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Tk, Sorry to no offense intended and I only just got done answering your questions. Nic

Tk, I had the 4810 for well over a year with and without external amps. I compared the Denon and u for two weeks. No sense going there with the EQ because besides myself, I had two pros set it up per instructions and the Denon is just plain limited. It has no graphic equalizer and it is impossible to touch the range of possibilities that the u can. If you like your Denon fine, but it lacks in the undeniable fact that it has no eleven band graphic equalizer and while you can make the u do what the Denon can the opposite is not true. Happy Thanksgivng I'm gone for the day to eat turkey. Nic

Wil, this is supposed to be a nine channel amp and the power drops off drastically there. When I converted to a ffve channel system and two hundred real watts per channel it woke the whole thing up with an XPA-5. This is in spite of the fact that the pre-pro section in the Denon is just boring comparitively. Its a good amp but dull compared to the UMC-1. if you take the UMC-1 you can create infinite profiles of sound and all while your in the middle of listening to your music or movie. Mostly the thing that makes the least sense to me is members who have little or no experience listening to both 4810 and UMC-1 giving advise about the two side by side. I imagine if I asked for opinions from those that had at least a week listening to both the responses would drop off to close to none. Your opinion is not as strong to me other wise. Nic

:B, Sounds great, Looks like we're both Emotiva fans as well. Nic

BigSM, They also offer a free 90 day phone support which can be extended for two years for thirty dollars. I bought that because I get into trouble with these things sometimes. You don't have to buy it right away. You can try it out for the ninety days with free phone support and then buy it if you like. They remind you when the 90 days is up. If you're pretty sharp with these things you won't need it. Nic

Thanks ref, it's all fine among friends. Nic

ref and td, I've owned two Denons, both better models 4306 and 4810. I thought they were the best thing since the wheel. Now I have one for sale and have already sold the first. I'm very unimpressed with the mildly stated appreciation for the Denon. Apparantly niether of you have heard the UMC-1 and 4810 next to one another and given that everyone has their own taste and opinion, I still would never give advise about something I hadn't heard. Sure some people will like the Denon. With the excellent equalizer in the UMC-1 Its easy to make it sound flat and dull like the Denon. I even saw someone making reference to the great ampliifiers in the 4810. Check the Home Theater review to see thats not true either. I'll take Emo pre-pro and amps any day. No offense intended. Nic

td, I just mean the UMC is better. That's all. The UMC gives you much more control over the sound. I had my Denon for almost two years and I had pros out here to dial it it. I just don't think its as good in more than one way compared to the UMC1. Have you heard them both? Nic

tdA, Meaning general sonics of UMC! are far superior in spite of the inablility to correctly balence it with room correction. I mean that the Denon is very bland compared to the exciting musicality of the UMC and its livlness. If you get a chance, give a listen. My blanket metaphor means I don't think they are even close. The only thing the Denon does better is balence the gain on the channels. The UMC1 has a graphic equalizer that works on the fly, that is, it allows you to adjust while its playing an fine tune down to the minute details of the frequencies. Its really something. Nic

All, Very impressed with the sound from my ipad and appletv combo. The sound is right there with the best redbook cds and a hair better than some. The not so good doesn't sound great but it sounds better. The ipad gives a great readable display and its a tremendously useful tool in other regards outside the scope ot this mini-reveiw if not a bit pricey. I'm listening in stereo right now because I blew one of my monoblocks and I'm amazed at the lifelike detail, not to mention the ease of use with itunes. Accordingly is the ease of creating huge libraries of music and smaller specialized playlists as well. One annoying issue is that I sometimes get drop outs in the connection and a second or two of silence. I guess I'll have to get on the phone with Applecare. Another, probably foughter isssue is that I'm hoping to become more involved in lossless digitized music as well. I spoke to someone recently who is highly knowlegeable on the subject and he told me to abandon hope that the process will become simplified by apple or anyone else. So I guess I'm in for another bit of education. Anyway for the $99.00 I'm happy. If you don't like it you can return within 14 days in my part of the world. Nic

Youthman and Jamie, I agree although I think I am more enthusiastic. The sound is very very good; extremely lifelike and detailed. I love the graphic equalizer. I've never had anything that works quite as well except for some glitches that Emotiva is working dilegently on correcting. My room correction mic is malfunctioning but it still sounds amazing. It makes my Denon 4810, which has been well reveiwed, sound cheap and dead. No matter what I play though it, music, movies, good and poor sources...it all sounds as best as I've ever heard it. The best treat of all is the 40% discount on the new pre-pro that should be out in the first quarter of 2012. I have a good system but again, when I hooked up the Denon it was like someone threw a bunch of thick blankets on it and made the whole thing sound dead. Don't take my word, hear it. I believe you'll be impressed. Nic

Jason, I've had some issues with it but the sound is amazing. If nothing else puts my Denon 4810 to shame. The room correction is imperfect but still it has an incredible graphic equalizer that you can adjust on the fly and hear instantaneously. Emotiva tech support sticks with you like glue till issues are done. I'll happily repeat this for any thread you start. Nic

