Max2 Posted May 7, 2012 Share Posted May 7, 2012 If you like that Marantz you should check out the upper Denon line as well. The latest Audyssey is very worth it. Airplay is cool and works awesome. I can control everything with my Iphone and have complete access to my itunes music library. Its nice while having a cold one on the back porch and be able to play anything and control it all right from Iphone. Not to mention, upper Denons are usually at the top when it comes to bench. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Youthman Posted May 7, 2012 Moderators Share Posted May 7, 2012 how is that umc-1 for gaming and movies? Sounds pretty awesome to me. My son plays Black Ops a lot. It's great being able to actually hear people try to sneak up on you and know exactly where they are at. I love my UMC-1 but it may not be for everyone. Just do your homework and know what the quirks are so there are no surprises. IMO, can't come close to it's performance for the price. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roaddog359 Posted May 7, 2012 Author Share Posted May 7, 2012 If you like that Marantz you should check out the upper Denon line as well. The latest Audyssey is very worth it. Airplay is cool and works awesome. I can control everything with my Iphone and have complete access to my itunes music library. Its nice while having a cold one on the back porch and be able to play anything and control it all right from Iphone. Not to mention, upper Denons are usually at the top when it comes to bench. I do like that 4311. But since I have amps I was figuring I could get more bang for my buck with a pre amp separate. But the 4311 is a contender for sure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roaddog359 Posted May 7, 2012 Author Share Posted May 7, 2012 how is that umc-1 for gaming and movies? Sounds pretty awesome to me. My son plays Black Ops a lot. It's great being able to actually hear people try to sneak up on you and know exactly where they are at. I love my UMC-1 but it may not be for everyone. Just do your homework and know what the quirks are so there are no surprises. IMO, can't come close to it's performance for the price. Hey old friend, I was wondering when you would chime in here. Black ops? You need to buy him modern warfare 3! You are right for the price now its hard to beat, but it is lacking some modern features for networking and airplay which are nice but I could do without. I think right now my choices are the marantz av7005 seperate, emotiva umc-1 or denon 4311, or 3312. Help me out youthman, you never steered me wrong before! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fish Posted May 7, 2012 Share Posted May 7, 2012 Fish, how is that umc-1 for gaming and movies? Maybe I will just get that until I can decide if something is better out there. I would agree with everything Youthman stated, it's a great unit for music and movies.I recall when he was considering the umc and asked about it.I am always hesitant to tell someone to buy an item just cause I like it.He did his research and decided to go for it, sounds like he likes his as much as I like mine.I consider it the best money I ever spent on a prepro but that's just my take, ymmv. The 972 as mentioned is a fantastic unit, it also has a few quirks but the sound can compete with just about anything I ever heard, again, a stone cold bargain.So....if music is your thing Denon won't do, if movies or games are it, Denon/Marantz have great features. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ivanhurd Posted May 7, 2012 Share Posted May 7, 2012 Thank you for the info! What about the SR7005? Also the MM7055 and MM7025? the mm7055 5 channel amp is 899.00 delivered. Checking on other prices for you. Are you out for the av7005? I'm just kinda checking out all of my options. I'm not certain that I'll be able to go with separates any time soon, so I'm thinking of getting an AVR with pre-outs to add amps later. I appreciate all the info tho. It gives me a good idea of what kind of funds I'm going to have to come up with. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roaddog359 Posted May 7, 2012 Author Share Posted May 7, 2012 Fish, how is that umc-1 for gaming and movies? Maybe I will just get that until I can decide if something is better out there. I would agree with everything Youthman stated, it's a great unit for music and movies.I recall when he was considering the umc and asked about it.I am always hesitant to tell someone to buy an item just cause I like it.He did his research and decided to go for it, sounds like he likes his as much as I like mine.I consider it the best money I ever spent on a prepro but that's just my take, ymmv. The 972 as mentioned is a fantastic unit, it also has a few quirks but the sound can compete with just about anything I ever heard, again, a stone cold bargain.So....if music is your thing Denon won't do, if movies or games are it, Denon/Marantz have great features. I am trying to find a good balance that does them all good. Mostly 1 gaming, 2 movies and music. