(August 21, 2019) First announced at CES 2019, Emotiva Audio says it’s all-new XMC-2 AV Processor is officially shipping.
Competitively priced at $2,999, the XMC-2 is designed to deliver performance factors found on the flagship’s RMC-1 processor for nearly $2,000 less. And while the new younger brother carries a lighter price tag, Emotiva says its tech is extremely competent.
“If the RMC-1 was our most anticipated product in recent years, the XMC-2 was right behind it,” says Dan Laufman, President and CEO, Emotiva Audio Corp. “Out of the gate, it’s the one that longtime customers have been drooling over, especially after word got out that performance is very similar to that of our flagship RMC-1."
The XMC-2 delivers audio and video performance factors that surpass that of equally-priced competition, built around Emotiva’s in-house Linux-based operating system. Onboard audio tech includes support for current Dolby Atmos (9.1.6) and DTS:X (7.1.4) immersive sound formats, Dolby and DTS upmixing solutions, and popular lossless legacy codecs, high-grade analog-to-digital conversion using AKM AK4490 DACs deployed in fully balanced Mono mode for the front left, center, and right channels, and audio decoding using twin Analog Devices dual-core 450 MHz DSP engines. You’ll even find a digital AM/FM tuner for some good old fashion fun.
Audio output is fine-tuned with bass management for up to three subwoofers, two sets of fully independent 11-band manual parametric speaker EQs, and global bass and treble controls with user selectable turnover points.
On the video front, the XMC-2’s video switching is handled by three quick-processing Panasonic MN864788 High Speed LSI 4K video switches, and the unit can passthrough video (along with an associated audio signal) when the processor is off. Also, the inclusion of 18 Gbps video bandwidth allows for support of 4K/60Hz video, along with support for HDR, HDR10, and Dolby Vision.
The arrival of the XMC-2 has axed plans for the company to offer XMC-1 owners a factory-installed upgrade kit. Instead, Emotiva has devised a new upgrade program, allowing XMC-1 owners to trade-in their discontinued model for an XMC-2. Trade-in costs for previously owned XMC-1 units vary based on several factors (read more here), but should cost between $600 and $1,000 plus shipping. The company is not currently accepting trade-in orders but says it should begin that process sometime in October of 2019.
For more information about the XMC-2, visit Emotiva on the web.