Xki

They sure do! The ultimate challenge is to convince the family it's "their system" and then to convice them not to touch it. My 5 year old can turn everything on, set it to the Wii input, load the game he wants to play, and set the volume just low enough that we don't know he did it. When I was 5, I had a hard time not losing my new mittens! As we age, we develop a highly tuned appreciation for patience. Our priorities are still there - Klipsch/Audio - we just let the excitement build knowing that there will be a time to enjoy..... eventually.

LOL! That's me, too! I actually just pluged in the main and powered it up without and connections. I'm sure you can hear my kids from there, "Dad! We were watching the show! Get out of the way!" Gotta love 'em. Probably won't get everything rewired and reset for 3-5 days. My quest is governed by responsibility. I figure I'll rewire everything, then update the firmware on the UMC-1, then lastly, EmoQ with the new amp and tweak away! That is if the 4 kids will let me do any of the aforementioned steps. []

I should have done that!

The new firmware is out!

Pictures will not do it justice. However, I will when I'm to a point where I won't be embarassed by the spaghetti cords! When you get yours you WILL be surprised. This thing is really a gorilla! And I haven't even powered it up yet. BTW: it came with a trigger cord. Ain't that nice? [] I will most likely post a 'first impression' over at Emo and link to it here. (I thinks that's allowed.) I'm getting the feeling that some of us have similar tastes/loyalties/requirements. For me the lines are blurring a bit between these 2 forums. []

Of course! First, the Academy is an outstanding center. It is very smooth in response and the low end rivals quite a few mains I have heard. I upgraded from a C3 to the Academy and the improvement was immediate. The C3 is great but could not keep up to my La Scalas. It was meant for a smaller system. I read quite a lot on these forums related to timbre matching. And that's where the biggest mismatch was with La Scala and Academy. With sweeps from right to center to left, I could easily be distracted by the timbre differences between the speakers. Short of getting another La Scala for the center, I decided that a Heresy would be the best match within my budget. The Heresy has the horns for the mids just like the La Scalas. So, I got the Heresy and hooked it up. I was correct. The sweeps were much less noticable. Even to the point where I didn't get distracted. The timbre is much more in line with the La Scalas. The Heresy is a little less directional but, it still has a sweet spot where 10 degrees off axis is noticable. I think 2 Heresies would be an improvement just for the center. It's really not that big of a deal. The close match to the mains is greatly improved. The Heresy does have more punch on the low end as expected. I had to turn off the subs to get the true sense of this since the center is crossed over at 65hHz. So I hooked up F-3s for mains and used the Academy for a center. Now that was interesting! The Academy was great for the F-3s. Timbre wasn't a perfect match and yet well withing the OK range. I've EQ's the center to get as close to the La Scala response as possible and now the sweeps are very close. The low-mids are where the difference remains. It's not very significant and for most movie source, you'll never notice. The high end of the Academy just can't quite measure up to the Heresy. As expected. The Heresy mid squaker is just that much better than a single mid/high driver. (I am a horn biggot and I just love the sound!) There is much more to play with having 3 driver ranges than just 2. Improvements are increased sound stage focus on individual instruments, more precise frequncy reproduction, fuller bottom end, a bit wider sweet spot, and better timbre match to the La Scalas. Not to mention sound pressure. It's a bigger box and can generate a lot of 'yikes' moments during loud passages. Disclaimer: I bought the Heresy II used and the bass driver was blown. I didn't notice for almost 9 months. Once replaced, SQ was where it should have been. Disclaimer 2: The phase on the center was reversed. I knew something was wrong and just couldn't nail it down till 3 weeks ago. Now I'm VERY pleased. Do I feel stupid? Well, yes! My UPA-7 just showed up. I'll either blow out all my drivers or smile for 10 years!

The FedEx truck should be here in a couple of hours! I agree with SuBXeRo that 125 wpc will happilly drive most anything Klipsch. Way back when, I drove the La Scalas with a 2 channel 100w amp with power limiting at 50% and 25%. I never took that amp off of the 50% setting and I played my La Scalas loud. I'm really looking forward to the SQ difference. It HAS to be better than the Sony STR-DE898 amp section! (7 channel receiver rated at 100wpc. Weighs about 15 lbs.)

