On Friday the 30th of March I was going to be in the Nashville area in the afternoon so I called Emotiva to ask about a visit. Robert answered the phone, said that there wasn’t much there but offices and a lab, but I was welcome to come to Franklin. I told him all I wanted was to see and touch the products.
After picking up my son Alex at the airport, I called again to let them know I was on the way so they could put up anything I wasn’t supposed to see. Cathy, Dan’s spouse, answered and said that Dan was there and I could see him.
We motored down to Franklin which is about 10 miles south of Nashville and a Mecca of office buildings. We located the complex and found suite 101. There was no name on the door, just a number. Upon entering I heard a voice telling to come in and have a seat. It was Dan, who was on the phone. I expected to shake hands with Dan and see the products with someone else, and be on my way.
Dan ushered us into the conference/break room and the three of us sat around a table and started to chat. Dan started to tell us about his Emotiva story. Dan is the head of several companies. He has a factory in China with 700 employees and an engineering staff there of about two dozen people. He manufactures many brands of equipment from car audio to professional performance gear. He is the manufacturer for some high-end audio companies which will remain unnamed. My son and I know the names but our lips are sealed.
Emotiva is Dan’s private line. Everything is built to his team’s specs, right down to button placement. If you don’t like the looks of the equipment you can blame Dan. He can, and probably has changed the layout of the front of equipment to suit him.
AV123 was to be the distribution system for Emotiva. Dan and Mark Schifter are old friends. Emotiva has control over the distribution now, but Dan and Mark are still friends. The AV124Forum is still the forum for Emotiva equipment.
We discussed the 40% discount on future models. It’s pretty obvious that Dan wants to get units into the marketplace and then retain customers. He has “a little less than” a million dollars in inventory, Emotiva and unnamed brands, in Franklin. We discussed my equipment setup and what Emotiva product would fit my needs. He suggested the MMC-1.
Dan said that he has been building audio equipment all his life. Dan told us the story about himself and friends working in the garage when he was in his teens. Dan talked and we listened for the most part. The phone rang and rang. I’m sorry for those of you who didn’t get through. The only call Dan took while we were there was from “the boss” Cathy.
Dan was located in California. He traveled to Nashville regularly because of a big music equipment show (NAMM?) in Nashville. One of his friends moved to the Nashville area and told Dan about how nice it was to live there. Dan brought Cathy out from CA for a visit and southern charm won them over. Also, the tax rates, the housing costs, the neighborhoods, etc. fueled the decision. Dan’s business could be run from anywhere you have phones, web access, FedEx , UPS and an airport. Dan’s offices are in a complex of two-story buildings. Offices are downstairs with offices and lab upstairs.
Up in the lab, Robert apologized for the “mess”. As labs go I did not find it to be a mess, just busy. In one workroom, various components were on tables in room center and tables along the walls. In the lab the electronic workbench was on one wall and components in various stages of undress lined the other walls.
We got to prod and poke everything from whole units to parts. I’m glad I had my son along. He knows more about electronics than I do and he was impressed. Top quality materials are in the Emotiva product line. The quality is the same as some very high-end unnamed brands. We got to hold and inspect those as well. Emotiva does not have anything set up for listening tests. They just don’t get that many visitors. Dan did plug in an MMC and a BPA so he could run through the menus. We got to get a look (poke and prod) at the new DMR unit with the digital amp.
We used the universal MX remote that comes with the DMC. The MMC uses a single-use remote. I asked about that. Dan asked if I used a universal remote like the Harmony line or the MX. When I said the Harmony 880 he just smiled. He feels that most users do just as I did. I use the receiver remote for set-up and the universal for everyday operation.
We were in the lab when Robert was doing some testing to a module from the MPS-1 amplifier. They were using a subwoofer for testing the 4 ohm load at 300 watts.
When we were looking at the units, I didn’t see the earlier mentioned BPA. Dan had to go to the lab closet to pull a unit out for us to see. It wasn’t pristine. It was a production unit used for testing. I was interested because I think it would be great for a zone 2 amp. It appeared just as well made as the rest of the Emotiva line.
We spent an hour and one-half with Dan. He talked like a proud father. I know we pulled him away from other obligations and I appreciate the time he spent with us. He bid us good-bye and answered a phone call.
As Alex and I drove down the road we discussed all that we saw. We are very impressed with Dan and his companies. It was obvious to us that Dan is a man of means who is doing what he wants to do. I would like to tell you about all that I saw, but I won’t because I said I wouldn’t. I really wish I could!
Ps. On April 2nd, I returned and purchased a MMC-1.
Couldn’t help myself! Dan did say that he had to keep his daughter in college.
