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Post by goodfellas27 on Feb 22, 2020 0:33:55 GMT -5
I got these XLR caps from Amazon to protect the XLR ports that I am not using. The one below are for the amps. According to them, it helps to ground the XLR ground to the chassis and lower the amp's noise floor. Anyone has experience with these? Keith?
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Ricco
Minor Hero
Posts: 11
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Post by Ricco on Feb 22, 2020 15:14:00 GMT -5
I am just praying that it just works. I have a Sony 4K Blu-ray player, Apple TV 4K and that’s it. I use Netflix from my LG OLED. Noooooooooooo.........ARC & CEC ...................... You’ll need a lot of praying. Netflix on the Apple TV4K works perfectly, not so ARC and and it’s partner in hell CEC. Cheers Gary Has anyone ever got ARC to work properly on XMC2?
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Post by ttocs on Feb 22, 2020 17:51:47 GMT -5
Received the XMC-2 today at 1:43pm. I let the box acclimate for an hour, then unpacked everything. I set the XMC-2 on the table and let it acclimate for another hour and a quarter. At 4pm I connected the Sony XBR85X950G TV to HDMI-2ARC_Output, and TiVo Edge to HDMI-1_Input using the same Zeskit 8K cables goodfellas27 also uses. I then connected the power cable after making sure that the Power Switch was Off. TV was also Off. After some assurance from several forum members I connected the Center, Surrounds, and Rears to the outputs. I'm holding off on connecting the Mains and Subs for a little bit. I turned On the Power Switch and watched the Front Panel Power Button. At about 6 seconds it flashed orange a couple times, the blue a couple times, then at 10 seconds EMOTIVA popped onto the Front Panel Display, 55 seconds later the display went blank for a second and PLEASE WAIT was displayed, 17 seconds later the display went blank again and the XMC-2 shut down causing the Power Button to turn orange. I pressed the Power Button and RETHINK HI-END showed for 3 seconds then PLEASE WAIT for another 10 seconds then the XMC-2 was ALIVE!!!! The display showed the usual info and volume was set at -40.
I'm liking what I'm experiencing so far! With the XMC-1 my TiVo was glitchy while using Instant Replay going back 8 seconds or popping forward 30 seconds. With my Epson projector it was never an issue but with the new Sony TV I've had to turn off the TV, wait, then turn back on because sync was getting lost. I blamed the TV, but as most of us know, it's really the synergy of our entire systems which makes or breaks our experience. The XMC-2 is rock solid on keeping the sync going between these two devices - TiVo and Sony TV. So far, not a single glitch of any kind!
Frankly, Emotiva was so swift in getting the Trade-In swap accomplished that I'm a bit unprepared in getting my main amps ready. I took advantage of what I thought would be closer to two weeks time to poke around and take some measurements to try to answer some questions clanging around in my skull. So now I'm going to cut short some of that and get the amps back in place, maybe tonight! Because from what I'm experiencing right now it's looking really promising!!
This is 100% of my experience so far.
FIRMWARE VERSION 1.7 19/11/07
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Post by ttocs on Feb 22, 2020 20:41:26 GMT -5
For you 2 channel peoples, do the DAC's seem a bit brighter than the XMC-1? Seems that way to me, which is welcome.
The soundstage is better, even more realistic than before. The speakers, which in my case have been fairly invisible, are even less visible now!
While streaming Tidal the cutoff at the start of each tune is really difficult to accept.
During normal TiVo TV viewing, after changing channels, when the video begins the sound is absent for 4 seconds. You can set your watch to it. At least it doesn't "blip" on for a brief instant, then go silent for another brief instant, then startup again like what was happening for a long time with the V3 board in the XMC-1.
Overall I'm happy.
edit: Actually, I'm thinking it may not be the DAC's per se, but in fact the Differential Mono Mode they are running in. It may be that what I've been used to is sound where some freqs have been squelched to some degree through cancellation? Dunno, just trying to get a handle on the improvement. But when I hear more dynamics in the upper ranges, that's pretty interesting.
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Post by ttocs on Feb 23, 2020 0:09:36 GMT -5
@keithl Just got "the noise". It wasn't loud, it was at the volume level I was using at the time.
While watching TV on the TiVo, I was fast forwarding through a show and pressed the play button which then means that TiVo backs up the show about 8-10 seconds and when the video began playing, the "noise" happened immediately and lasted about 1 second, then no audio until a few more seconds when the sound would normally begin (about 4 seconds after video stabilizes). The noise was a digital static stutter. I believe the "audio mute" didn't act quick enough upon exiting the video shuffle from the FF and Skip Back.