Those high end guys all know about Emo. Since they can't get their hands on them (profit) they don't comment much. The good shops will ask a lot of questions but never slam a product they can't get. They are just happy that you are in their establishment. After all,ya still need that big screen or projector and they are right there with all the info/gear/services you require. ($$$) Funny, my local shop only has a pair of Paladiums from Klipsch on display. Nothing more. The guys were touting these electro-ribbon thingies and when I askd to hear the Paladiums, they told me they weren't even hooked up! I guess margins rule. Of course they will order you any Klipsch you want. However their 2 theaters were simply amazing and I had to leave before spending what I don't have!

Nothing concrete. Last I heard it was 2nd qtr. 2011. If I was Emo, and the final firmware on the UMC finally gets rid of most of the bugs, I might just keep it as part of the line-up at the lower price point. The XMC is rumored to be in the $999-$1100 range. I'll bet it will be $899. And no, you can't go out and hear one. Yet. Emo's custom installer line could hit before next winter and the Sherborn merger could impact the maketing and distribution channels. Dan and Lonnie commented that the Emotiva line will remain on-line only. So who knows. This brand is gsining in popularity and there are probably 1 or 2 guys/gals out there that would invite you over for a listen if you asked. That's been done quite a bit.

First let me say that for me, the UMC-1 does everything I need/want and I can live with infrequent bugs. The final firmware isn't out yet and with each update the bugs get far fewer. I don't know the exact number of these units out there but it was quoted as thousands. Maybe a dozen (?) were either returned or sold elsewhere. Again I don't know just how many. The disastified are always the most vocal and the people who are fine with the unit are silent. What I can tell you is that the other manufacturers' equipment is being sold, too. Like you say, each has their preferences. There is a forum member over at Emo that went through 2 other non-Emo units before settling on the UMC. He's the type that will sell the Emo just to be on the bleeding edge. Handshaking is an issue across many munufacturers. Some have figured it out. From all I've read, the stuff you hook to the pre/pro is usually the issue. Emo has had some big issues with the handshake and have been working on it. Most all owners are looking forward to the next firmware with fingers crossed. I resolved it by using optical for sources that don't require 5.1 or 7.1. The UMC lets you set 2 different inputs to the same source gear and you can tweak it from there. I love that! EmoQ was substandard. It's much better with the last release. Fingers crossed here, too. It did a great job the last time I ran it. Still needed a bit of adjusting for my tastes. The soon to be released XMC will probably be a very stable platform compared to the UMC. That's what Emo is saying. Time will tell. If it is, I'll bet there will be a slew of receivers up for sale! I went for the UMC with my eyes wide open. I knew about the issues that some reported and made my decision based on sound quality that owners were reporting as first class. Except for the bass management that has a design flaw that you need to work through, the SQ is wonderful. The price point was a factor to. How could it not be? If a person expects to plug it in, turn it on, and simply forget about it, the UMC isn't for them. I'm a tweaker so that type of set-and-forget equipment is frustrating to me. There are great units out there from many manufacturers. It's personal and subjective as to what you eventually aquire. True enthusiasts respect everyone's choices and help them get the best they can for what they have. Go with your gut. We are all in the same boat.

Outstanding! And congrats on the resolution! (I wish my UPA-7 would show up tomorrow.)

Just go to the Emo forums and starta thread in the Newbie section. You will get an answer in about an hour. [] Even in the middle of the night, there are dozens of members lurking about. It shouldn't take long and then you'll be part of the gang.

The more knowledge you gain the more critical you become and the more money you spend. Ain't it fun?

I don't think that using only 5 of the 7 will be an issue. The UPA-7 won awards but was a slow seller. Those who have or will have it should be really satisfied. (That's my hope!)

25! Thats an ~4% increase with just 1 post! If I'm wrong on the 40% discount on the XMC from UMC, by all means correct me. Please. I would hate to spread inaccuracies. I still won't get the XMC unless it's far better. Honestly, I think it will be a beefed up UMC with really good firmware.

