Emotiva Fusion 8100 Now Up on Website

[pedrocols]

Feb 15, 2014 7:54:12 GMT -5 brubacca said:

I personally think that it looks like a great product. I'm going to assume 4 ohm capability because it is Emotiva. If I were buying I would check.

Let's take some 4 ohm speakers and bring that marantz to it's knees. HT Receiver with real amps at $700. Good deal. NAD , arcam and the like will cost you much more.

I think we should spend energy help Emotiva how to improve this product instead of trying to make me buy it....Because this isn't working....

[bolle]

First congrats Emotiva for the manual! This is really a lot better than the one of the UMC. You obviously listened - and since I criticized the manuals a lot, I think it is only fair that I now also say something positive when appropiate.

Second - will the UMC-200 now get cheaper? In contrast to the Sherbourn SR-8100 the Fusion has preouts. In fact it is an UMC-200 with free amps for the same price!

Or is there anything that the UMC does better or more which I did not get? The Fusion even has bluetooth included...

[brubacca]

Don't see Emotiva as being able to keep up with the features of the Denon/Marantz/Onkyo of the world. So in terms of features, yes the Marantz is "better". Small companies have to win on sound quality.

I have owned Denon and Onkyo receivers. I'll take Emotiva on sound quality every day. (Actually I don't even do HT anymore, but I have been down this road).

Pedrocols I'm not trying to convince you of anything, merely stating my opinion based on my experiences.

The thread was feeling very negative towards the product and I congratulate Emotiva in coming up with it. Just trying to send thing in a positive direction.

[neo20013]

Judging by the manual, the menu layout is exactly as the UMC-200 (It even has PEQ capabilities), so this receiver is a UMC200 with internal amps.
Judging by the internal pictures it seems the same transformer of the UPA-500, and the reduction of power is probably because the same amp has 2 more channels to serve.
For the ones who don't want to mess with separates, it seems a product with very a good performance/price ratio.

[pedrocols]

Feb 15, 2014 14:36:49 GMT -5 neo20013 said:

Judging by the manual, the menu layout is exactly as the UMC-200 (It even has PEQ capabilities), so this receiver is a UMC200 with internal amps.
Judging by the internal pictures it seems the same transformer of the UPA-500, and the reduction of power is probably because the same amp has 2 more channels to serve.
For the ones who don't want to mess with separates, it seems a product with very a good performance/price ratio.

But isn't the Emotiva's philosophy that separates are in fact better? They first market products to try to convince everybody that separates are better and now they come out with a AVR with only 65wpc with internal fans? Give me a break....

[PGT]

The preamp outputs fixed the major downside with the Sherbourn version, although I like the look of the Sherbourn better. The remote is the same...I miss the ability to trim sub level right from the remote instead of having to pull up the menu.

- Sometimes the terseness of my reply can't be blamed on my phone.

[garbulky]

I agree. Pre-amp outputs are a great idea. It allows people to have the option of adding a more powerful power amp thereby not cutting out sales to the other emo amps.

[Deleted]

Feb 15, 2014 14:36:49 GMT -5 neo20013 said:

Judging by the manual, the menu layout is exactly as the UMC-200 (It even has PEQ capabilities), so this receiver is a UMC200 with internal amps.
Judging by the internal pictures it seems the same transformer of the UPA-500, and the reduction of power is probably because the same amp has 2 more channels to serve.
For the ones who don't want to mess with separates, it seems a product with very a good performance/price ratio.

This is how I see it as well. If someone wants to get into separates but cant afford the whole thing at once this seems like a great product. Buy this now and add a xpa-5 later after saving for a while.

[pedrocols]

Feb 15, 2014 14:23:53 GMT -5 brubacca said:

Don't see Emotiva as being able to keep up with the features of the Denon/Marantz/Onkyo of the world. So in terms of features, yes the Marantz is "better". Small companies have to win on sound quality.

I have owned Denon and Onkyo receivers. I'll take Emotiva on sound quality every day. (Actually I don't even do HT anymore, but I have been down this road).

Pedrocols I'm not trying to convince you of anything, merely stating my opinion based on my experiences.

The thread was feeling very negative towards the product and I congratulate Emotiva in coming up with it. Just trying to send thing in a positive direction.

