2012 was an interesting year for equipment. High-end loudspeakers got more expensive but a few manufacturers like KEF got deliciously price conscious with their $1,500 LS50s and $799 X300A loudspeakers; both offer performance and build quality that make them category leaders and excellent value for the money. High-end DACs became affordable this year thanks to the DragonFly USB DAC from AudioQuest (I have one and it rocks), and soundbars from Polk Audio, Definitive Technology, and MartinLogan all garnered solid reviews and took a serious chunk of business away from the competition offering expensive 5.1 surround packages.
Consumers are still nervous about the economy (that fiscal cliff...higher taxes thing) and generally unwilling to spend a lot of money on the audio portion of their home theater. The HDTV is always going to be the single greatest expenditure for the vast majority of consumers and most people are content with a soundbar or cheap AVR with an inexpensive 5.1 set-up. The folks at Emotiva have been manufacturing excellent entry-level equipment for the past few years and today they announced a little gift for the holidays; the $599 (price goes up to $699 soon) UMC-200 preamplifier/7.1 surround processor.
Emotiva is an interesting company and one that has created a lot of heated discussion on the internet. Its loyal customers can't seem to get enough of its quality products that people can actually afford, and its detractors go crazy ranting about how it doesn't compare to brand x and how the blue lights make them want to tear their eyes out, and how all of the reviewers who like it are completely deaf.
Dear audiodweebs...how are those shakti stones and $1,000 power cords working out for you?
So who needs a separate preamplifier/processor when you can get it all today in an AVR?
At $599, the UMC-200 is truly inexpensive considering that it offers all of the inputs/outputs, switching, and surround capabilities of a mid-tier or higher-end AVR such as the AVR-3312CI from Denon or the MRX-300 from Anthem. The UMC-200 also features an AM/FM tuner, ARC (audio return channel) and full support of Blu-ray 3D. The UMC-200 is also upgradable and built way better than the average AVR. Its audio section can handle 24/192 and has enough digital inputs for 4 devices.
Add the UPA-700 7-channel amplifier for $429 and you have a truly high-end set-up for under $1,100.
Okay, but that still sounds like an expensive AVR.
Imagine your $1,100 AVR...but add power, better switching, superior sound quality, and better build quality.
Emotiva's new EmoQTM Gen 2 enhanced multi-channel automatic room correction automatically adjusts your home theater system to match room acoustics for easy setup. Just plug in the included calibration microphone and let EmoQ set up the system.There are outputs for both balanced and unbalanced subwoofers, and the ability to bi-amp the main front channels.
With four HDMI inputs each equipped with XpressviewTM quick switching technology, changing digital A/V sources takes as little as one second. A Video-On-Standby feature can send audio and video to a TV even when UMC-200 is switched into standby mode (kids can watch cartoons without having to turn on "the big system").
Last Video Memory lets users continue to view the last selected video input while listening to an audio-only source. The UMC-200's extensive 7.1 multichannel surround sound decoder capabilities include DTS-HD Master Audio, DTS Neo:6, Dolby TrueHD, Dolby Pro Logic IIx, and Pro Logic IIz.
Audio connections include four pairs of stereo analog inputs and a separate 7.1 channel set of pure analog direct inputs for connecting an SACD player or external surround source, plus a full assortment of digital audio inputs (including two Toslink, 2 Coax S/PDIF inputs and 24-bit/192-kHzdecoding).
Looks like a really good deal for a great price.
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