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Epic 80 + Emotiva Ultra Theater Separates???
#167528 05/06/07 11:02 PM
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In my HT upgrade research and planning, I've been looking closely at most of the receiver products on the market (Onkyo, Yamaha, Sony, Denon, Pioneer, Marantz, Sherwood, etc.) In my quest, I came across the Emotiva pre\power amp systems that seem to offer a great value in separates. Most impressive are their high current, low impedance, low distortion and wide bandwidth power amps and their flexible and well thought-out pre amp controls!

In particular, their entry level "Ultra Theater Series" is in the budget I was seeking (<$1000) and seem to posses the features I need to push the Axiom Epic 80 HT 5.2 setup, along with provisions for powered 2nd room speakers (outside patio)!

http://emotiva.com/products.html

Since I'm custom building my display-equipment-media HT center, size in not an issue!

I've read little about this new electronic company as they have only 4 years in the mainstream El. market. Does any one here have any experience with their systems, especially in their powering of Axiom HT speaker systems? Their business philosophy\customer service dedication seems to parallel Axiom's...And they speak very highly of the Axiom Speaker line. That got my attention!!!

Thanks for any suggestions and help!

Ted

(p.s. Have an EP500...may add another and set the M80's on top of each 500, projecting a 16' triangle to the main listening position...would this also work well?)


Samsung 67" DLP 1080P * 2-Axiom EP500 PSW's * Emotiva UT Series Amps * Acoutimass 15's 5.1 = WOW!
Re: Epic 80 + Emotiva Ultra Theater Separates???
Theo #167529 05/07/07 04:39 AM
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Theo,

I decided to keep my LMC-1, even though it's quirky and should get a firmware update, which may not happen. Peter wrote a review in the water cooler forum where he lists the quirks. He returned his.

I like the sound quality even though I am a beginner in audio equipment. The LPA-1 is big enough for me. It plays loud and clean. I think it would do a good job with your M80s.

I think Emotiva will be coming out soon with new HDMI processors.

Good luck,


Rodney

Denon AVR-3312ci
Mains: M22 v2
Center: VP150 v2
Surrounds: QS8s v2
Sub: HSU VTF-2 MK3
Re: Epic 80 + Emotiva Ultra Theater Separates???
Theo #167530 05/07/07 11:51 PM
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I'm flattered. Someone remembered my post! I have been relentlesly researching prepros on AV123, AVS, and other places for the past few weeks. I consider myself an 'armchair expert' on the subject of cheap-but-good prepros, at the moment.

Yes, I had the UL combo. I kept my LPA-1, but returned the LMC-1 because of the software quirks. It was a close call. I can't stress that enough. The LMC-1 seems to be a nice little prepro, but it has some frustrating features. I won't re-hash it all, see my review for all the gory details.

Here's my advice: Buy the UL combo. It'll sound great. If you have more patience than I (or have a more patient wife ), and can deal with the 'quirks', keep it and be happy. If it's too annoying, send it back under their 30-day policy. They won't give you any hassle. Return shipping on the LMC-1 was $12.

If you want something that sounds maybe just a bit better (slightly upgraded DAC), but has a few more features (one generation newer DSP chip) but without the quirks, check out the Outlaw 970/7075/LFM-2 combo for a $1298, then sell the LFM-2 and you'll be right around the same price point as the UL combo.

Want the truth? I am actually still debating re-ordering the LMC-1 to give it another shot. Yeah, really. I need help. I miss the SQ compared to my Pioneer AVR, but can't quite jutify the $1k+ to move up to the MMC/DMC or Outlaw 990. Yeah, like a bad puppy that wet the rug, I actually miss the little booger.

It's rumored that Emotiva is coming out with an 'LMC-2' sometime this summer, and maybe a new 'DMC-2' this fall. Based on their track record, I'd wager it to be a Fall '07 & Spring '08 kind of thing. If you like Emotiva, purchasing any of their current generation of prepros gives you 40% off on their future stuff, which is a nice little bonus and an easy way to get a loyal customer base.

Last edited by PeterChenoweth; 05/08/07 12:00 AM.
Re: Epic 80 + Emotiva Ultra Theater Separates???
PeterChenoweth #167531 05/08/07 11:35 AM
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Thanks Rodney and Peter for your comments!

I spoke to Cathy on Monday and she said the LMC-1 software issues have been resolved with all current stock. If you confirm this with Dan or Lonnie for a possible repurchase, Peter, please let us know if all the issues you've experienced with the past unit Have been addressed and fixed!!

I'm 99% certain I'll get the LPA-1, just being cautious about the pre\pro! As you stated though, a 40% upgrade discount toward a future LMC-2 could be a good deal!

Ted


Samsung 67" DLP 1080P * 2-Axiom EP500 PSW's * Emotiva UT Series Amps * Acoutimass 15's 5.1 = WOW!
Re: Epic 80 + Emotiva Ultra Theater Separates???
Theo #167532 05/08/07 12:09 PM
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Quote:

... just being cautious about the pre\pro! As you stated though, a 40% upgrade discount toward a future LMC-2 could be a good deal!

Ted




that was the deciding factor for me over Outlaw, which seems to have its own quirks, or a high end Denon AVR. So far I'm enjoying the Emo set. I tried to duplicate Randy's shutdown experience and couldn't stand to turn the volume up past -5 - it was actually painful. So I reset the max volume back to -20 and my clothes and couch were still vibrating.
Enjoy your Emo pre/pro and M80's - I don't think you'll be disappointed. PM me if you would like a demo.