I understand. However, in my experience as a consumer and potential customer or buyer,there is a possibility that is the message I could get.

[tchaik]

i heard this unit at the fall emofest in the smaller theatre room. it was killing it. all the demonstration material was
revealed in such an excellent way. they used their discontinued speakers along with the 12 inch subs and that little receiver
sounded absolutely great. i was very impressed. i think its price point for the power you actually get is quite good in comparison
to the other big name brands. check the most recent review of the harmon kardon avr 3700 a/v receiver in sound and vision and
notice on the test bench that seven channels driven simultaneously gives each channel a mere 27.9 watts. and yet they want a
thousand dollars for the unit. emotiva has nothing to be concerned about with this new receiver.
as we all know, sonically this will kill the competition in any where near it's price point. as a previous post noted, one should compare with
companies like nad, arcam and others with similar performance but much higher prices.

i will probably get this for my son as a wedding present next fall. he is using a 15 year old denon right now.
he is getting engaged tomorrow. i am a proud papa.


tchaik....................

[Jim]

Feb 15, 2014 19:41:13 GMT -5 tchaik said:

i heard this unit at the fall emofest in the smaller theatre room. it was killing it. all the demonstration material was
revealed in such an excellent way. they used their discontinued speakers along with the 12 inch subs and that little receiver
sounded absolutely great. i was very impressed. i think its price point for the power you actually get is quite good in comparison
to the other big name brands. check the most recent review of the harmon kardon avr 3700 a/v receiver in sound and vision and
notice on the test bench that seven channels driven simultaneously gives each channel a mere 27.9 watts. and yet they want a
thousand dollars for the unit. emotiva has nothing to be concerned about with this new receiver.
as we all know, sonically this will kill the competition in any where near it's price point. as a previous post noted, one should compare with
companies like nad, arcam and others with similar performance but much higher prices.

i will probably get this for my son as a wedding present next fall. he is using a 15 year old denon right now.
he is getting engaged tomorrow. i am a proud papa.


tchaik....................

I would have been a little dismissive of it, given it's (relatively) low power output (I'm spoiled with HIGH wattage amps). But the truth is, the ACD 65W is plenty for lots of rooms. 27.9W ACD is absolutely embarrassing!!

But like others, I heart it at EmoFest too, and you'd NEVER know that all that power was coming from a little box. Sounded great.

If have a small small/mid size room and want to start out simple, it's a great product. With pre-outs even.

[rocky500]

I brought the Sherbourn SR-8100 for my Parents. They also have my hand me down Aurum Cantus 4 ohm floorstanding speakers.
It works fantastic in that setup. Love the small size, it is quiet with the fans.
I thought it might have been nice to have Preouts if I ever wanted to add an amp.
No need now I have it setup as it has plenty of power. Great unit.

Here you have a receiver that in my guess, would be similar in performance to a UMC-200 plus UPA700 in a very compact case.
I am glad they have decided to include this in their lineup. Having options is a wonderful thing for us buyers.

[Deleted]

This looks like it's aimed directly for me! I currently use the marantz nr1403, and I have been looking for a more powerful solution with upgrade possibilities. I wonder what the 4ohm rating is?

[aztecax]

I think this unit makes perfect sense for the person who wants high end performance but just doesn't have the space or desire for separates - the less technical out there, and those who have to worry worry about their spouses' opinion of it. My dad, for example, could be a prime candidate as he also listens to music through his super cheap receiver.  He's never going to get an XPA anything, or an XMC, but this can get him a damn solid piece of engineering that does no harm and can fill the room with sound.

[jlafrenz]

Feb 15, 2014 13:19:56 GMT -5 @n8dogg said:

This needed wifi! There are good units for similar prices with more useful features. I bet it will be a great unit but without wi-fi (something more and more units are coming out with) I personally don't see the value (although the pre-outs are a awesome option!)

Or even hard wired networking capabilities. The market is flooded with AVR's at this price point and typically offer more features. The Marantz NR1604 retails for $50 less and has Airplay. I get the leave the features out and focus on the sound quality stance people are taking. The Emotiva likely has a better amp section and possibly a better pre-amp section, but there isn't enough info to say for sure. NAD makes a AVR without all the bells and whistles with comparable power for $100 less. It is not a small chassis and doesn't have bluetooth though. I hate to say it, but this one misses the mark for the market it targets.

