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Post by rhale64 on May 19, 2016 9:30:18 GMT -5
^ and MQA  |
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Post by Bonzo on May 19, 2016 9:48:05 GMT -5
Would it go against Emotiva's naming policy to just call this new beast the XMC-3? I understand why they need to call the Amps Gen 2 or Gen 3 because the number of channels is already caught up in the name (XPA-2, XPA-3, XPA-4 etc....) But isn't this new beast it's own device, like say a CD player or DAC? Like the ERC-2 to ERC-3, or the XDA-1 to the XDA-2? I certainly like typing XMC-3 better than XMC-1 Gen 3 or even XMC-1 G3.  I vote for XMC-3 and be done with it. By the way, all these new upgrades is in fact awesome, and it will certainly make this thing a true beast. I'm whole heartedly excited about these new developments. |
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Post by AudioHTIT on May 19, 2016 13:22:16 GMT -5
Would it go against Emotiva's naming policy to just call this new beast the XMC-3? I understand why they need to call the Amps Gen 2 or Gen 3 because the number of channels is already caught up in the name (XPA-2, XPA-3, XPA-4 etc....) But isn't this new beast it's own device, like say a CD player or DAC? Like the ERC-2 to ERC-3, or the XDA-1 to the XDA-2? I certainly like typing XMC-3 better than XMC-1 Gen 3 or even XMC-1 G3. I vote for XMC-3 and be done with it. By the way, all these new upgrades is in fact awesome, and it will certainly make this thing a true beast. I'm whole heartedly excited about these new developments. I'd disagree, an XMC-3 to me implies a different unit, one they might someday produce. The XMC-1 Gen 3 is just a specific configuration of an XMC-1, and one that could presumably be returned to original condition if (for whatever reason) that was desired. |
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Erwin.BE
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Post by Erwin.BE on May 19, 2016 13:50:07 GMT -5
Merci monsieur! I will take take whatever you have: 16 channel AVP, Dirac Unison, 7.2.4 XMC-1... and more amps of course! Hi all, Happy to see all of the interest and excitement regarding the new upgrade path! We're really excited and working hard to bring this out on time... now, don't laugh!! We're doing much better these days!! A couple of notes... 1. We will definitely work to get more than one Dirac preset for the XMC-1. 2. The new DSP engine will have enough H.P. to support Dirac Unison. We don't know all of the details regarding implementation and cost yet, but we'll keep you posted as we know. We'd like to be able to offer it as an option. 3. We'll have enough DSP oomph to do Dirac at 96k on the new engine. Again, we've got to do some negotiating with Dirac on the business side of this, but we'll certainly do our best to make it available. Stand by for advice as we get it. 4. There IS a 16 channel super AVP under development, concurrent with the updated XMC-1. We're not ready to release specific details yet, but you can probably guess the most obvious "must have" features for this baby. BTW, we do not make any meaningful profit on the DSP upgrade. It's EXPENSIVE!! But we're taking the long view on this side of the business and we're in it for keeps. We're going to do some amazing stuff in the next year or so. We've hit our stride, so to speak. So, hang on!! Thanks for the support and keeping faith! More to come soon. Cheers, Big Dan |
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Post by skippy1977 on May 19, 2016 15:10:09 GMT -5
If Dirac Unison is offered with the XMC-1 Gen 3 with the needed processing power wouldn't 96k be part of the package? I can't see having to decide between Dirac Unison and 96k as the Dirac upgrade would be the winner.
