cgolf
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Post by cgolf on Feb 27, 2010 12:47:34 GMT -5
Just unpacked my unit although I've had it for over a week. Two reasons for waiting so long. One-I was too busy to devote the time to setting it up. Two-I wasn't even sure if I wanted to keep it or not after reading everything here on the boards.
Just unboxed it, unhooked my Yamaha 665 and hooked up the UMC-1. So far, I've played a couple of TSO CD cuts through it without doing any setup or tweaking. Simply turned it on and hit play!!!
WOW!!! ;D Sweet.... Sweet... so far. I'm getting ready to set it up and tweak all the settings. Cable works great and Blu Ray works great so far.
More to come!!
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Post by snodog on Feb 27, 2010 14:55:47 GMT -5
cgolf my UMC has worked perfectly as have many others. You will have to take a good amount of time dialing it in. It ended up taking me several days of listening and making some minor adjustments each time. It really gave the best results rather than trying to do it all at one time. I hope you like it I think the sound is astounding.
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Post by shinsho on Feb 27, 2010 19:05:16 GMT -5
cgolf my UMC has worked perfectly as have many others. You will have to take a good amount of time dialing it in. It ended up taking me several days of listening and making some minor adjustments each time. It really gave the best results rather than trying to do it all at one time. I hope you like it I think the sound is astounding. +1 ;D Once you get past the whole "lookin for bugs" thing , and just relax and enjoy it.... you discover it really is a great pre-pro. The thing I think that is most underrated is the video processing in this thing. I just popped in KungFu Panda for my nephews and found myself watching it with them it looked so gorgeous. I have watched this movie a few times with my Marantz in the system and I swear it didn't look this good. |
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Post by snodog on Feb 27, 2010 19:28:42 GMT -5
Yep and it makes my cable look much better via the component cables. It doesnt have HDMI so that is all I could use and it really improves that. I have watched a few movies and they look and sound spectacular. I think that is right, just get past the paranoia of problems and enjoy it.
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Post by Indycolts on Feb 27, 2010 19:56:04 GMT -5
yeah it takes a little time to dial it in, but me I enjoy doing just that. Today I watched Shooter and Spiderman from my Direct TV DVR list and it sounded sooo good.
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cgolf
Emo VIPs
Posts: 4,615
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Post by cgolf on Feb 27, 2010 19:56:06 GMT -5
Yep and it makes my cable look much better via the component cables. It doesnt have HDMI so that is all I could use and it really improves that. I have watched a few movies and they look and sound spectacular. I think that is right, just get past the paranoia of problems and enjoy it. What did ya'll cross over your sub at in the seetup menu?? I've set my speakers at 80 but have no idea where to set the sub? |
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Post by Indycolts on Feb 27, 2010 20:05:41 GMT -5
mine is at 70 and I moved the db to 5 or 6
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cgolf
Emo VIPs
Posts: 4,615
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Post by cgolf on Feb 27, 2010 20:52:43 GMT -5
cgolf my UMC has worked perfectly as have many others. You will have to take a good amount of time dialing it in. It ended up taking me several days of listening and making some minor adjustments each time. It really gave the best results rather than trying to do it all at one time. I hope you like it I think the sound is astounding. I can already tell that the setup is going to take a number of sessions over time to really get it dialed in. At least for me it is...  |
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Post by teedub21 on Feb 28, 2010 2:16:00 GMT -5
Did you try the Emo-Q or just winging it by ear?
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Post by snodog on Feb 28, 2010 11:37:31 GMT -5
People havent had much success with EmoQ. It is time consuming and can be frustrating, I think I have it set perfectly and then wham! The volume is set too low on dialogue or something in a movie and I have to adjust it. Im not sure why there is so much inconsistencies but it does sound really good when you get it set right. I just wish it could stay the same for each, so maybe in setup using a couple different manual EQ and assigning them to might be necessary.
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Post by flamingeye on Feb 28, 2010 11:58:23 GMT -5
I may not understand what your saying but have you set up all the input trims so all the inputs are level matched or is it just the center channel that`s always different with the same input
note; I do not have the UMC just trying to help /understand I`m trying to make a list so when I get the XMC I can check things out
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Post by snodog on Feb 28, 2010 17:23:55 GMT -5
In mine it seems difficult to match the center to the fronts and get a good balance of sound effects and dialogue. One sometimes overpowers or underpowers the other. This is one thing I've noticed with a variety of programs on tv as well. Im not certain that its the UMC vs poor audio recordings.
You can change the trims in parameter settings but that is not permanent, only until the unit is shut off, then goes back to what you normally have it set at. I am actually not sure I can change each trim permanently per input? Hmmm Im going to have to look at that. That would definitely help me out.
