Refurbished xmc-1

[ajb723]

Is it worth it for me to upgrade from a umc-1 to a refurbished xmc-1. Dirac is not important to be, besides which my computer is a Mac running Catalina so it seems I wouldn’t be able to use it anyway. I have a 5.1 setup. Will i notice any improvement?

[thezone]

Sept 20, 2020 23:03:15 GMT -5 ajb723 said:

Is it worth it for me to upgrade from a umc-1 to a refurbished xmc-1. Dirac is not important to be, besides which my computer is a Mac running Catalina so it seems I wouldn’t be able to use it anyway. I have a 5.1 setup. Will i notice any improvement?

I wouldn't bother, save up and get an XMC-2, huge improvement SQ wise over an XMC-1.

[405x5]

Sept 20, 2020 23:03:15 GMT -5 ajb723 said:

Is it worth it for me to upgrade from a umc-1 to a refurbished xmc-1. Dirac is not important to be, besides which my computer is a Mac running Catalina so it seems I wouldn’t be able to use it anyway. I have a 5.1 setup. Will i notice any improvement?

I run the XMC1.....5.1 and no Dirac.....happy as a clam!

[AudioHTIT]

Sept 20, 2020 23:03:15 GMT -5 ajb723 said:

Is it worth it for me to upgrade from a umc-1 to a refurbished xmc-1. Dirac is not important to be, besides which my computer is a Mac running Catalina so it seems I wouldn’t be able to use it anyway. I have a 5.1 setup. Will i notice any improvement?

No one can tell you, if it’s worth it to you to upgrade, or what you’ll hear. I thought the XMC-1’s analog section and DACs both sounded better than the UMC-1. I also thought the HDMI switching was better, and when I installed the 4K board that got even better, though so did the signal (not everyone agrees with that). I even used a Mac to take Dirac measurements with my XMC-1, though I don’t know how well Dirac 1 runs any more. So the upgrade was worth it to me.

[ttocs]

I don't know about the UMC-1, but I upgraded from the UMC-200 to the XMC-1 and enjoyed the improvement, tried Dirac and even bought the Full version but it didn't suit my electrostatic speakers so I stopped trying.

XMC-2 is even better, and Dirac works better now also, so either way it's the best. I only use Dirac for multi-channel, not for music.

[creimes]

Sept 20, 2020 23:03:15 GMT -5 ajb723 said:

Is it worth it for me to upgrade from a umc-1 to a refurbished xmc-1. Dirac is not important to be, besides which my computer is a Mac running Catalina so it seems I wouldn’t be able to use it anyway. I have a 5.1 setup. Will i notice any improvement?

Owning the UMC-1,XMC-1 and now the XMC-2 yes it is worth it, if the XMC-1 fits your budget I say go for it, like mentioned we will all notice or maybe not notice differences in equipment but for me it was an improvement going to the XMC-1.

Cheers,
Chad

[Lsc]

I would say go for it if the refurb but realize that it has a shorter warranty.

[cmark1]

I REALLY wish I didn't have to write this. I have good friends in Franklin who we visit every year and was really jazzed to support a US company, especially during this pandemic.

In 40 years of buying audio gear, and for several years running a 72 track SSL equipped recording studio in Los Angeles, I've never had as frustrating experience as I've had with the XMC-1 refurb I bought a little over a month ago. (Let me edit that- Digidesign was the worst, but I didn't pay for that gear! ). I realize that posting a negative review in a den of Emotiva fans is pointless-there's no convincing anyone here that I'm anything but a moron who doesn't appreciate the joy that is this piece of gear and being in this club. But I appreciate the ability to respectfully disagree here in my experience.

In the beginning when I had my first issues with it taking so long to start up I came here to get an expert solution. I find the expert solution here is to learn to love popcorn and live with it-I guess a 30+ second start up or input switch is a small, albeit quite surprising in 2020, price to pay verses the other faster working A/V processors I've had previously. Well OK . Then I had/have a continual nightmare with HDMI switching. I wish I was kidding, and I'm actually low-balling the frequency;  but half the time from a dead start after the 30+ seconds I get picture and no sound, but usually sound but no picture. A third of the time once you have a fully working input (audio and video) and switch to another one the same thing happens.  And sometimes (my favorite) is on the Optical inputs- sometimes you get everything but subwoofers, and it's not the fault of the subwoofers.  So I come here again to get an expert solution. I find the expert solution is basically we didn't make the ocean, we just made this boat; so if your choppy seas sink it its not really our fault.  That is almost Digidesign (AVID/Pro Tools) buck passing tbh. 

