AV123's new budget seperates (1 Viewer)

[Andrew Pezzo]

I just saw these on their website yesterday and was blown away at the price. For less than what most mid level recievers cost you can get a pre/pro and amp with lots of good features. How are they able to make such products at that price? I have no doubt its a quality product and cant wait to see some reviews on them.

Anyone here put an order in for one? I love my rotel 1068 but seeing a seperates package at under $1k makes me want to go out and get it.

 

[DaveHo]

I've been intrigued by the Emotiva Ultra-Lite LMC-1 as well. For 500 clams + shipping it's very tempting. Although I would actually use the zone 2 capability, why they actually include a built in zone 2 amp is really baffling. Kind of negates many of the advantages of separates. However, given their generous return policy, there's not much risk.

-Dave

 

[Jed M]

I have a set of the UL's and they sound great. Very comparable to my more expensive Outlaw 990/770 setup. I would warn potential buyers of the UL's that the DPLII and DPLIIx can not be used with a digital connection and can only be implemented through the analog connections. To me, this pretty much rendered the DPLII and IIx features useless. If you don't care about that issue then it is a seriously great bargain. Its all a matter of personal preference and I realize some people do not require DPLII or DPLIIx or mind manually changing from digital to analog depending on what channel you are on, but I think AV123 should be more upfront about how this is handled. More on this topic can be found on the AVS forums. I also wrote a favorable mini-review over on AV123 about the sonic qualities of the UL's compared to my 990. I don't mean to take business away from AV123 as I love that company but I just want to save somebody potential shipping costs if this would be a problem for them.

 

[Jerome Grate]

Any sites if possible.

 

[Andrew Pezzo]

Jed - thanks for the tip on the DPLII/x, in my case that would certainly be an issue.

 

[LanceJ]

Jed: why is it useless? Because of the need for an analog cable or that(?) you need to manually switch over to the analog input?

Because unless the DPL chip being used is really crappy, one extra analog-to-digital conversion isn't going to be noticed amongst all the much more complicated processing needed to change a 2.0 signal to a simulated 5.1 signal.

 

[Jed M]

Well, I enjoy switching channels and having the processor do the decoding. Also, the DACs in the UL's are great so why would I want to use my sat/cable boxes cheap DACs? Like I said, it may not bother some but for me to have to manually switch from analog to digital depending on what channel I am watching is kind of a pain, especially for family and friends who don't understand this stuff. Obviously, YMMV.

As far as DPLIIx goes, it really doesn't work for pretty much most people. The point of DPLIIx is to extract two rear channels from a digital DD/DTS 5.1 mix. That way you are still enjoying the full DD/DTS experience with 2 matrixized rear channels to fill your 7.1 theater. If I understand it correctly, with the UL's you are basically having the dvd player downmix the DD/DTS 5.1 into stereo and then having the UL create its own matrixed 7.1 mix from the analog stereo signal it is receiving. Personally I think one would be better off listening to the original DD or DTS 5.1 mix as opposed to a completely matrixed 7.1 version of a stereo feed.

Like I said, this may not bother you but for me it is not what I am looking for in a DPLIIx processor. Hope I answered your question and also introduced people to a bunch of newly created tenses of the word matrix.

 

[LanceJ]

Are you saying this processor doesn't have a digital input? If it doesn't, I DO understand your disappointment with the DPL issue! Yikes, I wonder why they would not include such a fundamental feature??

 

[Parker Clack]

Emotiva Ultra-Lite LMC-1 Processor $499 each.

