XMC-1 vs Marantz AV7703

[aceinc]

I am an owner of an XMC-1, previously a UMC-1. I purchased the XMC-1 with the coupon from the UMC-1, so I will not be eligible for the free upgrade for 4k.

I am interested in both 4k & Atmos. Marantz is currently on their 3rd generation of their AV7700 series processor. With the release of the AV7704, the price of the AV7703 is between $1,300 and $1,500, new with warranty.

Hence my interest in the AV7703. What do I get by waiting for the upgrades for the XMC-1? I know that if I get the AV7703, there are a number of gewgaws & gimcracks that the XMC-1 will never have. But other than saving $3-$500 what will I get by waiting for the next delay, and/or ultimate release of the upgrades for the XMC-1?

I intend to keep my 7 channels of XPA amplification including the XPA-1s. I picked up a Sherbourn 5 channel amp a while back, that I can allocate 4 channels for height from and I could be up and running next weekend.

Can someone can tell me what the gratification is that I am delaying for?

Hopefully this post doesn't get me sent to Emotiva jail. I was there before for asking impertinent questions.

[sahmen]

Dirac room correction functionality, and better two-channel audio, if music is important to you.

[adaboy]

Do it and don't look back. There no evidence that the XMC-1 is that superior in 2ch mode to warrant the "delays" of release.

[LCSeminole]

Oct 22, 2017 21:20:35 GMT -5 aceinc said:

I am an owner of an XMC-1, previously a UMC-1. I purchased the XMC-1 with the coupon from the UMC-1, so I will not be eligible for the free upgrade for 4k.

I am interested in both 4k & Atmos. Marantz is currently on their 3rd generation of their AV7700 series processor. With the release of the AV7704, the price of the AV7703 is between $1,300 and $1,500, new with warranty.

Hence my interest in the AV7703. What do I get by waiting for the upgrades for the XMC-1? I know that if I get the AV7703, there are a number of gewgaws & gimcracks that the XMC-1 will never have. But other than saving $3-$500 what will I get by waiting for the next delay, and/or ultimate release of the upgrades for the XMC-1?

I intend to keep my 7 channels of XPA amplification including the XPA-1s. I picked up a Sherbourn 5 channel amp a while back, that I can allocate 4 channels for height from and I could be up and running next weekend.

Can someone can tell me what the gratification is that I am delaying for?

Hopefully this post doesn't get me sent to Emotiva jail. I was there before for asking impertinent questions.

Do you already have a 4K flat panel or projector? Do you have speakers in place for the Atmos/DTS:X immersive audio channels yet? If you answered yes to both of these and you don't want to wait, then I say exercise your option, buy the Marantz and start taking advantage of these and start enjoying them now. Options are always a good thing, so go for it. If you answered no to both questions, then waiting on the XMC-1 upgrades for HDMI 2.0b and immersive audio should be a no-brainer. IMO, the sound quality and DIRAC are what easily makes the differences to me over Marantz/Denon/Onkyo products.

[fattykidd]

As someone who went from an xmc to a 7702mk2 to an Anthem mrx..20 avr.
I didn’t notice a big sound difference going from the xmc to Marantz as I also changed the amps at the same time. And the period between disconnection and reconnection was too long to actually remember how the last one sounded.
On that note though, the version of xt32 I used was crap. Plain and simple. I added a pair of Ddrc88a to reattain Dirac as it’s far superior.
Now going from the marantz to the Anthem was only a couple hours instead of weeks. Arc is “almost” as good as Dirac at giving a flat response. Arc is super easy to use, so far more user friendly. And the anthem is more dynamic and musical than the Marantz. Anthem also has a lower noise floor when connected to my external amps than Marantz.
The Marantz units are VERY good. But.... see if you can demo one in room before you commit.



Also remember. This is the Emotiva lounge. Opinions will lean in a certain direction. 😉😉😉😉😉

[lehighvalleyjeff]

Oct 22, 2017 22:11:53 GMT -5 fattykidd said:

As someone who went from an xmc to a 7702mk2 to an Anthem mrx..20 avr.
I didn’t notice a big sound difference going from the xmc to Marantz as I also changed the amps at the same time. And the period between disconnection and reconnection was too long to actually remember how the last one sounded.
On that note though, xt32 is crap. Plain and simple. I added a pair of Ddrc88a to reattain Dirac as it’s far superior.
Now going from the marantz to the Anthem was only a couple hours instead of weeks. Arc is “almost” as good as Dirac at giving a flat response. Arc is super easy to use, so far more user friendly. And the anthem is more dynamic and musical than the Marantz. Anthem also has a lower noise floor when connected to my external amps than Marantz.
The Marantz units are VERY good. But.... see if you can demo one in room before you commit.

Agreed out of the box Audyssey XT32 out of the box is limited at best. For XT32 users (Marantz & Denon) there is a pay download app ($10) from Audyssey that opens up a whole new world of features. You have to use it from your phone but you can set custom target curves for each speaker, only use correction for certain frequencies and not others and a whole bunch of stuff that is over my head. Proof is in the pudding. I just heard a Denon receiver with the add on phone app set up and it was jaw dropping. Far more flexible than what I’ve seen with Dirac to date. It just requires you to buy a license after you buy the receiver.

