moving on from Emotiva UMC-200 pre/processor

A brand new processor from Emotiva? A little bit on the risky side, and he'd have to keep the UMC-200 to get the discount, so he'd still be out of pocket 2 grand. Plus, the XMC doesn't have the Dirac room correction yet, so for 2000 or 1500, there's plenty that beat it hands down. And they don't have bugs.

I concur with the idea that hazyj should take his time and develop a complete solution/plan of attack before replacing just one or 2 components. Perhaps it would help for him to list what he has now that he wants to replace.

Thanks all. After posting I decided to go in the direction you're advising, so great validation to know other minds agree. I see no reason to not at least audition a nice 2 ch pre and have fun comparing it to the Emotiva. Will need to post a comparison test at that time.

Avgoround - am curious - I think this is the first time I've heard anyone describe a Thiel speaker as "laid back". I understand you qualified that as meaning for HT, but can you explain?
HJ

Hazyj,

I'm kind of late to this thread and don't want to dissuade you from getting a good 2-ch preamp. However, I have a suggestion that worked for me and may work for you.

I'd urge you to consider purchasing an Oppo-105 Bluray player for about $1,100. I bought one of these and I've been thrilled with its performance. Here are some advantages of the Oppo in your situation:

1. It has a built-in 7.1 surround processor that is very good and would lessen your need for your UMC-200.

2. It can double as a surprisingly good 2-ch music preamp. I actually no longer use my VTL 2.5 preamp for 2-ch music or my older Parasound surround processor for ht since installing the Oppo.

3. It can also be utilized as a very good stand alone dac if you ever decide to incorporate hi-rez computer audio into your system.

4. You also gain a highly reviewed and respected source for a wide variety of optical discs for both music and ht (cd, sacd, dvd, cd-rom and bluray).

Just something a bit different to consider,
Tim

I concur with Tim's recommendation of the Oppo BDP-105 as an acting digital processor, but it will not accept analog source. I select among three analog sources, so I use a JC-2 preamp for stereo, take surround from the Oppo directly the amps, and SW directly to a bass manager. When used with the Oppo for surround or HT, the JC-2 is set to unity gain. If you have only digital sources, the Oppo is likely to suffice.

I too have the OPPOS but recommend a preamp or processor if theater is your thing, They are more versitle