Another UMC-1 mini review

[pultzar]

Jan 19, 2010 16:34:07 GMT -5 flamethrower1 said:

Hey, dyohn,
do you have any documentation on the speakers?
I would really like to build a pair of these.

If you want to learn about dipoles, I suggest you head over to www.linkwitzlab.com and read the entire site. Very informative.

[dfdo]

I also recently received my UMC-1. I just got to hook it up. Just like dyohn's mini review my first impression is quite positive. I'm really impressed with the audio quality and the details. I cannot wait for the firmware update to try out the EmoQ. Even without proper room correction and calibration my system sounds very neutral and detailed. OSD is very intuitive. I'm really happy with the UMC-1. Emo you have done it again!

The remote is a disappointment. But then again I'll be using my pronto. So it is not a big deal. UMC-1's LED display is not up to par with other a/v equipment manufacturers. It looks slightly crude compared to denon and integra.

[DYohn]

Jan 19, 2010 16:34:07 GMT -5 flamethrower1 said:

Hey, dyohn,
do you have any documentation on the speakers?
I would really like to build a pair of these.

Sure, I have most of my build documented. Some of the physical construction was seat of the pants, though. If you want to build something similar let me know and I'll see if I can help you.

[Deleted]

Jan 18, 2010 17:17:49 GMT -5 DYohn said:

The speakers are my design, all open baffle using Fountek CD3.0 tweets, CSS WR125 mids, Exodus Audio EX7 woofers and Exodus Audio Shiva 12" subs. They sound darn good if I do say so myself.

Oh sure, I figured you'd say that. Just another Dyohn DIY speaker fan boy! ;D

BTW, is that a Belkin PF60 power conditioner? It matches the Emo blue lights very well. Beautiful speakers and setup! ;D

[DYohn]

Jan 20, 2010 22:10:09 GMT -5 @chuckienut said:

BTW, is that a Belkin PF60 power conditioner? It matches the Emo blue lights very well. Beautiful speakers and setup! ;D

Yes it is and yes it does, and thank you! The LEDs on the DirecTV receiver match the Emotiva lights as well.

[Colby]

Great set up!!
I like the rack you're using, can you please tell me what
brand it is and where you bought it?
Thank you

[DYohn]

Jan 21, 2010 1:32:52 GMT -5 Colby said:

I like the rack you're using, can you please tell me what
brand it is and where you bought it?
Thank you

Hmm, I bought it at Costco a couple years ago because I liked the looks of it. I don't recall the brand... I just did some searching and it's called an Alpha 3 in 1 TV stand. Here's a web page with some info on it.

[DYohn]

Update:

I spent most of yesterday playing with the EQ functions and listening to quite a variety of music through the UMC-1 (delivered via Squeezebox through a Scott Nixon tube DAC to the CD input on the UMC-1.) The amp is an LPA-1. All listening was in 2-channel stereo with subwoofer. My impressions overall:

- The EQ is very powerful for a graphic system. The adjustment bands are accurate and seem to have a Q of about 1 as they are pretty narrow. I set up the RTA and watched as I played with them and they were all right on their listed frequency setting. Very nice, and very flexible.

- The sound quality of this preamp is perhaps the best digital preamp I've ever heard. There is no audible evidence of the A-D-A conversion process happening. No audible digital artifacts, no harshness. The detail is quite good and in fact the sound is better than the Sunfire TGP it replaced, especially in the critical midrange, and in the same league as a mid-level analog preamp. System noise is inaudible. The sound is not forward at all, but every nuance is distinct. A very good preamp that would be worthy of use in a mid-level dedicated music system. I am very pleased with the sound overall.

- The output from the LFE channel is a little hot, and at times seems artificially boosted. This is easily tamed with a little level adjustment, but the out of the box settings are definitely geared toward the intended use of the UMC-1 which is home theater. For music some tweaking is necessary. That being said, the EQ in the subwoofer region is very powerful and effective. I normally run my LFE channel through a Velodyne SMS-1 for EQ and I bypassed it for this test. The UMC-1 was able to tame the room almost as effectively as this dedicated device. The EMO-Q is pretty darned effective for the subwoofer, and the manual EQ allows the user to correct the few things it didn't. This is an exceptional feature in a pre/pro that sells for less than $1K.

