# UMC1 & XPA5 or Denon 4311ci??? or other?



## ReticulatingPigeonElf (Sep 22, 2010)

My budget is $1000-$1300. I'm looking for the best prepro+amp combo, or receiver, that I can get for the money. These are the items I am currently looking at. 

But maybe there's something else I should also consider? Someone please feel free to chime in. thanks!

btw, will the later released XMC-1 have MultEQ XT32, something comparable, or at the least, a parametric or 31 band eq? does anyone know?


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## generalkorrd (Jan 10, 2009)

If you have read on the UMC-1, the XMC-1 has the same or very similar eq, which is 11 band per channel( sub has a 7 band I think). I have a UMC-1, it is very nice and clean. If you require the amp due to your speakers or just because you want one, you cannot go wrong with an XPA-5.


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## ReticulatingPigeonElf (Sep 22, 2010)

generalkorrd said:


> If you have read on the UMC-1, the XMC-1 has the same or very similar eq, which is 11 band per channel( sub has a 7 band I think). I have a UMC-1, it is very nice and clean. If you require the amp due to your speakers or just because you want one, you cannot go wrong with an XPA-5.


You mean the soon to be released XMC-1? That's one reason I'd like to get the UMC-1, so i can take advantage of the 40% on the XMC-1 once it is released supposedly March 2012.

Although, a couple things that worried me was the bugginess some people have reported, with things like sound cutting out intermittently. also, I have a logitech harmony one universal remote, and i'd have to program each button since logitech doesn't have emotiva profiles. 

I also have two subs - isn't the UMC only one sub out? i'd like to EQ and TA two subs separately, like the Denon 4311ci would allow. 11 band is also pretty small in general, and i dont have any treatment in my room (trying to convince certain people to allow it in the house though) so i'd need as much eq as possible.

thought about going xpa2 + xpa3, but that's real epensive and is probably unnecessary - my towers only have tweets plus 5 1/2s, (they each also have 8" woofers at the bottom, but are powered by their own integrated amps, so i'm not sure if an external amp would affect them at all).

duno, just brainstorming right now, but i'd like to have a decision made within a week...gonna be a tough choice.

thanks for you input.

edit: i see i forgot i mentioned th xmc-1 in first post, which is what you were replying too. whoops. kinda mixed up with all this stuff right now haha.


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## ErinH (Feb 14, 2007)

I really like the xpa-5. I actually just ordered the upa-2 tonight for my front mains but will be keeping the xpa-5 in mind when we do the theater room. John (pionkej) here has the xpa-5 and loves it. IIRC, he bought a b-stock and has had no issues. Emotiva is about 1.5 hours from me and I plan to stop by there one day when I do some shopping in the Nashville area.

The one thing I don't like about the Emotiva pre/pro's is just what you said about the logitech remotes. That alone would make me look toward another brand's pre/pro or receiver but make sure the receiver has pre-outs for an external amp. 
Otherwise, the brand gets stellar reviews everywhere I've seen and the company seems to have very excellent customer service.


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## ReticulatingPigeonElf (Sep 22, 2010)

bikinpunk said:


> I really like the xpa-5. I actually just ordered the upa-2 tonight for my front mains but will be keeping the xpa-5 in mind when we do the theater room. John (pionkej) here has the xpa-5 and loves it. IIRC, he bought a b-stock and has had no issues. Emotiva is about 1.5 hours from me and I plan to stop by there one day when I do some shopping in the Nashville area.
> 
> The one thing I don't like about the Emotiva pre/pro's is just what you said about the logitech remotes. That alone would make me look toward another brand's pre/pro or receiver but make sure the receiver has pre-outs for an external amp.
> Otherwise, the brand gets stellar reviews everywhere I've seen and the company seems to have very excellent customer service.


but i wonder if there's any comparably priced prepro out there which doesn't completely suck? 

Actually, what _really _tempted me was the Integra DHC 80.2 - have you seen that thing? That unit looks ridiculous, what with all the XLR outs, HDMIs etc etc etc, not to mention the audyssey multeq xt32. But it's like over 2k, and you have to get it from a dealer or some mess. damn. 

