Emo has struggled with bugs since their first surround processor.
I owned the UMC1, it was a disaster, finally made it to about 80% stable before they announced its replacement.
I upgraded to the UMC200, again, it had a lot of issues, was about 90% stable when they announced the XMC1 and stopped developing the UMC1 (and I had the same issues with the UMC200 as I was left with the UMC1).
I upgraded to the XMC1, but not an early adopter, and which still suffered the same issues as the UMC1 and UMC200, along with plenty of new bugs as well. They had it relatively stable (albeit with the same bugs I had since UMC1) and then added a new HDMI upgrade, which was also a disaster.
I gave up and went with Anthem.
Emo had great amps. Their processors sound really nice and are a great value, and some people’s equipment combos don’t generate any issues and they’re very happy. I was not so lucky. I’ve been very happy since installing my Anthem AVM60, none of the bugs plaguing the Emo units have been a factor at all. Smooth.
Now, before it sounds like I’m just bashing Emo, I will say that almost every manufacturer out there has had their share of issues, especially in the last few years. The biggest difference is how quickly their software teams can address bugs and push new firmware. Emo is notoriously slow.
Also, the jump to 16ch and beyond has thrown most people for a loop. Most 7.x.4 processors hit the market pretty stable, but the more advanced units had more advanced problems.
I have a friend here who went from Marantz to the Emo RMC1 to the new JBL and now to the Anthem AVM70, none have been problem free but he’s sticking with the Anthem. Each unit has been better than the last. I think the Monoprice is the only one of the latest crop he didn’t try.
I don’t think I’ll ever own another Emo processor, but I’m still using Emo amps.