After getting it set up the way it sounded best to me (and measured best on the mic) i sat back and spent four hours listening to it. Music ranged from Sting to flamenco guitar to Robbie Robertson to speed metal. In all cases, the sound quality was superb and the UMC-1 made my HT-oriented system sound very good. It's nice to have a system that sounds good enough for serious music if I want to so use it without having to move my tired bod to the 2-channel system I have in another room. My HT will never replace a dedicated 2-channel setup, but I like that it's now much more flexible than it was.

[Lonnie]

Feb 7, 2010 11:20:30 GMT -5 DYohn said:

Update:

I spent most of yesterday playing with the EQ functions and listening to quite a variety of music through the UMC-1 (delivered via Squeezebox through a Scott Nixon tube DAC to the CD input on the UMC-1.) The amp is an LPA-1. All listening was in 2-channel stereo with subwoofer. My impressions overall:

- The EQ is very powerful for a graphic system. The adjustment bands are accurate and seem to have a Q of about 1 as they are pretty narrow. I set up the RTA and watched as I played with them and they were all right on their listed frequency setting. Very nice, and very flexible.

- The sound quality of this preamp is perhaps the best digital preamp I've ever heard. There is no audible evidence of the A-D-A conversion process happening. No audible digital artifacts, no harshness. The detail is quite good and in fact the sound is better than the Sunfire TGP it replaced, especially in the critical midrange, and in the same league as a mid-level analog preamp. System noise is inaudible. The sound is not forward at all, but every nuance is distinct. A very good preamp that would be worthy of use in a mid-level dedicated music system. I am very pleased with the sound overall.

- The output from the LFE channel is a little hot, and at times seems artificially boosted. This is easily tamed with a little level adjustment, but the out of the box settings are definitely geared toward the intended use of the UMC-1 which is home theater. For music some tweaking is necessary. That being said, the EQ in the subwoofer region is very powerful and effective. I normally run my LFE channel through a Velodyne SMS-1 for EQ and I bypassed it for this test. The UMC-1 was able to tame the room almost as effectively as this dedicated device. The EMO-Q is pretty darned effective for the subwoofer, and the manual EQ allows the user to correct the few things it didn't. This is an exceptional feature in a pre/pro that sells for less than $1K.

After getting it set up the way it sounded best to me (and measured best on the mic) i sat back and spent four hours listening to it. Music ranged from Sting to flamenco guitar to Robbie Robertson to speed metal. In all cases, the sound quality was superb and the UMC-1 made my HT-oriented system sound very good. It's nice to have a system that sounds good enough for serious music if I want to so use it without having to move my tired bod to the 2-channel system I have in another room. My HT will never replace a dedicated 2-channel setup, but I like that it's now much more flexible than it was.

;D

[bobbart]

That's good to hear about the subwoofer eq. I'm hoping to get rid of my bfd. I haven't been able to get the manual eq to work at all on mine. Hoping the firmware will fix it.

[lonnie]

Feb 7, 2010 11:20:30 GMT -5 DYohn said:

Update:

I spent most of yesterday playing with the EQ functions and listening to quite a variety of music through the UMC-1 (delivered via Squeezebox through a Scott Nixon tube DAC to the CD input on the UMC-1.) The amp is an LPA-1. All listening was in 2-channel stereo with subwoofer. My impressions overall:

- The EQ is very powerful for a graphic system. The adjustment bands are accurate and seem to have a Q of about 1 as they are pretty narrow. I set up the RTA and watched as I played with them and they were all right on their listed frequency setting. Very nice, and very flexible.

- The sound quality of this preamp is perhaps the best digital preamp I've ever heard. There is no audible evidence of the A-D-A conversion process happening. No audible digital artifacts, no harshness. The detail is quite good and in fact the sound is better than the Sunfire TGP it replaced, especially in the critical midrange, and in the same league as a mid-level analog preamp. System noise is inaudible. The sound is not forward at all, but every nuance is distinct. A very good preamp that would be worthy of use in a mid-level dedicated music system. I am very pleased with the sound overall.