Emotiva Ultra-Lite LMC-1 ProcessorCrystal Semiconductor based 7.1 Channel Dolby Digital, Dolby Digital EX, Dolby Pro-Logic II/IIx, DTS, DTS-ES, and DTS Neo:6 decoding
Audiophile-Grade 24-bit/192kHz DAC’s
External HDMI Switcher Included
OSD (On Screen Display) for easy set up and calibration. Logical and easy to use. OSD is available on Component, S-Video and composite outputs
Automatic up-conversion of S-video and composite video sources to 480i component video
0.5dB resolution on the Master Volume and on all Level Trims
Second zone audio capability; can play audio sources independent of the main zone
Independent Delay Time Adjustment for the Centre, Rear Surrounds and Side Surrounds
Full-time digital down-mix for analog two-channel tape recording and second zone audio output from multi-channel digital sources
Full function custom IR remote control
Second zone IR remote capability
Internal 2 x 25 watt second zone power amplifier. Tracks the selected second zone audio source.
Optional second zone wall mount remote control panel with display of level and source select (requires 2 gang electrical box opening)
FM/AM tuner with 40 presets
HDMI - External Automated Switcher:
Easily connects to the Emotiva LMC-1 via 2nd zone audio data port to allow for switching between any two HDMI sources
Maintains 480i, 480p, 720p, 720i, 1080i and 1080p resolutions
High quality silver contact relays provide a high bandwidth, passive signal path
Additional manual control switch operation included
Supports cable runs of up to 50 feet
Three sets of HDTV compatible wide-bandwidth component video inputs with buffered outputs
Five sets of audio/video inputs, each with audio, S-video, and composite video
Two pair audio-only inputs
Eight channel analog audio input using RCA connectors for DVD-A, SACD, or other external multi-channel source
Digital audio (S/PDIF) inputs for four sources: three coax or optical and one coax only
RCA line level outputs for all channels
DSP based tone controls
User selectable crossover frequency for all speakers when set to small
8 DSP surround sound modes available
External trigger outputs and infrared inputs
Modular internal construction
2 RU chassis w/ solid milled aluminum faceplate
IEC power inlet, 120/230 VAC configurable.
17” W x 3 7/8” H x 13” D
Weight - 20.5 lbs.
Warranty: Five Years


Emotiva Ultra-Lite LPA-1 Seven Channel Amplifier $699 each.

Emotiva Ultra-Lite LPA-1 Seven Channel AmplifierClass A/B
Audiophile quality seven channel multi-channel power amplifier
Six 125 watt channels of amplification (one channel configurable for two channel operation)
Low noise 1.2 KVA toroid power transformer
Complementary, discrete power amplifier design incorporating high current, high speed, Toshiba power devices
Channel status indicators for standby, operate, and fault
Configurable power output as follows: 125 watts/8 ohms x 6 channels or 125 watts/8 ohms x 5 channels plus 2 x 50 watts/8 ohms x 2 channels
Completely stable into 4 ohm loads
Rated Power Output: Channels 1-5 (All Channels Driven at 0.04%THD, 120vAC/ 60HZ supply) 8 ohm: 125 watts / 4 ohm: 225 watts
Channels 6-7 (All Channels Driven at 0.05%THD, 120vAC/ 60HZ supply) 8 ohm: 50 watts / 4 ohm: 95 watts
Frequency Response: +/- 0.1 db: 20 to 20Khz, +/- 1.0 db: 10 to 100Khz
Signal to Noise Ratio: (Un-weighted): >100db
Distortion (THD, 80Khz bandwidth): Channels 1-5:

 

[DaveHo]

Unless you have bought from them in the past. In which case you qualify for family pricing, which I believe is 998 for the pair.

 

[Jed M]

I am not saying that. It does have digital inputs, its just that you can't apply DPLIIx while using a digital input, kind of defeating the point of using DPLIIx.

This is also the case with using DPLII while watching tv but only on certain channels that you must manually determine whether you need to use analog or digital. So in that regard it isn't as widespread as the DPLIIx issue since it only affects certain channels, but is still an inconvenience.
EDIT: The DPLII issue also affects certain dvd's that are ouput in DD 2.0 but are encoded in DPLII, like a lot of tv show dvds.

 

[Kevin C Brown]

That seems like a big problem to me. And DPL IIx is not just for 7.1 from DD or DTS 5.1. It's also used for 7.1 from 2.0 CDs for example.

Makes me think of an oldie but goodie:

Sometimes you get what you pay for.

 

[Jed M]

So it now sounds like maybe something will be done about it.

 

[Kevin C Brown]

To be honest, in this day and age, I'm surprised they released a product like that. Fix it first, then release it. Now unfortunately, people might be leary of their products in general.

 

[BradJudy]

Post from the AV123 forum about a fixed firmware:

 

[Kevin C Brown]

Not good.

 

[DaveHo]

I see that as a pretty good solution. I suspect most of us would have 80Hz as the max xover freq anyway. Given the fact that they are up against a wall with the processing chip being used, it seems like a pretty reasonable compromise. Certainly better than not supporting PLII/IIx at all from a DD 5.1/2.0 digital source. I would have never considered buying this previously once I understood the PLII/IIX shortcoming. Once I hear some feedback on the fix I'll reconsider.

-Dave

 

[Kevin C Brown]

One other problem because of this that most people will miss is that the phase to the sub can not be correct with both ways. When the crossover to the sub changes, so does the phase shift.

Most $500 receivers used as a pre-pro offer a better solution than this.