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Youthman Posted May 7, 2012 Moderators Share Posted May 7, 2012 Black ops? You need to buy him modern warfare 3! We have it, he doesn't like it near as much as Black Ops. I play it on occassion but prefer the racing games myself. You are right for the price now its hard to beat, but it is lacking some modern features for networking and airplay True but I personally wouldn't pay an extra $1000 - $1500 to have those features either. Help me out youthman, you never steered me wrong before! I'm with Fish on this one. I do not endorse the UMC-1 because I know the unit isn't perfect. Some users have experienced it as a nightmare while others have very little if any problems. I'm on the later. Mine has never locked up, never had any center channel dropouts. The only "quirks" I have right now are....It's been 30 seconds and I'm struggling to think of something to write.... Off hand, I really cannot think of anything other than don't expect EmoQ to be the same as Audessey. I used to have the occassional "pop" when the audio switched or the unit powered up but haven't had that happen in a long time and I haven't updated the FW yet to the latest version. Ok....I remember now....the one thing that my unit does is when I play a song from my PS3 hard drive, the first 2 - 3 second of the song gets cut off. Some sort of audio sync or something. Maybe something to do with the HDMI handshake. My remedy...as soon as song starts, I simply hit back on my remote and the song plays perfectly. Will that happen with the Marantz av7005? Maybe not. Is it worth $1000 to not have to hit the back button on my remote.....I'll let you guess what my answer is. I'm a huge proponent of the law of diminishing return. When I am comparing something, I have to ask myself, will I hear, experience, see etc that $1500 worth of difference between the two models? Sometimes it comes down to "needs" and "wants". My suggestion is to just do tons of research, read reviews, ask other people's experience with "their setup" and then make an informed decision. Mine was pretty much easy to make. I had a Yamaha RX-V1800 that a guy wanted to buy for $500. The UMC-1 was $499. I had NO out of pocket to give the UMC-1 a try. I decided to take the jump and am glad I did. I figured this is the only pre/pro that I would ever choose to purchase brand new due to it's price. I knew I could sell it for $400 if it wasn't for me and would have been worth the $100 just to experience the UMC-1 for myself. For me, it's staying in my system. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roaddog359 Posted May 7, 2012 Author Share Posted May 7, 2012 Some very good point youthman, i will that it under advisement. Will see what others on here have to say. The price keeps drawing me back to wanting to try it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tmassey Posted May 7, 2012 Share Posted May 7, 2012 I just got confirmation that my UMC-1 will be here on the 9th (wednesday) so I will definitely let you know what I think and my first impressions, and what bugs I find, if any. I just found Tron at a Disc Replay for 7$ and had to get it, and i hear it's a great movie for showing off your system, so I will let you know what I think about the UMC-1. If it offers anywhere near the bang for your buck I got out of the XPA-5, it's going to be a nice piece of equipment. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Youthman Posted May 7, 2012 Moderators Share Posted May 7, 2012 The price keeps drawing me back to wanting to try it. Mine was price + curiosity. I just wanted to know for myself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roaddog359 Posted May 8, 2012 Author Share Posted May 8, 2012 "don't expect EmoQ to be the same as Audessey." Youthman can you explain the difference? better or worse? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigCliff Posted May 8, 2012 Share Posted May 8, 2012 When I was looking to replace my Marantz AVR with a newer receiver that could decode the newest sound tecnology, I came to this forum for advise. With the advice of several members, I was steared towards the Harman Kardon AVR 3600 and I am very very happy with it. It plays music much better then the Marantz and is pretty much a toss up on HT sound. If I were you I would look at the Harman Kardon AVR 2650 or AVR 3650. GOOD LUCK Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VIC Posted May 8, 2012 Share Posted May 8, 2012 I just got confirmation that my UMC-1 will be here on the 9th (wednesday) so I will definitely let you know what I think and my first impressions, and what bugs I find, if any. I just found Tron at a Disc Replay for 7$ and had to get it, and i hear it's a great movie for showing off your system, so I will