So the workaround I have to do for all the above on a $3k piece of modern audio gear? Once you wait the 30+ seconds to find you didn't 'win it all' , I have to then switch to an unused input, wait another 30+ seconds for it to load, then switch back to the final joyful 30+ seconds to the original source we, but more importantly my wife-wanted to watch in the first place. The keyword above is "I", as in ME, as the rest of the household got Fed Up with it the first day. They walk across the house to find me and just hand me the remote like its the keys to the clunker that won't start AGAIN, after I traded the BMW for it...  So that's around 2 minutes of being stared at while trying to not look in their direction, and quite a bit more if I get frustrated myself and try switching inputs too quickly, which just confuses the XMC processor like it's circa 1995. At that point you just have to abort and start from start up and hope for the best.

I have a 2020 Sony 4k TV, DVR cable box, an older Sony blu ray player to play SACD-r and an Oppo for everything else- OH and a turntable with a nice separate phono preamp and a Parasound 5 channel amp  . Pretty basic in the pantheon of hook up possibilities and certainly nothing that should confuse a $3k processor. I've tried every combination I know and read about here and elsewhere of HDMI 1.4/2.0, CEC switching of each piece, moving HDMI's across the 8 inputs and even skipping the ARC channels on the TV and XMC. I even kept notes so I wouldn't repeat settings. All the while getting that "can't we just go back to how it was" look from the rest of the household. 

The fact I see this issue and others like so often in my (sadly) post-purchase searches means it's not just me.  Until I get the funds to try something else I am putting up with, more than enjoying this experience. The straw that broke it for me today is finally getting around to get the DIRAC Live installed on my computer-I did pay the extra $99 for it. SURPRISE-the code given to me in January is not recognized now...is it 30 days strikes again? No matter, because my home network which is pretty SOTA doesn't see the XMC-1, and no amount of router switching, power rebooting and cable swapping with known working items makes a difference. As alluded to, I've dealt with Digidesign dongles, MOTU Fu's, SSL matrixes and other handshake/fitswhere issues for decades. I just wanted a 5.2 processor that acts like it's been there and not have to pay for 16-channels I will never use to get something I can trust and be proud of. I certainly don't expect any of the devoted here or at Emotiva to agree, or offer solutions that a product with 7+ years of in the field use and two bites at the apple to get the bugs right still can't do. I just wanted to tell of my experience so that others who are still looking and read this will do their due diligence and not assume the basic "givens" of how a premier piece of gear should work will work. Again, thank you for giving me the opportunity to share my experience-I just wish it were more positive.

[brutiarti]

Mar 5, 2021 20:30:39 GMT -5 cmark1 said:

I REALLY wish I didn't have to write this. I have good friends in Franklin who we visit every year and was really jazzed to support a US company, especially during this pandemic.

In 40 years of buying audio gear, and for several years running a 72 track SSL equipped recording studio in Los Angeles, I've never had as frustrating experience as I've had with the XMC-1 refurb I bought a little over a month ago. (Let me edit that- Digidesign was the worst, but I didn't pay for that gear! ). I realize that posting a negative review in a den of Emotiva fans is pointless-there's no convincing anyone here that I'm anything but a moron who doesn't appreciate the joy that is this piece of gear and being in this club. But I appreciate the ability to respectfully disagree here in my experience.

In the beginning when I had my first issues with it taking so long to start up I came here to get an expert solution. I find the expert solution here is to learn to love popcorn and live with it-I guess a 30+ second start up or input switch is a small, albeit quite surprising in 2020, price to pay verses the other faster working A/V processors I've had previously. Well OK . Then I had/have a continual nightmare with HDMI switching. I wish I was kidding, and I'm actually low-balling the frequency;  but half the time from a dead start after the 30+ seconds I get picture and no sound, but usually sound but no picture. A third of the time once you have a fully working input (audio and video) and switch to another one the same thing happens.  And sometimes (my favorite) is on the Optical inputs- sometimes you get everything but subwoofers, and it's not the fault of the subwoofers.  So I come here again to get an expert solution. I find the expert solution is basically we didn't make the ocean, we just made this boat; so if your choppy seas sink it its not really our fault.  That is almost Digidesign (AVID/Pro Tools) buck passing tbh. 

