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Post by mrhump on May 9, 2016 7:32:00 GMT -5
Hi all!
So my UMC-1 has finally died. It's stuck in the loading... loop after trying to install the latest update. I have tried several times, safe mode, deleted all files and downloaded the installer and files again but it's now a brick. Emailed Emotiva and due to shipping costs from Australia-USA it's just not worth sending it back for repair.
I have had no end of faults with the UMC-1, had to replace the main board, popping noises, channels cutting out, video quality issues, menu display faults, not turning on etc. so to say I'm reluctant to buy another Emotiva processor is an understatement.
I have read very good reviews for the XMC which is a plus but I'm still cautious as it is a lot of money. Are people having success with their XMC's? are they stable? bugs? anything like the UMC? (terrible)
Some real world users input would be appreciated!
Cheers
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klinemj
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Official Emofest Scribe
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Post by klinemj on May 9, 2016 7:43:36 GMT -5
I'm having no issues at all with my XMC-1. It is very stable and has nothing I would consider a bug at all. I also love Dirac's results and won't play anything without it.
Also, the FW update process is very easy, but there has not been one in a long time (not really needed). The only thing I would mention is that there will soon be a running change made to upgrade the video switch board. If you can hold off until that is in place, you would have "the" update that many here have wanted to be the most compatible with 4K TV possible at this point.
Mark
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Post by vcautokid on May 9, 2016 8:25:03 GMT -5
The XMC-1 is a totally different platform, and performs exceptionally well for me. I had a UMC-1 for a little while, but the XMC-1 is vastly superior in every aspect. It is more flexible, has more audiophile features, the Dirac automatic room correction works great, and all the processing and electronics are state of the art.
If you spend $2500.00 USD on receiver, you will not outperform the XMC-1. Other processors out there too. But for the price, the XMC-1 stands alone.
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klinemj
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Official Emofest Scribe
Posts: 15,100
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Post by klinemj on May 9, 2016 8:41:00 GMT -5
mrhumpCheck out this thread... Emotiva is doing 4 things on pre/pro's in the near future.. Emotiva plansSoon, you won't just have the xmc-1 as an option. Their new Emersa and BasX lines sound promising. The Emersa is TI based and has DIRAC, while BasX is Cirrus based and has EmoQ. (Between the two, I would opt for the Emersa.) They are not far away, according to this article (which may or may not be accurate in its timing quotes). And, per the article, there will be a running change in the XMC production to enable 4k TV. If you get one before that, you would have to upgrade to get that capability. Next year is the big dog...rumored to be 16 channels and fully Atmos and DTS-x compatible. Choices are good... Mark
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Post by monkumonku on May 9, 2016 9:05:16 GMT -5
In my opinion the XMC-1 is miles above the UMC-1. I purchased mine right before the price increase and have been very pleased with it. The UMC-1 definitely had bugs; the XMC-1 just does what it is supposed to do and I have not had any problems with it. Dirac is also an excellent room correction method. Emotiva really did the XMC-1 right - it's an excellent unit.
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Post by repeetavx on May 9, 2016 10:31:14 GMT -5
I still own my UMC-1, if for no other reason than that I wouldn't wish it on anybody. It sounds pretty great once it finishes its little handshake journey. The switching and handshake delays were just unbearable for me.
When I switched to the PT-7030 I was amazed at the increase in sound quality. Though, it still had some switching delays.
I wasn't going to get the XMC-1, but the reviews were so great. So I figured that I could send it back if it didn't measure up to the sound quality of the PT-7030.
When I hooked up the XMC-1 I was blown away at the quality of the sound. I can believe that it compares with $10,000.00 units. The switching delays, though still there, are comparatively fast and not the least bit intrusive. The balanced DAC is just amazing and I wouldn't be able to afford buying something that sounds better than this.
Only you can decide if you need ATMOS or some other new feature that the XMC doesn't have, yet. I know that I don't. The XMC-1 is a stellar performer with great sound and flexibility.
