(Did you get a chance to sneak out into the warehouse and see if there was a stack of them there yet? ... or did you spend all your extra time rubbing Jackson's belly?
)
No sneaking into the warehouse. I did spend a little time rubbing Jackson's belly but my wife kept Jackson entertained while I played with the UMC-1 ;D!
Okay, so my general impression and demo methodology of the UMC-1:
First off I have to say that this processor meets every expectation I had of it and more. I was amazed at not only the quality of the processed video image but also the speed of the unit when reloading the various processor settings on the fly. I demoed Blu-Ray and SD DVDs for both image and sound quality in native and in various processed modes. Finally, I demoed a couple of SACD and DVD Audio disks that I am intimately familiar with paying particular attention to the 3D soundstage, clarity, and particular cues. As I had limited time I tried to cram as much in as possible and did not get to spend as much time critically evaluating each source as I would have liked, some I only viewed for a couple of minutes before making my decision and moving on to the next, but I am satisfied with the results.
Video and Sound Quality:
First disc:
Star Trek- Blu-Ray (2009)
Big Dan used this disc in his demo to illustrate the edge enhancement and sharpness capabilities of the UMC. We viewed the first 15 minutes of the movie or so switching back and forth occasionally between native, and sharpness and edge enhanced modes. I was very pleased with the intuitiveness of the edge enhancement and I found that it effectively gave the impression of increased definition without looking artificial or contrived. I saw no "artifacts" or evidence of enhancement of edge or sharpness where I would not want to see it- for example in the background or out of focus areas of the picture. Although subtle, the effect was believable and effectively increased the level of detail in the film.
Second disc:
The Polar Express (3D Version)- Blu-Ray (2008)
WOW! I compared this disc in native (pass through) mode and in processed mode- without any enhancement- and was tremendously impressed with the difference. Now here's what's odd- you would think that the processed without any enhancement mode would be identical to the native unprocessed mode- it is not. You can always access the native stream directly from the setup menu if you wish, but there is a pretty significant difference. I cannot say why but the processed but not enhanced image just looks better than the original native image- hands down. Now this is a pretty decent 3D source to begin with but this thing just made it a great 3D source. I do not know why and I do not know how but just passing the signal through this processor made it "better".
Third disc:
RUSH R30- Blu-Ray (2009)
This 1080P concert footage has lots of smoke and fast lighting changes as anyone would expect of a rock show. This BD has great video quality and excellent SQ. I did not choose a particular song, rather I randomly chose difficult scenes with smoky foreground and/or fast and difficult lighting to see how the UMC performed in those scenes. It never failed to impress. I tried the processor in native, processed but not enhanced and in various enhanced modes and levels and it performed admirably under all circumstances. I found that the best video image for my tastes was the processed but not enhanced mode (again). I seems to have more depth, better contrast and higher level of color gradation. I do not know how the processor can make the image "better" than what is present on the original source but somehow it does. As expected, the sound kicked butt.
Fourth disc:
Eric Clapton, Sessions for Robert J. (DTS)- DVD (2004)
I chose this specifically to evaluate the processor's upscaling capabilities. I played portions of the disc at SD and then upscaled to both 1080i and 1080p. I found that although the image would not pass as a 1080i or 1080p source, the unit did a remarkable job of upscaling without producing artifacts or pixelated edges like I have seen with some player-based upscaling. Although not perfect, I will say that this is among the best upscaling quality that I have seen to date.
Fifth disc:
Blue Man Group, Audio- DVD (2001)
Again, I wanted to test the upscaling capabilities of the processor on a SD image with fast motion, smoke and fast lighting changes. This disc also has a 5.1 DTS soundtrack with HUGE dynamic range that I wanted to get a listen to. The UMC performed equally as well, if not better, with this disc as compared to the Clapton disc with respect to upscaling. There are some parts of the 6 or 7 minutes of the disc I sampled where it could almost pass as a high def. source if you did not know better. The dynamic range of the soundtrack is pulled off beautifully with the quietest sounds being clearly audible while simultaneously the loud notes are being delivered with authority (a couple of thousand watts worth of Emotiva power amps pushing the speakers don't hurt either).
