Moderators Youthman Posted February 21, 2013 Moderators Share Posted February 21, 2013 Before purchasing the Emotiva UMC-1, I researched and debated long and hard between the UMC-1 and a Harman Kardon AVR 3600. I have always had a love for the sound of HK, especially for 2ch listening. After owning the UMC-1 since Oct of 2011, it has been a really great unit. I have not had the problems many have had with their units and even opted not to upgrade to the latest FW because of the saying, "If it ain't broke then don't try and fix it." Recently, I began thinking back to all of the research I did on the 3600 and how I was sooooo close to ordering it, then decided "what the heck....let's take a jump into separates to see what that's all about". I always had the thought in the back of my mind, "Would the HK AVR 3600 sound better in my setup"? To put my mind at ease and to be able to answer that question, I pulled the trigger on a HK AVR 3600 and am anxious to compare the two units []. The UMC-1 is really a tweaker's unit and I'm really not much of a tweaker. I would much rather run an auto calibration setup, make some very minor adjustments and let it be. I've never really felt I have the knowledge to EQ the UMC-1 "properly"? I love the fact that I can adjust the sub and center on the fly from the remote and it is only a temporary change. Once you turn the unit off and back on again, the levels go back to the setting that you saved in the preset. Very handy for when the wife goes to bed, I can turn the subs all the way down from the remote without having to remember where it should be during normal operation. I do not believe the HK has that feature. [] As always, I will post pics and my thoughts comparing the UMC-1 to the AVR 3600 once I get it setup and calibrated. Once I decide on which one I like better, the other will be put up for sale. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vital Posted February 21, 2013 Share Posted February 21, 2013 Very nice... I'm a huge HK fan so I look forward to hearing what you think! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Youthman Posted February 21, 2013 Author Moderators Share Posted February 21, 2013 Me too! Can't wait. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
synergyfreak Posted February 21, 2013 Share Posted February 21, 2013 i am too miss my old HK avr Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
InVeNtOr Posted February 21, 2013 Share Posted February 21, 2013 i originally bought the UMC-1 so i would be "upgrade" proof. sure enough, Emotiva now has 2 processors, UMC200 and XMC-1. the 200 is cool, has zero legacy video connections (finally!) and has a fast video switcher. you know, i never knew my switcher was slow..... i called Emotiva today about the major differences between the UMC-1 and the XMC-1 if i was ONLY going to be using a 3.1 set up. the answer i got was....XLR and faster video switching. so unless i want to throw a bunch of speakers into my tiny Apt, then i don't need a processor anytime soon! YEAH! finally the upgrade bug has no effect! however i did find at least one person that had a UMC-1 and did some kind of capacitor upgrade, so that might be something i try out. that 40% card is nice to hold on too, with the XMC-1 being $1499, i could save a bunch of $$ if i ever NEED it. Youth, let us all know how that HK sounds, as far i have heard on here, it is the AVR of choice pared with klipsch. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Youthman Posted February 21, 2013 Author Moderators Share Posted February 21, 2013 The unit that I ordered comes with an HK Bridge iPod dock. Bonus! [] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Youthman Posted February 21, 2013 Author Moderators Share Posted February 21, 2013 Looking at the back of the 3600, I forgot it does not have 12v Triggers so if I like the 3600 over the UMC-1, I will need to buy something that will allow me to "trigger" the amp when the receiver powers up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Youthman Posted February 21, 2013 Author Moderators Share Posted February 21, 2013 Synergy, which HK did you own? Thx InVeNtOR. I will hang onto my 40% off upgrade card but to be honest, I highly doubt I will purchase the XMC-1, even if it received accolades and tons of praise. I'll wait until it drops in price or buy it used way down the road. I'm just cheap like that. LOL Youth, let us all know how that HK sounds, as far i have heard on here, it is the AVR of choice pared with klipsch. I will be sure to do that indeed. I'm REALLY hoping the autocalibration is good with the HK. I really want to pretty much run it, set it and leave it. I guess I just don't have much desire to play with the settings much, tweaking xovers and especially tweaking the EQ. I know with my Yamaha RX-V1800, I ran the calibration, made some minor adjustements to the xover settings and maybe bumped up the center level a few notches and that was pretty much it. Back when I was doing my research, they said the video processing in