So the workaround I have to do for all the above on a $3k piece of modern audio gear? Once you wait the 30+ seconds to find you didn't 'win it all' , I have to then switch to an unused input, wait another 30+ seconds for it to load, then switch back to the final joyful 30+ seconds to the original source we, but more importantly my wife-wanted to watch in the first place. The keyword above is "I", as in ME, as the rest of the household got Fed Up with it the first day. They walk across the house to find me and just hand me the remote like its the keys to the clunker that won't start AGAIN, after I traded the BMW for it...  So that's around 2 minutes of being stared at while trying to not look in their direction, and quite a bit more if I get frustrated myself and try switching inputs too quickly, which just confuses the XMC processor like it's circa 1995. At that point you just have to abort and start from start up and hope for the best.

I have a 2020 Sony 4k TV, DVR cable box, an older Sony blu ray player to play SACD-r and an Oppo for everything else- OH and a turntable with a nice separate phono preamp and a Parasound 5 channel amp  . Pretty basic in the pantheon of hook up possibilities and certainly nothing that should confuse a $3k processor. I've tried every combination I know and read about here and elsewhere of HDMI 1.4/2.0, CEC switching of each piece, moving HDMI's across the 8 inputs and even skipping the ARC channels on the TV and XMC. I even kept notes so I wouldn't repeat settings. All the while getting that "can't we just go back to how it was" look from the rest of the household. 

The fact I see this issue and others like so often in my (sadly) post-purchase searches means it's not just me.  Until I get the funds to try something else I am putting up with, more than enjoying this experience. The straw that broke it for me today is finally getting around to get the DIRAC Live installed on my computer-I did pay the extra $99 for it. SURPRISE-the code given to me in January is not recognized now...is it 30 days strikes again? No matter, because my home network which is pretty SOTA doesn't see the XMC-1, and no amount of router switching, power rebooting and cable swapping with known working items makes a difference. As alluded to, I've dealt with Digidesign dongles, MOTU Fu's, SSL matrixes and other handshake/fitswhere issues for decades. I just wanted a 5.2 processor that acts like it's been there and not have to pay for 16-channels I will never use to get something I can trust and be proud of. I certainly don't expect any of the devoted here or at Emotiva to agree, or offer solutions that a product with 7+ years of in the field use and two bites at the apple to get the bugs right still can't do. I just wanted to tell of my experience so that others who are still looking and read this will do their due diligence and not assume the basic "givens" of how a premier piece of gear should work will work. Again, thank you for giving me the opportunity to share my experience-I just wish it were more positive.

With all those issues that you described I would send the unit back for a refund after only a few days of experiencing all those problems and look somewhere else. Their returns policy is very good if you wanna try equipment.

[novisnick]

cmark1 
I’m so that your XMC-1 has been a bust for you. I’m still dealing with an rmc-1. I sadly sold my XMC-1 in anticipation of wanting to upgrade but I made a huge mistake as emo made a pretty good deal for trade in! Had I known, right! Anyway, my XMC-1 treated me well and was pretty much trouble free. Wish you had the same experience as I.

[cawgijoe]

I had my XMC-1 for five years before trading it in on an XMC-2. Even upgraded the board to 4K. I really enjoyed it. I’m currently enjoying my XMC-2 and have no regrets. The family is using it every night with no complaints and believe me, they would. Knock on wood it’s working fine.

I would certainly not keep the XMC-1 with the problems you are experiencing. Life is too short. There are many choices.

[Lsc]

Aren’t these refurbished units being refurbished?

That’s what refurbished means hmm 🤔.