- The output from the LFE channel is a little hot, and at times seems artificially boosted. This is easily tamed with a little level adjustment, but the out of the box settings are definitely geared toward the intended use of the UMC-1 which is home theater. For music some tweaking is necessary. That being said, the EQ in the subwoofer region is very powerful and effective. I normally run my LFE channel through a Velodyne SMS-1 for EQ and I bypassed it for this test. The UMC-1 was able to tame the room almost as effectively as this dedicated device. The EMO-Q is pretty darned effective for the subwoofer, and the manual EQ allows the user to correct the few things it didn't. This is an exceptional feature in a pre/pro that sells for less than $1K.

After getting it set up the way it sounded best to me (and measured best on the mic) i sat back and spent four hours listening to it. Music ranged from Sting to flamenco guitar to Robbie Robertson to speed metal. In all cases, the sound quality was superb and the UMC-1 made my HT-oriented system sound very good. It's nice to have a system that sounds good enough for serious music if I want to so use it without having to move my tired bod to the 2-channel system I have in another room. My HT will never replace a dedicated 2-channel setup, but I like that it's now much more flexible than it was.

Thanks for the review. We spent a lot of time on the EQs to get them right. You are correct, they do have a Q of 1 so they are somewhat narrow band but not so narrow as to be a notch. The pre-amp and audio section of the UMC was really important to me during the design and testing so I am really glad to hear you like it. ;D

Here is a tip for you that I don't think most people know. With any of the analog inputs, if you select Direct, it becomes a pure analog path. You will loose the bass management and EQs but if you like a pure path, its the way to go. So if you ever try it, let me know what you think.

[dkjohn]

Feb 7, 2010 11:20:30 GMT -5 DYohn said:

Update:

I spent most of yesterday playing with the EQ functions and listening to quite a variety of music through the UMC-1 (delivered via Squeezebox through a Scott Nixon tube DAC to the CD input on the UMC-1.) The amp is an LPA-1. All listening was in 2-channel stereo with subwoofer. My impressions overall:

- The EQ is very powerful for a graphic system. The adjustment bands are accurate and seem to have a Q of about 1 as they are pretty narrow. I set up the RTA and watched as I played with them and they were all right on their listed frequency setting. Very nice, and very flexible.

- The sound quality of this preamp is perhaps the best digital preamp I've ever heard. There is no audible evidence of the A-D-A conversion process happening. No audible digital artifacts, no harshness. The detail is quite good and in fact the sound is better than the Sunfire TGP it replaced, especially in the critical midrange, and in the same league as a mid-level analog preamp. System noise is inaudible. The sound is not forward at all, but every nuance is distinct. A very good preamp that would be worthy of use in a mid-level dedicated music system. I am very pleased with the sound overall.

- The output from the LFE channel is a little hot, and at times seems artificially boosted. This is easily tamed with a little level adjustment, but the out of the box settings are definitely geared toward the intended use of the UMC-1 which is home theater. For music some tweaking is necessary. That being said, the EQ in the subwoofer region is very powerful and effective. I normally run my LFE channel through a Velodyne SMS-1 for EQ and I bypassed it for this test. The UMC-1 was able to tame the room almost as effectively as this dedicated device. The EMO-Q is pretty darned effective for the subwoofer, and the manual EQ allows the user to correct the few things it didn't. This is an exceptional feature in a pre/pro that sells for less than $1K.

After getting it set up the way it sounded best to me (and measured best on the mic) i sat back and spent four hours listening to it. Music ranged from Sting to flamenco guitar to Robbie Robertson to speed metal. In all cases, the sound quality was superb and the UMC-1 made my HT-oriented system sound very good. It's nice to have a system that sounds good enough for serious music if I want to so use it without having to move my tired bod to the 2-channel system I have in another room. My HT will never replace a dedicated 2-channel setup, but I like that it's now much more flexible than it was.

What would you considered mid level just curious ?

[Wideawake]

Your speakers look very nice! What is that transparent stuff around the tweeter/mid? Is that a plastic U-frame of some sort? I see some sort of U-frame at the bottom also but it's difficult to tell whether it's a bass trap or a U-frame. Also, your speakers look like they are very close to the back wall. Don't you loose the dipole reflection when placed like that?

