My one month Emotiva UMC-1 review

[wuzzzer]

So I've had my UMC-1 for a month now. I've watched standard DVDs, NetFlix streaming movies through my PS3, CDs, FM radio, Blu-Ray movies and music. Initial setup was very simple, much more so than the Marantz SR7001 I had before. I bought my UMC-1 pre-owned and the previous owner had their settings for inputs/speakers/etc. still there but it wasn't difficult to tailor everything to my gear. Looking back I could have loaded all the default settings and started from scratch but like I said it was no big deal.

So, I guess I should do a pro/con list for anyone who is on the fence about getting one or who already has one and to see if they have the same likes/dislikes with the unit.

PROs:

-As mentioned, very easy to set up. The menu is easy to access and very straightforward. There really isn't any wading through menu after menu to get to where you want to be. There's about 2 sub-menus at most within each main menu option.

-Remote is small but has pretty much every function you could want on it. Fits nicely in your hand.

-Its not very tall so if you're working in tight spaces its easy to access the back of the unit if you need to. Fits nicely almost anywhere and generates virtually no heat so if you needed to cram it into a tight space it won't hurt the unit.

-The front panel display can be completely turned off or set to 1 of 10 brightness levels. I usually have mine set to off or the lowest brightness setting. There's a separate button on the remote for the dimmer - extremely easy and practical to use.

-Graphic equalizer for every speaker including subwoofer with 11 (I believe) bands for each speaker. Each speaker's EQ setting can be adjusted independently from every other speaker. You can store 3 separate EQ settings.

-Crossover settings for main speakers can be set as low as 40Hz up to 250Hz in 5Hz increments. You can select the crossover slope for all speakers including the subwoofer to either 12dB/octave or 24dB/octave.

-Sound quality is absolutely fantastic. Multi-channel music, two channel music, movies, everything is incredibly detailed and precise. I do have to admit that it wasn't a huge jump from the Marantz SR7001 that I used to have but I loved the Marantz so that's a good thing. One thing I did notice is that vocals and other midrange sounds seem to sound clearer and more realistic.

CONs:

-I noticed that there's a couple spots that when you're turning the volume up and down it makes a popping sound through the speakers. Its not loud and you only notice it if no other sound is coming from the speakers. I believe its around 45.0 and 55.0.

-Audio dropouts are common when switching sources, when advancing tracks on a CD or when pausing a movie. Sometimes it takes several seconds for the unit to lock onto the audio signal, sometimes it never does until you switch to another source and back. I haven't experienced any audio dropouts that occur during normal music or movie playback, only if I interrupt the audio signal somehow.

-Sometimes my TV screen has gone blank for a second while watching Blu-Ray discs. Emotiva recommends to power up the UMC-1 first before anything else, especially when watching an HDMI source. When I do that I never have a problem. Of course trying to instruct my wife to remember to do that is another story.

-The Emo-Q automatic setup is weird. It tests the speakers like Audyssey does and finds all of them and when you go go the final screen it shows that it found all the speakers but when you save the information and go into the area to manually adjust the settings it shows I only have my front mains connected. I just wrote down the settings that come up after you run the auto setup and then manually entered them when it was done. I tried running the setup several times and always ended up with the same results.

-The remote has separate buttons to adjust the output levels of all your speakers on the fly but it doesn't have buttons for your front mains.

That's all the Pros and Cons I can think of right now. One thing to keep in mind is that my UMC-1 was shipped in April and does not have the 'final' firmware update installed yet. I would imagine (and hope) that a few of the items on my Cons list are addressed in that firmware update. I'll try and install it this week since I'm on vacation from work with nothing much planned to do.

[Rivernuggets]

Thanks for the review wuzzzer. I'm still selling and saving to purchase a processor, and the UMC-1 is intriguing.

[dtel]

Thank you for the review, probably by the time I get around to ordering one there will ba a 2 version out.

[wuzzzer]

dtel, the XMC-1 is coming out right around the corner.

[dtel]

I read that after on another thread, I had no idea when I posted that. They just seem to have good reviews except for a few updates on this latest product and the prices are easier to deal with than most companies.

Although I think I would skip there speakers and subs.

