Emotiva XMC-1 Surround Sound Processor | Short Video | Launch Date: Presumably February 14, 2014

[NorthStar]

...Roughly seven (7) years after it has been first announced! ...Can we count on this? ...Only more time will tell.

______________

* Comparable to other SSPs that cost $30,000 - according to some of their people.

=> http://shop.emotiva.com/products/xmc1

[Mike]

Bob - did they cancel it? Seriously?

[Matt715]

As far as I've heard, they haven't cancelled it. They have had a lot of revisions and have actually moved the assembly of it to the USA. It will be interesting to see if it does hit the market on 2-14-14 and if it lives up to expectations.

[Mike]

As far as I've heard, they haven't cancelled it. They have had a lot of revisions and have actually moved the assembly of it to the USA. It will be interesting to see if it does hit the market on 2-14-14 and if it lives up to expectations.

Thanks. It was first announced in what, 2010? Leave the SSP's to the Japanese IMO. Yamaha, Marantz, Denon, etc.

[Matt715]

Thanks. It was first announced in what, 2010? Leave the SSP's to the Japanese IMO. Yamaha, Marantz, Denon, etc.

I think it might have been even earlier than that!

Edit: Yes, I see mention of it back in 2008. I believe it was originally supposed to come out shortly after the DMC/LMC series processors were released.

[Mike]

2008? Holy cow....and how many of those people hung on and didn't upgrade their VERY old SSP's?

[NorthStar]

1. Mike, this is serious. ...With TacT it didn't work out. ...Now it's with DIRAC and made in the USA, like Matt said above.
2. The very first time ever the XMC-1 was ever mentioned was back in 2007!
3. I don't want to talk about their other SSPs (UMC-1, UMC-200, etc.)* but this XMC-1 has been all air for seven years and we are now at another new threshold of an eminent release, this is big news!

* Just too many issues, confusion, lies, and more lies, and deceptions, and not observing audio standards, and etiquette.
February 2014 is going to be very interesting! ...I know a lot of people who are watching, waiting, and hoping. ...Praying.

Me, I got my own idea but I keep it for myself because it ain't pretty.

[Mike]

1. Mike, this is serious. ...With TacT it didn't work out. ...Now it's with DIRAC and made in the USA, like Matt said above.
2. The very first time ever the XMC-1 was ever mentioned was back in 2007!
3. I don't want to talk about their other SSPs (UMC-1, UMC-2, etc.)* but this XMC-1 is been all air for seven years and we are now at another new threshold of an eminent release, this is big news!

* Just too many issues, confusion, lies, and more lies, and deceptions, and not observing audio standards, and etiquette.
February 2014 is going to be very interesting! ...I know a lot of people who are watching, waiting, and hoping. ...Praying.

Fingers crossed Bob! A lot of people still have high hopes - even after all this time.

[NorthStar]

I am going to be totally honest with you Mike; I know at least one person (a good friend too) who is now dead!
... R.I.P. Bruce ...He was an excellent person with a heart bigger than my mansion!

Some people went away their own separate way, and few others still remain; the hardcore believers, but scattered in their own minds.

[NorthStar]

Latest Video on the XMC-1:

* Today's February 14, 2014 - This SSP should be soon available. ...I did not find if it actually is, yet.

[Mike]

This saga is funny to watch. Talk about a group of trained monkeys. "We're upgrading the product that we didn't release previously which was an upgrade to the original product which we didn't release either."

This is a lesson in "don't announce a product, and especially don't take orders, until it's fully tested and ready" chapter of Business 101.

[NorthStar]

Yes Mike, Emotiva's entire saga is something else indeed.

* I'm keeping an eye open right now to see who's going to get the real product (XMC-1) into their private home.
And when I do see that, and read a review by an individual true owner, I'll post the latest on this right here.

[Mike]

Yes Mike, Emotiva's entire saga is something else indeed.

* I'm keeping an eye open right now to see who's going to get the real product (XMC-1) into their private home.
And when I do see that, and read a review by an individual true owner, I'll post the latest on this right here.