[Deleted]

Feb 16, 2014 15:44:40 GMT -5 jlafrenz said:

Feb 15, 2014 13:19:56 GMT -5 @n8dogg said:

This needed wifi! There are good units for similar prices with more useful features. I bet it will be a great unit but without wi-fi (something more and more units are coming out with) I personally don't see the value (although the pre-outs are a awesome option!)

Or even hard wired networking capabilities. The market is flooded with AVR's at this price point and typically offer more features. The Marantz NR1604 retails for $50 less and has Airplay. I get the leave the features out and focus on the sound quality stance people are taking. The Emotiva likely has a better amp section and possibly a better pre-amp section, but there isn't enough info to say for sure. NAD makes a AVR without all the bells and whistles with comparable power for $100 less. It is not a small chassis and doesn't have bluetooth though. I hate to say it, but this one misses the mark for the market it targets.

Yup, I feel they missed the mark by quite a bit on this one. It's still a good unit for some people but I pretty much need Wi-FI in my bedroom and thats where a new unit will be going. I bets it's hard to compete with Onkyo, Yamaha etc as they would likely have huge operating budgets and more people on new tech.

[garbulky]

Also.... it allows people to wet their toes in the emotiva world .... and not have to throw the unit away when they decide to go deeper.
For instance, this IS the unit I would reccomend for somebody jumping in. They see one box and everybody KNOWS you need ONE box. But try convincing them of paying $600 for a pre-pro and then another $500 for an amp they get confused and it doesn't make sense where the money is going. (Just hearing from somebody that separates are the way to go means nothingg as it is their money they are spending for a benefit they haven't actually heard.) Then they go ahead and spend $500 on ONE box - an AVR or a soundbar
This is for those people and I will reccomend it from now on. I wish they came out with this before as I had a friend looking for just this but he got a little confused by spending money on separates and ended up with a soundbar instead.

[Boomzilla]

I'm trying HARD to ignore this product. In the "amp shoot-outs" that we've done, we found little audible difference between the least & mightiest of Emotiva's amps when used within their power limits. Therefore, $700 for a preamp, a DAC, seven power amps, AND bass management is kind of hard to ignore, especially when the faceplate says "Emotiva!"

Provided one stays with speakers of upper 80's or higher sensitivity, this is a bargain for sure. Having a sub in the system makes it even more capable as a hub for the home entertainment system. I think of this as a bundled UMC-200 AND and 3.5 Mini-Xs ($1,365 of gear) for a 50% discount.

If Emotiva offered this in a silver faceplate, I'd buy one now and probably end up selling my XPR-2. No kidding.

The Fusion offers a feature set custom made for me - I don't listen loudly - I have a capable subwoofer - I like integration - and all my (current) speakers are high-sensitivity.

Temptation, BE GONE!!!

[pedrocols]

Feb 16, 2014 17:59:59 GMT -5 Boomzilla said:

I'm trying HARD to ignore this product. In the "amp shoot-outs" that we've done, we found little audible difference between the least & mightiest of Emotiva's amps when used within their power limits. Therefore, $700 for a preamp, a DAC, seven power amps, AND bass management is kind of hard to ignore, especially when the faceplate says "Emotiva!"

Provided one stays with speakers of upper 80's or higher sensitivity, this is a bargain for sure. Having a sub in the system makes it even more capable as a hub for the home entertainment system. I think of this as a bundled UMC-200 AND and 3.5 Mini-Xs ($1,365 of gear) for a 50% discount.

If Emotiva offered this in a silver faceplate, I'd buy one now and probably end up selling my XPR-2. No kidding.

The Fusion offers a feature set custom made for me - I don't listen loudly - I have a capable subwoofer - I like integration - and all my (current) speakers are high-sensitivity.

Temptation, BE GONE!!!

There isn't anything a can of silver spray can't fix...

[klinemj]

I second tchaik's comments on sound. I was blown away at Emofest. Features or not...this thing sounds great!

Mark