Post by tutoemo on Jan 31, 2017 11:24:17 GMT -5
Hello All. I am practically new to the Lounge. I have been registered for a couple of years and have posted maybe twice? Both time related to buying a discontinued center channel speaker to match my towers for the kid's game room. Although the speakers have been replaced since, I still own a 2-ch combo to drive my outdoors speakers (UPA-200 and XDA-2).
Anyways, this is my first "real post"
. I would like to share a very special acquisition: the XMC-1 (1.4b). I have been on the fence about this component for a little while, and finally dropped the anchor. I have to say what a relief! This guy is pretty awesome. Now, I have only played with the most superficial settings as of yet. I have not dived into the deep waters of "personalization" with all the EQ parameters, and DIRAC stuff... The thing is, I may never do! The XMC is that good right out of the box.
I was, once again, impressed by build quality. I sure hope Emotiva NEVER depart from the classic, formal, unassuming, all business black aluminum trim with blue lights. I really never cared for the silver trim... If I may, I think the silver trim in the Emotiva gear does not work like in other brands, it makes the gear look cheaper. Obviously, this is only a matter of personal taste.
The front display is excellent. I really appreciate all the information available in one screen. The OLED really makes a difference. All buttons and control knob feel solid to the touch and efficient. One thing I especially like is that the requisite logos for all the processing products that are being used in a processor are not on the face of the darn unit like everyone else's, but instead are printed on the TOP of the unit, which is a cleaner, more attractive approach. That was a refreshing touch.
The back layout is simple and logical, self explanatory. My favorite part of the back panel is the print " PROUDLY DESIGNED AND MANUFACTURED IN THE USA". This, as matter of fact, was a factor in buying this processor.
I will not dwell into the software and menu/control details, except I will highlight what i like about it so far:
- The front lights are dimmable. It is a perfect black when in use, BUT the display automatically lights up with the touch of any button.
- The unit sends its display to your monitor, which is always a plus. Some processors don't have this feature and almost impossible to use the menu without being 6" away from it
- Navigating the menu i a breeze, again very intuitive.
- The unit is very, very smart. It memorizes as it goes, which I really like. It is obvious that a lot of human thinking took place in the design, which is not always the case elsewhere, where a processor takes extra, more complicated steps, and/or makes decisions for you that make you go "hmm?"
- I really, really like the "Advanced Video On Standby" feature. Very convenient in my set up, and I don't recall which other product has it (maybe others have it under a different name?)
As for the end product of video and sound, the jury is still out. i say this because i don't think I have optimized the settings for my room/setup. So far out of the box it has been pretty good. I have yet to dive into DIRAC LE... I keep remembering my "workouts" with Audyssey MultEQ and am not a super fan of placing microphones here and there, but if it helps I will give it old college try...
As far as 2ch critical listening, that took a back seat, and i am not very interested in the results, since the XMC is in a HT/2ch hybrid setup, where the processor passes thru my dedicated 2ch preamp. This will not change, as I really love my 2ch setup...
So for now, I will leave y'all with a few pics, which I always enjoy taking when a new member joins my team:
Happy listening!
Anyways, this is my first "real post"
. I would like to share a very special acquisition: the XMC-1 (1.4b). I have been on the fence about this component for a little while, and finally dropped the anchor. I have to say what a relief! This guy is pretty awesome. Now, I have only played with the most superficial settings as of yet. I have not dived into the deep waters of "personalization" with all the EQ parameters, and DIRAC stuff... The thing is, I may never do! The XMC is that good right out of the box.I was, once again, impressed by build quality. I sure hope Emotiva NEVER depart from the classic, formal, unassuming, all business black aluminum trim with blue lights. I really never cared for the silver trim... If I may, I think the silver trim in the Emotiva gear does not work like in other brands, it makes the gear look cheaper. Obviously, this is only a matter of personal taste.
The front display is excellent. I really appreciate all the information available in one screen. The OLED really makes a difference. All buttons and control knob feel solid to the touch and efficient. One thing I especially like is that the requisite logos for all the processing products that are being used in a processor are not on the face of the darn unit like everyone else's, but instead are printed on the TOP of the unit, which is a cleaner, more attractive approach. That was a refreshing touch.
The back layout is simple and logical, self explanatory. My favorite part of the back panel is the print " PROUDLY DESIGNED AND MANUFACTURED IN THE USA". This, as matter of fact, was a factor in buying this processor.
I will not dwell into the software and menu/control details, except I will highlight what i like about it so far:
- The front lights are dimmable. It is a perfect black when in use, BUT the display automatically lights up with the touch of any button.
- The unit sends its display to your monitor, which is always a plus. Some processors don't have this feature and almost impossible to use the menu without being 6" away from it
- Navigating the menu i a breeze, again very intuitive.
- The unit is very, very smart. It memorizes as it goes, which I really like. It is obvious that a lot of human thinking took place in the design, which is not always the case elsewhere, where a processor takes extra, more complicated steps, and/or makes decisions for you that make you go "hmm?"
- I really, really like the "Advanced Video On Standby" feature. Very convenient in my set up, and I don't recall which other product has it (maybe others have it under a different name?)
As for the end product of video and sound, the jury is still out. i say this because i don't think I have optimized the settings for my room/setup. So far out of the box it has been pretty good. I have yet to dive into DIRAC LE... I keep remembering my "workouts" with Audyssey MultEQ and am not a super fan of placing microphones here and there, but if it helps I will give it old college try...
As far as 2ch critical listening, that took a back seat, and i am not very interested in the results, since the XMC is in a HT/2ch hybrid setup, where the processor passes thru my dedicated 2ch preamp. This will not change, as I really love my 2ch setup...
So for now, I will leave y'all with a few pics, which I always enjoy taking when a new member joins my team:
Happy listening!
Attachments:
I have been using the XMC-1 in my dedicated theater for over a year now and run it with Mark Levinson amps. You will need to get the DIRAC full version to realize its' true potential as the LE has a lot of limitations (especially with the subs). Unlike Audessy, DIRAC is far more robust in its' implementation and really delivers the goods when dialed in. When comparing to Macintosh, the Burr Brown DACs in the XMC-1 are not as laid back so your sound will be a little more forward than the sweet sound you are use to with the Macs. That being said, you have the best of both worlds (with the Mac pre-amp) and you can always upgrade the Emo processor down the road unlike other units. Enjoy the journey.
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