Now that they are calling it v2 - I wonder if those early adopters who bought in at $999 still get that price. But again, it's all imaginary right now.

[NorthStar]

No no Mike, the XMC-1's MSRP is $1,999 for everyone.

* If you have an older SSP from Emotiva, then you'll have a discount @ purchasing that newer one (up to 40% I believe).
That's Emotiva's old routine of keeping their old blue kool aid customers' base. ...That special discount card seems more important than a fully and proper working product for the vast majority of Emotiva's fan club. ...Sad but true.

[Mike]

So - that was a bit of a cruel trick - although probably necessary from the companies perspective - don't you think?

[NorthStar]

A trick!?! ...Emotiva is full of them. ...I won't go there; I'm too much of a nice guy.
This thread is about the XMC-1, if ever one can get his hands on one! ...Stay tuned.

And you know what; it might turn out as a nice product. Even me who stopped believing all the past lies I still have hope,
like all the blue kool aid drinkers of our planet.

[Mike]

The price was $999 if you signed up early and then the imaginary SSP went to $1499. Now they are calling it v2 and charging $1999? So those that bought in at $999 are SOL?

[NorthStar]

They never collected any money upfront Mike. That's life, you got to adapt with the changing times, the yin and the yang, roll with it.

* Did you see the flick 'Collateral' with Tom Cruise and Jamie Foxx?

[Mike]

They never collected any money upfront Mike. That's life, you got to adapt with the changing times, the yin and the yang, roll with it.

Oh I know that, but they said if people "signed up" they would be guaranteed that price. I guess the shysters are getting around it by calling it v2. Too funny. If I had waiting three years to get that price -
I would be pissed.

[NorthStar]

From the movie 'Collateral' ::

Vincent: "Now we gotta make the best of it, improvise, adapt to the environment, Darwin, shit happens, I Ching, whatever man, we gotta roll with it."

[Matt715]

Oh I know that, but they said if people "signed up" they would be guaranteed that price. I guess the shysters are getting around it by calling it v2. Too funny. If I had waiting three years to get that price -
I would be pissed.

It's not actually V2, it's gen 2 which refers to the styling. When they usually change something other than looks, they tend to give it the next number up- example: ERC-1, ERC-2, ERC-3 for their CD player line.

I do actually have a upgrade card, but I don't drink the koolaid. I own a XPA-5 and owned a ERC-1 and UMC-1. The ERC was a great piece of equipment (my friend now has it) and the UMC sounded great but just wasn't my cup of tea. FWIW, I never ran into any bugs with mine, but I have a pretty basic setup. Most of their stuff offers great bang for the buck value, but I agree with you that the roll out of the XMC has been anything but smooth or handled correctly.

They have a lot riding on the success of this piece of equipment. IMO, if they botch this, their reputation in the pre/pro market is going to be irreparably damaged.

[Mike]

Thanks for the clarification. You have to wonder why someone would risk $2k for Emotiva and their broken promises when you can get a Marantz, Denon or Yamaha, etc for a little more - with a bigger company behind the products and more features. At $999 - yeah, I get the risk. But at $2000 - now you're swimming with them big fish.

[Matt715]

Before I make my decision, I'm going to wait at least 6 months after release so I can get a good idea if it's worth the money and what problems it has. It better be something special for me to plunk out $1,199 which is a huge amount of money to me. If it doesn't pan out, I'll sell my card and move on. I would not spend $2,000 for it, period.

The only reason why I'm interested in it over one of the aforementioned brands is the promise of it being well suited for both HT and 2 channel use. If it doesn't do that, I'll probably end up getting a 2 channel preamp and use some random AVR or pre/pro for my HT use. I would much rather have a decent all in one solution, though.

[NorthStar]

It's a long saga with Emotiva and their SSPs: UMC-1, UMC-200, and now the soon to be released XMC-1.

So many issues: HDMI handshaking, bass management not following the audio standards (Dolby, etc.), painful firmware updates, etc., etc., etc.

