Emotiva DMC-1 Preamp-Processor Review

[Audioholics]

<P><SPAN><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 13px; FONT-FAMILY: arial"><A href="http://www.audioholics.com/productreviews/avhardware/EmotivaDMC-1ProcessorReview01.php"><IMG style="WIDTH: 125px; HEIGHT: 74px" alt=[EmotivaDMC1angled2] hspace=10 src="http://www.audioholics.com/news/thumbs/EmotivaDMC1angled2_th.jpg" align=left border=0></A>The "Audiophile" experience. That term comes up a lot and it's hard to define what exactly makes up this somewhat mystical mojo so many strive for. Audioholics, in general, tends to harp on differentiating features, specifications, and measurable performance - but what about <EM>the sound? The experience?</EM> <SPAN><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 13px; FONT-FAMILY: arial">With the objective in mind, and having already reviewed the MPS-1 7-channel modular amplifier from Emotiva, we were eager to get our hands on the matching D</SPAN><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 13px; FONT-FAMILY: arial">M</SPAN><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 13px; FONT-FAMILY: arial">C-1 processor and really experience what this latest controller distributed by AV123.com could do in terms of audio fidelity and performance. In particular, several features really stood out and drew attention to this unit, marking it a unique and flexible system. Read on for more...</SPAN></SPAN></SPAN></SPAN></P><P><SPAN><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 13px; FONT-FAMILY: arial"><SPAN><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 13px; FONT-FAMILY: arial">[Read the Review]</SPAN></SPAN></SPAN></SPAN></P>

 

[Privateer]

It looks like one hell of a deal.

 

[gene]

The $500 price drop they just introduced makes it icing on the cake

 

[Cabaca de Fogo]

next to review

how about either 1)rotel 1098 with taht beautiful screen or 2) B&K reference 50
and Lexicon RV8 against Denon 5805 to see which goliath would kill the other! My max budget for avprepro and amp is 5g, so it's either the winner of the uber receivers or budget separates. by rotel, emotiva, b&k. thoughts?

 

[gene]

how about either 1)rotel 1098 with taht beautiful screen or 2) B&K reference 50 and Lexicon RV8 against Denon 5805 to see which goliath would kill the other!

Please read my comprehensive review of the Denon AVR-5805. There isn't a processor on the market at its asking price that can compete with its feature set, processing power and measured performance.

However if you lean towards simplicity of operation and design, EMO is the clear winner here.

 

[drunkonjack]

Great Read ! And a great sight !

But this is something I already knew I have been enjoying the Emotiva twins for about 10 months . And it brings a smile to my face everytime I watch a movie or just spin a CD

The Emotiva is the real deal and I'm glad that they are recieving some professional reviews

 

[surveyor]

In keeping with the Audioholics tradition, another stellar review.
Please steer me correctly, but I'm of the thought that the Denon 5805 still has quite an edge over the Emotiva combination?

 

[gene]

I'm of the thought that the Denon 5805 still has quite an edge over the Emotiva combination?

The AVR-5805 has quite an edge over everything on the market right now, but its considerably more costly than the Emo twins and much more difficult to setup. Depending on your application it may or may not be right for you.

I would appreciate if this thread would remain on topic. Any questions on other products we reviewed such as the Denon 5805 may be addressed on their dedicated forums we started. Thanks.

 

[drunkonjack]

The AVR-5805 has quite an edge over everything on the market right now, but its considerably more costly than the Emo twins and much more difficult to setup. Depending on your application it may or may not be right for you.

I would appreciate if this thread would remain on topic. Any questions on other products we reviewed such as the Denon 5805 may be addressed on their dedicated forums we started. Thanks.

Yeah........Right ! An edge over everything on the Market ...........Please

It may be loaded with all the bells and whistles but There are so much stuff that just out performs it. Incuding the Emotiva twins .

 

[Audioholics]

drunkenjack,

You have your biased and predisposed views and are welcome to them. We have actually measured, listened, and published reports on both units.

