebo, Pauly, Porscheguy, ... and all the other happy members and UMC-1 owners here, and ask them how to obtain the very best sound in your Home Theater Room from the UMC-1, as a Multichannel Surround Sound Processor, for Movies, and NOT as a straight 2-channel Stereo Music listening component.
Because these UMC-1 owners are the ones who indeed are familiar with the qualitative attributes of that Surround Sound pre/pro in a dedicated (perhaps not) Home Theater environment.
Make a very clear distinction here, and don't let anyone mix the cards.
And find out (by reading several threads on the UMC-1 right here) for yourself regarding EmoQ and the Bass Management, plus the interaction & compatibility issues between that unit and other components of your own system, like Cable Box or/and Satellite Box TVs, to see if the UMC-1 is indeed for you, and according to your own system's coordinates and life priorities, as well your 'minor discomfort' acceptance level from all the parameters.
...And make that final Balance yourself at the end, just like everyone else here did.
|
|
NorthStar
Seeker Of Truth
"And it stoned me to my soul" - Van Morrison
Posts: 0
|
Post by NorthStar on Nov 3, 2011 20:49:44 GMT -5
Well I was just kidding with you.... It's a shame you can't get it dialed in easily. Nothing worse than when you hate how something sounds :-) Perhaps you can give him some good tips, Ed? |
|
|
|
Post by dad311 on Nov 3, 2011 21:03:38 GMT -5
Youthman, have you tried the bass/treble settings. My RF-63s were kind of flat until I increased the bass by 1-2db.
|
|
tubby
Emo VIPs 
Route 2 in Weekapaug!!!
Posts: 408
|
Post by tubby on Nov 4, 2011 10:07:28 GMT -5
Interesting comments here. This is the first time I have heard anyone saying that the UMC is less then capable as a processor. Certainly it has some bugs and quirks but that should not be SQ related. Most of the reviews I have read from the forum members have praised both the music and HT SQ. I certainly have no complaints of its HT performance however I have not had the opportunity to compare it to more recent competition so my experiences may be clouding my judgment.
I think there is a bit too much weight given to room EQ software here as well. In my opinion any EQ corrections should be subtle and not night and day. The lack of a robust room correction application should not be a deal breaker in getting great performance from the UMC.
Youthman maybe you can post a listing of your settings. Perhaps there is something we can suggest a change to. Maybe you will notice something yourself as you go through them. The UMC can forget certain settings sometimes, and I know I have played around and forgot to change something back to the correct value and thought something was screwed up.
Let's see speaker and crossover settings, distances, levels, input setup and advanced playback for each input.
|
|
|
|
Post by Topend on Nov 4, 2011 11:23:53 GMT -5
This thread is a bit of a surprise to me with the UMC-1 comparison to the RX-V1800.
I had the RX-V3800 and in my opinion the UMC-1 is a big step up in music SQ and a better HT sound experience.
Although YPAO seems better than EmoQ this has never bothered me one bit. I have added an SMS-1 to EQ the sub which is a nice addition.
Cheers,
Dave.
|
|
|
|
Post by darien87 on Nov 4, 2011 13:32:41 GMT -5
It has been suggested that it is better to cut than it is to boost the EQ. The bad thing is that it sounds better to me in the + vs the -. Again, the only thing I know to do is what I've done a LONG time ago and that's to create a smiley face type curve on the EQ with all of the sliders in the positive. I know this isn't the proper way which is why I'm seeking advice here in the forums. You REALLY need to get some type of test tone disc like the one by Rives. That way you can plot out a graph of your frequency response and then adjust accordingly. Just trying to "make a smiley face" or moving knobs around until it sounds good to you isn't going to cut it. I thought loud, boomy bass sounded good when I was in high school, that doesn't mean it was right. So after you plot your curve, (which will likely look like the EKG reading of a hamster having a heart attack), then start off by decreasing the level of the frequencies that are giving you the crazy peaks. With the peaks flattened out the other frequencies will begin to naturally come in line by themselves. At least that's how it worked out for me. Basically what you are trying to do is tame the peaks, not accentuate the troughs. Does that make sense? |
|
|
|
Post by Porscheguy on Nov 4, 2011 14:13:48 GMT -5
Well I was just kidding with you.... It's a shame you can't get it dialed in easily. Nothing worse than when you hate how something sounds :-) Perhaps you can give him some good tips, Ed? Not sure what to tell him. I messed with the EmoQ but it didn't sonically really change the sound after it did its thing. I just run mine more or less flat with a little level boost for the center channel and it sounds great. |
|
|
|
Post by Porscheguy on Nov 4, 2011 14:14:42 GMT -5
I'd be curious to know where you got that statistic from I would be curious as to how that number was attained as well. As far as I know Emotiva has never come out and publicly stated how many UMC-1s have been sold. Bill Yes, you're right. Not publicly.. |
|
|
|
Post by billmac on Nov 4, 2011 17:14:11 GMT -5
Yes, you're right. Not publicly.. Sooooo...... how do you arrive at 5000 UMC-1s sold ? Bill |
|
NorthStar
Seeker Of Truth
"And it stoned me to my soul" - Van Morrison
Posts: 0
|
Post by NorthStar on Nov 4, 2011 17:51:41 GMT -5
Must be just a simple guess, perhaps. |
|
jamrock
Emo VIPs
Courtesy Costs Nothing. Give Generously!