[SuBXeRo]

Wuzzzer, I have had my UMC-1 for about a solid month of use now as well. I got the milled aluminum remote, you can kill somebody with it, certainly a well fabricated remote IMO. I haven't used them emoq, i prefer to do my settings by myself. All of the cons you've listed aside from emoq i too have noticed. I ruined my HDMI out and had to return it to emotiva to fix it. Right now, i cannot get my component video to work, so i don't know why, i have been calling emotiva since last thursday 9/9/10 and i cant get a hold of a tech and they keep taking my number telling me theyd call me back.

My biggest pro for this processor not having any experience with other processors is that the GUI is great. I like being able to do things on the fly on the screen instead of on the screen of the unit itself.

Biggest cons of the unit id say is the tru vid pass through issue which i notice when i use my computer, even with the pass thru on, its not as good as when its directly connected to the tv, it needs more HDMI ports and more component/composite jacks, some people just have a lot of gear, i've filled up all of my components.

One thing i'd like to see, more optical ports. I am a big fan of digital audio. I think that for most, you cant really tell a difference. If they had optical outs for the surround channels as well as analog, thatd be great. Its true lossless audio, you dont have to worry about EM interference, but than again, this is just my 02. I have optical for my computers sound and i just find it so crisp!

[YodaMark]

I have been a lurker here since getting my Klipsch speakers a few months ago. I share much of the UMC-1 experience as wuzzer. The price of the Emotiva products caught my attention while looking for a replacement for my old Yamaha 5.1 AVR. I have Klipsch RF-7ii mains, RC-64ii center, and RF-62 surrounds, plus an old sub waiting on the upgrade bug to bite. I have nearly 6500 cubic feet of open finished basement that makes up the home theater and play area for the kids – so a very large space. In April, 2011, I bought a UMC-1 and an XPA-3 amplifier, and was waitlisted for the XPA-2 amplifier. In short, the UMC-1 was awful! It took me only 3 days to send it and the XPA-3 back. Here are my experiences. HDMI switching – it took from 10 - 15 seconds to switch sources, and most of the time it would either not sync or lock for a short time then go in and out of sync. This was the case with my BR and with my cable box. The interesting thing is that all the sources, whether optical, analog, or HDMI, all took a very long time to switch and figure out what it wanted to do. Very, very annoying indeed. Also, the HDMI switching clearly degrades the signal – this is obvious just by comparing it to just going into the TV from my BR player. Noise – I got a lot of very loud popping noises in my speakers when adjusting input trim levels – this I did not appreciate subjecting my precious speakers to. What was interesting too was the gross variation in the input levels from one source to another – I never had this problem with my Yamaha before. HDMI was the worst, and it took 9 dB gain just to get it to even out with the rest of my sources (optical for BR and cable and analog for CD and 5.1 analog from my BR for HD audio. But the popping noises were very troubling and not acceptable at all. Remote – the remote is a real work - of rubbish. I hate to be harsh here, but is the retro intent to provide a remote that goes back to 70’s vintage? First, it is HEAVY. Second, the buttons are mechanical that actually make a loud clicking noise every time you push a button! So EVERY time you adjust the volume, you get this loud clicking sound – very annoying to hear this when watching a movie! This is probably the most annoying aspect of this unit. The buttons and functions themselves are actually reasonable and I liked the remote for that part of it.

Sound – well, this is where I could not get happy at all! The sound was very, very digital sounding. I could barely tell a difference in bypass mode, where it should sound best, for two channel stereo. The DSP probably suppresses the signal by at least 3 dB, even though there should be no DSP at all, but clearly something is going on here. I play electric guitar, and it sounds like the signal is going through a compressor and the sound is tinny and very flat with no life to it. Bass response was terrible, and I suspect that was a weak amplifier design. In short, my 10 year old cheap 80 wpc Yamaha AVR sounded MUCH better and I could not wait to get it hooked up again. So, I sent the UMC-1 and the XPA-3 back and they refunded my money very quickly. Maybe the Emotiva products would sound better with different speakers or suit some specific tastes, but it did not suit my audio goals at all. In the end, if it is too good to be true (low price) then indeed it probably is, and you do get what you pay for. BTW, I ended up getting an Outlaw Model 990 processor and an Outlaw Model 7500 power amplifier. I count not be happier with this dynamic duo paired with my Klipsch speakers. Very nice combination indeed!

[Danzo]

Thank You for sharing experience and welcome to the forum.

Pretty much 180 degree opposite experience with UMC1 and XPA-5 amp (contains same modules as XPA-3) . Shame it didn't work out for you.

[Danzo]

SubXero, even in video'passthrough' UMC-1 does DSP as it needs to insert OSD hehe.