Emotiva UMC-200 7.1 Surround Sound Processor Preview

Budget processors are not something we get to talk about much in the world of audio. Frankly, they rarely exist. So when we get to report on two being released in the same week...well, our heads are spinning. The Outlaw Audio offering targeted consumers on a budget with legacy gear. Emotiva has often set their aim on consumers who want high-end gear at reasonable prices. Sound similar? Does to us too. It'll be interesting to see how these two budget processors compare.

The Emotiva UMC-200 is a 7.1 channel processor with four HDMI inputs and one output with ARC (Audio Return Channel). It has two coaxial and two optical digital audio inputs and four pairs of RCA style analogue audio inputs. It has RCA style connection for your external amplifier for all 7.1 channels plus an additional XLR output for your subwoofer. There are also a pair of RCA outputs labeled "Mix" for combining surround sound into stereo. Zone 2 and Zone 3 RCA outputs are also available. We're surprised the lack of RS-232 support with the mulizone capabilities (but you can always upgrade to a higher level product for that). Lastly, there are inputs for terrestrial AM/FM radio and the front has a 3.5mm headphone jack.

For legacy gear, Emotvia has included 7.1 channel analogue audio inputs. There is a USB input on the back but it only accepts the Emotiva Bluetooth dongle (a trade-off there, but one that would have certainly raised the price). There is one 12 volt trigger input and two outputs as well as a single IR input and output. Not included is any sort of analogue input or output. This means the UMC-200 supports only HDMI, a factor ruling this product out for those that still have gear with analogue connections.

The Emotiva UMC-200 supports 3D and has Xpressview switching for fast transitions between HDMI sources. It supports HDMI Pass-through allowing video and audio to be sent while in standby. All current surround sound formats are supported (including Dolby Digital ProLogic IIz) except for the new DTS Neo:X. The UMC-200 has flexible quadruple bass management with 12dB or 24dB per octave crossover filters configurable in 5Hz steps below 80Hz and 10Hz above 80Hz. 

Emotiva has included their Advanced Emo-Q Gen2 automatic multi-channel room correction and loudspeaker setup with a microphone. For those who are into manual calibration and tweaking, Emotiva has included eleven user-programmable, fully parametric, equalizers per channel. There is also storage for three different configurations for power users. You get a full color onscreen display over live video as well as the two line LED screen on the front of the unit. The UMC-200 is 17” wide by 14” deep by only 3-1/4” tall and weighs 10 pounds.

Conclusion

The obvious question is: What do you need in a processor? If you are looking for automatic room correction with tons of user control with a focus on high-quality audio, the Emotiva UMC-200 will be for you. But if you need legacy video inputs, you're going to want to look elsewhere. With a $699 list price but a $599 street price (since it is sold direct, we doubt the $699 price will ever be seen), the price is certainly right. Multizone support and HDMI overlay OSD makes the UMC-200 not only competitive with other budget processors, but some with vastly greater price tags. We're very interested to see how the UMC-200 performs on our test bench.

For more information, please visit www.emotiva.com.

Unless otherwise indicated, this is a preview article for the featured product. A formal review may or may not follow in the future.