Post by rnatalli on Oct 8, 2012 8:52:40 GMT -5
It has been some time since I've purchased Emotiva gear. With the introduction of the new UPA-500 amp and word that most bugs with the UMC-1 were ironed out with the latest firmware (11/2011), I thought I would have a go. Because both the LMC-1 and DMR-1 qualified for upgrade certificates, I was able to apply one to the UMC-1 for a total price of $419 and still have a certificate left for one of the upcoming processors (XMC-1, UMC-200, or UMC-500). I was also able to receive 10% off the UPA-500 as I was within two weeks of a coupon Emotiva sent out offering 10% any non-clearance item. Emotiva sales painlessly refunded the difference of $39.90. Other equipment in the mix include Monitor Audio Silver In-wall Speakers, Epik Legend Subwoofer, Oppo BDP-103, Roku Box, FIOS HD DVR Box, Harmony Remote, and Monoprice cables all around.
Customer Service
As I recall from past experiences, service was excellent from sales to tech support. The first UMC-1 I received was introducing distortion (clicks and beeps) into the right surround when Dolby Volume was engaged. Working with tech support, they made entirely reasonable suggestions to try and correct the distortion. In the end, they determined the unit was likely defective and sent a replacement along with a prepaid FedEx label to ship the defective unit back. This is great as the unit works fine without DV engaged and I was able to keep it until the new unit arrived. The new unit does exhibit the issue to a lesser degree, but tweaking some settings seemed to eliminate it. I suspect it has more to do with something in my chain as the same exact problem on two different units seems unlikely.
Packaging
Both the UMC-1 and UPA-500 were double-boxed and with plenty of foam to survive shipping.
Hookup
Plugging in all the cables was a snap as everything is clearly labeled. Unlike most receivers I've encountered, the back plates were solid and didn't bend when pushing plugs into place.
Setup
I found Emotiva's menu structure quite easy to navigate and was able to get up and running pretty quickly. It also offers a lot of options for tweaking which I found useful. The first order of business was to run EmoQ. EmoQ nailed the levels and speaker distances, but crossovers were a bit off. Not a big deal as I adjusted them manually afterwards and few Room Correction systems get it right. The EQ frequency settings looked reasonable to me for the room and it was nice to see EQ for the Subwoofer with several bands dedicated to it. So many manufacturers leave this important detail out of their EQ systems which disappoints me as you find loads of problems in the low frequencies.
Video
I always run units in pass through to my projector as I find it looks best. I did try engaging the video processor, but felt it didn't offer any real gain in picture quality. However, I use an older 720p Epson projector which may not display some of the finer details like on an newer LED, 1080p set.
Audio
Sound quality was fabulous! Both movies and music sounded wonderful through the UMC-1. I was a bit worried about EmoQ, but it did just as well as Audyssey in my room which is open to the kitchen and dining area. The UPA-500 had plenty of power to drive my speakers and never once sounded strained unlike some receivers in the $600-$800 range. I also forgot how much I like Dolby Volume as it does an excellent job at low listening levels.
Remote
The remote is built like a tank and could be a weapon in the game of Clue. Full steel with some serious weight to it. I use a Harmony remote so have no use for the stock remote, but nice to see something substantial. The only odd thing was Emotiva chose size N batteries for the remote instead of AA or AAA. My Harmony remote had no trouble talking to the UMC-1.
Bugs
I know the UMC-1 had a history of serious bugs and a lot of unhappy folks as a result which represents the main reason for me avoiding it myself or recommending it. However, I didn't encounter any glitches with the UMC-1 hooked up to my FIOS HD DVR box, Oppo BDP-103, and Roku box besides the DV glitch. The UMC-1 does take a little longer than typical to lock into HDMI signals when changing inputs, but we're only talking about seconds.
Limitations
As fabulous as the UMC-1 performed, it does have some limitations:
It will not decode DSD, but does accept MultiPCM. However, it will not apply EmoQ to MultiPCM signals unless you set it to All Channel Stereo. It also does not accept PCM at 176Khz which many players will output instead of DSD.
The DV implementation on the UMC-1 is a universal setting across inputs. I know that's part of the point, but I like how some HK receivers allow you to set it at different levels for different inputs. For example, enable the modeler only on music sources and enable both modeler and leveler on TV. Fortunately, Harmony's database includes the DV button so you can cycle through different modes on the UMC-1 while listening.
The video setting is also a universal setting across inputs so you can't choose to have the UMC-1 do the video processing on one input and your BluRay player on another. Some receivers allow different output settings
The UMC-1 has no networking so you do need an external source if you plan to stream music from online sources like Pandora. I use the Oppo and my Roku box also does it so not a big deal for me.
The FM tuner is pretty weak. I don't listen to over-the-air radio anymore, but some folks still do.