[vcautokid]

Expectations. What "improvement" are you looking for? Specifics are helpful. Got the 5.1. Check. UMC-1 currently. Check. But unfortunately nothing else. Kind of like life. What do you want? Life is too short, so the more detail, the better. Everyone here has variable experience with the XMC-1. At the time, the most complex gear from Emotiva yet. Since superceded by the RMC and newer XMC-2. Lets get to basics. HDMI sources, what are they and how many. Need 2 subwoofer outputs. Need balanced or unbalanced alone exclusively or both? Some form of auto room correction? What amplifier and speakers are here? Are you using automation like Crestron or Control4 or Sevant and so on? How many zones are in play here? Need 2 HDMI outputs? What do like about the UMC-1? What do you want different in your next Processor beyond your UMC-1? Music and Theater mix? If so is there an emphasis on one or the other? Analog and Digital sources, what are and how many of them? Processors are expensive and getting it the way you want it is mega important. XMC-1 is nice. I have one and many here do/did have them. How important that experience weighs in your decision? Their experience may/may not be yours. It could be great with HDMI, or not so much. Any Processor can give fits here. Or can be great. It is a "computer" after all. There, I said it. The C word. Plus all those sound modes and codecs its got. Lots of overhead here. So yeah it needs to sound good as a given too. So is the XMC-1 right for you? No one here knows. You have to assess your needs, your gear, your future state in both, and be honest about your expectations and understand it may be easy or challenging to interface your gear to any Processor. Everyone here will help, but we can't pick the Processor for you. Best advice. Go with a current product and get current support. The company has a stake in the game for what is current, not what they don't make anymore. Doesn't sound really nice, but it is often true. Best to you on your selection. Just keeping it honest and real.

[cmark1]

Mar 5, 2021 22:03:03 GMT -5 brutiarti said:

Mar 5, 2021 20:30:39 GMT -5 cmark1 said:

I REALLY wish I didn't have to write this. I have good friends in Franklin who we visit every year and was really jazzed to support a US company, especially during this pandemic.

In 40 years of buying audio gear, and for several years running a 72 track SSL equipped recording studio in Los Angeles, I've never had as frustrating experience as I've had with the XMC-1 refurb I bought a little over a month ago. (Let me edit that- Digidesign was the worst, but I didn't pay for that gear! ). I realize that posting a negative review in a den of Emotiva fans is pointless-there's no convincing anyone here that I'm anything but a moron who doesn't appreciate the joy that is this piece of gear and being in this club. But I appreciate the ability to respectfully disagree here in my experience.

In the beginning when I had my first issues with it taking so long to start up I came here to get an expert solution. I find the expert solution here is to learn to love popcorn and live with it-I guess a 30+ second start up or input switch is a small, albeit quite surprising in 2020, price to pay verses the other faster working A/V processors I've had previously. Well OK . Then I had/have a continual nightmare with HDMI switching. I wish I was kidding, and I'm actually low-balling the frequency;  but half the time from a dead start after the 30+ seconds I get picture and no sound, but usually sound but no picture. A third of the time once you have a fully working input (audio and video) and switch to another one the same thing happens.  And sometimes (my favorite) is on the Optical inputs- sometimes you get everything but subwoofers, and it's not the fault of the subwoofers.  So I come here again to get an expert solution. I find the expert solution is basically we didn't make the ocean, we just made this boat; so if your choppy seas sink it its not really our fault.  That is almost Digidesign (AVID/Pro Tools) buck passing tbh. 

So the workaround I have to do for all the above on a $3k piece of modern audio gear? Once you wait the 30+ seconds to find you didn't 'win it all' , I have to then switch to an unused input, wait another 30+ seconds for it to load, then switch back to the final joyful 30+ seconds to the original source we, but more importantly my wife-wanted to watch in the first place. The keyword above is "I", as in ME, as the rest of the household got Fed Up with it the first day. They walk across the house to find me and just hand me the remote like its the keys to the clunker that won't start AGAIN, after I traded the BMW for it...  So that's around 2 minutes of being stared at while trying to not look in their direction, and quite a bit more if I get frustrated myself and try switching inputs too quickly, which just confuses the XMC processor like it's circa 1995. At that point you just have to abort and start from start up and hope for the best.

