Emotiva umc-1 vs xda-1 audio quality?

rab-byte said:

I'm just wondering about how different the AQ from digital stereo sources would be?

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Hello,
I think the XDA-1 would indeed be superior in that it is a Differential DAC and roughly costs the same as the UMC-1. Much of how different they sound will come down to your Associated Components. Namely your Speakers.

The UMC-1 has gotten excellent Reviews for how it handles 2 Channel, but the XDA-1 is a whole different beast entirely.
Cheers,
JJ

I was wondering because both seem like they should do an adequate job of decoding a 144kbps CD data stream.

They would. The UMC-1 is an entirely different type of Component. I would still consider a used Onkyo/Integra SSP as it offer a massive amount more Featires and is also less prone to HDMI Handshaking issues.
Cheers,
JJ

I was reading that the HDMI issues were finally addressed with the last FW update.

rab-byte said:

I was reading that the HDMI issues were finally addressed with the last FW update.

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Glad to hear. I have not been following it that closely of late, but know there were a number of issues. However, it really is the Feature Set that makes the Onkyo/Integra's so popular. The UMC-1 would be fine and I understand wanting to have the same Brand for all your gear.
Cheers,
JJ

That and when I was in retail I always sold against onkyo as we didn't carry them at the time.

Hello,
I just really think in the HDMI Era, it really makes it next to impossible for Boutique AV Manufacturers to produce HDMI AVR's and SSP's. Outlaw invested Millions only to abandon an SSP a few years back. I will say their forthcoming SSP looks to be amazing and if stable, I am going to purchase one.

Between the cost of the myriad of Licences for a HDMI SSP or AVR, there is also Compatibility Testing and other R&D. Pre HDMI, there was a plethora of SSP's from Independent High End Companies. These days, there are a handful and most of them are using major elements from Multinational Companies.

The big reason I prefer the Onkyo over the UMC-1 is the fact that the Onkyo/Integra's offer Audyssey's MultEQ XT and can be upgraded all the way to Audyssey Pro. I also use THX Post Processing almost exclusively. However, Audyssey is the Feature I find to be essential to me.
Cheers,
JJ