   
|
||||
 June 1, 2005 AV123 Emotiva DMC-1 Surround-Sound Processor  We
are facing a potential flood of bargains as China’s tech industries develop more
sophisticated manufacturing capabilities while doggedly maintaining a fixed rate of the
yuan to the dollar. Given its rock-bottom employment costs, China has the ability to turn
out a piece of home-theater gear for much less than any Western country, even beating
Korea and Japan. Balance-of-trade issues aside, the bottom line for us is a budding
bonanza as top designers send blueprints and get back nice pieces of equipment that cost
about half what we would otherwise expect them to. An example is the Emotiva DMC-1
surround-sound processor ($2999 USD), made by AV123.
Apparent value AV123 spared no expense in choosing the parts that comprise the Emotiva DMC-1. Analog-to-digital conversion is handled by 24-bit Crystal Semiconductor devices, while D/A conversion is done by 24-bit/192kHz Analog Devices converters. Emotiva also uses the 24-bit, 150MIPS (million instructions per second) Motorola DSP processor, usually found in the most expensive processors and a great processor for the Dolby and DTS modes, all of which are included. On the audio side are balanced XLR and unbalanced RCA outputs. If you, like me, still cling to hopes for the SACD and/or DVD-Audio formats, there is an eight-channel analog audio input. More germane is a direct two-channel bypass mode, handy for those of us who like our music unfiltered. There’s even a moving-magnet phono input for the true anachrophile. And for recording fans, all 5.1-channel sources are available mixed down to 2.0 through the Record outputs. Emotiva has also included a fully independent Zone 2 and an AM/FM tuner with 40 presets. Finally, there are six coaxial and four optical digital inputs. The DMC-1 is one of the few preamp-processors I’ve seen at anywhere near its price that offers upconversion of composite and S-video signals to component video, allowing you to use it as a true video switching device for VCRs, laserdisc players, and anything else that hasn’t caught up to the 21st century. It has six A/V inputs with composite and S-video, along with three component inputs. The distribution of video signals should be a snap -- the DMC-1 comes with three composite, three S-video, and two component outputs. As if all this weren’t enough, all these parts come in a neat-looking gloss-black box that weighs half a ton (well, 22 pounds), most of that weight gained from the DMC-1’s stout shielding. Remote control comes courtesy of the Home Theater Master MX-500, a terrific piece of gear preprogrammed to handle the DMC-1. The MX-500 goes for $189 by itself, so it’s a very nice addition. A plethora of blue lights
The owner’s manual also includes an overview of the Home Theater Master MX-500 remote control that is a good general introduction. Because only two of the remote’s function buttons are programmed, there’s lots of firepower left for the end user. I highly recommend downloading the full MX-500 manual so you can see just how well it can control the rest of your system. The one confusing point on the remote is that, instead of its highest level being used to control the DMC-1, you must first push the button marked Emo. And no, music fans, that doesn’t stand for emotional, though I did get a little excited while trying to figure out how to use the MX-500. From there, setting up the DMC-1 is straightforward, and similar to most other processors. The bass management has a nice selection of crossover points available, from 40Hz to 160Hz. Speaker distance, level, and size are all set in the normal manner. Emotiva has added a couple of helpful features for folks who like to futz with their frequency responses: Bass and Treble controls, plus a set of adjustments that let you trim any individual channel to compensate for a badly mastered disc. The DMC-1 is not of the demure school of design -- it glows like a blue-light Christmas tree in Hong Kong. The light show never bothered me while I watched films, but if the DMC-1 were to be placed in front of your screen, it could be a problem. The level of front-panel illumination is adjustable via a button with four positions -- Bright, Medium, Low, and Off. You need the lights, however, and even Low is fairly bright when in your direct line of sight. The sound and the fury I was fascinated by the DMC-1’s phono stage, so the first thing I tried was a six-eye Columbia pressing of Miles Davis’ Kind of Blue, to check the LP’s purity against the SACD and the gold Columbia CD. That gave me a pure analog input (albeit RIAA-filtered), analog 5.1 from an Integra DPC 8.5 universal disc player, and a carefully mastered CD. My usual turntable is a Rega P-25 with a Rega Super Elys cartridge fed through a Musical Fidelity XLPS phono stage; my usual CD player is a pro model, the Tascam CD-RW4U. I’m very used to the sound of all three of these sources and discs across a number of different pre-pros. What I found was that the analog sources had slightly more grain through what I’d been using (the more-than-twice-the-price Bel Canto PRePro), while the CD sounded within a hair’s breadth as good as any other processor I’ve used. Film sound was remarkably fine -- the ever-shifting soundstage of The Triplets of Belleville came through with crystal clarity. Finding Nemo’s amazing sounds in the fish tank shook the house while still allowing Thomas Newman’s orchestral score to register depth and delicacy. Opera