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Post by geebo on May 9, 2016 11:06:08 GMT -5
In my opinion the XMC-1 is miles above the UMC-1. I purchased mine right before the price increase and have been very pleased with it. The UMC-1 definitely had bugs; the XMC-1 just does what it is supposed to do and I have not had any problems with it. Dirac is also an excellent room correction method. Emotiva really did the XMC-1 right - it's an excellent unit. +1. The XMC has been a delight to use and it sounds great. Firmware updates couldn't be easier, Dirac does it's job better than any RC system I've used. My biggest complaint? The 45 second boot time and that's an easy one to live with. |
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Post by deewan on May 9, 2016 11:21:59 GMT -5
I made the switch from the UMC-1 to the XMC-1. I can echo all other comments that the sound improvement is amazing and the issues the UMC-1 had do not appear in the XMC-1. However, I have had a few strange things happen with my XMC-1. Nothing major and all but one have been resolved with a power down and full restart. The firmware updates are also MUCH easier, heck, they are almost what I would call "simple".
If you were here in the United States I would tell you to order the XMC 100%. But since you are Australia, I do get a little worried in case you would happen to have a problem the added cost of sending back to Emotiva. I think the risk is low you wold have an issue that would require the XMc being sent back to Emotiva, but it does exist.
From a dollar for dollar standpoint, I don't think you can do any better than the XMC.
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Post by wilburthegoose on May 9, 2016 11:39:16 GMT -5
I purchased the XMC-1 with every intention of shipping it back. That was a long time ago, and I still have the XMC-1. Sounds great, easy to use, and passes video better than my old Denon AVR.
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Post by cwt on May 9, 2016 12:26:53 GMT -5
Hi all! Some real world users input would be appreciated! Cheers Not a xmc1 user atm mrhump but from an Aus perspective deewan makes a very good point . If you want absolute peace of mind and local warranty support you can buy a xmc1 from say TCC for $3999aus . I would consider the emersa emp1 if you have no interest in dolby atmos/dts-x as its also got dirac and hdmi2.0 hdcp2.2 and is only around $999 us so it will be quite reasonable after the exchange rate if bought locally ; with of course full warranty support.. If you do buy direct from emotiva though [ and only pre pro's are allowed to be sold afaik due to agreements signed with the aus distributor etc] you should have 40% off as the original owner ? Thats why Ime waiting to get a fully loaded xmc1 from the states  |
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Post by igorzep on May 9, 2016 17:30:03 GMT -5
Sometimes yes, sometimes no. Depends on usage patterns... bugs? anything like the UMC? (terrible) Strings of zero samples inside the content (as between tracks on a CD) cause clicking and muting of of surrounding content. I cannot call this "great sound quality". Actually totally unacceptable for a unit of such price. |
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Post by Kent on May 9, 2016 17:39:07 GMT -5
Hello mrhump,
I'm sorry to hear your UMC-1 issues. I certainly understand your reservations. However, I've been using one for several years now with no problem at all. I wouldn't hesitate jumping on a XMC-1 personally. I do not have experience with it but judging by enthusiastic reviews and seeing how it's designed IMHO it's the best pre pro at its price point and well beyond.
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Post by frenchyfranky on May 9, 2016 17:46:50 GMT -5
XMC-1 is a stellar audio gear, I use it 80% for stereo listening and with the Dirac room correction, the very bad sounding environement of my living room sounding now like a reference dedicated listening room. 2 years soon of pure sonic bliss for me. I had a UMC-1 before and the XMC-1 is a huge improvement step. see link below; emotivalounge.proboards.com/post/788966/thread |
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Post by dave123 on May 9, 2016 20:50:31 GMT -5
I also went from umc-1 to the xmc-1 it is a great preamp but with all the upgrades coming I would wait so it is all done so no hassles of sending back to the USA or one off the Australian dealers for the upgrades I life in Coffs Harbour so when the new boards for the HDMI and Atmos are ready I will have send it back witch is a long time with no preamp but good luck with your choise.