That 1 topic can spawn thousands of threads! To start with, no, components are not the same. It's like rubber tires. They all do about the same thing but, try to put a Kia tire on a Ferrari and see what happens! A resistor is a resistor. But you can buy a bag of 1k ohm resistors for a couple bucks or you can buy good ones for a couple bucks each. Then theres the actual circuit boards and wiring. Everything has a low and high end. Now add in the actual internal design and it get easier to understand the disserences. Research is your best bet here. Keep in mind that there are some darn good sounding receivers. You do have to pay for the quality. Dedicated processors have to stand on their own. They must deliver superiority at their price point or they will be torn to sheds by the various reviewers and quickly disappear.Great receivers have to deliver to market and price point. That's why Onkyo has different product lines. Market share is important and to get that share they have to produce a lower end product. If you have a chance to audition a low/high end receiver from the same manufacturer, do it. For the majority of the buyers out there, 1 box, plug and play capability is all that matters. They have been listening to TV speakers and the move to a receiver is quantum. Sound quality isn't as high of a priority than hearing a BluRay in surround for the first time. They usually purchase lower end gear and it does just what they want it to. I can tell you from experience that my Sony receiver sounded OK when I purchased it. I researched for 2 years before I was convinced that a pre/pro was the way to go. It took less than a minute to hear the difference between it and my old Sony receiver. I suppose for the total cost of my pre/pro and just ordered amp, I could have found a receiver that was pretty good. The $1300 units out there have a great reputation. I'll never know since I don't think I'll have a chance to compare them to what I have. I'm ok with that. My new amp should last 10+ years and when the technology changes, I will be able to upgrade the pre/pro separately and not have to spend the money to get another amp section too. I think it would be like buying a new house to get a higher efficiency furnace. Some will and do just that. []

Yup. I assumed incorrectly. The 40% off deal is on the next generation of processors. I believe the XMC/UMC are considered the same generation so, if you bought the UMC, the 40% could not be used for the XMC. Since Emo just became a different company (Emotiva/Sherborn), I would expect the next gen to be either a Sherborn branded pre/pro or a significantly more expensive Emo. I could be completely wrong. Then there's the Emo custom installer line to take into consideration. That's 3 different avenues for the next generation. The 40% deal might just be for Emo branded products. That could change, too. What doesn't change in this rhelm?

I jumped on the closeout, too. I have a UMC and was delighted with the improvement in SQ over my Sony STR-DE898 which I use for amplification only right now. I'm looking for another major improvement in SQ from the UPA-7. I would wait for the XMC to be released and use your Pioneer in the mean time. 40% off an XMC will be great if it lives up to the discussed improvement over the UMC. Don't get me wrong.... I really like to UMC and dealing with the upgrades has been extremely educational. [] People are amazed at the tweakability of the UMC and it does everything I ask it to do. (99%) Whatever you decide, please let us know how it all comes together.

Thank you sir. I'm thinking that getting a soon to be discontinued 7 will be the best bet in the long run. After listening to the Emo webcast, the 7 channel amp(s) will be for the high end user. Thus the price tag for a 7 will be much higher and I would be left to purchase a 5 + 2 at more than this 7. Probably the better option right now. I feel the UPA-7 will last me a good 10 years. That's ~$59.90 per year. And, I still have the old Sony to power a few drivers to just experiment. First in line is a center channel mounted above the screen to add to the one below. No matter what you do, the moniker Upgrade-a-Holic seems to shine through. []

Really? Do you feel that the differnce is due to 2 subs vs. 1 or is it the change from a 15 to 10? The 450 does have high excusion drivers and I'm wondering if the difference in sound pressure you described is to your ears or to your rear. Most everyone says that 15" subs of high quality can't be equaled with 10" subs. Just wondering......

Exactly.

I just noticed that the UPA-7 is close out priced now. $599 with free shipping. What was the price before, I can't remember? It was $699 + shipping. Now it's $599 + Free Shipping I just reserved a UPA-7. []

Just pulled the trigger.

The Ultra 10 is now on sale. Not the ~ 250 you were looking for but still a good deal. $329 + Free Shipping

2 cents thrown in: A great amp can last longer than 3 generations of preamp/processors. And that's in addition to the clarity, voicing, headroom, and accurate reporduction advantages!