Running Auto EmoQ seems to set an offset somewhere which can't be tweaked which was resulting in distortion when using DV. I found that you should run Auto EmoQ, write down the settings, reset the unit, and apply the settings manually. A bit of a pain, but not terribly difficult.
Conclusion
For $778 total price shipped to my door, I think the UMC-1, UPA-500 combo offers a lot. It does not have all the features of a typical receiver in this price range, but its build quality is excellent, the customer service is excellent, and most importantly, it delivers the goods sonically. I certainly have no reservation in recommending it for folks who can live with its limitations.
Customer Service
As I recall from past experiences, service was excellent from sales to tech support. The first UMC-1 I received was introducing distortion (clicks and beeps) into the right surround when Dolby Volume was engaged. Working with tech support, they made entirely reasonable suggestions to try and correct the distortion. In the end, they determined the unit was likely defective and sent a replacement along with a prepaid FedEx label to ship the defective unit back. This is great as the unit works fine without DV engaged and I was able to keep it until the new unit arrived. The new unit does exhibit the issue to a lesser degree, but tweaking some settings seemed to eliminate it. I suspect it has more to do with something in my chain as the same exact problem on two different units seems unlikely.
Packaging
Both the UMC-1 and UPA-500 were double-boxed and with plenty of foam to survive shipping.
Hookup
Plugging in all the cables was a snap as everything is clearly labeled. Unlike most receivers I've encountered, the back plates were solid and didn't bend when pushing plugs into place.
Setup
I found Emotiva's menu structure quite easy to navigate and was able to get up and running pretty quickly. It also offers a lot of options for tweaking which I found useful. The first order of business was to run EmoQ. EmoQ nailed the levels and speaker distances, but crossovers were a bit off. Not a big deal as I adjusted them manually afterwards and few Room Correction systems get it right. The EQ frequency settings looked reasonable to me for the room and it was nice to see EQ for the Subwoofer with several bands dedicated to it. So many manufacturers leave this important detail out of their EQ systems which disappoints me as you find loads of problems in the low frequencies.
Video
I always run units in pass through to my projector as I find it looks best. I did try engaging the video processor, but felt it didn't offer any real gain in picture quality. However, I use an older 720p Epson projector which may not display some of the finer details like on an newer LED, 1080p set.
Audio
Sound quality was fabulous! Both movies and music sounded wonderful through the UMC-1. I was a bit worried about EmoQ, but it did just as well as Audyssey in my room which is open to the kitchen and dining area. The UPA-500 had plenty of power to drive my speakers and never once sounded strained unlike some receivers in the $600-$800 range. I also forgot how much I like Dolby Volume as it does an excellent job at low listening levels.
Remote
The remote is built like a tank and could be a weapon in the game of Clue. Full steel with some serious weight to it. I use a Harmony remote so have no use for the stock remote, but nice to see something substantial. The only odd thing was Emotiva chose size N batteries for the remote instead of AA or AAA. My Harmony remote had no trouble talking to the UMC-1.
Bugs
I know the UMC-1 had a history of serious bugs and a lot of unhappy folks as a result which represents the main reason for me avoiding it myself or recommending it. However, I didn't encounter any glitches with the UMC-1 hooked up to my FIOS HD DVR box, Oppo BDP-103, and Roku box besides the DV glitch. The UMC-1 does take a little longer than typical to lock into HDMI signals when changing inputs, but we're only talking about seconds.
Limitations
As fabulous as the UMC-1 performed, it does have some limitations:
It will not decode DSD, but does accept MultiPCM. However, it will not apply EmoQ to MultiPCM signals unless you set it to All Channel Stereo. It also does not accept PCM at 176Khz which many players will output instead of DSD.
The DV implementation on the UMC-1 is a universal setting across inputs. I know that's part of the point, but I like how some HK receivers allow you to set it at different levels for different inputs. For example, enable the modeler only on music sources and enable both modeler and leveler on TV. Fortunately, Harmony's database includes the DV button so you can cycle through different modes on the UMC-1 while listening.
The video setting is also a universal setting across inputs so you can't choose to have the UMC-1 do the video processing on one input and your BluRay player on another. Some receivers allow different output settings
The UMC-1 has no networking so you do need an external source if you plan to stream music from online sources like Pandora. I use the Oppo and my Roku box also does it so not a big deal for me.
The FM tuner is pretty weak. I don't listen to over-the-air radio anymore, but some folks still do.
Running Auto EmoQ seems to set an offset somewhere which can't be tweaked which was resulting in distortion when using DV. I found that you should run Auto EmoQ, write down the settings, reset the unit, and apply the settings manually. A bit of a pain, but not terribly difficult.
Conclusion
For $778 total price shipped to my door, I think the UMC-1, UPA-500 combo offers a lot. It does not have all the features of a typical receiver in this price range, but its build quality is excellent, the customer service is excellent, and most importantly, it delivers the goods sonically. I certainly have no reservation in recommending it for folks who can live with its limitations.