With my system I have tube mono amps for the main L and R speakers, so when my system is turned on I wait for things to stabilize, then switch on the tube amps manually. So this means I won't get "the noise" at startup like some RMC-1 owners have gotten (lucky me).
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Post by marcl on Feb 23, 2020 3:22:49 GMT -5
Similarly ttocs! I had been planning for a couple weeks using the OPPO and Thursday night got it working with all sources and 5.1 outputs. That sounded really good. Then Saturday dove into the XMC-2 task. I took the opportunity to move out some unused gear and old cabling from past A/V setups ... took most of the day before I got the levels and delays done and then spent an hour or so working on PEQ filters with REW. I can't seem to get the triggers to turn on my amps like they did before, but I'm sure I'll figure that out.
Even without all of that perfect yet, the XMC-2 sounds great and I have to say there is something that sounds distinctly better than the XMC-1, even without Dirac. There seems to be an overall clarity, and more uniformity in the surround mix. edit: I read your last two posts after writing this. What you describe as the brightness and clarity ... that's what I hear too! Welcome enhancement to my 65 year old ears!
Yes, I saw all that "Please Wait" stuff and all the back and forth and thought something was wrong at first. Crazy how long it takes even to switch inputs. But it works. I had a Dr HDMI device between my PC and the unit before to keep that connection working properly. I tried going without it but the PC did not see the XMC-2, so I put Dr HDMI back and it worked. Have not gotten USB DAC working yet. Might need a driver for my old Win7 PC.
As for PEQ, it's trickly but I think I found a solution to try Sunday morning. First of all, what would be so hard about listing the syntax for all the filenames and XML in the manual? It bugged me to have to export filter files and read them on my PC to figure it out. And there's this ongoing issue that I had with the XMC-1, being temperamental about reading certain USB drives that work fine on the PC but say "No USB Stick" on the XMC. And then one time it said "No EMO file" when they certainly were there and then re-saving them worked.
Further with PEQ ... if all the speakers are set to Small with crossovers set and the sub attached, making filter files for each channel including the sub ends up double-EQ'ing the sub. So I think I have to make the filter for the sub first, THEN measure the other channels with the sub already corrected. In that case I'll only EQ the range above or slightly across the crossover point for each speaker. I also want to experiment using Enhanced Bass to run my L/R Magnepans full range with sub added below 40Hz. Since the new EB implementation SEEMS to not be mixing all the LFE back to the Large speakers, this might work.
And ... I'm currently 7.1, but I'm thinking of trying 5.1.2 with the rear speakers as Rear Height. They're high up in the back of the room so it might work out. Eventually I'll add Front Height. Looking for a used pair of Magnepan MMGW's to swing from the ceiling :-)
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Post by superhelmi on Feb 23, 2020 6:12:45 GMT -5
Hello marcl,
I'm sorry to say.... but the PEQs for Sub is not working….. Filter 1 for the other channels are acting as a shelfing filter! I reported this to Emotiva and KeithL said they are working at it!
Markus
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Post by marcl on Feb 23, 2020 8:33:12 GMT -5
Hello marcl, I'm sorry to say.... but the PEQs for Sub is not working….. Filter 1 for the other channels are acting as a shelfing filter! I reported this to Emotiva and KeithL said they are working at it! Markus Thanks Markus .... it sure would have saved me a lot of time if they had said something! Really, somebody in engineering should actually use REW to make filters and measure the results and then update the manual in a meaningful way. Hell, I've been an engineer for 43 years ... I would be glad to do it for them once I retire in a few weeks :-)
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Post by phaselinear on Feb 23, 2020 8:51:34 GMT -5
Current XMC-2 Issues, 1. No Arc audio handshake between Samsung TV and XMC-2 resulting in tv sending audio through tv speakers and Arc audio HDMI simotaniously with no tv volume remote communication. Yes all CEC functions are enabled on both devices. These at least functioned on the XMC-1 before trade in. Problem 2. No audio when changing sources requiring at least an input change or worst case XMC-2 hard reboot. Problem 3. While programming FM radio stations, XMC-2 will lock up if you try to enter multiple stations before backing out of menu. This results in the last few stations not saving which means you can start over after reboot. CONCLUSIONS... I love the features and fidelity of the new XMC-2 but the computer interface portion is constantly plagued with firmware issues. When i owned the XMC - 1 with original Video board, after many years they almost had all the bugs worked out. Then I changed to the new Video board and it was never the same. I hope thest problems can be worked out in the XMC-2, It is crippling an otherwise excellent processor. Getting tired of hard resets..