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Post by LuisV on May 19, 2016 15:23:23 GMT -5
Hi all, Happy to see all of the interest and excitement regarding the new upgrade path! We're really excited and working hard to bring this out on time... now, don't laugh!! We're doing much better these days!! A couple of notes... 1. We will definitely work to get more than one Dirac preset for the XMC-1. 2. The new DSP engine will have enough H.P. to support Dirac Unison. We don't know all of the details regarding implementation and cost yet, but we'll keep you posted as we know. We'd like to be able to offer it as an option. 3. We'll have enough DSP oomph to do Dirac at 96k on the new engine. Again, we've got to do some negotiating with Dirac on the business side of this, but we'll certainly do our best to make it available. Stand by for advice as we get it. 4. There IS a 16 channel super AVP under development, concurrent with the updated XMC-1. We're not ready to release specific details yet, but you can probably guess the most obvious "must have" features for this baby. BTW, we do not make any meaningful profit on the DSP upgrade. It's EXPENSIVE!! But we're taking the long view on this side of the business and we're in it for keeps. We're going to do some amazing stuff in the next year or so. We've hit our stride, so to speak. So, hang on!! Thanks for the support and keeping faith! More to come soon. Cheers, Big Dan And it's not even Friday... but it's certainly time to do a happy dance!!  |
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Post by cwt on May 20, 2016 0:11:10 GMT -5
Your concerns were addressed at the top of this page by Dan on the processing power for all of this, which is more than enough. So if Emotiva is able to give the options(hopefully they can work this out with Dirac) of Dirac Unison and 96K, then the DSP engine is more than up to the task of performing these. Yes Lc ;I read it as separate items at the time but it does read like it covers both depending on licensing ;sweet. Doesnt worry me about the 96khz processing anyway when most blurays are 20/48 but glad for those who want to process their hirez downloads natively |
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Post by garbulky on May 20, 2016 7:38:17 GMT -5
Would it go against Emotiva's naming policy to just call this new beast the XMC-3? I understand why they need to call the Amps Gen 2 or Gen 3 because the number of channels is already caught up in the name (XPA-2, XPA-3, XPA-4 etc....) But isn't this new beast it's own device, like say a CD player or DAC? Like the ERC-2 to ERC-3, or the XDA-1 to the XDA-2? I certainly like typing XMC-3 better than XMC-1 Gen 3 or even XMC-1 G3. I vote for XMC-3 and be done with it. By the way, all these new upgrades is in fact awesome, and it will certainly make this thing a true beast. I'm whole heartedly excited about these new developments. I'd disagree, an XMC-3 to me implies a different unit, one they might someday produce. The XMC-1 Gen 3 is just a specific configuration of an XMC-1, and one that could presumably be returned to original condition if (for whatever reason) that was desired. I don't think the last part can be taken for granted because it hasn't been advertised. Also one may have to "downgrade" the firmware which may not have been designed for that. |
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Post by Bonzo on May 20, 2016 9:01:09 GMT -5
I'd disagree, an XMC-3 to me implies a different unit, one they might someday produce. The XMC-1 Gen 3 is just a specific configuration of an XMC-1, and one that could presumably be returned to original condition if (for whatever reason) that was desired. I don't think the last part can be taken for granted because it hasn't been advertised. Also one may have to "downgrade" the firmware which may not have been designed for that. , my question would be, and this is just an honest question, not being smart *ss about it, why would someone want to return their processor to it original condition? I understand on something like a car, or a house etc, but on a processor? What would the reasoning be? Just curious. I still think XMC-3 makes more sense, but that's just me. With all the upgrades they are now talking about, I think it IS a different unit. If they weren't going to change the number each time they made a major overhaul, then they should have just called it the XMC and been done. If they do make a totally new unit down the road, it could be called the XMC-4. |