recordings, such as the DVD edition of Thomas Grimm’s staging of Rameau’s Les Boréades (William Christie, conductor; Opera National de Paris, Les Arts Florissants) sounded transparent and displayed great depth. The video rendition was also very clean. Running laserdisc or VCR through the upconversion yielded a picture indistinguishable from a direct feed. Using the component switching caused just the slightest dropoff in quality, though probably nothing you could see unless you have an 80" or larger TV in perfect focus. Everything was going so well. Then, one night we put on a Region 3 copy of House of Flying Daggers (it had not yet been released in the US). Zhang Yimou (Raise the Red Lantern, Shanghai Triad) is one of our favorite directors, and this promised to be one of his most lovely films. Everything went fine up though the "Dance of Echoes" chapter. Then the sound started unexpectedly dropping out. After replacing the DMC-1 with the Bel Canto (an hour of arduous work, thank you), with which everything worked just fine, I determined that the problem was the DMC-1. As usual when I’m reviewing a component, I called tech support and didn’t identify myself -- just gave an outline of the problem and asked for help. AV123 was chagrined but had no explanation. They asked for time to see if they could re-create the problem, assuming it had to do with the use of a Region 3 disc. Eventually I had to tell them who I was, and they promised to get right back to me. Ten days later, I still hadn’t heard back, so I called and sent an e-mail. By this time, the DMC-1’s power switch had also stopped working. After using the DMC-1 extensively with a number of components, it turned out that the dropouts occurred only with the Ayre DX-7 DVD transport. The Ayre had no problem with other processors, so obviously there is some interface problem between the Emotiva and the Ayre. And the power switch still didn’t work. After several e-mails back and forth, AV123 finally got me a new Emotiva DMC-1. From notification of problem to delivery took six weeks. That’s too long. The new DMC-1 has operated without problem. Other possibilities
Of the preamp-processors I’ve had in my home, the one that seriously competes with the Emotiva DMC-1 is the Fosgate FAP T1, now available as the T1+ at $3300. The Emotiva scores on connectivity, offering a number of additional resources for the home-theater aficionado with too many toys. It also has a much more useful Zone 2, since it is fully independent. On the other hand, the Fosgate has its own 5" video screen and, like true love and TiVo, you just can’t believe how important such a screen is until you’ve actually experienced it. Sonically, the two are very close; I’d hate to have to choose between them in a blind listening test. I also had the Bel Canto PRePro in my house at the same time as the DMC-1, and it sounded smoother and more transparent. At $6490, it also costs more than twice as much. (You’d expect more from an Acura than from an Accord, right?) Still, the Emotiva offers more connectivity, and the sonic differences would be noticeable only in careful listening, and then more with music than with films. Conclusion I’m still a bit troubled by that six-week wait for a replacement unit. In AV123’s defense, they have had a larger-than-expected run on the product. Still, a little more communication would have been helpful. Nonetheless, the bottom line is that, for $2999, AV123’s Emotiva DMC-1 preamp-processor is a whopping lot of product for an exceptionally low price. …Wes Marshall Emotiva DMC-1 Surround-Sound Processor AV123 E-mail: info@av123.com
AV123 responds: On behalf of everyone here at AV123 / Rocket Loudspeakers and our partners at Emotiva please allow me to offer our thanks for the wonderful review. I would sincerely like to apologize for the inexcusable service delays and issues that Wes received from my company and reported accurately in his review. AV123 is very well known (dare I say legendary?) for its exemplary service policies, and this is most certainly not the norm for us. Wes caught us in the middle of training a new tech for this very complex product and brand. Please also note that this is a "new product" even to us, and we simply had not enough time "post beta" to get our ducks in a row here. In addition to that we were physically sold out of the product (news of great products spreads "too fast," as we all know), and we did not have access to more inventory for several weeks due to late deliveries from China. We took that down time to move Emotiva warehousing and fulfillment from Colorado to California, and this caused additional delays. Please note that company policy is to answer any e-mail or voice mail within 24 hours. All of this is no real excuse for what occurred here, but we do pride ourselves on our well-earned reputation for excellent customer service, and we strive every day to maintain it. Thanks once again, and when I see Wes next I will apologize personally to him as well. Most humbly, Mark L. Schifter
|
||||
|
Setting up the Emotiva
DMC-1 is simple. The manual is detailed, well written, and obviously began life in
English. Anyone who follows it page by page should have no trouble setting up the
processor. If you’ve never set up a pre-pro before -- unlikely, given the
sophistication of the product and our readers -- Emotiva has drawn helpful diagrams with
specific hookup instructions for most needs. In addition, the rear panel is well laid out
and easy to understand.