I have a 2020 Sony 4k TV, DVR cable box, an older Sony blu ray player to play SACD-r and an Oppo for everything else- OH and a turntable with a nice separate phono preamp and a Parasound 5 channel amp  . Pretty basic in the pantheon of hook up possibilities and certainly nothing that should confuse a $3k processor. I've tried every combination I know and read about here and elsewhere of HDMI 1.4/2.0, CEC switching of each piece, moving HDMI's across the 8 inputs and even skipping the ARC channels on the TV and XMC. I even kept notes so I wouldn't repeat settings. All the while getting that "can't we just go back to how it was" look from the rest of the household. 

The fact I see this issue and others like so often in my (sadly) post-purchase searches means it's not just me.  Until I get the funds to try something else I am putting up with, more than enjoying this experience. The straw that broke it for me today is finally getting around to get the DIRAC Live installed on my computer-I did pay the extra $99 for it. SURPRISE-the code given to me in January is not recognized now...is it 30 days strikes again? No matter, because my home network which is pretty SOTA doesn't see the XMC-1, and no amount of router switching, power rebooting and cable swapping with known working items makes a difference. As alluded to, I've dealt with Digidesign dongles, MOTU Fu's, SSL matrixes and other handshake/fitswhere issues for decades. I just wanted a 5.2 processor that acts like it's been there and not have to pay for 16-channels I will never use to get something I can trust and be proud of. I certainly don't expect any of the devoted here or at Emotiva to agree, or offer solutions that a product with 7+ years of in the field use and two bites at the apple to get the bugs right still can't do. I just wanted to tell of my experience so that others who are still looking and read this will do their due diligence and not assume the basic "givens" of how a premier piece of gear should work will work. Again, thank you for giving me the opportunity to share my experience-I just wish it were more positive.

With all those issues that you described I would send the unit back for a refund after only a few days of experiencing all those problems and look somewhere else. Their returns policy is very good if you wanna try equipment.

I would if I had the old A/V processor to put back in, but I sold it. I can't shut down the main source of TV entertainment for the family for more than a day or two without having a suitable replacement, which I thought I had here. And even with I could return this for a refund, the cost jump to get something else that is 4k will be 16 channels and over 2x the money. I can not believe I am in the minority of users who don't need or ever want anything more than a 5. or 7. based system but need the latest video and other related capabilities. It's the main reason why this XMC-1 seemed like such a great idea...

[selind40]

Best thousand bucks I never spent....glad I avoided the refurb XMC-1, I was tempted, but then thought of the issues I've had with my XSP-1 to check that box off.  Good luck in the search for a replacement.

[rbk123]

Mar 5, 2021 20:30:39 GMT -5 cmark1 said:

I realize that posting a negative review in a den of Emotiva fans is pointless-there's no convincing anyone here that I'm anything but a moron who doesn't appreciate the joy that is this piece of gear and being in this club. But I appreciate the ability to respectfully disagree here in my experience.

I certainly don't expect any of the devoted here or at Emotiva to agree, or offer solutions that a product with 7+ years of in the field use and two bites at the apple to get the bugs right still can't do. I just wanted to tell of my experience so that others who are still looking and read this will do their due diligence and not assume the basic "givens" of how a premier piece of gear should work will work. Again, thank you for giving me the opportunity to share my experience-I just wish it were more positive.

What you fail to realize, based on your broad brush, is that there are tons of people here, and out there, who have had lots and lots of problems with XMC-1 and the V3 board, just like the ones you are experiencing. And there are tons of people here, and out there, who have had lots and lots of problems with that board in the RMC or XMC-2. Just look at the size of the RMC/XMC-2 owners thread and sort through the misery there.

However, there are also tons of people here, and out there, who have little to no issues with their XMC-1 V3, RMC/XMC-2. The reality is that it's not black and white, and most here have been around long enough to know the reality is gray. The RMC's latest firmware pushed out is a perfect example - some have had to revert back it's so bad, and some have had their systems improve.

It's unfortunate your experience has been so bad, but your post is nothing new and we all certainly believe that it's not you.

[siggie]

I went from a Sherbourn SR-120, which was a UMC-1 based receiver, to an XMC-1 refurb a few months ago. The only reason I upgraded is because my receiver died. I was not expecting of an improvement. I started with the XMC-1 and an Outlaw 7000x amp that had similar power to the Sherbourn and ran it for several weeks without Dirac. I was surprised and pleased with the improvement. I’m actually glad my receiver died. (The Outlaw had significant transformer hum, so I returned it and got an XPA-7.). Now I’ve run Dirac and I am blown away.