Sixth disc:
Steely Dan, Gaucho- DVD Audio (2004)
This is one of my two favorite sources- combining excellent music (for my tastes, anyway) and magical audio engineering and mastering. The UMC played this source exceptionally well. The dynamics were amazing and the soundstage seemed as big as a football stadium. The bass was very tight and the strings and horns were very natural sounding. The UMC is as close to neutral as anything I have ever listened to. I just wanted to sit with my eyes closed and the volume cranked up until the disc finished playing.
Seventh disc:
Pink Floyd, Dark Side of the Moon- SACD (2003)
Another engineering masterpiece. Again, the UMC performed exceptionally well. Localization of channel-specific sound effects during song play (primarily during intros and outros) and the 3D effect of the "moving" sounds (the clocks in
Time intro, for example) were the cues that I was listening for. The UMC pulled this test off flawlessly, as expected.
Eighth and final disc:
Tracy Chapman, Tracy Chapman- CD (1990)
Behind the Wall has been a track that I have used to demo audio equipment for many years as I know every nuance and inflection of her vocals in this song. I was very happy with the UMC (and the amps and speakers for that matter) as Tracy's voice sounded exactly like it should have. Nothing much to say here other than it was perfect.
User Interface, Setup and Ease of Use:
I cannot imagine an easier to use interface or a quicker means to get to the setup options for a processor with the capabilities of the UMC-1. When I first arrived Dan was finishing up some testing and troubleshooting and was going trough some of the menus. We were talking about the processor while he finished up, but not specifically about what he was doing. Just sitting there next to him, watching what he was doing with the menus, I started to absorb how to use the processor- not even knowing what specific functions he was performing. It's THAT intuitive! Dan spent about 5 or 6 minutes going over the functions and menus with me and left me with it. Once I had the remote in my own hands for 10 or 15 minutes I could perform any function and change any setting I could think almost without even looking at the remote. I wanted to make it harder than it was. Vince had to remind me a time or two that it really was that easy as I kept trying to make it more difficult as nothing else I have ever used is even close to this easy.
Not only is it easy to program and change settings but the unit is fast. All of the demonstration that Dan gave me he did with the UMC playing and processing a Blu-Ray disc. We changed audio formats, edited video, edited crossover points and Emo-Q settings- all on the fly while watching in 1080p. The interface pops up instantly,,, menus scroll as soon as you hit the button. There's no delay, no hiccup, no jerkiness, nothing. The unit does what you ask, when you ask (as long as it is a valid request).
Want to change sources? Just hit the "source" button on the remote. Want to change a setting? Hit the "menu" button on the remote and you can review and/or change anything from there. Think the high pass XO point is a little off on the front left speaker? Fix it on the fly in two or three key strokes on the remote. This thing is easy to use.
Final Impression:
Emotiva has struck gold with the UMC-1. The combination of picture quality, sound quality, features and ease of use will not be beaten by anyone at this price point. I would say that this is the best value in a processor that my money can buy but that would be an understatement. This processor can compete with the big boys but at a price point of a medium quality receiver- that makes it a steal in my book.
The build quality is much higher than I had expected. The front panel is heavy gauge brushed aluminum (not plastic) and the knobs and buttons on the front panel have a solid precision feel to them.
There are a couple of small tweaks that need to be made to the software (Dan pointed a couple out to me- I did not find any myself that he did not already show me) and I understood Dan to say those corrections will be coming in the next few days.
If you are on the fence deciding whether you can continue to wait until the unit gets released then you should make an appointment, hop in your car, drive to TN and test drive this thing. I suspect your fence-riding days will be ended and you'll be staying in that line for the first shot at owning one of these beasts. I know that my mind is made up and I'll be a proud Emo owner soon.
) 