Posts: 4,750
|
Post by jamrock on Nov 4, 2011 18:02:01 GMT -5
It would be great if I was the exclusive owner of the UMC-1. That would make me feel very special. But that would not do any good for Emotiva unless I paid $10,000,000.00 for it. Other than plain curiosity, is there a valid audio/video reason for knowing how many unit have been sold? I would only trust a sale figure if it came from an independent consumer organization. ;D
|
|
|
|
Post by thepcguy on Nov 4, 2011 20:03:51 GMT -5
Must be just a simple guess, perhaps. Bob, simple:  or  but not  |
|
choirbass
Sensei
Sierra-2 DC-1 UMC-1 UPA-7
Posts: 124
|
Post by choirbass on Nov 4, 2011 20:28:02 GMT -5
Hm. Addressing the adjusting of acoustical happiness I would think would come down to liking the speakers more than anything. But that's really just a general statement. When I used EmoQ the first time, it made a huge boosting to higher frequencies. Knowing I wasn't going to like any kind of dramatic change like that, I just put everything as flat, only letting the distances and db levels be altered, and I adjusted them accordingly, since their placement is ok. As it is, I really like how neutral the speakers are (they speak for themselves, reviews and all), and making any real changes to that, won't help them any. Having boosted higher frequencies before does add a 'sparkle' to them. and it sounds good and all at first, but I can't say I want to be 'tricked' that much beyond what the source itself offers, and consequently more fatigued. i just prefer calm, airy, and other natural qualities.. over sensationalism.
After the sources as such, it's really adding treatments of sorts to the surround areas, the characteristics of a room make a huge difference in how things sound as a whole, regardless of what else you change. Not too much reverb, reflections, liveliness etc.. and not plain dead either.. cuz that's no good. That will make more worthwhile difference than any EQ or DSP will.
|
|
|
|
Post by Youthman on Nov 4, 2011 21:23:03 GMT -5
Definitely some great advice from all of you. I thought I would give another update. Tonight, my son and I rented Fast Five. The front two speakers sounded amazing. Very crisp, clear and articulate (as Klipsch are known for). LFE was intense, gunshots were powerful. Dialogue in my center needs a little tweaking but it's almost there. Surrounds were enveloping, yet not distracting. I can definitely say that the UMC-1 sounds very good for HT but as many of you have mentioned, we can continue to tweak it to achieve even better results. My next step in the HT is to add acoustic panels. I already know that I have a pretty severe slap echo that I must tame. My plan is to add 2' x 4' panels at the first reflection point and probably one or two along the back wall (but that's for another thread). Tubby, I don't believe I said the UMC-1 is incapable of being a great HT processor, I have not been able to adjust the settings as such to make it that. As I mentioned, I believe this is the user, not the product. I'm working on it though. Topend, I agree, the UMC-1 is a much better performer for music than my previous Yamaha RX-V1800. I was never really satisfied with the Yammie for 2ch listening thus the reason for selling it and seeking something that would work well for both HT and 2ch. Dad, I have not adjusted any "bass" or "treble" settings, only the EmoQ settings. I'll have to try a preset set to flat and then adjust the bass/treble a bit to see if I achieve better results. Tubby, I can post my settings later this weekend. I want to try a few changes first. If you saw my current settings, you would probably die. LOL Darien, is this the disk you are referring to? www.rivesaudio.com/software/TestCD.htmlChoirbass, I do not believe the speakers are the issue. I have been more than pleased with my Klipsch setup. When I ran EmoQ, it did not boost the high frequencies like in Lonnie's EmoQ video suggested. My guess is because of the horns in the Klipsch. Lots to learn still, but as with everything, you have to start somewhere. Good thing is I learn something new everyday (and I'm ok with that). |
|
NorthStar
Seeker Of Truth
"And it stoned me to my soul" - Van Morrison
Posts: 0
|
Post by NorthStar on Nov 4, 2011 22:45:33 GMT -5
Must be just a simple guess, perhaps. Bob, simple: or but not ...And certainly nut. ;D Attachments:
|
|
This is obviously a very painful experience for you. I suggest you return the UMC-1 and go back to whatever you were using before. 
You could sleep in the HT when you visit. 