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Post by marcl on Feb 23, 2020 11:32:54 GMT -5
Hello marcl, I'm sorry to say.... but the PEQs for Sub is not working….. Filter 1 for the other channels are acting as a shelfing filter! I reported this to Emotiva and KeithL said they are working at it! Markus Thanks Markus .... it sure would have saved me a lot of time if they had said something! Really, somebody in engineering should actually use REW to make filters and measure the results and then update the manual in a meaningful way. Hell, I've been an engineer for 43 years ... I would be glad to do it for them once I retire in a few weeks :-) So ... I reset all the XMC-2 filters. My subs are connected to the Center Sub output through a miniDSP. I measured the sub response and created filters in REW just for the sub, and loaded them into the miniDSP. Then measured all channels. Here's the result with Variable Smoothing. I found that setting the L/R as Large and enabling Enhanced Bass smoothed a couple dips at the low end. Crossovers: L/R 40Hz, C 200Hz, SL/SR 80Hz. I may try to use the XMC-2 filters to tame the two humps in the L/R 40-100Hz to see if at least that will work.
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Post by bluescale on Feb 23, 2020 19:38:43 GMT -5
For you 2 channel peoples, do the DAC's seem a bit brighter than the XMC-1? Seems that way to me, which is welcome. The soundstage is better, even more realistic than before. The speakers, which in my case have been fairly invisible, are even less visible now! While streaming Tidal the cutoff at the start of each tune is really difficult to accept. During normal TiVo TV viewing, after changing channels, when the video begins the sound is absent for 4 seconds. You can set your watch to it. At least it doesn't "blip" on for a brief instant, then go silent for another brief instant, then startup again like what was happening for a long time with the V3 board in the XMC-1. Overall I'm happy. edit: Actually, I'm thinking it may not be the DAC's per se, but in fact the Differential Mono Mode they are running in. It may be that what I've been used to is sound where some freqs have been squelched to some degree through cancellation? Dunno, just trying to get a handle on the improvement. But when I hear more dynamics in the upper ranges, that's pretty interesting. Were you using Dirac before? Dirac generally attenuates the highs frequencies somewhat. Even if you didn't follow the default curve, and implemented your own, chances are it had some sort of upward ramp moving from high to low frequencies. Anyway, just a thought...
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Post by 5channels on Feb 23, 2020 19:53:04 GMT -5
I took delivery of my XMC-2 earlier this month. Out of the gate I am impressed. It obviously marries well with my XPA-5 Gen3. The sonics are outstanding. I do have a few peevs and a few questions, but I will hold back until the v1.8 is released on Monday. I hope the Tech-Support are getting their rest tonight. Hopefully, it will just amount to a good rest, the release goes well and the phones stay silent.
Cheers J
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Post by ttocs on Feb 23, 2020 20:09:06 GMT -5
For you 2 channel peoples, do the DAC's seem a bit brighter than the XMC-1? Seems that way to me, which is welcome. Overall I'm happy. edit: Actually, I'm thinking it may not be the DAC's per se, but in fact the Differential Mono Mode they are running in. It may be that what I've been used to is sound where some freqs have been squelched to some degree through cancellation? Dunno, just trying to get a handle on the improvement. But when I hear more dynamics in the upper ranges, that's pretty interesting. Were you using Dirac before? Dirac generally attenuates the highs frequencies somewhat. Even if you didn't follow the default curve, and implemented your own, chances are it had some sort of upward ramp moving from high to low frequencies. Anyway, just a thought... No, I haven't used Dirac in almost 3 years. It's a true apples to apples comparison. In fact, the entire frequency spectrum is more cohesive, articulate, and dynamic. It's way more improvement than I thought possible. This is just for two channel Reference Stereo listening. In multi-channel, 5.1 stuff on TV because I haven't put a disc in yet, the surround seems more active and alive - but proper. I just now turned on the subs which are only for surround and LFE duties, taking baby steps. I'm gonna spin a disc soon to checkout Dolby True HD 7.1.0. It was really good before.