[Deleted]

Feb 7, 2010 12:22:43 GMT -5 lonnie said:

Feb 7, 2010 11:20:30 GMT -5 DYohn said:

Update:

I spent most of yesterday playing with the EQ functions and listening to quite a variety of music through the UMC-1 (delivered via Squeezebox through a Scott Nixon tube DAC to the CD input on the UMC-1.) The amp is an LPA-1. All listening was in 2-channel stereo with subwoofer. My impressions overall:

- The EQ is very powerful for a graphic system. The adjustment bands are accurate and seem to have a Q of about 1 as they are pretty narrow. I set up the RTA and watched as I played with them and they were all right on their listed frequency setting. Very nice, and very flexible.

- The sound quality of this preamp is perhaps the best digital preamp I've ever heard. There is no audible evidence of the A-D-A conversion process happening. No audible digital artifacts, no harshness. The detail is quite good and in fact the sound is better than the Sunfire TGP it replaced, especially in the critical midrange, and in the same league as a mid-level analog preamp. System noise is inaudible. The sound is not forward at all, but every nuance is distinct. A very good preamp that would be worthy of use in a mid-level dedicated music system. I am very pleased with the sound overall.

- The output from the LFE channel is a little hot, and at times seems artificially boosted. This is easily tamed with a little level adjustment, but the out of the box settings are definitely geared toward the intended use of the UMC-1 which is home theater. For music some tweaking is necessary. That being said, the EQ in the subwoofer region is very powerful and effective. I normally run my LFE channel through a Velodyne SMS-1 for EQ and I bypassed it for this test. The UMC-1 was able to tame the room almost as effectively as this dedicated device. The EMO-Q is pretty darned effective for the subwoofer, and the manual EQ allows the user to correct the few things it didn't. This is an exceptional feature in a pre/pro that sells for less than $1K.

After getting it set up the way it sounded best to me (and measured best on the mic) i sat back and spent four hours listening to it. Music ranged from Sting to flamenco guitar to Robbie Robertson to speed metal. In all cases, the sound quality was superb and the UMC-1 made my HT-oriented system sound very good. It's nice to have a system that sounds good enough for serious music if I want to so use it without having to move my tired bod to the 2-channel system I have in another room. My HT will never replace a dedicated 2-channel setup, but I like that it's now much more flexible than it was.

Thanks for the review. We spent a lot of time on the EQs to get them right. You are correct, they do have a Q of 1 so they are somewhat narrow band but not so narrow as to be a notch. The pre-amp and audio section of the UMC was really important to me during the design and testing so I am really glad to hear you like it. ;D

Here is a tip for you that I don't think most people know. With any of the analog inputs, if you select Direct, it becomes a pure analog path. You will loose the bass management and EQs but if you like a pure path, its the way to go. So if you ever try it, let me know what you think.

Lonnie:

One could also use the Multi Channel inputs and the sub input (from the 2nd ERC output jack) if I wanted to use the ERC-1. What would yield a purer path, the "Direct" option or the Multi Channel inputs ?

[solidstate]

Feb 7, 2010 11:20:30 GMT -5 DYohn said:

Update:

I spent most of yesterday playing with the EQ functions and listening to quite a variety of music through the UMC-1 (delivered via Squeezebox through a Scott Nixon tube DAC to the CD input on the UMC-1.) The amp is an LPA-1. All listening was in 2-channel stereo with subwoofer. My impressions overall:

- The EQ is very powerful for a graphic system. The adjustment bands are accurate and seem to have a Q of about 1 as they are pretty narrow. I set up the RTA and watched as I played with them and they were all right on their listed frequency setting. Very nice, and very flexible.

- The sound quality of this preamp is perhaps the best digital preamp I've ever heard. There is no audible evidence of the A-D-A conversion process happening. No audible digital artifacts, no harshness. The detail is quite good and in fact the sound is better than the Sunfire TGP it replaced, especially in the critical midrange, and in the same league as a mid-level analog preamp. System noise is inaudible. The sound is not forward at all, but every nuance is distinct. A very good preamp that would be worthy of use in a mid-level dedicated music system. I am very pleased with the sound overall.