__________________

I don't feel to talk about their amps, their CD players, their speakers, their subwoofers, etc., here in this thread.
SPPs ok, including the XMC-1 of course because that's the culmination point of this thread.

Matt, like I is a Lounge member (I was); and we both know a thing or two in regards to their various products, and some more too.
But I posted this in the Audio/Video - Home Theater and Video's forum section because it's a SSP used for people's Home theaters.
For watching Blu-ray movies with multichannel hi-res audio, and from Hybrid multichannel music SACDs.

The XMC-1 uses HDMI version 1.4b connections, and we'll see what else it can do when a true test will be performed by a real person (a customer without bias).

That's why I started this thread; to inform members about a new Emotiva SSP that has been talked about for more than seven years and still people are waiting to see the real life light of it!

I don't care that it doesn't have HDMI version 2.0 (for true Ultra HD), I don't care about Dirac Live, I just care about seeing one in real life after seven years!
All the talk so far is just that; bla bla bla.

And the UMC-1 was a total fiasco as far as I am personally concerned.
And the UMC-200, even with its parametric EQ is not without his faults as well.

All the reviews mean dickenos when steep inside you have some reliability and proper operation issues.
I am so tired of all these superficial reviewers of them certain audio/video mags and audio forums too!

I trust the real users; the owners. ...That's the smart way to have a broad and averaging and smart opinion.
Reviewers don't rate products on reliability because their job won't allow enough time for that.
And, they don't have the time either to check all the stuff and all the compatibility issues with several other products that are part of the chain.

Audio/video product reviews by audio journalists and reviewers are mostly crap; only very few ones can be relied upon, and never NEVER @ 100%!

Ok, back to the XMC-1 news, and hopefully we'll see one soon because February 14 has already passed and gone!

[NorthStar]

Have you ever heard about 'insider information'; cut and dry?

[Matt715]

Ok, back to the XMC-1 news, and hopefully we'll see one soon because February 14 has already passed and gone!

I figured that you had heard that it has been delayed once again. They aren't giving a firm date, because it always bites them in the.., but they said "soon". The latest delay is due to upgrading to HDMI 2.0 (1.4b). They have to be close since they appear to have the factory going here in the US.

Here is the link to what Dan said in his most recent update regarding the delay: Going Beyond Expectations... An Emotiva XMC-1 Update | The Emotiva Lounge

Why it the HDMI spec is 1.4b instead of 2.0: A word about HDMI 2.0 and the XMC-1... | The Emotiva Lounge

[NorthStar]

Well I read about 1.4b versus 2.0 but I missed the boat on the delay.

Methinks that it all stinks anyway!

Emotiva is very emotional indeed; some of them people from their organization (various parts), have inflicted collateral damage to their customers and readers. ...The XMC-1 is the biggest of them all!

[Mike]

Now, do I understand correctly that the XMC-1 v2 doesn't supply any Dolby processing? For me, the Dolby IIz and IIx on the Marantz 8801 is invaluable. The height and wide speakers add so much! I don't know of any Oppo like device that would supply that level of Dolby processing.

[NorthStar]

It does (written) the entire Dolby and dts panoply Mike. ...But I'm not sure about Wide and Height channels.
dts Neo:X -> I'm not sure about that either; I doubt it as the XMC-1 is only a 7.1-channel SSP.
{Dolby PLIIx is for Back surrounds.}

And their previous SSPs had a wrongful bass management implementation.

For people looking for more than 7.1 look elsewhere.

The XMC-1's main emphasis is on analog stereo quality, and Dirac Live room correction and EQ system..

[Mike]

http://www.dolby.com/us/en/consumer/...x-details.html

I thought it was for wide speakers - not more rear speakers. IIz is for height.

[Mike]

Bob - I don't see any reference to Dolby anything on the product page.

[Matt715]

That's a good question. The UMC-200 Supports both X and Z so I would think that this one should do the same?

Their product pages really leave a lot to be desired. Lots of fluff and no content.