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Post by napsterau on Feb 23, 2020 23:24:31 GMT -5
I see XMC-2 has a remote control app for Android and Windows, where can one find this?
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Post by hytram on Feb 24, 2020 3:23:18 GMT -5
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Post by marcl on Feb 24, 2020 8:49:08 GMT -5
Were you using Dirac before? Dirac generally attenuates the highs frequencies somewhat. Even if you didn't follow the default curve, and implemented your own, chances are it had some sort of upward ramp moving from high to low frequencies. Anyway, just a thought... No, I haven't used Dirac in almost 3 years. It's a true apples to apples comparison. In fact, the entire frequency spectrum is more cohesive, articulate, and dynamic. It's way more improvement than I thought possible. This is just for two channel Reference Stereo listening. In multi-channel, 5.1 stuff on TV because I haven't put a disc in yet, the surround seems more active and alive - but proper. I just now turned on the subs which are only for surround and LFE duties, taking baby steps. I'm gonna spin a disc soon to checkout Dolby True HD 7.1.0. It was really good before. I'm really curious about Dirac 2.0. From what I've read, there isn't much difference in basic algorithms yet. Bass management may be somewhat different to start, and definitely they say they plan a new bass management upgrade at additional cost ... someday. Over the past year and a half I've done many, many dozens of Dirac (Full) calibrations with the XMC-1, with many speaker locations and room treatments. It was straight forward to create response curves in any way I wanted for each speaker. I then measured with REW at the MLP and often tweaked the curves from the same set of measurements until I got what I wanted. In almost every case Dirac sounded better than no correction, though there were instances where the way I measured or the position of the speakers created an unpredictable result. Very rare though. Right now with EQ only on the sub output using a miniDSP (not XMC-2 PEQ, due to issues mentioned in an earlier post) The system sounds better in ways that can only be attributed to the difference between XMC-1 and 2. Measured frequency response from midrange up is not that much different than I had with Dirac. But Dirac does more than just standard PEQ. They use mixed phase filters which will have a different effect on phase response than XMC-2 or miniDSP filters. They also correct impulse response, which neither XMC-2 nor miniDSP can do. So we can expect Dirac to sound different. And trusting the 20 years of engineering behind the algorithms, it should be more "correct". I believe that if "correct" doesn't "sound right", well there must be some explanation ... even if we can't quite know what it is :-)
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Post by ttocs on Feb 24, 2020 11:06:46 GMT -5
Over the past year and a half I've done many, many dozens of Dirac (Full) calibrations with the XMC-1, with many speaker locations and room treatments. It was straight forward to create response curves in any way I wanted for each speaker. I then measured with REW at the MLP and often tweaked the curves from the same set of measurements until I got what I wanted. In almost every case Dirac sounded better than no correction, though there were instances where the way I measured or the position of the speakers created an unpredictable result. Very rare though. In my case, I haven't used Dirac recently due to working on the house in 2017, then moving things around a few times during 2018, then couldn't remember the login info and was too lazy to call for help being that the sound was actually very good so not a high priority. Mostly laziness though. I agree with you that Dirac is quite amazing!
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Post by ttocs on Feb 24, 2020 13:30:36 GMT -5
Came home for lunch, turned on the TV and due to CEC enabled the XMC-2 switched on, turned off the XMC-2 so it was Video On Standby.
I rolled back the show on TiVo which had a half hour of "Live" buffer duration, and skipped back to the beginning to check something, then skipped forward about 5 minutes and began watching. Paused the show and after the "beginning" of the buffer had caught up with itself, it unpaused - at which time the digital-static-stutter occurred in the TV's speakers. All of my amps were off so there is no chance there was any sound emanating from the various external speakers.
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Post by bluescale on Feb 24, 2020 15:12:30 GMT -5
Came home for lunch, turned on the TV and due to CEC enabled the XMC-2 switched on, turned off the XMC-2 so it was Video On Standby. I rolled back the show on TiVo which had a half hour of "Live" buffer duration, and skipped back to the beginning to check something, then skipped forward about 5 minutes and began watching. Paused the show and after the "beginning" of the buffer had caught up with itself, it unpaused - at which time the digital-static-stutter occurred in the TV's speakers. All of my amps were off so there is no chance there was any sound emanating from the various external speakers. Yikes! I hope you're going to call Emotiva to report that. I haven't seen anyone previously report the issue happening in pass through.
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Post by Hair Nick on Feb 24, 2020 15:41:49 GMT -5
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