Hi all
I am thinking about replacing my Yamaha rx 1040 to pair with my Triton 1s with my Emotiva xpa 5.

I used to rate music much lower but lately I have been listening to 70% music and 30% movies. I want something that will extremely good on both.

All of these below are the top of the line prepros. Out of these 3 which would be best?
Marantz Av8802
Emotiva xmc 1
Integra Dhc 80.6

Any other suggestions?

Atmos does interest me so that would rule out the Emotiva.
However I would like a graphic eq in case I want to tinker with the eq in case I like it better which emotiva has. Plus it has Dirac which sounds good. The other issue is Emotiva has had precious previou. issues with their last preamp.
I don't know much about the marantz but this seems to be the top of the line preprocessor from that brand. How does marantz compare?

I am going for a pre pro because u have the emotiva xpa 5. Correct me if I am wrong but prepros are usually better than receivers for pure sound fidelity if I have Amps already?

I have heard the Integer Integra had dropped Audessy x32 from their line up. Is this a problem?

The main reason I am looking to replace the yamaha 1040 is because the sound is very flat on music when I set the receiver to pure direct mode. I have had to tinker with the eq to get a sound that I like but I had a friend who works in the sound industry come over on the weekend and tried to tweak the eq in my yamaha and he said it was very limited in what he could do. He tried to adjust the frequencies in the parametric eq and the receiver would only go as high as 16khz

He told me I shouldn't even have to tinker with the eq at all and is surprised with how hollow the sound is in pure direct mode through the yamaha. He also said there was no feature on the amp to roll the bass off which frustrated him.

What preprocessor did GoldenEar use in this year's CEs?

Moderator I believed they used the integra Dhc 80.6 in 2014 is that correct? Would this be the best way to go? Does it sound great in pure direct mode or was there any tweaking from Sandy? I feel I shouldn't even have to change the eq much to get good sound so this is why I am exploring this. I assume you guys picked the best prepros matched to GoldenEar sound so because of this would this be a good choice?

Hey Steveo,
First off, let me say that I think you are making a REALLY good move!!!!!
I think the Triton Ones will reward you greatly for going with a much higher quality pre-amp or processor!
I don't know the answer to your question, but I applaud the question and your direction.
I bought the Emo XMC-1. It is sitting at my daughter's house in Austin, TX. I hope to go there and get it next month, and bring it over here in April. Arrrrggghhhhh I wish I had it now.
One reason I went with it, I think the Dirac room correction will take care of a few issues in my room that MAY put me over the top in sound quality and help me make my sub play together with the rest of my system.
I am replacing a Marantz AV7005, the AV8802 is supposed to be higher quality than mine, but so many people have rated the XMC-1 sound quality as a step above even the 8802. IF it is, I will be thrilled. It might not be though, will see.
IF you are interested in Atmos, you may want to go with the Marantz AV7702. I have no experience with the Integra.
I looked at all of these, and went with the XMC-1. Smart? Only time will tell.
I hope you find what works best for you and your system.
Happy listening and searching, Enjoy!
God Bless, Wayne

Steveo wrote: Moderator I believed they used the integra Dhc 80.6 in 2014 is that correct? Would this be the best way to go? Does it sound great in pure direct mode or was there any tweaking from Sandy? I feel I shouldn't even have to change the eq much to get good sound so this is why I am exploring this. I assume you guys picked the best prepros matched to GoldenEar sound so because of this would this be a good choice?

Yes, we used the Integra DHC-80.6. It sounded great and tweaking was nothing beyond your typical multi-channel system setup stuff. We did run it in direct mode for stereo playback of the Ones, but we were using an Auralic DAC out of an Oppo 105 into the Integra in that application, driving two 60 watt Class A Pass Labs amps. Again, sounded great, but we picked it because it was the only Atmos pre/pro available at that time.

I used to rate music much lower but lately I have been listening to 70% music and 30% movies. I want something that will extremely good on both.

How does the Yamaha fair with movie playback? Sound good? If it sounds good have you considered a tube preamp with HT bypass? You could keep the Yamaha and use it strictly for HT and use a tube preamp to listen to music. I've used a Primaluna Premium Preamp (with HT Bypass) and combined it with Emotiva xpa -1's with great success. I really think you would appreciate what tubes could do for you...this would be icing on the cake for your T1's.

Anthem that Primaluna amp looks stunning! I wonder if they sell to Australia.

My Yamaha sounds really good with movie. It sounds good now with music now that I have ever it further but sounds horrible on lure direct or bypass mode on the Yamaha. I heard that it should sound great but it just sounds flat on that mode.

You are tempting me with that amp let me tell you!

Wayne tell me how you go with the xmc 1! It's almost April now

Hi Steveo,
I do have the XMC-1 in my possession now, here in Texas. BUT it will be another month before I get it back home and then have to hook it up and test it. Listen to it.
Soooooo, don't expect a review any time soon. Sorry about the delay, it is killing me you can be sure!!!!
God Bless,
Wayne