[Mike]

Don't be surprised if the XMC-1 relies on source side decoding. If it did Dolby - you would think they would be talking about it. It's sounding more and more like a 7.1 channel preamp that does some room correction (by a product no one has ever heard of). I'm not saying it's bad, it just doesn't seem to have much info.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

[Matt715]

Take a look at their new product page here. It says, "Supports all the latest high-definition surround standards from Dolby, DTS, and more at full HD resolution." And the very top picture shows the display DTS ES Matrix, FWIW.

Edit: I also found this picture of the OSD:

osd3.jpg

[Design Audio Video]

Hey guys, while your researching SSP/receivers do a search for ATMOS. This will be the new format for the future. Some companies already have it on their receivers but haven't seen any separates with it yet. It will be up to 5/7.20 with most being 5.10 which would be a total of15 speakers. I think the idea is to just about cover your ceiling but the sound is supposed to be like 3d audio. There are about 150 blurays that are encoded with this format.

[NorthStar]

Dolby - Dolby Pro Logic IIx Details

I thought it was for wide speakers - not more rear speakers. IIz is for height.

Dolby has no wide, but height and back (PLIIz for 9.1). ...PLIIx is 7.1 for back surrounds.
...Audyssey DSX and dts Neo:X have wide channels, and height channels too, and back as well (11.1)

[NorthStar]

Bob - I don't see any reference to Dolby anything on the product page.

They have too; Dolby TrueHD, and DD+ must be supported or they are different than anyone else.
And Dolby Volume is nice to have too. And some SSPs and AV receivers have Dolby Headphone.
And Dolby Pro Logic II Music audio mode is great for multichannel music, one of the favorites.
And myself I always use DD PLIIx superimposed over DTS-HD MA 5.1 for Movies. ...And with Audyssey MultEQ XT32 of course.

Without Dolby you simply aren't alive today! . ..Emotiva has a reputation to not have their own website and specs in order; it has always been like that for most of their products and most of the time, nothing new here.

[NorthStar]

Take a look at their new product page here. It says, "Supports all the latest high-definition surround standards from Dolby, DTS, and more at full HD resolution." And the very top picture shows the display DTS ES Matrix, FWIW.

Edit: I also found this picture of the OSD:

osd3.jpg

DD PLx Game; it says at top. ...So of course they support Dolby, they have too, like I said above.

[NorthStar]

Hey guys, while your researching SSP/receivers do a search for ATMOS. This will be the new format for the future. Some companies already have it on their receivers but haven't seen any separates with it yet. It will be up to 5/7.20 with most being 5.10 which would be a total of15 speakers. I think the idea is to just about cover your ceiling but the sound is supposed to be like 3d audio. There are about 150 blurays that are encoded with this format.

I think that we're still quite away from Dolby ATMOS; it is mainly for Theaters, not for audio products.
- Dolby Atmos is in no receivers that I'm aware off; that'll be the day! ...Dream on.
And I've never heard of any Blu-ray encoded with Dolby Atmos.
I invite you to find any link saying the contrary, and share them with us, good luck.

* Dolby has a new audio resolution though, a premiere for Blu-ray encoding; it's called Dolby TrueHD Advanced, for 96kHz Upsampling multichannel audio soundtracks with movies!

http://www.soundandvision.com/conten...advanced-96khz

______________

* By the way, Canada just defeated Great Britain in Men's Curling. ...They are now 5 and 2 (wins and lost respectively).

Go Canada Go!

[Mike]

Take a look at their new product page here. It says, "Supports all the latest high-definition surround standards from Dolby, DTS, and more at full HD resolution." And the very top picture shows the display DTS ES Matrix, FWIW.

Edit: I also found this picture of the OSD:

osd3.jpg

Thanks for the clarification Matt. That's good to hear.

[socfan12]

Hey guys, while your researching SSP/receivers do a search for ATMOS. This will be the new format for the future. Some companies already have it on their receivers but haven't seen any separates with it yet. It will be up to 5/7.20 with most being 5.10 which would be a total of15 speakers. I think the idea is to just about cover your ceiling but the sound is supposed to be like 3d audio. There are about 150 blurays that are encoded with this format.

