I've been planning on eventually getting a new pre-pro for a while and have been anticipating the Emotiva XMC-1 as a potentially good option. I finally found a post in the Owners forum on AVS from someone who has received one! The initial report is that the sound quality is very good and there were no real issues with the unit. A good step in the right direction!

Until Axiom has any product in this area this may be worth considering, although admittedly it is significantly more expensive than a bunch of AVR's.

I too have been following along over at emotive -- and as you say it has finally shipped after 5 long years. Given Emo's record I will not be purchasing the XMC-1 until it has dirac installed and working. Even though I don't really care one way or another about room correction I will not buy something that is hobbled and unsellable should I not keep it. All I have read so far is feedback from fanboys and that's just not enough for me . Emo has made promises before and not followed through so I will remain skeptical but intrigued.

Richard

I went with the Marantz 8801, pretty much the same price and a reliable brand.

http://www.accessories4less.com/make-a-s...rocessor/1.html

That looks to be a good unit, too! Although the price is still a bit higher than the Emotiva once available discounts are included -- although the Marantz is a refurb unit. (Did you notice any difference in it compared to a new stock unit?)

I've also heard that a new line of receivers and a few pre-pros with Dolby Atmos will be launching this fall, so I'm still sitting on the fence for a bit...

new denons with dolby atmos

http://www.hometheaterhifi.com/press/home-theater-news/denon-introduces-avr-x4100w-and-avr-x5200w/

I looked hard at the AV8801 but here in canuckville cheapest I could find was 3600.00 which is above my pay scale. I just got a 40% upgrade card for 200 bux so that will save me 800.00 if and when I buy one. As for Atmos , I personally am not interested in it so I am ok with that. I really hope the XMC-1 is was good as they say because I just want a basic processor without too much window dressing ,plus I like the idea of the PEQ. The UMC 200 is already works with REW and hopefully the same will happen with the XMC-1. Its not made in Canada but it is made in North America. Also it has those pretty blue lights to go with my amps.

I just listened to the latest podcast and since the XMC-1 is made in the USofA it comes to us canucks duty free. That sweetens thing considerably , now if the damn dollar would rebound just a wee bit.

richard

My 8801 looked brand new. perfect from a cosmetic perspective. Also, the unit has worked flawlessly since day 1. I've also bought a NR1604 from accessories4less this year as well. Over the years i have bought several products from this company. They have all been in like new condition, and i've never been able to differentiate between these products and an "off the shelf" product.

I'd have no hesitation in recommending something from them.

I bought an AVR from them two years ago. It looked like new but had functioning problems. I returned it for a second unit. It had a dent and dings but functioned perfectly. I kept it.
Bill

I don't understand the hype over Emotiva products ESPECIALLY in terms of their processors.

In addition to the unusual length of time it took to bring this product to market, during its development it went through TWO significant price increases starting at what was the originally announced $1199 ultimately ending up at $1999 which started to bring it in to the realm of well established manufacturers, to me, too expensive for a brand new product from a small company, even though it ended up being manufactured in the U.S. I wanted to buy a new Pre-Pro last fall, however, rather than wait what seemed to be forever for the XMC-1, I spent another $500 and bought the Yamaha CX-A 5000 Pre-Pro, ultimately, I believe a wiser investment.

I believe that the PEQ is the deciding factor for a lot of the EMO fans. The PEQ is a really nice feature and it has a lot of room for adjustment. Dirac also seems to be highly anticipated. I am on the fence still since Dolby PL IIz is not available and rear surrounds are not on my short list. Perhaps I will wait for the RMC though that could well be 5 years away . I looked at the Yamaha as well and its a nice unit but still pricey for a working class guy like me. With Emotiva you either like the styling of you don't. I really like the looks of the krell but 6500 is way lots to much plus another 2500 to upgrade to 4k .

The hype is partly because Emotiva has quite a large online following. Certainly another big factor is that the XMC-1 was originally announced long ago - is it over two years now? There seemed to be a big build up from Emotiva each year with promises of 'it will be shipping later this year'. There were many delays caused by incorporating new features or changing the room correction technology, etc.

At least Emo has finally released it. Outlaw had a similar product that was announced and being worked on for quite a while but it eventually got cancelled. Pre-processors and receivers, it seems, can be quite a challenge for smaller companies to produce!

Anyway, despite the hype, the XMC-1 is supposed to be a more affordable pre-pro with XLR support and high quality components such as a toroidal power supply. Most mass-produced AVR's do not have these any more, so theoretically the sound quality from the XMC-1 should be better.

The eager EMO's started reserving back in 2008