cgolf
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Posts: 4,613
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Post by cgolf on Feb 13, 2010 10:20:00 GMT -5
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Post by velo on Feb 13, 2010 12:05:25 GMT -5
For what it's worth, I used the Yamaha RX-795A as a pre-amp until I hooked up the UMC-1. Even without the upgrade, the sound quality improvement was very significant. Bigger soundstage, great comfort at loud sound levels, crisper, etc. It was an obvious improvement. Love that thing.
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Post by johnnyg on Feb 13, 2010 14:15:57 GMT -5
I went from a Yamaha RXV-2700 to a UMC-1. The 2700 was used as a pre/pro with the awesome XPA-5 powering a 5.1 Martin Logan system. I found the sound on the 2700 to be thin and harsh compared to the UMC-1 which is smooth and full with much more presence. EmoQ didn't do well with the crossovers, but these are simple to set manually. EmoQ really flattened out the lower frequencies, but it did require manually intervention to set the sub volume (EmoQ set it 12db too hot). The sub/main transition has completely disappeared.
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Post by madrac on Feb 13, 2010 21:26:13 GMT -5
just hooked up my umc1 today. It replaced a yamaha 665. Used the same amp (upa7) with both. the umc sounds much better -- fuller, cleaner, clearer...
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Post by akbungle on Feb 13, 2010 21:38:07 GMT -5
just hooked up my umc1 today. It replaced a yamaha 665. Used the same amp (upa7) with both. the umc sounds much better -- fuller, cleaner, clearer... I'm doing the same. 8-)My UMC-1 should get here on Tuesday. ;D
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Post by madrac on Feb 13, 2010 21:46:09 GMT -5
just hooked up my umc1 today. It replaced a yamaha 665. Used the same amp (upa7) with both. the umc sounds much better -- fuller, cleaner, clearer... I'm doing the same. 8-)My UMC-1 should get here on Tuesday. ;D i think you'll like what you hear. i've had my umc since mid-Jan, but was waiting on the new FW since my entertainment center is big & PITA to move.
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Post by carbonsummit on Feb 15, 2010 0:55:32 GMT -5
I'm doing the same. 8-)My UMC-1 should get here on Tuesday. ;D i think you'll like what you hear. i've had my umc since mid-Jan, but was waiting on the new FW since my entertainment center is big & PITA to move. You waited? Wow you're more patient than I am!!!!
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cgolf
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Post by cgolf on Feb 16, 2010 10:40:36 GMT -5
I did some tweeking to my 665 last night and cranked it up because my wife was gone. WOW, did it ever sound good!!! ;D If it sounds this good, I can't imagine what the UMC will do.....
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Post by carbonsummit on Feb 16, 2010 10:47:49 GMT -5
I did some tweeking to my 665 last night and cranked it up because my wife was gone. WOW, did it ever sound good!!! ;D If it sounds this good, I can't imagine what the UMC will do..... This in a nutshell is my problem. When I use my 663 I'm happy with it. Granted it maybe that ignorance is bliss but I am happy. So I keep asking myself if I should wait until some new surround sound codecs come out and make my 663 outdated and then look at buying the UMC-2 or whatever is out then. I'm not saying I think my 663 is an equal to the UMC-1 just that I'm having a hard time justifying it. But sadly I know in the end I'll probably buckle and get it anyway!
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Post by carbonsummit on Feb 16, 2010 10:50:00 GMT -5
If I get the UMC-1 I'll probably keep my 663 too. They aren't gong for much on ebay so not really worth selling it. Not complaining about the late release but just saying if it had been released on time I could have sold my 663 for a lot more because it was a current model then. My plan kind of fell apart with the delays.
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Post by bobn4burton on Feb 16, 2010 13:01:23 GMT -5
I'm interested in this topic as well. I am in the position where I'm trying to decide if I should get a 663/665 to use as a pre/pro or go with the UMC-1.
I had always planned to go with 663/665, but then the UMC started shipping and I started leaning towards getting it. But then all the issues scared me...but it seems that a lot of issues are being resolved with the new firmware.
Long story short, I still can't decide. It appears that most people who have compared both are saying the UMC sounds considerably better.
Anyways...just tagging along for the comparisons and trying to decide what I should do...??
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Post by darien87 on Feb 16, 2010 13:12:27 GMT -5
I'm interested in this topic as well. I am in the position where I'm trying to decide if I should get a 663/665 to use as a pre/pro or go with the UMC-1. I had always planned to go with 663/665, but then the UMC started shipping and I started leaning towards getting it. But then all the issues scared me...but it seems that a lot of issues are being resolved with the new firmware. Long story short, I still can't decide. It appears that most people who have compared both are saying the UMC sounds considerably better. Anyways...just tagging along for the comparisons and trying to decide what I should do...?? I replaced my 661 with the UMC-1 and it is quite a difference. This is my first pre-pro as I've always had receivers in the past, (Sony, Yamaha, Denon). With the 661, everything sounded good, but there was noticeable hiss from the speakers when you turned it up to reference levels and beyond. But with the UMC-1, no matter how loud it gets, it's dead silent. There is also better detail, better separation and an improved soundstage with the UMC. I still have some issues with audio dropout, but I'm hoping those get solved soon. When the UMC-1 works, it's a great piece of equipment.