- The output from the LFE channel is a little hot, and at times seems artificially boosted. This is easily tamed with a little level adjustment, but the out of the box settings are definitely geared toward the intended use of the UMC-1 which is home theater. For music some tweaking is necessary. That being said, the EQ in the subwoofer region is very powerful and effective. I normally run my LFE channel through a Velodyne SMS-1 for EQ and I bypassed it for this test. The UMC-1 was able to tame the room almost as effectively as this dedicated device. The EMO-Q is pretty darned effective for the subwoofer, and the manual EQ allows the user to correct the few things it didn't. This is an exceptional feature in a pre/pro that sells for less than $1K.

After getting it set up the way it sounded best to me (and measured best on the mic) i sat back and spent four hours listening to it. Music ranged from Sting to flamenco guitar to Robbie Robertson to speed metal. In all cases, the sound quality was superb and the UMC-1 made my HT-oriented system sound very good. It's nice to have a system that sounds good enough for serious music if I want to so use it without having to move my tired bod to the 2-channel system I have in another room. My HT will never replace a dedicated 2-channel setup, but I like that it's now much more flexible than it was.

Thanks dyohn

The best rundown on the unit I've read yet and most reaffirming and assuring the wait is well worth it!

[lonnie]

Feb 7, 2010 13:22:37 GMT -5 neekos said:

Feb 7, 2010 12:22:43 GMT -5 lonnie said:

Thanks for the review. We spent a lot of time on the EQs to get them right. You are correct, they do have a Q of 1 so they are somewhat narrow band but not so narrow as to be a notch. The pre-amp and audio section of the UMC was really important to me during the design and testing so I am really glad to hear you like it. ;D

Here is a tip for you that I don't think most people know. With any of the analog inputs, if you select Direct, it becomes a pure analog path. You will loose the bass management and EQs but if you like a pure path, its the way to go. So if you ever try it, let me know what you think.

Lonnie:

One could also use the Multi Channel inputs and the sub input (from the 2nd ERC output jack) if I wanted to use the ERC-1. What would yield a purer path, the "Direct" option or the Multi Channel inputs ?

Yes, you could do that as well. Both options are pure paths through the volume control to the outputs, so neither is better than the other as far as performance.

[DYohn]

Feb 7, 2010 12:22:43 GMT -5 lonnie said:

Thanks for the review. We spent a lot of time on the EQs to get them right. You are correct, they do have a Q of 1 so they are somewhat narrow band but not so narrow as to be a notch. The pre-amp and audio section of the UMC was really important to me during the design and testing so I am really glad to hear you like it. ;D

Here is a tip for you that I don't think most people know. With any of the analog inputs, if you select Direct, it becomes a pure analog path. You will loose the bass management and EQs but if you like a pure path, its the way to go. So if you ever try it, let me know what you think.

Interesting, I did not know that. I'll try it later today and see if there is a noticeable difference.

IMO you got the audio section just right. I am very impressed with the performance and with the flexibility of the EQ. I also love the multiple EQ memory registers and the fact that I can assign different curves to different inputs. Very sweet.

[DYohn]

Feb 7, 2010 12:24:05 GMT -5 dkjohn said:

What would you considered mid level just curious ?

Brands like Parasound, Boulder, McIntosh, Naim...

[DYohn]

Feb 7, 2010 13:04:24 GMT -5 Wideawake said:

Your speakers look very nice! What is that transparent stuff around the tweeter/mid? Is that a plastic U-frame of some sort? I see some sort of U-frame at the bottom also but it's difficult to tell whether it's a bass trap or a U-frame. Also, your speakers look like they are very close to the back wall. Don't you loose the dipole reflection when placed like that?

Thanks! It took several weeks of experimentation to get it the way I wanted it. The transparent stuff is 1/4" clear acrylic sheet. It's there for aesthetics but also to push the dipole frequency of the mid down to approximately match the woofer LP Xover point. The subwoofer is in a modified U-frame while the woofer and everything above it is a simple flat OB alignment. The center channel is a stuffed U-frame. Oh, and they're 30" from the back wall and sound very open.

[DYohn]

Feb 7, 2010 13:28:35 GMT -5 solidstate said:

Thanks dyohn

The best rundown on the unit I've read yet and most reaffirming and assuring the wait is well worth it!

Thanks! I think you'll be impressed when you get your hands on one.