That integra, plus an XPA2+XPA3 would really be super sweet I'd think...but just way too expensive. double damn.

oh money.

btw, thanks for your feedback in this thread bikin.


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## generalkorrd (Jan 10, 2009)

ReticulatingPigeonElf said:


> You mean the soon to be released XMC-1? That's one reason I'd like to get the UMC-1, so i can take advantage of the 40% on the XMC-1 once it is released supposedly March 2012.
> 
> Although, a couple things that worried me was the bugginess some people have reported, with things like sound cutting out intermittently. also, I have a logitech harmony one universal remote, and i'd have to program each button since logitech doesn't have emotiva profiles.
> 
> ...


I have a 40% card that I am willing to sell if you are interested. I will not be buying another prepro.

The bugginess is really a hit and miss kinda thing, I have no probs whatsoever with mine.

I dont know if eqing 2 subs differently is such a good idea, are they the same or different subs? If they are identical, I personally wouldnt eq them differently. EQ is personal preference, I don't know what the Denon does.

XPA 5 is all you need, XPA 2 would prolly be overkill.


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## ReticulatingPigeonElf (Sep 22, 2010)

generalkorrd said:


> I have a 40% card that I am willing to sell if you are interested. I will not be buying another prepro.
> 
> The bugginess is really a hit and miss kinda thing, I have no probs whatsoever with mine.
> 
> ...


If I don't outright buy it in the next day or so, I may take you up on that offer.

I thought sub TA features on a x.2 receiver/prepro would help eliminate phase issues on subs? I have one up front like 10 feet away, and one right behnd me like 3 feet away, but maybe I should just place both up front, right and left of the TV equidistant from the center seat. Hmm..

I really wanted audyssey multeq xt32, but I'm not sure I will be able to swing it... think I'd be missing out on a whole lot without it? I'd imagine an 11 band eq is not nearly as good.


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## ReticulatingPigeonElf (Sep 22, 2010)

bikinpunk said:


> I really like the xpa-5. I actually just ordered the upa-2 tonight for my front mains but will be keeping the xpa-5 in mind when we do the theater room. John (pionkej) here has the xpa-5 and loves it. IIRC, he bought a b-stock and has had no issues. Emotiva is about 1.5 hours from me and I plan to stop by there one day when I do some shopping in the Nashville area.
> 
> The one thing I don't like about the Emotiva pre/pro's is just what you said about the logitech remotes. That alone would make me look toward another brand's pre/pro or receiver but make sure the receiver has pre-outs for an external amp.
> Otherwise, the brand gets stellar reviews everywhere I've seen and the company seems to have very excellent customer service.


I just did some research, and it looks like the UMC-1 has been in the database for a few months now. I just checked in the online Harmony remote setup, and UMC-1 pops right up. 

I've got the UMC-1/XPA-5 on my short list right now... I'm about. to. pull. the. trigger.

:rifle:


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## ErinH (Feb 14, 2007)

sweet! That's good to know.


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## generalkorrd (Jan 10, 2009)

ReticulatingPigeonElf said:


> I just did some research, and it looks like the UMC-1 has been in the database for a few months now. I just checked in the online Harmony remote setup, and UMC-1 pops right up.
> 
> I've got the UMC-1/XPA-5 on my short list right now... I'm about. to. pull. the. trigger.
> 
> :rifle:


Ask them to give it to you with the black facepieces for the umc-1 only, I think that there is no charge if you do it on purchase. I have a pair of silver ones for you that we can trade. They are normally 30 bucks, and the rest of my gear is black.


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## generalkorrd (Jan 10, 2009)

Some porn for ya:


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## ReticulatingPigeonElf (Sep 22, 2010)

generalkorrd said:


> Some porn for ya:


I looked at some amps and I...

clicker


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## generalkorrd (Jan 10, 2009)

ReticulatingPigeonElf said:


> I looked at some amps and I...
> 
> clicker


Thanks...I think. Dont forget, black facepieces(you can see how odd silver looks)


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## ReticulatingPigeonElf (Sep 22, 2010)

generalkorrd said:


> Thanks...I think. Dont forget, black facepieces(you can see how odd silver looks)


Hehe, just messin' with the vid, - _The Lonely Island_ makes some funny stuff. :laugh:

And yeah, that silver really does look odd. Thanks for the heads up.