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KeithL
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Post by KeithL on May 20, 2016 9:12:07 GMT -5
My guess - but don't hold me to it - is that there will actually be a new unit that comes with all the options - and that says "XMC-1 Gen3" on the front of it... but that you will be able to upgrade your current XMC-1 to be exactly the same thing. (It's even possible that we'll continue to sell units without Atmos/DTS-X as "Gen2" and units with it installed as "Gen3"..... but, again, that's just a guess at this point.) I don't think the last part can be taken for granted because it hasn't been advertised. Also one may have to "downgrade" the firmware which may not have been designed for that. , my question would be, and this is just an honest question, not being smart *ss about it, why would someone want to return their processor to it original condition? I understand on something like a car, or a house etc, but on a processor? What would the reasoning be? Just curious. I still think XMC-3 makes more sense, but that's just me. With all the upgrades they are now talking about, I think it IS a different unit. If they weren't going to change the number each time they made a major overhaul, then they should have just called it the XMC and been done. If they do make a totally new unit down the road, it could be called the XMC-4. |
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KeithL
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Post by KeithL on May 20, 2016 9:25:48 GMT -5
As for MQA...... At this point there seems to be a lot of buzz about MQA... but that's about all there is. As a CODEC, for use with streaming services like Tidal, MQA seems to have significant benefits. However, it will remain to be seen if the parts of the "ecosystem" that include re-mastered high quality content, and benefits to be had by decoding MQA in hardware rather than in the player, actually pan out. (When someone like Tidal uses MQA as a distribution CODEC, it's still going to give you a standard format output, which will work just fine with the XMC-1 and virtually every other DAC out there. It remains to be seen whether the idea of delivering an MQA bitstream to your DAC or pre/pro, which then decodes it in hardware, offers real audible benefits and catches on. ) If it does catch on, I'm sure we'll consider it..... ^ and MQA |
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Post by Bonzo on May 20, 2016 9:38:00 GMT -5
My guess - but don't hold me to it - is that there will actually be a new unit that comes with all the options - and that says "XMC-1 Gen3" on the front of it... but that you will be able to upgrade your current XMC-1 to be exactly the same thing. (It's even possible that we'll continue to sell units without Atmos/DTS-X as "Gen2" and units with it installed as "Gen3"..... but, again, that's just a guess at this point.) Understood. I've never been able to totally 100% understand the Emotiva naming/numbering system so I guess it's just me being dumb. I understand the Gen # thing on the amps, since the amp number is tied to the number of channels. But for something like a CD player (ERC-2 to ERC-3) or a processor, I think a major upgrade (change) would warrant a new number. So instead of XMC-1 Gen 3, I'm thinking XMC-3. But that's just me. Either way, it's not worth any more time discussing. All that's important is the upgrade itself, for which I'm very excited about. The name is just semantics. And I have to think you might have played a role in getting this upgrade to actually happen, so I thank you for that. |
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Post by rhale64 on May 20, 2016 9:44:33 GMT -5
Thx for the reply about MQA. I think it will catch on. And supposedly it is best when every component in the chain decodes,or passes it untouched.
I hope it becomes mainstream and not just for us audiopholes.
Roon has it already. Jriver is coming out with a new program that I believe has the capability of passing it down the road. Onkyo, and other big name company are on board. Aurender and bunches of others. I am sure DandM will be on board soon.
I am sure hoping,and thinking that the xmc1 version 3 will have the capability down the road to be updated with an firmware update not another hardware change.