Scott


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My HT
Re: Epic 80 + Emotiva Ultra Theater Separates???
Theo #167533 05/08/07 12:20 PM
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Not to beat a dead horse or sway you the other way, but to be fair, you should probably go thru THIS thread. It's specific to the mps-1 amp, but an Emo product none the less.

Scott


Scott

My HT
Re: Epic 80 + Emotiva Ultra Theater Separates???
a401classic #167534 05/08/07 12:50 PM
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Quote:

Not to beat a dead horse or sway you the other way, but to be fair, you should probably go thru THIS thread. It's specific to the mps-1 amp, but an Emo product none the less.

Scott




Thanks Scott,

After I made this original post, I spent the better part of Sunday reading Randy's thread...Wow! But it does seem that Dan and Lonnie at Emo are listening and working toward glitch-free amps\pre amps. They certainly seem to have a great product line at a resonable value offer with great customer service, just as here at Axiom!!

Appreciate the "demo" offer...I'll be in touch!

Ted


Samsung 67" DLP 1080P * 2-Axiom EP500 PSW's * Emotiva UT Series Amps * Acoutimass 15's 5.1 = WOW!
Re: Epic 80 + Emotiva Ultra Theater Separates???
Theo #167535 05/08/07 12:58 PM
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Quote:


I spoke to Cathy on Monday and she said the LMC-1 software issues have been resolved with all current stock. If you confirm this with Dan or Lonnie for a possible repurchase, Peter, please let us know if all the issues you've experienced with the past unit Have been addressed and fixed!!





Really? I may have to call them today. Not that I don't believe you that Cathy said that, but I'm a bit suspicious about that statement. Here's why I say that.

If you go back to last summer/fall and read the threads over on AV123, you'll quickly learn that the 'Generation I' LMC-1 just couldn't do certain things. Just wouldn't apply DPLII processing to DD2.0 streams, and wouldn't let you apply DTS:ES to non DTS digital sources, to name a couple of 'biggies'. They then claimed (and later recanted) that this was legally correct, and that all of the other prepro/AVR manufacturers were wrong. People complained. A lot. Sometime around Februrary/March of this year, Emotiva released a 'Generation II' LMC-1 that added the ability to decode DD2.0 streams into DPLIIx and allowed DTS:ES to be applied to analog sources (still can't apply DTS:ES: to DD2.0). Part of that process involved 'patching everything in stock'. This is why you will run into some threads bashing Emotiva for selling 'used' stuff; people got their LMC-1's with fingerprints on it, thinking it was used. Emotiva says that it's from the patching, and I tend to believe them.

They were also supposed to release a serial-dongle that would use the Zone2 port for folks to upgrade their LMC-1's in the field, but never did. Dan himself said that would be ready by April 15-18, but hasn't said a word since. I'm 100% positive that Emotiva will upgrade any LMC-1 to the latest firmware, but it requires it to be sent back to Nashville, TN. Anyway, in the process of the new firmware, they broke the 3-band crossover on DPLII processing (it applies a global crossover) and also may have introduced a few other bugs. See AV123 threads for details.

The point is, I had a 'Gen II' LMC-1, and there are *still* several bugs (see my review). If they have a 'Gen III' LMC-1 out now, that would be someting significant.

Now I've traded emails with Lonnie in the past 2-3 weeks and he said that they are undergoing a complete software review of the LMC-1's code. Up until now, they have just patched it. They're going through its software line-by-line to identify bugs and to see what they can do about the lingering complaints. Truth or not, that's what he emailed me. No promise of if the things can be fixed, or when, but at least it's something.

I cannot believe that they have actually fixed *all* of the lingering issues in such a short time span. Also, there's nothing over on AV123 about the firmware being fixed, and Lonnie & Dan normally post such news over there.

I wouldn't hold your breath that you'll get a bug free LMC-1.

I still might order one, as I'm almost convinced that with just a little bit of work I can write a couple of macros for my universal remote to work around the most significant bugs...

Last edited by PeterChenoweth; 05/08/07 01:12 PM.
Re: Epic 80 + Emotiva Ultra Theater Separates???
Theo #167536 05/08/07 01:18 PM
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I know it's a long and arduous thread, but I highly recommend that you grab a cup of coffee and read through this thread over on AV123.

It really will completely describe the 'quirks' of the LMC-1 and will give you an idea of what the 'hard-core' users think. You might even stumble across a couple of my posts . Pay special attention to Gonk's and MerlinWerks's posts. They have done a lot of in-depth examination of the LMC-1.

Last edited by PeterChenoweth; 05/08/07 01:27 PM.

M80v2 | VP150v2 | QS8v2
SVS Pci+ 20-39
Emotiva UMC-1 & LPA-1
M22ti + T-Amp, in the Office
Re: Epic 80 + Emotiva Ultra Theater Separates???
PeterChenoweth #167537 05/08/07 01:50 PM
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Thanks Peter...I've learned much from your inputs and shared experiences!

I briefed through that AV123 thread before, but being a newbie, much went over my head (still trying to understand All of the dolby format nomenclatures and functions)!!

I'll revisit it as soon as my 1-gallon coffee brewer is finished!!

Ted


Samsung 67" DLP 1080P * 2-Axiom EP500 PSW's * Emotiva UT Series Amps * Acoutimass 15's 5.1 = WOW!
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