I was hesitant to get the XMC-1 because of the problems I’ve read about and my general lack of tech savvy. So far, I haven’t had any problems. I think if you get a good one, you’re good. If you get a bad one, send it back. I suspect the satisfied customers outnumber the unsatisfied customers, but the unsatisfied customers understandably have more reason to post about it.

I say go for it.

siggie

[cheapthryl]

Sept 20, 2020 23:03:15 GMT -5 ajb723 said:

Is it worth it for me to upgrade from a umc-1 to a refurbished xmc-1. Dirac is not important to be, besides which my computer is a Mac running Catalina so it seems I wouldn’t be able to use it anyway. I have a 5.1 setup. Will i notice any improvement?

I purchased the xmc-1 and consider it an improvement on the umc-1 and the lmc-1 (both still used in other rooms). I am not interested in 4k (vision isn't good enough), and no streaming or even internet in the house. OTA and disc are used. Not teck savvy so dirac is of little importance at this time. A very small room with two many speakers (pun intended) 7.2 .
2 channel music is more important to me than surround sound. I do have a other stereos in the same room (tubes) but listen to my xmc-1 as much as the cary or Dodd gear.
I did aquire mine before the new HDMI board. No updates or problems. I am quite content and best of all, purchased before original price increase with 40% off card.

[cmark1]

Mar 7, 2021 19:26:16 GMT -5 selind40 said:

Best thousand bucks I never spent....glad I avoided the refurb XMC-1, I was tempted, but then thought of the issues I've had with my XSP-1 to check that box off.  Good luck in the search for a replacement.

Thank you. I am going to call EMOTIVA hopefully by tomorrow and see if they will take this thing back for a refund. I'll live with the TV speaker and up my meds until my upcoming Biden Bonus Bucks help me escape this nightmare... I just got a Fire Cube 2nd gen and an Amazon Ultra HD subscription yesterday as an early birthday gift - OMG I was dreading the attempt-and sure enough- it is having problems doing a full 24 bit capture. The screen says my system capability is 24/192 but the XMC-1 says it only will only go 16/192. I took it (the cube) to a friends house today, and from hello to full hi res and no issues on his Y-brand A/V processor with my cube was 4 minutes and change. I know the real audio difference from 16/192 to 24/192 is an audible moot point but #$%!%@#!  Can't one lousy thing on this machine work as it should? If someone here know the right person to chat with at EMOTIVA so I don't have to take my rants global I would appreciate it. Again, thank you to the people here who have respectfully commented on my troubles. Seems like a nice group of folks here regardless of the corporate outcome. Stay safe y'all- M

[Lsc]

Mar 9, 2021 3:41:05 GMT -5 cmark1 said:

Mar 7, 2021 19:26:16 GMT -5 selind40 said:

Best thousand bucks I never spent....glad I avoided the refurb XMC-1, I was tempted, but then thought of the issues I've had with my XSP-1 to check that box off.  Good luck in the search for a replacement.

Thank you. I am going to call EMOTIVA hopefully by tomorrow and see if they will take this thing back for a refund. I'll live with the TV speaker and up my meds until my upcoming Biden Bonus Bucks help me escape this nightmare... I just got a Fire Cube 2nd gen and an Amazon Ultra HD subscription yesterday as an early birthday gift - OMG I was dreading the attempt-and sure enough- it is having problems doing a full 24 bit capture. The screen says my system capability is 24/192 but the XMC-1 says it only will only go 16/192. I took it (the cube) to a friends house today, and from hello to full hi res and no issues on his Y-brand A/V processor with my cube was 4 minutes and change. I know the real audio difference from 16/192 to 24/192 is an audible moot point but #$%!%@#!  Can't one lousy thing on this machine work as it should? If someone here know the right person to chat with at EMOTIVA so I don't have to take my rants global I would appreciate it. Again, thank you to the people here who have respectfully commented on my troubles. Seems like a nice group of folks here regardless of the corporate outcome. Stay safe y'all- M

Did you call Emotiva at all before your rants and reported your problems?