The Emotiva does have a tremendous edge on price and ease of setup. Let's keep this thread on topic (i.e. no more non-Emo-centric posts)

 

[Khellandros66]

As usaula I am very impressed with AH.com's reviews. This seems likea piece that has a lot of great features. I will keep an eye onj this brand for some time now.

~Bob

 

[Mobius]

Just read the review, I felt it was written very well.

I have owned the DMC-1 for quite a while now and I couldn't be happier with it's sound reproduction. It does a fine job on the video side of things as well. The only real thing I wish it had was HDMI. I don't even have anything HDMI but I know I will in the future. I can always use a very well made Gefen switch though if I ever have the need. I don't really care for an auto room calibration setup so something like that is a non-issue for me.

Before I made the jump into a dedicated pre/pro I thought long and hard about my options. When I had added an amp (Marantz MM9000) to my system it really made everything come to life and my old receiver got over a year of extra life being used now as a pre/pro. Before that I was a total non-believer in seperates, I felt they costs way too much vs. the benefit. The amp thing really opened my eyes though and the time came when I needed to replace my old receiver. I jumped all over the place with what I wanted to do. I looked at the then new Yamaha 1400 & 2400 models, I bought a Denon 3805 but returned it, I took serious looks at the Marantz 8300 & 8400, considered the Outlaw 950, Sherwood P-965 & Rotel 1068, fell in love with the B&K Ref 50, passed up an excellent deal on the Yamaha 3300, checked out the Elite line, thought I was 100% sold on the new Marantz 8500 or the Yamaha 2500, but in the end my gut was telling me to give the Emotiva DMC-1 a shot so I eventually went with it and have been extremely satisfied ever since. AV123 has hinted about the possibility of some expansion (I assume via the firewire port) that has me excited about the years to come with my DMC-1. The DMC-1 has all the features I really needed and to me the unit has met all my expectations.

I saw the post of a recommended system of the Emotiva MPS-1 amp with the 2500 Yamaha receiver and man that would be a killer setup for the money. The upcoming 4600 Yamaha would also be killer but at a bit higher cost. I personally am glad I made the complete jump into the seperates market but these mid level & high level receivers are getting better & better and are truely great performers. However with some excellent entry level pre/pros out now or soon to be out (Outlaw 990 & Emotiva LMC-1 for example) makes going the receiver route a little harder. I think the one thing receivers will always have an edge on is features.

 

[puterpro]

Emotiva vs Anthem AVM-30 ... ??

I'll post this here, but it may belong more on a "General" thread.
I'm about to take the plunge into the separates game, having lived with a Yamaha DSP-A1 and NHT speakers for a few years. I started out thinking high end Yamaha (RX-V4600) or Denon, but then ran into the Anthem's and saw a chance to finally break into separates. (Currently thinking of pairing them with a Paradigm Reference Series 5.1 setup, Studio Monitor 60 or 80 in front.)
To the point: how does this Emotiva stand against the AVM-30? One thing that stuck me in my research is that Anthem has released over 12 free downloads for the AVM-20, so it seems that Anthem puts their $$ where their mouth is on the upgrades after release issue. I've looked around and found most other companies SAY they have RS-232 upgrades, but do the RELEASE any? Any idea on Emotiva? What about HMDI? Are they going to make that available to DCM-1 owners? Anthems is due soon ...
BTW - Great review, as always. (I've been luking for awhile ... {Grin})
Thanks!
Bob M.
aka PuterPro

 

[Spiffyfast]

I'll post this here, but it may belong more on a "General" thread.
I'm about to take the plunge into the separates game, having lived with a Yamaha DSP-A1 and NHT speakers for a few years. I started out thinking high end Yamaha (RX-V4600) or Denon, but then ran into the Anthem's and saw a chance to finally break into separates. (Currently thinking of pairing them with a Paradigm Reference Series 5.1 setup, Studio Monitor 60 or 80 in front.)
To the point: how does this Emotiva stand against the AVM-30? One thing that stuck me in my research is that Anthem has released over 12 free downloads for the AVM-20, so it seems that Anthem puts their $$ where their mouth is on the upgrades after release issue. I've looked around and found most other companies SAY they have RS-232 upgrades, but do the RELEASE any? Any idea on Emotiva? What about HMDI? Are they going to make that available to DCM-1 owners? Anthems is due soon ...
BTW - Great review, as always. (I've been luking for awhile ... {Grin})
Thanks!
Bob M.
aka PuterPro