Hi Skule, I thought I'd answer in two separate posts because the questions are so distinct. The sound is like nothing I've had or heard. The Emotiva UMC-1 does a wonderful job in creating a lively, realistic sound. Changing topics, you are correct, they are XPA-1s. Thanks for the sharp eye. They produce crystal clear sound at any level. From just barely audible to ear splitting maximum. There is no way I can turn it up al the way without ear protection. Thank you again for reading with a sharp eye and expressing interest in my system. Nic

Skule, The problem is that we have had a leak in the basement and we can't finiish it until we are 100% sure that its fixed. That means holding off on finishing until next spring. We need lots of snow to test the repaired cracks. Rain is one thing, but lots of melting snow puts much more stress on the drainage system and the repairs. So I'm stuck with bare walls and exposed wires.. Not very pretty. I took some pictures of the Emos and the Pals Yesterday and it just didn't look right. The room is about 16X25 dedicated space. I wish I had more but I'm thrilled to have what I have. Much of the time I listen, I just sit there in amazement. As you said, Palladiums are a whole different world. When the time comes we are going to do a nice job an sink some $ into it so it looks good and has lots ot insulation to keep the sound where we want it. That's one of the most important things to me is containing the sound in the basement so my wife can enjoy the peace and sanctity of her home. For me, that means turning it up and not having to feel guilty. Thanks for asking and I will come through eventually. Nic

Nightlight with Shakes Pals and Emotivas. Can't show the clutter so maybe this poorly shot blue light display will be somewhat interesting. The five small circles of blue are the XPA1s and the sixth larger is the UMC-1 pre-pro. Nic

W-27, Regarding amps: When playing music at healthy volumes the amps climb up towards 12. Nic

SFritz, That may be true for some amps (I don't believe it is for this one) but when it comes time to digging in for power when the going gets tough, the big power amp is still going to be flat, linear, and smooth. Its going to be able to pull though low ohm moments with ease where a 250w amp is going to struggle like all heck. I'll take the power any day. Nic

W-27, Surprisingly only 7amps from 2 circuits which also include smaller, low drawing equipment. I planned on making an electrical upgrade but I hooked it all up and no problem with popping breakers or overheating so I think I'm ok. Thanks for your interest. Nic

Brac, Thanks for clearing up the misinformation but be that as it may, I've heard a lot of systems and this is a good one. Do you also think the 5 kilowatts of headroom (at rest) is useless as well? Nic

So CornfedKB, Gentleman, (and the one or two Ladies that might read this), I've got five thousand watts going through my Palladiums. There was some question in my mind if my Pals could handle it. Let me tell you it its awesome and pretty. All I see below my nine foot screen in the dark is glowing McIntoshesque lights and the Power, the Detail, the Emotion...its unbeleiveable. I know blowing ones own horn is not a pretty character trait but after the shellacking I took following my infamous picture, I'm going to exercise a little license. I don't know if this is true but I'm told that five thousand watts is something like six and half horse power. I, for one, don't believe it but it comes from a good source. I also single out CornfedKB because you gave me a little more courage to pull this off. I had though of using the Emotiva XPA-1s but then when you mentioned it, I revisited it and realized that each amp would give me a kilowatt per amp and even Stereophile was giving Emotiva some good press. Believe me when I say Power, Detail, and Emotion, I am dead serious. I'm going to emphasize Detail. I've never heard such distintion in the sonics. It truely is amazing. Honest to goodness. I've never heard anything so realistic. My local movie theater can't touch this and music is just as good or better. If I offend anyone with my, what could be interpreted as bragging and/or foolishness, I apologize. Nic

Skule. Agreed...not to take anything away from all the great systems out there but Palladium is a world unto itself. Nic

The espresso is magnificent! Nic

It's my favorite motifs...mostly all dark. Bravo! Certainly one of the best I've seen. Nic

Thanks CFKB, Its going to take some time because I have refunds due that I need to help pay for the roughly six grand this will cost (a real bargain for this much and quality system addition). The most exciting thing to me is that I'm going with five XPA1 which will give five thousand watts at 4ohms. Good grief I hope I don't weld some pipes down there in my basement. I may have to have an electrician come in and add a breaker or two but well worth the effort. So once again I lean to the extreme and I know there is more than one member shaking his head saying what on earth do you need that kind of power for such efficient speakers. However, the Klipsch Tech agreed this was a great way to go and would fire up the Palladiums like almost nothing else could. I will certainly let you know if I still have a house that the fire department won't have to visit every day. ) Nic

CornfedKB, I think Im going to do it your way. It turns out my Denon can't go to 4ohms safely. So the only thing I can afford is Emotiva. Thje XPA1 has a great rep and they are coming out with a new pre-pro early next year that will be available at a 40% discount or $900 with the purchase of the current UMC1 at a tidy price of 499. You get to keep the UMC1 when you obtain the new one so its a chance to make a few dollars by way of selling it; I don't know if this makes sense but that's the way I understand it. Maybe only Skule can comprehend. Ha! So wish me luck on my latest audio adventure. Nic