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Post by flamingeye on Feb 28, 2010 21:45:59 GMT -5
You should be able to permanently set trims for each input so you can level mach input to input ever AVR/pre/pro I have ever seen does this and the UMC should be no different it`s so that when you change inputs you do not get blasted when switching I just wasn`t suer if that was what you where talking about like going from a HD channel to a blu disc etc... but if it`s happening with out switching inputs then it`s something different like what you said with the quality of the channels or discs being different you just wouldn`t think it would make that much of a difference but I do have to bump up the volume on some discs and TV channels from time to time with the system I have now
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Post by snodog on Feb 28, 2010 23:20:26 GMT -5
Well that is how it is with some channels, not as much of a volume thing as just poor dialogue, or a muddy sound. It is apparent on some programs so I think it is the recording quality.
I am going to have to look at the level settings per input as it would be great to know cuz it sure does send one diving for the remote...
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cgolf
Emo VIPs
Posts: 4,615
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Post by cgolf on Mar 4, 2010 6:45:44 GMT -5
OK, I've had a few nights with this thing now and here are a few more comments. I went from a Yamaha 665 to the UMC. I always thought the Yamaha sounded great and I never had any issue, not one, with it!! Bottom line, I trusted it and had total confidence in it. It is now currently for sale on ebay.
After playing with the UMC for about a week, I am still nervous. I love the way it sounds and it SEEMS to be working OK but I still need to test it and play with it. My setup is simple and basic and I may not have everything set exactly right so I'm still playing and tweeking. I have an OPPO 83 and a Uverse cable box both hooked through HDMI.
The music sounds fantastic-clear, crisp and detailed. Even the TV sounds OK. My biggest issue right now is the way movies sound. They are muddy, unclear and sound like they are almost semi muted or covered up. That may not make sense but it's the only way I know to describe it. I've checked all my ssettings in the blu ray player as well as the UMC and can't find anything that is wrong, at least s far as I can tell. So, I'll keep tweeking and changing settings. Right now I have mixed feelings about the UMC-1. It does sound great and seems to be a good processor. My trust level and confidence level in it is still low so I need to decide before my 30 days are up.
As a backup plan, I bought an Onkyo RC180 from another forum member here in case I decide to return the UMC. I really don't know anything about the RC180 but it should work fine as a prepro until I decide what to do. ;D
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Post by moodyman on Mar 4, 2010 7:52:54 GMT -5
OK, I've had a few nights with this thing now and here are a few more comments. I went from a Yamaha 665 to the UMC. I always thought the Yamaha sounded great and I never had any issue, not one, with it!! Bottom line, I trusted it and had total confidence in it. It is now currently for sale on ebay. After playing with the UMC for about a week, I am still nervous. I love the way it sounds and it SEEMS to be working OK but I still need to test it and play with it. My setup is simple and basic and I may not have everything set exactly right so I'm still playing and tweeking. I have an OPPO 83 and a Uverse cable box both hooked through HDMI. The music sounds fantastic-clear, crisp and detailed. Even the TV sounds OK. My biggest issue right now is the way movies sound. They are muddy, unclear and sound like they are almost semi muted or covered up. That may not make sense but it's the only way I know to describe it. I've checked all my ssettings in the blu ray player as well as the UMC and can't find anything that is wrong, at least s far as I can tell. So, I'll keep tweeking and changing settings. Right now I have mixed feelings about the UMC-1. It does sound great and seems to be a good processor. My trust level and confidence level in it is still low so I need to decide before my 30 days are up. As a backup plan, I bought an Onkyo RC180 from another forum member here in case I decide to return the UMC. I really don't know anything about the RC180 but it should work fine as a prepro until I decide what to do. ;D Have you checked your UMC to see if it has any of the known bugs?? There are a lot of reports of the UMC not saving channel levels you set. i.e...you set your center channel to + 7DB and your mains at +1DB and it sounds great. You power off your unit and the next day it doesn't sound good. What has happened is the UMC has set both of the channels back to 0Db.. EVEN though it still says +7 and +1 on the setup screen. Emotiva has said that this will be addressed in the next FW update... |
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Post by spom409 on Mar 4, 2010 8:03:27 GMT -5
OK, I've had a few nights with this thing now and here are a few more comments. I went from a Yamaha 665 to the UMC. I always thought the Yamaha sounded great and I never had any issue, not one, with it!! Bottom line, I trusted it and had total confidence in it. It is now currently for sale on ebay. After playing with the UMC for about a week, I am still nervous. I love the way it sounds and it SEEMS to be working OK but I still need to test it and play with it. My setup is simple and basic and I may not have everything set exactly right so I'm still playing and tweeking. I have an OPPO 83 and a Uverse cable box both hooked through HDMI. The music sounds fantastic-clear, crisp and detailed. Even the TV sounds OK. My biggest issue right now is the way movies sound. They are muddy, unclear and sound like they are almost semi muted or covered up. That may not make sense but it's the only way I know to describe it. I've checked all my ssettings in the blu ray player as well as the UMC and can't find anything that is wrong, at least s far as I can tell. So, I'll keep tweeking and changing settings. Right now I have mixed feelings about the UMC-1. It does sound great and seems to be a good processor. My trust