Dave
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Post by junchoon on May 9, 2016 22:21:22 GMT -5
I believe u will have 40% discount on XMC-1? Should be a no brainer to get xmc-1
If however u want alternatives...
How about the marantz av7702mkii or the av8802a if u can stretch the budget?
Good luck!
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brabs
Minor Hero
Posts: 51
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Post by brabs on May 9, 2016 23:16:39 GMT -5
Hi all! Some real world users input would be appreciated! Cheers Not a xmc1 user atm mrhump but from an Aus perspective deewan makes a very good point . If you want absolute peace of mind and local warranty support you can buy a xmc1 from say TCC for $3999aus . I would consider the emersa emp1 if you have no interest in dolby atmos/dts-x as its also got dirac and hdmi2.0 hdcp2.2 and is only around $999 us so it will be quite reasonable after the exchange rate if bought locally ; with of course full warranty support.. If you do buy direct from emotiva though [ and only pre pro's are allowed to be sold afaik due to agreements signed with the aus distributor etc] you should have 40% off as the original owner ? Thats why Ime waiting to get a fully loaded xmc1 from the states The processors can only be purchased direct from Emotiva if you are using a 40% voucher. Otherwise it must be bought from the local distributor. |
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Post by cwt on May 10, 2016 0:09:44 GMT -5
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Post by mickseymour on May 10, 2016 0:31:37 GMT -5
bugs? anything like the UMC? (terrible) Strings of zero samples inside the content (as between tracks on a CD) cause clicking and muting of of surrounding content. I cannot call this "great sound quality". Actually totally unacceptable for a unit of such price. Some people suffer with this, me included, although a lot do not. It appears to be dependent on source player and content. As Emotiva can't fix it I decided to live with it. It is an annoyance rather than a damning indictment of the product. The sound quality is really good from this unit on both 2 channel music and on movies and astounding at the price. Prior to the XMC-1 I had a Lexicon MC-12 which didn't sound anywhere near as good on analogue music and had a 2 second delay on all digital inputs which never got fixed. I recommend the XMC-1. |
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brabs
Minor Hero
Posts: 51
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Post by brabs on May 10, 2016 1:11:08 GMT -5
Lol yes forgot about that |
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Post by sycraft on May 11, 2016 4:36:24 GMT -5
I've had my XMC-1 since Christmas and it is pretty good over all. I use it only for audio, no video. The big selling point for me is Dirac Live. It is just head and shoulders above any other room correction I've tried. I haven't tried them all, mind you, but Dirac is just amazing. That along was enough to make me keep it. Interface/program-ability is pretty good, I find I can set it up to do most of the things I want, even some little things like always turn on at a fixed volume level. I also like that it has a useful front panel, so I don't need to hook a monitor up to do advanced configuration (as I did with my Denon).
It does have some minor issues that annoy me and I kinda feel shouldn't happen for the price, but nothing that is a deal breaker. The issues I've encountered are:
--It is noiser than I think it should be. When I turn it up to 0dB there is quite a lot of hiss if the muting isn't active. When it auto-mutes it is very silent, of course, but the DACs aren't as quiet as I'd hope. I would think it could stay audibly noiseless at 0dB but no. This is with amps at a standard consumer 29dB gain. No audible noise at normal listening volumes.
--Speaking of the auto-muting it can cause some strange issues. On HDMI input it doesn't mute so no issues there, but on S/PDIF it does. This means that a tiny bit of the start of things get cut off, but also that you get some odd clicking noises as things fade out to nothing as the mute toggles. You can't turn it off, near as I know.
--No VESA video formats are supported. Not surprising, but too bad anyhow. Mine is hooked to a computer so it would be useful if I could use VESA modes (2560x1600 in my case) but it can't handle those, only home theater modes (720, 1080, 4k, etc).
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