Thanks again,
Ron Hale
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Post by ÈlTwo on May 20, 2016 10:37:16 GMT -5
Based on reading this A Comprehensive Q&A With MQA's Bob Stuart, I think there is ample time to 'wait and see' on MQA. What I really took away, after reading the entire Q&A, is that MQA has been envisioned for two channel streaming. Although mention is made of blu-ray, Mr. Stuart also says the focus is music, and multichannel can be added later (see Q5). If MQA does catch on, instead of Emotiva trying to make the XMC line a Swiss Army Knife, they'd probably be better served creating an MQA compliant DAC that does streaming. Now, pardon me while I go make my weekly contribution to my XMC-1 upgrade fund (boards, speakers, amp). |
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Erwin.BE
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Post by Erwin.BE on May 20, 2016 11:47:41 GMT -5
My guess - but don't hold me to it - is that there will actually be a new unit that comes with all the options - and that says "XMC-1 Gen3" on the front of it... but that you will be able to upgrade your current XMC-1 to be exactly the same thing. (It's even possible that we'll continue to sell units without Atmos/DTS-X as "Gen2" and units with it installed as "Gen3"..... but, again, that's just a guess at this point.) AudioHTIT , my question would be, and this is just an honest question, not being smart *ss about it, why would someone want to return their processor to it original condition? I understand on something like a car, or a house etc, but on a processor? What would the reasoning be? Just curious. I still think XMC-3 makes more sense, but that's just me. With all the upgrades they are now talking about, I think it IS a different unit. If they weren't going to change the number each time they made a major overhaul, then they should have just called it the XMC and been done. If they do make a totally new unit down the road, it could be called the XMC-4. I like that idea. Car manufacturers do it. A BMW 320 can be new or 25 years old. Internally, it's named E30/E36/E46... to tell which generation it is. |
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Post by cwt on May 20, 2016 12:27:16 GMT -5
Understood. I've never been able to totally 100% understand the Emotiva naming/numbering system so I guess it's just me being dumb. I understand the Gen # thing on the amps, since the amp number is tied to the number of channels. But for something like a CD player (ERC-2 to ERC-3) or a processor, I think a major upgrade (change) would warrant a new number. So instead of XMC-1 Gen 3, I'm thinking XMC-3. But that's just me. Understand your thinking Bonzo ; its just the standard thing so people can associate an upgrade with where it came from ; a close approximation would be denon with its AVP A1HD ; it got major surgery too but kept its recognisability -if thats a word ? The cary 11 was replaced by the cary11a ; the difference was just a pair of hdmi inputs and an output ; continuity may be a better word Honestly they can call it what they want when you get a look at the avp upgrade price [with inflation even] ; have a gander - www.homecinemachoice.com/news/article/denon-3d-edition-upgrade-review/10701A priceless quote for sure  |
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KeithL
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Post by KeithL on May 20, 2016 13:23:07 GMT -5
Exactly..... I remember when Pono made all sorts of claims about selling music "approved by the artists" and about "remasters by the artists" - then, in the end, they delivered a music player - and pretty much the exact same high-res content as I could already buy from HDTracks and Acoustic Sounds and all the other high-def file stores. So far MQA has delivered a good high-quality streaming CODEC - and promised a whole bunch of stuff that sounds very cool if it actually comes to pass. However, assuming that an "MQA approved" DAC really does sound better because it does a better job with the "temporal issues" the MQA guys are convinced make all the difference - then it will simply be a very good DAC. But, even then, it won't benefit from "the entire MQA signal chain" if you're playing CD quality source material... it will simply be a very good DAC. In order to get "the full benefit", it will have to be playing something that was MASTERED in MQA - or that was, at the least, "remastered and improved in MQA". We'll all be waiting to see how much stuff gets mastered in MQA and how much stuff gets remastered in MQA - and how significant the improvements are. I only harp on this because it cuts to the heart of a complaint I hear about high-def downloads today: "A lot of the high-definition files I buy don't sound any better than the CD version I already had. Now, maybe the limitation is the masters themselves, but, regardless of why, there's no reason for me to buy a new version if it isn't going to sound any better than the one I already have." So, as far as I'm concerned, if we do start seeing lots of MQA re-masters that really do sound noticeably better, then