[pknaz]

XT32 only fixes the frequency domain, not the time domain, so its usefulness is a big fat 0 in my book. If you want to understand why, check out some of Floyd Toole's work on constant directivity and how off axis response is as (if not more so) important to the sound quality as on axis response is.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=zrpUDuUtxPM

[garbulky]

I think you ask some good questions. The XMC-1 is a good sounding unit no doubt. Lots of detail. Lots of punch.

However all the processors and receivers I've heard including the XMC-1 have never really cut it for me vs the best of 2 channel quality. And fwiw, the "best" I've heard or at least close to the best is the $500 DC-1 paired with XPA-1 gen 2. Now granted I've heard a lot of other way more expensive stuff that did some things better, some things worse etc. But my pick is what I have and it's surprisngly cheap!

So at $500, I didn't find the XMC-1 knocking my socks off compared to the DC-1.
Don't get me wrong it wasn't far behind in the distance either. But when you look at the price of the XMC-1, and you hear "the sound quality", just know that I heard very good sound quality at $500.

Now all the other receivers and processors I've heard all sounded more thin in sound vs the XMC-1, grainy in the high end etc. So in terms of the best in surround sound, the XMC-1 is the best I've heard. But I'm not sure how much that is worth. Especially if your interest is movie audio.

For DIRAC, out of all the room correction systems which wasn't many - I've heard it was the best. I've heard auddysey, YPAO. However, once again, I'm not sure that was saying much.
What all room correction did for me was sound "different". In the case of the XMC-1, it was "definitely different".
What it did different was that it appeared to be able to almost make the soundstage a "picture" like a large tv screen and literally shift it like you could just move a tv in front of you, angle it in a differet way. That was certainly impressive to be able to do it. I heard a difference throughout the frequency spectrum. But did it make it better? I'm not sure. I noticed the bass extension wasn't quite as good with it which for me was the biggest detriment. The dynamics weren't quite as slamming. And I ended up preferring it turned off.


The other thing is about Emotiva's release dates. The ability for upgrades is really nice. I give a lot of credit for that. What other company has delivered on upgrades other than Schiit and Krell? But more importantly, I have a hard time expecting "timeliness". Having seen the long times announced for "coming soon" products, I would believe some of these promised updates may take several years vs the more hopeful few months.

The wise choice would be either to wait till HDMI standards settled down for a hot second. Or maybe just go with the Marantz since it is cheaper.

However, this question got me thinking. What if it was me and I didn't give two Schitt's about the price and I figured out a way to properly integrate my two channel listening. What would I buy: Marantz or Emotiva.
And I can't kid myself, despite my ho-hum attitude about it and reservations, it would definitely be the XMC-1. I simply trust Emotiva products more. It's a gorgeous piece of gear.

[bootman]

Oct 22, 2017 21:20:35 GMT -5 aceinc said:

I am an owner of an XMC-1, previously a UMC-1. I purchased the XMC-1 with the coupon from the UMC-1, so I will not be eligible for the free upgrade for 4k.

I am interested in both 4k & Atmos. Marantz is currently on their 3rd generation of their AV7700 series processor. With the release of the AV7704, the price of the AV7703 is between $1,300 and $1,500, new with warranty.

Hence my interest in the AV7703. What do I get by waiting for the upgrades for the XMC-1? I know that if I get the AV7703, there are a number of gewgaws & gimcracks that the XMC-1 will never have. But other than saving $3-$500 what will I get by waiting for the next delay, and/or ultimate release of the upgrades for the XMC-1?

I intend to keep my 7 channels of XPA amplification including the XPA-1s. I picked up a Sherbourn 5 channel amp a while back, that I can allocate 4 channels for height from and I could be up and running next weekend.

Can someone can tell me what the gratification is that I am delaying for?

Hopefully this post doesn't get me sent to Emotiva jail. I was there before for asking impertinent questions.

Do what you need to do to satisfy your needs now.
You don't need any justification from internet folks to spend your own money.

[creimes]

From owning a UMC-1, PT-7030, XMC-1, PT-7020C4, Marantz AV-7702 and then back to a PT-7020C4 I can say this, for two channel the Marantz lacked detail and clarity to even an older Sherbourn PT-7020C4, Movies was less noticeable but the best sound I have yet to attain through a processor in my room was the XMC-1 with Dirac hands down. Marantz being such a big name in audio I was unimpressed with the 2ch sound quality of the 7702, very lackluster IMO,

My room, my ears but I am just giving you my experience with a Marantz processor

Chad

[rbk123]

The XMC will probably sound better, especially with the newer chip processing on the Atmos board when you get it. As processor chips evolve, they just keep getting better. However, to get the newer chips, it will cost you ~ $1k. To get the Marantz, it will probably cost you nothing (or very little) if you sell the XMC-1.