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## generalkorrd (Jan 10, 2009)

ReticulatingPigeonElf said:


> Hehe, just messin' with the vid, - _The Lonely Island_ makes some funny stuff. :laugh:
> 
> And yeah, that silver really does look odd. Thanks for the heads up.


The silver looks good if you have all Emo gear, but I dont. Right now, I just have the trims removed, but would rather have black ones on there.


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## ReticulatingPigeonElf (Sep 22, 2010)

And then I come across stuff like this that sorta knocks the wind out of my sails:

Emotiva Audio Corporation Holiday Sale.........Various deals - Page 2 - Slickdeals.net

(#17, #27, #28)

eh...


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## generalkorrd (Jan 10, 2009)

ReticulatingPigeonElf said:


> And then I come across stuff like this that sorta knocks the wind out of my sails:
> 
> Emotiva Audio Corporation Holiday Sale.........Various deals - Page 2 - Slickdeals.net
> 
> ...


Well, you can buy whatever you want to, but let me tell you something: there will always be haters for every brand, no matter how good. Those pa amps are good power for the money, but they are not going to sound near as clean as an Emo amp. Also, you have some fairly loud fans to deal with on those pa amps as well, I know cause my buddy has a Behringer ep 2k, and it is loud enough to be annoying to me. Pa amps are designed for reliable power at the expense of sq, that's why they are so cheap. You may not be able to hear a difference in amps in a car audio environment due to what a car audio environment is, but home audio is a different beast altogether. If you do care about sq, you should be able to easily hear the diff between Emo ,and pa amps. Emo amps have been very well reviewed for quite some time, you should read some for yourself.


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## generalkorrd (Jan 10, 2009)

Emotiva Audio :: Reviews

Check these out


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## ReticulatingPigeonElf (Sep 22, 2010)

generalkorrd said:


> Well, you can buy whatever you want to, but let me tell you something: there will always be haters for every brand, no matter how good. Those pa amps are good power for the money, but they are not going to sound near as clean as an Emo amp. Also, you have some fairly loud fans to deal with on those pa amps as well, I know cause my buddy has a Behringer ep 2k, and it is loud enough to be annoying to me. Pa amps are designed for reliable power at the expense of sq, that's why they are so cheap. You may not be able to hear a difference in amps in a car audio environment due to what a car audio environment is, but home audio is a different beast altogether. If you do care about sq, you should be able to easily hear the diff between Emo ,and pa amps. Emo amps have been very well reviewed for quite some time, you should read some for yourself.


Yeah man, you're right. I actually didn't give up on Emotiva - it just knocked my enthusiasm back like 5-10%, but I think I'm still going for this combo. The UMC-1 only for the stepping stone to the XMC-1.

I've been reading a LOT about this stuff lately, and am pretty aware of the view of the fanboys and the haters. But I understand the only way I will truly know what I personally think is with first hand experience. 

Btw, I've been trying to follow the development of the XMC-1 for like over a year now, but haven't heard much about how it will improve on features like EMO-Q. Maybe you have?

Here's one review of the UMC-1 that gave me pause: Emotiva UMC-1 Processor Review - Home Theater Forum and Systems - HomeTheaterShack.com

How's your experience with sub management on the UMC-1? Are you using one sub, or multiple? Do you do mostly movies with LFE, or also 2ch audio? What's your impression of the summed bass?


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## generalkorrd (Jan 10, 2009)

ReticulatingPigeonElf said:


> Yeah man, you're right. I actually didn't give up on Emotiva - it just knocked my enthusiasm back like 5-10%, but I think I'm still going for this combo. The UMC-1 only for the stepping stone to the XMC-1.
> 
> I've been reading a LOT about this stuff lately, and am pretty aware of the view of the fanboys and the haters. But I understand the only way I will truly know what I personally think is with first hand experience.
> 
> ...