the 3600 is very good. I'm pretty stoked to finally be able to see if I was "missing out" by not buying the 3600 back when I was trying to make my decision. Regardless of the "winner", I will finally have piece of mind by knowing for myself which unit sounds better in my room with my setup. Can't wait! [] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators dtel Posted February 22, 2013 Moderators Share Posted February 22, 2013 Congratulations, this will be interesting. [Y] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Youthman Posted February 22, 2013 Author Moderators Share Posted February 22, 2013 Thx dtel, any predictions? [] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators dtel Posted February 22, 2013 Moderators Share Posted February 22, 2013 I don't know why really but I think you might keep it, I only have one thing from Emotiva, a DAC and I really like it. I would bet it sounds better for music, I don't know how much difference that will make for you ? Good luck, I just hope one is a clear winner for you, that would make it easier. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rich_Guy Posted February 22, 2013 Share Posted February 22, 2013 Looking at the back of the 3600, I forgot it does not have 12v Triggers so if I like the 3600 over the UMC-1, I will need to buy something that will allow me to "trigger" the amp when the receiver powers up. It does have a switched 120v outlet so you can use a "wall wart" trigger or better yet pick up a Belkin PF-60 power conditioner which has a very nice built in wall wart type trigger system which works very well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Budman Posted February 22, 2013 Share Posted February 22, 2013 HK-3600 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=82-121-061 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Knorbu Posted February 22, 2013 Share Posted February 22, 2013 Congratulations Youthman! Looking at the back of the 3600, I forgot it does not have 12v Triggers so if I like the 3600 over the UMC-1, I will need to buy something that will allow me to "trigger" the amp when the receiver powers up. It does have a switched 120v outlet so you can use a "wall wart" trigger or better yet pick up a Belkin PF-60 power conditioner which has a very nice built in wall wart type trigger system which works very well. I just ordered and hooked up an Emotiva ET-3 , which is a trigger expansion module. This works well , and has the added advantage of allowing me to put on another pound or two. It was grueling having to get up to turn everything off or on =) Mark Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
InVeNtOr Posted February 22, 2013 Share Posted February 22, 2013 ok, i have no idea why the computers at work do this. this is the second time i typed a message and got a blank responce. Youth, what i wrote was, if you like the HK more, you can make a pretty penny. the umc-1 is worth about $450 and for someone who whats the xmc-1, you can sell the 40% coupon for $200. even if you sell it at $300, it's still a good deal. the savings on the xmc-1 is $600. good luck, looking forward to the review..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rich_Guy Posted February 22, 2013 Share Posted February 22, 2013 the umc-1 is worth about $450 I think $320-$350 is the going rate I've seen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
InVeNtOr Posted February 22, 2013 Share Posted February 22, 2013 i hope you are pulling my leg. that makes no sense. the umc200 is $600 + ship and there isn't much difference between them. the xmc is $1499 and one of the main differences between it and umc200 is XLR. i would think $400 should be the lowest price. wow, i am shocked. glad i am not selling mine. i would punch someone in the face if they offered me that. (just an expression). that just makes me sad..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Youthman Posted February 22, 2013 Author Moderators Share Posted February 22, 2013 It shouldn't make you sad, that's the nature of electronics. They drop in value like a rock. $325 -$350 shipped is often seen in the emo forum but they sell quick at that price. eBay varies, up to around $400 plus shipping. Regardless of which I sell I will break even so there is no out of pocket either way I decide to go Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Youthman Posted February 22, 2013 Author Moderators Share Posted February 22, 2013 Yes Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fish Posted February 22, 2013 Share Posted February 22, 2013 If the 3600 sounds anything like any of their previous avrs you will be quite surprised what a great unit it is.Harman is my favorite avr that's affordable. The tech in audio they use was developed for high dollar customers in other lines and they know music. I also think you'd be surprised at the power, although not Parasound, impressive for one box and low cost. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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