[aceinc]

One thought is to get a Marantz or Denon from Best Buy and compare it to the XMC-1 in my living room in 7.2 mode, as well as two channel. I have 15 day return policy with Best Buy, should my ears in my room be unhappy.

I assume if I like it in 7.2 mode it would be OK in 7.2.4 mode.

Regarding my current setup, I do not have the height speakers or the 4k monitor, though I am willing to acquire them quickly.

[novisnick]

I sold my XMC-1 in anticipation of the new boards! I miss it very much. I wanted a unit built from the ground up with the upgrades and not as add ons. Im different! LOL
I may have sold it way too soon but how does nobody know when that would be. I did not sell when there was many on the market so I may have maximized my return, then again,,,,I really Miss my xmc-1. 😢

My unit will be for HT mostly but ill add in some jamming SS as well. Itll be an addiction to my tube setup.
Did I mention i Miss my XMC-1?

As for the DC-1 being equivalent to the XMC-1, I respectfully say,,,,,HOGWASH! ❤️ garbulky LOL

I do think that the sound is so good and so similar to each other that a blind test between the two would be extremely hard, now add on all the other things the XMC-1 brings to the table and its a bargain, IF you utilize it. Otherwise a XSP-1 / DC-1 combo is most excellent.

[Gary Cook]

As someone who already has a 4K TV, 2 X 4K sources and 2 spare channels in an XPA-5 I'm pretty close to needing a 4K Atmos/DTSX processor to replace the UMC-200. Having compared a 7702 to the UMC-200 a while back I found the UMC-200 (REW'd) to sound superior, that's just for HT use as I have an XSP-1 for 2.1 stereo music. Whether the 7703 sounds better than the 7702 I can't say, but since it's much the same architecture I suspect not.

Cheers
Gary

[hemster]

Oct 23, 2017 11:28:31 GMT -5 aceinc said:

One thought is to get a Marantz or Denon from Best Buy and compare it to the XMC-1 in my living room in 7.2 mode, as well as two channel. I have 15 day return policy with Best Buy, should my ears in my room be unhappy.

I assume if I like it in 7.2 mode it would be OK in 7.2.4 mode.

Regarding my current setup, I do not have the height speakers or the 4k monitor, though I am willing to acquire them quickly.

Make sure Best Buy doesn't charge a restocking fee when you return stuff. 

[cwt]

Oct 23, 2017 11:28:31 GMT -5 aceinc said:

One thought is to get a Marantz or Denon from Best Buy and compare it to the XMC-1 in my living room in 7.2 mode, as well as two channel. I have 15 day return policy with Best Buy, should my ears in my room be unhappy.

Nice option ;and takes a lot of the doubt out of it On topic for specific differences between the Marantz/xmc1 ; if the US ever gets HDR in the long term the Marantz is hdmi2.0a and the xmc1 is 2.0b which can handle HLG HDR . The xmc1 has the outside possibility of getting a new hdmi pcb which is looking handy as the atsc tosses up the different contenders If dolby vision wins you could be ok with either ;an interesting read here -

www.fiercecable.com/broadcasting/hlg-advanced-hdr-and-long-road-ahead-for-hdr-broadcasts-u-s

[rtg97229]

Interesting thread. I am a bit late to it. As for the DC-1 and XMC-1 I am closer to agreeing with garbulky. They both sound great in 2 ch mode but the DC-1 is a much better value. Adding a XSP-1 to the DC-1 is only useful if you need the added features of the XSP-1, otherwise they sound the same to my ears. That said the extra features are nice if you need them.

[flamingeye]

though I never had/heard a XMC-1 I think a proper comparison would be Marantz AV 8802a vs XMC-1 , just saying

[Soup]

Oct 22, 2017 22:11:53 GMT -5 fattykidd said:

As someone who went from an xmc to a 7702mk2 to an Anthem mrx..20 avr.
I didn’t notice a big sound difference going from the xmc to Marantz as I also changed the amps at the same time. And the period between disconnection and reconnection was too long to actually remember how the last one sounded.
On that note though, the version of xt32 I used was crap. Plain and simple. I added a pair of Ddrc88a to reattain Dirac as it’s far superior.
Now going from the marantz to the Anthem was only a couple hours instead of weeks. Arc is “almost” as good as Dirac at giving a flat response. Arc is super easy to use, so far more user friendly. And the anthem is more dynamic and musical than the Marantz. Anthem also has a lower noise floor when connected to my external amps than Marantz.
The Marantz units are VERY good. But.... see if you can demo one in room before you commit.



Also remember. This is the Emotiva lounge. Opinions will lean in a certain direction. 😉😉😉😉😉

Agree. Love my Anthem MRX 510, which replaced my UMC-200

[rtg97229]

Ok so I replaced the 8802A with the XMC-1.
Sound difference: For HT I don't notice much but I think I could see people preferring either.
Room correction software: XMC-1 for sure.
Interface: 8802A by a long shot. I am still struggling to figure out the XMC-1 options and the Marantz was easy to set up from the start.
Remote: I prefer XMC-1 remote, wife likes the Marantz remote.