Good lord! I'm still challenged to get 5.1 in my FR HT, LOL!

[NorthStar]

Many people still have a lot of issues setting their 2-channel hi-fi stereo rig and having the sound properly dialed in.

Never in this life would they have the courage to experiment, or even read about rigs and components doing more than two speakers @ a time!
...Michael Fremer is one of the exception; he has two main setups. ...The one downstairs for analog music with his turntable, and the one upstairs for digital multichannel surround sound movies, with his SSP or AV 'receiber'.

Right now, for the general public, you can set a home theater rig with eleven speakers and four subwoofers (11.4-channel setup).
Of course you can even add more, but 11.4 is what is offered as one of the top most separate channels (4 of them are not discrete though).
...I believe some high end SSPs can even do 16 channels (separate speakers), but internally processed, not encoded in anything existing (virtual recreation). ...Perhaps it's a 12.4-channel SSP with two front center channel speakers.

__--__--__--__

* Imagine for a sec: For proper stereo sound (two channels only) you need to not only get your room treated/tuned accordingly by a professional acoustician, but also equalized it professionally. ...So, for even a 5.1 setup it needs much much more still. ...Then 7.2, 9.3, 11.4, 12.4, and 16.4 (with four ceiling, above head speakers - the true sky high height channel speakers).

Lexicon and Yamaha used to be the leaders in DSP surround sound.
Today they still are, and JBL Synthesis (Harman Kardon division), Trinnov, Dirac Live, Acourate, and Datasat (RS20i SSP).

__--__--__--__

If you want to do high end stereo sound perhaps it is preferable to stick with a high end stereo preamp (analog).
Why put it inside a high end digital surround sound processor with video circuitry (the picture does go through HDMI connections)?
I guess some people, like Matt here, like to have everything top-notch in one single unit.
And if the XMC-1 can do it (stereo analog and 7.1-ch. digital equally good), and for only two grands ($1,200 for people who have that 40% discount card), then perhaps it's worth checking it out by giving Emotiva another chance!

But like Matt said; better wait another six months or so to find out about all the issues and see if you can survive with most of them. ...I just can't wait to read owner's reviews. ...Should be a lot of fun.

- BTW, yesterday Canada Men's Curling team won over USA team.

Go Canada Go!

[Matt715]

They updated the xmc-1.com website with a reserve button and a shipping date of April 2014 instead of March. I like how they specified the year. LOL

[NorthStar]

That tells us they still are not ready yet! ...Not a good augur @ all!

How could some people still wait for a product after all these years, and when their previous two SSPs are still not fully and properly operational is simply one of the biggest illusion of the imagination!

And how many times did they blame their customers for the problems and bad implementations that they created themselves in the first place!?! ...Totally beats me up! ...And I'm not speaking only for myself here.

When I first joined the Lounge, and till the end, I believed in Emotiva's value (and even supported them).
Now I don't believe in the people behind them, in their disorganization.
It's been a long journey for me about Emotiva; it started back in 2004.
The most important thing for me in life is the quality of the people; their honesty and integrity and respect towards others.
If this is missing I don't care about their products, their jobs, their social class, their money, and their words.

The XMC-1, ...we'll see.

[Matt715]

The XMC-1, ...we'll see.

That should be their new slogan for it!

[Mike]

Here we are over a month later....and still no official release date. Anyone heard anything?

[NorthStar]

Back then I was a Lounge's resident. But it's all back now; nothing before April Mike.

[Mike]

Back then I was a Lounge's resident. But it's all back now; nothing before April Mike.

What year?


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

[NorthStar]

3014

[Matt715]

I'm not holding my breath for April. Come to find out that the factory isn't even finished yet! My guess is is that they might start trickling out in May and it will be mid to late summer before we see full production.

Edit: I was going to post a link to the thread with Big Dan talking out the factory, but it seems that it has been deleted.