Emotiva Preamp Any good?


Is the Emotiva equipment any good? Their new XMC-1 Preamp ($1999) is all the rage at the audio shows.
128x128vernneal
Thanks Runnin,Now there is a Denon 5200 w/Atmos. I'm not looking to go 9.2 so Atmos is not the issue. I'm running 1- Parrasound 2003 Mod & Parrasound 5250v2, B&W 804 up front w/htm1. My rears are Matrix 803 series 2 & sitting packed away are N805. I haven't heard anyone speak of d Denon as a good match to my speakers. I'm tiered of the non musical responce of the Pioneer. The surround @ 5.1 & 7.1 are fine. I'm sure I'm cut short with a 9 yr. old receiver. So I think an upgrade to a new pre is over due.
Oops, just a little correction. The current best price is for a reconditioned 4520, over 200 less($888) than I paid them for a brand new one of which they still have stock.
The Pioneer model is 8 or 9 years old and would be bested by any current mid level AVR. Any processor will kick it to the curb as well, including the XMC. As i mentioned earlier, the XMC is dated and missing features now common on AVRs. I got a Denon 4520 for half off and the SQ upgrade over my 5 yr old Onkyo is stunning. I just checked Accessories4less and it's now over over 200 less than I paid, a crazy good price.

It can drive an amp should you want one. Anyone out there, if you're looking at a new AVR, get this Denon. The price is amazing and the feature set is top of the line. The only thing it lacks is Atmos, which is why it's on clearance. I've had it for 2 months now, and in my 25 x 14' room with 7.1, the sound performance is the best I've ever had. It actually bests my high end 2 channel system in some cases, but Audyssey will do that.
Greeting Vernneal, I'm looking to upgrade my Pioneer 74txvi to the XMC,it's been a couple of weeks since you received your EMO, has the performance gotten better?
The XMC is over FOUR years late. They tried EmoQ and TacT before Dirac, if that says anything about the situation. They announced that Dirac was finally ready to ship shortly after Minidsp announced the release of a competing Dirac product.

Because it's 4 years late, the platform is sadly lacking. The new Marantz 7702 is much better at the same price. Dolby Atmos and Audyssey XT32. 11.2 channels of processing instead of 7.2, with 13.2 preouts. Video processing, the XMC has none. Wifi and blutooth built in. The list goes on and on.
I have tested the XMC-1 which had all the Dirac capabilities codes, mics, and it works flawlessly. In fact it outshines my very expensive Krell gear. I am thinking about selling the Krell to fund an all Emotiva system though I will keep my Krell amo. I dont need a nameplate to be in THE CLUB my system speaks for itself. Just wanted to know others thoughts on it. Thanks
Seasoned audio buddies of mine really love the Emotiva USP-1 preamp especially the phono section of it.
Well, it's about time! I am glad that Emo has *finally* made good on their promises, this has not always been the case with them...

-RW-
From what I understand, Emotiva is shipping all XMC-1s, ordered after December 1st, with the new Dirac Live LE room correction...
If you're looking for a very good, low-cost, multichannel preprocessor, the XMC-1 is hard to beat. But, AFAIK, Emotiva have yet to provide the room correction capability they promised (Dirac) almost 2 years ago. I would be wary...

-RW-