After 4 years of suffering with it, I'm finally kicking my UMC-1 to the curb. I can't deal with its problems anymore. I need to find a new processor or receiver (I'd like to keep it under $1500) that's going to give me as few headaches as possible. I'll be pairing it with an XPA-2 amp. Here's what I'm looking for:
1) Great DAC. It's got to sound good, right?
2) No delay when you start playing something. When I start playing a CD, I don't want the first second or two of it to get cut off. I just want it to work. Somehow, this seems to be harder to find than one would expect.
Pretty simple, right? The biggest issue with the UMC-1 for me was that it would cut out all the time. Start playing a song? It'll cut out the first couple seconds. Rewind? It'll cut out the first few seconds when you hit play. Playing a game that has a couple seconds of silence? It'll cut out the first few seconds of audio whenever the sound kicks back in. As far as I'm concerned, something like that is unusable.
I've kinda been eyeing the upcoming Anthem MX-520, but I'm sure there are some other good options I should consider. Any input on this is much appreciated.
Edit: Oh, and the Marantz SR6010 looks like it could fit the bill, as well. But again, I'm not sure how well either of these options would fit my criteria.