this will be HUGE. But, if that doesn't happen, then I simply can't get that excited about what CODEC Tidal is going to be using next week, or next year (and I have enough bandwidth to stream 4k video - so the savings in bandwidth don't mean much to me either). Based on reading this A Comprehensive Q&A With MQA's Bob Stuart, I think there is ample time to 'wait and see' on MQA. What I really took away, after reading the entire Q&A, is that MQA has been envisioned for two channel streaming. Although mention is made of blu-ray, Mr. Stuart also says the focus is music, and multichannel can be added later (see Q5). If MQA does catch on, instead of Emotiva trying to make the XMC line a Swiss Army Knife, they'd probably be better served creating an MQA compliant DAC that does streaming. Now, pardon me while I go make my weekly contribution to my XMC-1 upgrade fund (boards, speakers, amp). |
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Post by AudioHTIT on May 20, 2016 14:17:47 GMT -5
I don't think the last part can be taken for granted because it hasn't been advertised. Also one may have to "downgrade" the firmware which may not have been designed for that. , my question would be, and this is just an honest question, not being smart *ss about it, why would someone want to return their processor to it original condition? I understand on something like a car, or a house etc, but on a processor? What would the reasoning be? Just curious. I still think XMC-3 makes more sense, but that's just me. With all the upgrades they are now talking about, I think it IS a different unit. If they weren't going to change the number each time they made a major overhaul, then they should have just called it the XMC and been done. If they do make a totally new unit down the road, it could be called the XMC-4. I'm not suggesting that anyone would want to, or would ever 'downgrade' an XMC-1 Gen 3 to a Gen 2; only that it's an XMC-1 at heart. If you change the name it's almost like your saying the XMC-1 isn't upgradeable, when in fact an upgraded G2 would be equivalent to a G3. If let's say they gave us XLRs for the .4 outputs, which would require a change in the chassis, then I would call that an XMC-2 or 3 or whatever because you couldn't upgrade an XMC-1 to have that feature. Their naming mostly works for me, but you can tell they have to work at it sometimes. |
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Post by Bonzo on May 20, 2016 14:24:22 GMT -5
I'm not suggesting that anyone would want to, or would ever 'downgrade' an XMC-1 Gen 3 to a Gen 2; only that it's an XMC-1 at heart. If you change the name it's almost like your saying the XMC-1 isn't upgradeable, when in fact an upgraded G2 would be equivalent to a G3. If let's say they gave us XLRs for the .4 outputs, which would require a change in the chassis, then I would call that an XMC-2 or 3 or whatever because you couldn't upgrade an XMC-1 to have that feature. Their naming mostly works for me, but you can tell they have to work at it sometimes. Gotcha. That makes sense when you say it like that. |
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LCSeminole
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Post by LCSeminole on May 20, 2016 16:30:20 GMT -5
The XMC-1 product page has been updated with the new information. emotiva.com/xmc-1-enhancementsor just read below: ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- XMC-1 Enhancements The XMC-1 is fully modular - which means that, as home theater continues to evolve, and new technologies and features become available, we will be continuing to offer enhancements that add new functionality to your XMC-1. At this time, we are pleased to announce the first two enhancements which we will be offering for the XMC-1: XMC-1 Technology Enhancement 1: HDMI 2.0 and HDCP 2.2 Replacement HDMI board upgrades the XMC-1 from HDMI 1.4a to HDMI 2.0 with HDCP 2.2. Hardware - replaces original XMC-1 HDMI board Will be included standard on all units shipped after the board is available Available at no cost to anyone who purchases their XMC-1 from Emotiva at full price ($2,499) before the board is available (and anyone who has already purchased their XMC-1 at $2,499) Provides one HDMI 2.0 input and one HDMI 2.0 output - with full HDCP 2.2 support Available for $299 to anyone who purchased their XMC-1 at a discount or on the used market Installed by Emotiva (at no cost - recommended) or by user In production - available middle summer 2016 XMC-1 Technology Enhancement 2: Dolby Atmos and DTS-X Replacement processor/decoder board adds support for Dolby Atmos and DTS-X Adds support for Dolby Atmos (up to 7.2.4) and DTS-x Repurposes Mix Outputs and Zone 2 Analog Outputs (Zone 2 will be available via digital outputs) Available as an option on the XMC-1 Gen3 - which will be available early 2017 (XMC-1 Gen3 will be $2,499 without Atmos & DTS-X and $2,999 WITH Atmos & DTS-X) Available as an upgrade to any XMC-1 without Atmos & DTS-X (for $499) Does NOT require HDMI 2.0 / HDCP 2.2 Available Q1 - 2017 |
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