level and confidence level in it is still low so I need to decide before my 30 days are up. As a backup plan, I bought an Onkyo RC180 from another forum member here in case I decide to return the UMC. I really don't know anything about the RC180 but it should work fine as a prepro until I decide what to do. ;D Have you checked your UMC to see if it has any of the known bugs?? There are a lot of reports of the UMC not saving channel levels you set. i.e...you set your center channel to + 7DB and your mains at +1DB and it sounds great. You power off your unit and the next day it doesn't sound good. What has happened is the UMC has set both of the channels back to 0Db.. EVEN though it still says +7 and +1 on the setup screen. Emotiva has said that this will be addressed in the next FW update... Your point about the speaker level change is interesting. I was under the impression that the OSD displayed to change so this raises a new concern for me. How do you confirm it has gone back to zero? |
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cgolf
Emo VIPs
Posts: 4,615
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Post by cgolf on Mar 4, 2010 8:34:12 GMT -5
OK, I've had a few nights with this thing now and here are a few more comments. I went from a Yamaha 665 to the UMC. I always thought the Yamaha sounded great and I never had any issue, not one, with it!! Bottom line, I trusted it and had total confidence in it. It is now currently for sale on ebay. After playing with the UMC for about a week, I am still nervous. I love the way it sounds and it SEEMS to be working OK but I still need to test it and play with it. My setup is simple and basic and I may not have everything set exactly right so I'm still playing and tweeking. I have an OPPO 83 and a Uverse cable box both hooked through HDMI. The music sounds fantastic-clear, crisp and detailed. Even the TV sounds OK. My biggest issue right now is the way movies sound. They are muddy, unclear and sound like they are almost semi muted or covered up. That may not make sense but it's the only way I know to describe it. I've checked all my ssettings in the blu ray player as well as the UMC and can't find anything that is wrong, at least s far as I can tell. So, I'll keep tweeking and changing settings. Right now I have mixed feelings about the UMC-1. It does sound great and seems to be a good processor. My trust level and confidence level in it is still low so I need to decide before my 30 days are up. As a backup plan, I bought an Onkyo RC180 from another forum member here in case I decide to return the UMC. I really don't know anything about the RC180 but it should work fine as a prepro until I decide what to do. ;D Have you checked your UMC to see if it has any of the known bugs?? There are a lot of reports of the UMC not saving channel levels you set. i.e...you set your center channel to + 7DB and your mains at +1DB and it sounds great. You power off your unit and the next day it doesn't sound good. What has happened is the UMC has set both of the channels back to 0Db.. EVEN though it still says +7 and +1 on the setup screen. Emotiva has said that this will be addressed in the next FW update... I have read about this issue but haven't really checked anything to validate whether mine has done that or not. I did have to completly change my front levels & reset my rears the other day so that may have been what happened. I have not rechecked my levels with with my SPL so I may need to do that. I have not run EmoQ but have set everything manually-levels, distances & crossovers. Equalization is all set at zero so this would probably make the SQ much better if I ran EmoQ. I guess some people just have more patience or understanding than I do. I'm frustrated that there are so many bugs but at the same time I really do like this processor. I want to set everything and have the confidence that the settings are the same and have the confidence that the unit (whatever it is) is working properly.  |
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Post by moodyman on Mar 4, 2010 10:26:34 GMT -5
Your point about the speaker level change is interesting. I was under the impression that the OSD displayed to change so this raises a new concern for me. How do you confirm it has gone back to zero? Its a relatively simple check.... 1. Go into the speaker level set up and set all of the speaker channels to +10. Note: I'm not talking about the trim buttons on the remote or the levels in the Parameter menu. 2. Power off then onn your unit. 3. Go back into the speaker level calibration menu to play the test tones. (Don't blast yourself by having the main volume too loud!) 4. All of the channels will still say +10. But go to each channel with the test tone and decrease the channel level by -.5Db. If the test tone volume drops ever so slightly your UMC is saving the levels. IF, after you try to lower it a touch, it actually jumps significantly in volume the UMC was not applying your 10Db boost. The reason the volume jumped was because after the UMC was powered on/off it was applying 0Db correction for that channel..but then when you toggeled it by trying to lower it it jumped back up to the +10 setting. |
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Post by rickrbyyy on Mar 4, 2010 10:45:55 GMT -5
The music sounds fantastic-clear, crisp and detailed. Even the TV sounds OK. My biggest issue right now is the way movies sound. They are muddy, unclear and sound like they are almost semi muted or covered up. That may not make sense but it's the only way I know to describe it. I've checked all my ssettings in the blu ray player as well as the UMC and can't find anything that is wrong, at least s far as I can tell. So, I'll keep tweeking and changing settings. Right now I have mixed feelings about the UMC-1. It does sound great and seems to be a good processor. My trust level and confidence level in it is still low so I need to decide before my 30 days are up.
I was having the same issue. If I ran it in direct mode from my oppo then it sounded very good. If I sent the dts hd or dolby hd signal then it was muddy sounding. I found if I turned the dolby volume off then it sounded very good also. I don't fully understand dolby volume but turning it off made a huge diffrence for me.
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