I’ve lived with the Emotiva Ultra Theater Combo LCM-1 (pre) & LPA-1 (power) for the past week…Wow, what a one\two knockout punch!!!
SOUND:
This Ultra separate pair BLOWS Away my Sony DE885 receiver (100w X 5) in sonic purity and sheer dynamics! I’ve gained At Least 6db of Clean, undistorted dynamic audio output that is far clearer and cleaner than I heard -at any level- on the Sony! The sound stage has become more detailed and defined with much greater spatial clues and nuancances, creating a lucid 3-D effect I didn’t have before! The extended bandwidth of the combo reflects in absolutely totally effortless highs and lows that seem to have no boundaries! There is so much “air” around every note and sound, I become completely immersed in the clarity of details and subtleties that I never heard before!! If I would describe the overall sonic presentation in one word, it would be “Pure”!!! I am thrilled with the fidelity increases these electronics have made to my HT audio system. The fact that these very notable improvements have been realized using a humbling Bose Acoustimass 15 system as my main\surround speakers (please, no flames…came with the house) is a strong testament to the Emo engineering!! The sound of this electronic pair is Superb, Especially considering it’s delivery “total cost” of less than $900!!!
FUNCTION:
Basic, simple and uncomplicated comes to mind while I setup and tested the Ultra Theater pair! The LMC-1 has shown no bugs or quirks during my trials, but I’m a newbie when it comes to all of the DD\DTS codes and applicable functions…seems to work well for me! I’m running a simple 5.1 surround and getting great separation and clarity of DD\DTS mixes…no complaints! The LPA-1 is a high current, wide bandwidth, low impedance, low distortion amp that I’ve not been able to drive into clipping…it just seems to have no audible headroom limitations! It has Never gotten above 95degf (barely warm to the touch), even after being on all day and cranking to super-clean loud theater volumes in action HD-DVD movies! (BTW, my HT room is 5300cf with a large opening to another 2000cf space!)
LOOKS\BUILD:
FANTASTIC on Both accounts!
EMOTIVA CS:
A+
RECOMMENDATION:
If you have the space, this pair appears to be very competitive (performance & price) when compared to other separates, specially when considering other all-in-one \ middle-of-the-road receivers!!!
IMHO, considering it’s $$$ value, superb sonic attributes and future 40% upgrade discount, I don’t believe you will find a much better pre\pro\amp combination!!! I'm sure the A1400-8 amp will be a beast in comparison to the LPA-1, but at 6X the price, it should be!
Hope to find out in the near future how this Emo combo drives the Epic 80 HT system...can't even begin to imagine the Auditory Improvements this will have over the Bose system!!!
Ted