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browe1967
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Post by browe1967 on Feb 16, 2010 13:43:59 GMT -5
I have a 665 and have been quite pleased with it. Not sure about getting a UMC though. I would need another amp to power my rears, but who knows.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Feb 16, 2010 15:20:38 GMT -5
Just got my UMC and it replaced the 665 (maybe not)..
Anyway, I am setting up the UMC and I am experiencing many issues with it such as the trigger shutting off the amp when switching inputs, I resolved that by manually changing EVERY input to on for the trigger. ...
I'm stopping now as I realized I should post this in the UMC review section.
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Post by bobn4burton on Feb 16, 2010 15:32:13 GMT -5
Just got my UMC and it replaced the 665 (maybe not).. Anyway, I am setting up the UMC and I am experiencing many issues with it such as the trigger shutting off the amp when switching imputs, I resolved that by manually changing EVERY input to on for the trigger. ... I'm stopping now as I realized I should post this in the UMC review section. Interesting...once/if you get your UMC issues figured out, make sure you chime back in here on this thread with your final conclusion on Yamaha vs UMC. It really sounds like you get a bit better sound quality going with UMC over Yamaha...however, the biggest thing that worries me are all of the quirky little problems people have with the UMC. From everything I've been reading, it just seems the UMC is far from polished...even though the hardware is there to provide great SQ.
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Post by carbonsummit on Feb 16, 2010 15:36:08 GMT -5
Just got my UMC and it replaced the 665 (maybe not).. Anyway, I am setting up the UMC and I am experiencing many issues with it such as the trigger shutting off the amp when switching imputs, I resolved that by manually changing EVERY input to on for the trigger. ... I'm stopping now as I realized I should post this in the UMC review section. Interesting...once/if you get your UMC issues figured out, make sure you chime back in here on this thread with your final conclusion on Yamaha vs UMC. It really sounds like you get a bit better sound quality going with UMC over Yamaha...however, the biggest thing that worries me are all of the quirky little problems people have with the UMC. From everything I've been reading, it just seems the UMC is far from polished...even though the hardware is there to provide great SQ. My 663 has never even hiccuped once. Very solid unit. I'll probably end up getting an UMC-1 no matter what just to hear the difference in SQ and also to see the improvement in PQ with stuff that isn't 1080p. That way I know and can make a decision based on my ears and eyes.
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kse
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Hello me, meet the real me.
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Post by kse on Feb 16, 2010 15:50:56 GMT -5
Oh man, you guys are killing me....lol. I'll no doubt not be making the transition, this year anyway. Boating season is around the corner and my toy budget needs to start making the transition from indoor to outdoor toys.
I will be paying close attention to the Yamaha-to-UMC1 transition.
BTW, I have nothing but positive things to say about my 665.
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Post by flamingeye on Feb 16, 2010 16:04:24 GMT -5
Yes that is true!! When I switched from a denon to the yamaha there was defiantly a reduction in the mid-range & the yamaha tend to be bright also I find if you run YPAO in natural mode instead of flat this is much less of an issue. That is how I have it most of my speakers are the same I never tried flat , but I then used REW and TrueRTA and manually set every thing and I also have removable room treatments so no more brightness note; reason for collapsible/removable room treatments is because my HT room is also the living room, I`m working on collapsible/fold-able quick release ceiling treatments right now
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Post by dash on Feb 16, 2010 20:07:32 GMT -5
So I upgraded from a 661 to the UMC-1 (prior to the 661 I had a 2095) the 661 has been paired with a UPA-7 and I was happy with it. I set up the UMC-1 and over a few days I did not think it really sounded all that much better, after upgrading the firmware and seeing some really weird results from EMO-Q and using it for another 5 days I decided that I would send the UMC-1 back and maybe look at an Integra DHC-40.1. I put the Yamaha back in place only to realize that the UMC-1 was a noticable improvement in SQ, more dynamic, full and better soundstage. The 661 was not really bright but sounded thin compared to the UMC-1. Thinking back I had been in Taiwan for 8 days then been sick for another week when I first listened to the UMC-1, so really I had not heard my 661 in two weeks prior to the UMC-1. I also had to think about the fact that while I used the YPAO I turned off the Parametric EQ letting it only set distance and crossover, which I then manually adjusted. I have decided to keep the UMC-1 and see what improvements are made to EMO-Q, and also to learn how to use the REW software from Home Theater Shack. The SQ and wide range of options and settings have sold me. It is an excellent match for my PSB speakers - T65 fronts, C60 center, Alpha surrounds and an eD A5-350 sub. Other electronics in the stack are DirecTV HR-23, PS3, HTPC (fed by my HP Mediasmart Server, passive cooled AMD and ATI 4550) and a Toshiba HD-A2 and everything works great, no audio drops or other issues. Now if Logitech would just add the discrete codes to my account for my Harmony One my wife would be as happy as I am.
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odeen
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Post by odeen on Feb 16, 2010 23:02:41 GMT -5
If I get the UMC-1 I'll probably keep my 663 too. They aren't gong for much on ebay so not really worth selling it. Not complaining about the late release but just saying if it had been released on time I could have sold my 663 for a lot more because it was a current model then. My plan kind of fell apart with the delays. FWIW, the audio section of the V663 is on par with the current-gen V765. The V665 is about 30% lighter than the V663 and doesn't sound as good. Then again, it's hard to sell something with only 2 HDMI inputs and no 1080P upconversion, regardless of how badly the upconversion ACTUALLY works.
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