Sorry, a little off topic. Emotiva got a bad wrap because when they first came out they were...well, crap. I tried two of their amps (one stereo and a pair of monoblocks) and they were indeed awful. Bright, hard, no imaging or soundstage. Fit and finish was terrible. Binding posts crumbled in my hand when I tried to tighten them. This was a horrible experience, but the company took them back no problem and I moved on.
Fast forward 5-6 years to now. I have listened to (3) of their new amps, a couple of preamps, CD player, DAC. I think they have finally got things figured out. I was very impressed by what I heard and saw with the newer models.
IMHO, Emotiva should at least be considered. They have a 30 day trial, free shipping and a 5 year transferrable warranty. In my book, pretty easy to take a chance on.