# Avr to separates



## vettett15 (Jul 1, 2009)

Guys,

I have been running my Pioneer Elite SC-05 for a little while now, but I'm starting to get the itch to upgrade. I was thinking about picking up a Emotive XPA5 and a UMC-1. Do you guys think this is an upgrade? I do about 75% music and 25% movies.

Thanks,
Pete


----------



## Jungle Jack (Jul 28, 2009)

vettett15 said:


> Guys,
> 
> I have been running my Pioneer Elite SC-05 for a little while now, but I'm starting to get the itch to upgrade. I was thinking about picking up a Emotive XPA5 and a UMC-1. Do you guys think this is an upgrade? I do about 75% music and 25% movies.
> 
> ...


Pete,
I would personally go with the XPA-5 and use your Pioneer as an SSP. The UMC-1 is not a bad SSP, but it lacks many features and would be somewhat of a sideways move. If wanting an SSP, I would go with one of the Onkyo SSP's. They offer an amazing Feature Set and are very fairly priced. Granted more expensive than the UMC-1, but they offer a tremendous amount more features and the latest offer Audyssey's awesome MultEQ XT32 with SubEQ HT.
Cheers,
JJ


----------



## vettett15 (Jul 1, 2009)

JJ,

Thanks for the response, I may have left out one piece of info.


One reason for getting the UMC-1 is to get the upgrade card from emotiva and then upgrade to the XMC-1 which looks to have an amazing feature set. The upgrade card would almost be worth the cost of the umc-1.

I thought the Onkyo device with the multiEQ xt 32 was like 2 grand no?


----------



## TypeA (Aug 14, 2010)

If the past is any indication it could be some time before you upgrade to the XMC-1, and then it could be some time thereafter before your firmware is correct. Again, this is based on the UMC1's dubious history. Dont get me wrong, the UMC-1 has great sound quality but bass management and basic features are sorely missing to make it a worthy upgrade. My combo of choice would be an XPA-5 and an AV7005.

Patience might get a little better prices on both those I recommended, especially Emo who does sales of usually $100 off the XPA-5 almost every holiday. You can check audiogon for better prices on the Marantz.


----------



## vettett15 (Jul 1, 2009)

is the xt32 system in the marantz and onkyo supposed to be much better than the pioneer elite system?


----------



## tonyvdb (Sep 5, 2007)

This Onkyo 809 is by for the best deal going it has Audyssey MultEQ XT, High-Quality HQV Vida and Marvell Qdeo Video Chip for 4K Upscaling that work in tandem. The amplification section is second to none in anywhere near its price range and THX certification. You can use it as a PrePro and is leaps ahead of the UMC-1


----------



## phreak (Aug 16, 2010)

vettett15 said:


> Guys,
> 
> I have been running my Pioneer Elite SC-05 for a little while now, but I'm starting to get the itch to upgrade. I was thinking about picking up a Emotive XPA5 and a UMC-1. Do you guys think this is an upgrade? I do about 75% music and 25% movies.
> 
> ...


Which upgrade will get you the best bang for the buck depends on the source of your upgraditus. Which features/qualities of your Pioneer are you wanting to improve upon?


----------



## sholling (Oct 6, 2010)

I voted with my wallet and have an Onkyo TX-NR809 feeding an XPA-2 driving my mains and an XPA-3 driving my center and side surrounds. The Onkyo acts as a really full featured pre/pro and powers the rear surrounds. In my opinion an Onkyo TX-NR709, 809, 3009, or Denon AVR-4312 (the later two for Audyssey MultiEQ XT 32) make a lot more sense than an Emo pre/pro.


----------



## Jungle Jack (Jul 28, 2009)

vettett15 said:


> is the xt32 system in the marantz and onkyo supposed to be much better than the pioneer elite system?


I really think so. It is the one feature lacking in the Marantz AV7005. That is XT32 with SubEQ HT. Just SubEQ HT used to be a standalone Processor that cost $800. The AV7005 uses Audyssey MultEQ XT which is still excellent. XT32 literally uses 32 times the processing of XT. And if using dual subwoofers, SubEQ HT is utterly fantastic. MCACC is solid, but does not work all the way down to the lowest octave. Last I looked, it stops applying EQ around 60hz.
Cheers,
JJ


----------



## pbc (Sep 3, 2007)

IMO, whether or not separates will make a difference is highly dependent on your room size and how loud you typically listen, at least when it comes to the "improvement" from adding an external amp. In my 1700 cubed room while I use a Sunfire Cinema Grand 7x200 and Marantz AV7005, I used to use an Onkyo 876 and played with both the 876 internal amps and then the same AVR with the Sunfire. Couldn't tell any difference personally.


----------



## vettett15 (Jul 1, 2009)

I enjoy messing around with room treatments and eq although I find myself sometimes making stuff worse than it was. That is really why I am interested in the new Emotiva processor coming out, it has a tact software built in. Really the purpose of the UMC-1 is to get into separates and more importantly get that upgrade coupon to save money on the xmc-1. The xt32 sounds interesting, I suppose another option is to get an onkyo 809 + a xpa-3 to power the l+r+c.


----------



## tonyvdb (Sep 5, 2007)

Sadly I would not count on that new Emotiva coming out anytime soon. I suspect it will be mid to late summer before you will see it possibly even longer. The 809 is truly your best option.


----------



## TypeA (Aug 14, 2010)

vettett15 said:


> I enjoy messing around with room treatments and eq although I find myself sometimes making stuff worse than it was. That is really why I am interested in the new Emotiva processor coming out, it has a tact software built in. Really the purpose of the UMC-1 is to get into separates and more importantly get that upgrade coupon to save money on the xmc-1. The xt32 sounds interesting, I suppose another option is to get an onkyo 809 + a xpa-3 to power the l+r+c.


Sonnie, Trick McKaha and myself all wrote reviews for the UMC-1, I would recommend you read all these reviews as they each offer their own little twist...

Heres the area, three out the four top threads:

http://www.hometheatershack.com/forums/preamp-processor-reviews/


----------



## Ovation123 (Mar 6, 2011)

vettett15 said:


> I enjoy messing around with room treatments and eq although I find myself sometimes making stuff worse than it was. That is really why I am interested in the new Emotiva processor coming out, it has a tact software built in. Really the purpose of the UMC-1 is to get into separates and more importantly get that upgrade coupon to save money on the xmc-1. The xt32 sounds interesting, I suppose another option is to get an onkyo 809 + a xpa-3 to power the l+r+c.


The 809 does NOT have XT32.


----------



## Jungle Jack (Jul 28, 2009)

Hello,
I have hooked up a Classe SSP-800, a Meridian SSP, and several others since I started using Onkyo AVR's strictly as SSP's and have yet to find a reason to switch. I will say the forthcoming Outlaw Audio SSP has got me most curious as it has a awesome Feature Set including XT32/SubEQ HT.

Some snobs maintain you need to have "highly resolving" Speakers, blah, blah, blah, but by most folks criteria I do and truly have not noticed a real difference between them and the Onkyo 805, 875, 3007, and 3008 that I have been using.
Cheers,
JJ


----------

