Emersa and MC-700 Preamp-Processors

[urwi]

Please see post 3 in this thread.

The link contains all the information I've gathered so far. We have to wait until the unit arrives for more information.

Dec 19, 2016 7:42:13 GMT -5 cawgijoe said:

Can you itemize/summarize the info you are looking for?

I know you have spread it throughout this thread, but a short summary would be nice.

[KeithL]

1)
The MC-700 is NOT taking the place of the Emersa pre/pro. The MC-700 is an improved and upgraded version of our popular UMC-200.

2)
Yes, it supports Dolby Digital Plus (which, for those who don't know, is an updated version of the original Dolby Digital lossy CODEC).

3)
Yes, you can use the balanced and unbalanced subwoofer connections at the same time.
And, yes, any good balanced cable will work fine for a subwoofer.
(There is nothing special about the audio signal being sent to a sub as compared to the signal that goes to any other channel.
However, because subs can be somewhat sensitive to hum, and tend to have longer cables, it IS a good idea to use a balanced connection whenever practical.)

Dec 13, 2016 21:14:37 GMT -5 sirreal said:

I'm new to both Emotiva and the Forum so sorry in advance my questions have been seen before.

So far I've only purchased the BasX-300 amp and been very pleased with sound quality. Notice I didn't say sound quality for the price. I have several more expensive amps around (Parasound, Rotel, Nad, and Anthem) and have been at this hobby for quite a while and the BasX-300 is really a very good sounding amp. I purchased it just to power surround speakers but of course had to fire it up with some of the main speakers I have around to check it out. Using a Parasound DAC through a Rotel Pre-Amp and Magnepan .7 speakers the Emotiva amp really exceeded my expectations. Tight and focused with a real sense of transparency. Best of all it just sounds right and makes me want to keep listening.

The experience with the amp has me interested in more Emotiva gear. Also I've been watching youtube clips with Dan and like the over all philosophy and the concept of moving production of at least the higher end stuff to the USA.

My 3 questions are related to the Emersa and MC-700 Preamp-Processors. For home theater I like the idea of keeping it simple and the pre-pros I've used so far do a great job but have so many connections and features that I would never use.

Question 1 I started hearing about the Emersa line a long time ago and have been watching for it's release and just now saw the MC-700 coming out. Is the MC-700 taking the place of the Emersa Pre-Pro?

Question 2 Does the MC-700 support Dolby Digital Plus. I didn't see Plus mentioned in the description though I would think it would be supported?

Question 3 is I noticed the MC-700 has a balanced and a unbalanced sub output. I do have a JLAudio Fathom sub with balanced connections. I need to run one sub out to a buttkicker amp for home theather use and the other to my sub. Can both outputs be used simultaneously and can you just use any good XLR cable to the sub? I noticed Emotiva has decent looking XLR cables offered but nothing specifically for subwoofer use.



Thanks

[sirreal]

It looks like both the emp1  and the mc-700 would give me the 2 Hdmi outputs that I need and if the final version emp1  stays like the original concept both would give me the 2 sub outputs (one balanced one unbalanced which I hope can be used simultaneously)

The thing with the XMC-1 is it has all the stuff I want but quite a bit I would never use like the different zones and the turner. Also if I have this correct it's 19” deep would probably have to stick out of my rack a bit to make the connnections in back.

I do like having the 7.1 analog inputs which I use on my current Rotel Pre-Pro for SACDs. Do the newer uni players like the Oppo now let you decode SACD in the processor over HDMI so you no longer need to go with the analog inputs? I thought I had heard that but haven't had a player that would do that yet. If so I think the revised Emersa emp-1 would be the way for me.

[cwt]

Dec 19, 2016 21:12:34 GMT -5 sirreal said:

I do like having the 7.1 analog inputs which I use on my current Rotel Pre-Pro for SACDs. Do the newer uni players like the Oppo now let you decode SACD in the processor over HDMI so you no longer need to go with the analog inputs? I thought I had heard that but haven't had a player that would do that yet. If so I think the revised Emersa emp-1 would be the way for me.

A new pre pro will have a number of advantages sirreal ; no multichannel analogs anymore as you can send a digital bitstream from that new oppo universal over hdmi to the pre pro . Either decoded lpcm or a dsd bitstream depending on the type of dac in the pre pro :)This came in with hdmi1.2 iirc

No more multichannel analog cable mess . You can now apply room eq to the signal as its not a straight analog passthrough anymore ; the emp1 hasn't got a multichannel input anyway which some see as a good thing as it is a bit redundant ; Ime one admittedly ::)Sending digital means you can apply the emp1's dirac live - a big plus when your room isn't optimum like most . Its still your choice though if you prefer minimal processing to the signal..

[sirreal]

Been out of town and just saw this now. Great info cwt. Even though I've been at this long time always learning. Looks like none of the Emotiva dacs would do a dsd bitstream at this time and have to change it to pcm. I don't have the Oppo yet but some of the Sony blu-ray players I have can be configured to send SACD discs as pcm to my rotel which then does display the right resolution being decoded in the Rotel. I can even see myself going with the Emersa pre-pro for movies and much of my music listening but also having a dsd capable dac/pre amp for SACD listening. I have a bit over a hundred sacd discs but have only collected pcm wav versions of high rez downloads.

SACD discs converted to pcm and decoded in my rotel do without question sound superior to cd to me and sound like the high resolution pcm downloads I own. I doubt I will hear a lot of improvement by keeping it a dsd stream but would like to try it. I've heard sacd decoded in some of Sonys higher end sacd players so I am able to use that as a reference.