let you know what I think about the UMC-1. If it offers anywhere near the bang for your buck I got out of the XPA-5, it's to be a nice piece of equipment. i got mines last week and as soon i got it to where it needed to be sounds amazing to and bright and with the xpa 5 its just great pieces of equipment Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VIC Posted May 8, 2012 Share Posted May 8, 2012 I just got confirmation that my UMC-1 will be here on the 9th (wednesday) so I will definitely let you know what I think and my first impressions, and what bugs I find, if any. I just found Tron at a Disc Replay for 7$ and had to get it, and i hear it's a great movie for showing off your system, so I will let you know what I think about the UMC-1. If it offers anywhere near the bang for your buck I got out of the XPA-5, it's to be a nice piece of equipment. i got mines last week and as soon i got it to where it needed to be it sounds amazing to and bright and with the xpa 5 its just great pieces of equipment Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Youthman Posted May 8, 2012 Moderators Share Posted May 8, 2012 "don't expect EmoQ to be the same as Audessey." Youthman can you explain the difference? better or worse? I've never had a receiver with Audessey but many rave over it, expecially the newest XT version (I think that's the one). The EmoQ auto calibration didn't make my setup sound any better. I had to do a lot of tweeking to get it to my liking. The distance measurements were off too. Can't remember how much. I haven't seen anyone raving over the EmoQ but then again, I wouldn't expect Emotiva to produce something that far exceeded a MAJOR company that has put probably millions into the Audessey product. With that said, the UMC-1 is very flexible and has a ton of settings that allow you to tweek to your hearts content. I, like Big Cliff, was considering the Harman Kardon AVR3600. It was between that and the UMC-1. The 3600 seemed to have great reviews but I chose the UMC-1 because I can always get a normal receiver. If the UMC-1 didn't work out, I could probably buy the 3600 cheaper. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roaddog359 Posted May 9, 2012 Author Share Posted May 9, 2012 Fish, throw out there some of the top contenders in your opinion. Mainly for gaming then movies then music. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roaddog359 Posted May 9, 2012 Author Share Posted May 9, 2012 I just got confirmation that my UMC-1 will be here on the 9th (wednesday) so I will definitely let you know what I think and my first impressions, and what bugs I find, if any. I just found Tron at a Disc Replay for 7$ and had to get it, and i hear it's a great movie for showing off your system, so I will let you know what I think about the UMC-1. If it offers anywhere near the bang for your buck I got out of the XPA-5, it's going to be a nice piece of equipment. Well! Its wednesday, get it hooked up and tell us what you are thinking! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fish Posted May 9, 2012 Share Posted May 9, 2012 Fish, throw out there some of the top contenders in your opinion. Mainly for gaming then movies then music. First thing to consider is you may have to audition a few units at home. I have auditioned many units in an attempt to make sure I knew the differences.I consider that part of the fun but also necessary as it's the only way to know. OK....this based on bang for the buck and sound quality. The Sherwood/Newcastlle 972 would be first, it has the best room correction going on my opinion.It also has a few quirks but not severe.The UMC would be #2 , maybe #1 if no correction or built in amps needed.The HK 3600 is another great unit and would be the smoothest operator that sounds great for cheap.The HK 3650 has no 7.1 pre outs so it's off the list. If music just so so then the best deal you can find on an Onkyo 809 $650 would be a consideration.This is all budget best buys, if money were not the main consideration Anthem is great, I'm also a big Rotel fan.The NEW XMC will be out soon? If so that will be the unit to beat as it has a great feature list for cheap.If they get the sound right it will set a new standard in price /performance.Of course all just an opinion, good luck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VIC Posted May 9, 2012 Share Posted May 9, 2012 I just took the plunge on a UMC-1. If you can wait about a week, I will tell you what I think. Our experiences should be fairly close because we have very similar setups, except my current AVR is lacking compared to yours. They have excellent customer support and a 30 day return policy so I figure why not. And the upgrade card is just the icing on the cake.hows the umc 1 working out for for you and how does it compare to Your old avr Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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