Audiophiles have another reason to get giddy. Emotiva Audio Corporation has announced the first entry into a new line of digital audio products, and it's chock full of audio goodies.
Just announced, the XMC-1 preamp/processor works with both 3D and 4K systems. Designed by digital systems architect Ray Dennison, it's also Emotiva's way to deliver audiophile-caliber, multichannel pre-amplification at an affordable price.
The XMC-1 has two 32-bit, dual-core, floating point digital signal processors, which are controlled by an ARM processor running Linux. It promises plenty of decoding for a 7.2-channel setup, including high-res, multi-channel formats -- and with separate level, distance, and EQ controls for stereo subwoofers and summed LFE.
If that's not quite enough to get you frothing, the XMC-1 also includes the TacT TCS 3e Theater Dynamic Room Correction system. That should help to get the component sounding great in any room, thanks to a proprietary version of the advanced room correction system found in TacT's TCS Mk III surround sound processor. This is actually an exclusive for Emotiva.
Unlike a lot of other "set it and forget it" type systems, the TacT TCS 3e allows users to tweak. In fact, the company encourages the tweaking, with the ability to customize frequency response, crossover frequencies, and other system characteristics. All of those goodies are accessible on a computer-based user interface via the XMC-1's back-panel Ethernet control port.
"The inclusion of TacT Dynamic Room Correction is a beautiful example of what we set out to accomplish with the XMC-1," says Dan Laufman, president of Emotiva. "Rather than settling for 'good enough' by merely taking what we had developed in the UMC-1 and building upon it, we went back to the drawing board and designed a truly original, world-class instrument, that will stand the test of time, with features and capabilities never imagined at this price point."
Other features include seven HDMI 1.4 inputs with 3D and 4K support, four optical and four coaxial digital audio inputs, balanced and unbalanced stereo audio inputs, and a 3.5mm headphone output. There are also two USB Type A ports and one Type B port, to handle all types of digital audio from FLAC, WAV, AAC, and MP3 to lossless streaming.
Expect Emotiva to start selling the XMC-1 direct this summer, with an MSRP of $1499. Those willing to participate in Emotiva's Processor Upgrade Program can score 40 percent off the XMC-1 when it goes on sale. Anyone that buys the XMC-1 will also get a Processor Upgrade Certificate, which is good for 40 percent off a future processor.
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