I have read what you have on XMC-1, which is not much.

I have the subout running to one of those 2 channel amps in the pic, which is running a 15 on each channel. So, 2 subs running mono. I have it setup as 2.1, so the umc-1 is really way more than I need. I was going to do a full surround system, and decided to focus on 2.1 instead, AFTER I got the UMC-1 lol. The bass is amazing, the subeq works very well. If you like heavy bass, the UMC-1 leans that way when you do emo-q. Are there better units? Yes there are. For 499? No ****ing way.


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## ReticulatingPigeonElf (Sep 22, 2010)

generalkorrd said:


> Are there better units? Yes there are. For 499? No ****ing way.


That's what I figured. I was trying to rack my brains on a better way to stretch $1268. I was going all over the net, Ebay, AudiogoN, etc. I was going to get up later today and just prolong the process some more, but no.... no more.

Thus, an XPA-5 and UMC-1 - all black face/trim requested - are now on the way to my media room. :thumbsup:

Now to find a buyer for my trusty Yamaha...


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## ReticulatingPigeonElf (Sep 22, 2010)

And oh, I'm probably going to need some new HDMIs and RCAs - any word on the latest cost effective cabling? I was thinking BJC or Monoprice... Got monoprice 1.5 footers in my car patched from amp the dsp. Not bad, and cheap as HELL.


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## generalkorrd (Jan 10, 2009)

monoprice


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## generalkorrd (Jan 10, 2009)

By the way , I was wanting you to get the trims in black so that we could trade lol. I figured that you would want them in silver since they are matching. Ah well, time to get some paint out and see what happens.


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## ReticulatingPigeonElf (Sep 22, 2010)

generalkorrd said:


> By the way , I was wanting you to get the trims in black so that we could trade lol. I figured that you would want them in silver since they are matching. Ah well, time to get some paint out and see what happens.


Meh, looks like I'll have to get the paint out too:

"If you would like the black trim pieces, you will need to order them separately. They are not included with the unit." -Emotiva

darn...


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## generalkorrd (Jan 10, 2009)

ReticulatingPigeonElf said:


> Meh, looks like I'll have to get the paint out too:
> 
> "If you would like the black trim pieces, you will need to order them separately. They are not included with the unit." -Emotiva
> 
> darn...


Pisser, I thought they would let you.


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## ReticulatingPigeonElf (Sep 22, 2010)

well, got everything installed. I must say, Emotiva really shotgunned that order to me fast - was like barely 24 hours, but then again they're only 3 1/2 hours away, even if it is in the next state over. Damn shame water from the drizzle that day sort of ate up a side of the exterior boxes (shipped double boxed) while in transit. Maybe I can buy spare boxes for when I move one day?

But damn, seriously, i saw the weight in the specs for the XPA-5, but it didn't really click until I actually had to manipulate the amp with my hands. Geez. The glass I placed in on in my entertainment shelf (im guessing tempered/reinforced), _including _the metal frame underneath, is bowing down ever so slightly now - but it's only a few inches off the ground so i'm not too worried if the shelf just gave out or something crazy, which it probably wont, but still, i wouldn't be surprised if it at least warped permanently.

anyways, my logitech harmony one is working very nicely so far with the UMC-1. From what I understand, most, if not all of the commands for the UMC-1 are available in the device button menu, but I really only plan to use it for the time being for on/off and vol up/down - for any tweaking i'll just use the regular remote.

Also, i was surprised how balanced everything is sounding directly out of the box - thought i'd have to do extensive tuning to make anything listenable. input-switch over is a bit slower than my old receiver, but that's basically a non issue IMO - it's not like i need to switch back and forth from ps3 to dvr 20 times an hour, haha. I'm looking forward to getting some tweaking done tomorrow and to see how all the features work in detail.


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## generalkorrd (Jan 10, 2009)

Good stuff, Im sure youll enjoy that gear, the UMC-1 is the cleanest thing I have ever owned. Dead ****in quiet.


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