Chadnliz,
That's a reasonable way to look at it. All I can say is what I experienced after owning Bot the Onkyo & Marantz processors. It's fair to say that THEY are not giant killers. ALL had bugs. NONE had as many bugs as the UMC-1 when it was released. I've never paid more than 2700.00 (give or take a few bucks) for a new processor.
And with all of that said I can honestly report that in my system using Comcast HD cable, PS3, Oppo DVD BD, Apple TV I have zero issues. Even the friend who bought my Onkyo agrees the UMC-1 sounds better.
Does that make it a giant killer? Of course not. None of these processors are ever going to be as good as my Manley or Rogue preamps. But I am a guy who actually OWNS the gear. I toss out what doesn't meet my demands and cry loudly if I think a product is flawed.
So....my statement is this: Anyone looking at the current Onkyo or Marantz processors should try to find someone with the UMC-1 so they can hear it for themselves. If you want to spend 4-7K then I expect you'd be getting a far better pre-amp section in the bargain and that's a different animal.
Thanks for the measured reply.
Rob
That's a reasonable way to look at it. All I can say is what I experienced after owning Bot the Onkyo & Marantz processors. It's fair to say that THEY are not giant killers. ALL had bugs. NONE had as many bugs as the UMC-1 when it was released. I've never paid more than 2700.00 (give or take a few bucks) for a new processor.
And with all of that said I can honestly report that in my system using Comcast HD cable, PS3, Oppo DVD BD, Apple TV I have zero issues. Even the friend who bought my Onkyo agrees the UMC-1 sounds better.
Does that make it a giant killer? Of course not. None of these processors are ever going to be as good as my Manley or Rogue preamps. But I am a guy who actually OWNS the gear. I toss out what doesn't meet my demands and cry loudly if I think a product is flawed.
So....my statement is this: Anyone looking at the current Onkyo or Marantz processors should try to find someone with the UMC-1 so they can hear it for themselves. If you want to spend 4-7K then I expect you'd be getting a far better pre-amp section in the bargain and that's a different animal.
Thanks for the measured reply.
Rob