You'll get alot more responses if you post that in the Amp/Pre/Receiver forum

 

[Sleestack]

I am awaiting delivery of the DMC/MPS-1 combo and will be doing some rigorous comparisons against my Parasound C1/A51 combo. The Emotivas are eventually going in the home office. Based on my experience with the rest of AV123's products, I'm sure it will do just fine against the $10K+ Parasound combo.

 

[jaxvon]

Oh man, thanks Sleestack. I really appreciate your effort to get more stuff out there. Great way to spend your time.

 

[Mobius]

To the point: how does this Emotiva stand against the AVM-30? One thing that stuck me in my research is that Anthem has released over 12 free downloads for the AVM-20, so it seems that Anthem puts their $$ where their mouth is on the upgrades after release issue. I've looked around and found most other companies SAY they have RS-232 upgrades, but do the RELEASE any? Any idea on Emotiva? What about HMDI? Are they going to make that available to DCM-1 owners? Anthems is due soon ...
BTW - Great review, as always. (I've been luking for awhile ... {Grin})
Thanks!
Bob M.
aka PuterPro

Thus far there has been 1 firmware update for the Emotiva DMC-1. I personally feel the EMO and AVM 30 are both excellent values and both would make most people very happy. As for HDMI on the Emo, Mark Schifter has mentioned an upgrade of some sort but with few details at this time.

If you are ready to buy today, I would send Mark an e-mail asking about any HDMI in the future for the DMC-1. If HDMI is an absolute deal breaker the AVM 30 might be the better buy right now because they have stated for sure there will be something in store.

 

[Sleestack]

Oh man, thanks Sleestack. I really appreciate your effort to get more stuff out there. Great way to spend your time.

I am specifically delaying major renovations on my house so I can have several empty rooms with great acoustics . I plan on spending a considerable amount of time testing various high end and more reasonable HT and audio setups that I own. I'm expecting at least 5 different speaker setups, 2 complete HT setups and several 2 channel sytems.

On the more reasonable end of things, I'm particularly fond of AV123 and their products. They have a great story, business model, and most importantly, products. I have bought a dozen items from their site and have been overwhelmingly pleased with each one. I have no problem using their flagship products in my high end systems and use products like their SP3/Ref.1 as secondary systems throughout my house.

In any case, I'll be reporting back frequently with my opinions.

 

[navsu]

N

Clint,
I am getting very close to buying the pair. I am very comfortable with the amplifier I think it will be all that I will ever need. but i don't feel the same about the pre pro. I was reading about one person's view that a yamaha2600 plus emotivas amp would be a really good way to go. Is there a benifit to going with a companys matched pair? will the dmc 1 be updated any time soon? I really enjoy your web site. Im an old duffer and learning a lot. but

 

[gene]

I am getting very close to buying the pair. I am very comfortable with the amplifier I think it will be all that I will ever need. but i don't feel the same about the pre pro. I was reading about one person's view that a yamaha2600 plus emotivas amp would be a really good way to go. Is there a benifit to going with a companys matched pair? will the dmc 1 be updated any time soon? I really enjoy your web site. Im an old duffer and learning a lot.

Clint is out of town so I thought I would pipe in here. Thanks for the comments on our site.

The Emotiva DMC-1 is lacking in features compared to the Yamaha 2600, especially in the video department. However on the flip side, the DMC-1 is simpler to use and aesthetically a better match with the MPS-1.

If you lean more towards looks and ease of operation, go with the DMC-1. IF you lean more toward features and processing power, go with the 2600 as a pre/pro.

I am personally using a 2600 and MPS-1 to serve my family room theater system and distributed audio for front/back yard and living room. It's a great combo.