Emotiva has announced that, in August, the company will release an upgrade to its XMC-1 AV pre/pro to add HDMI 2.0 and HDCP 2.2. The new HDMI board will add one HDMI 2.0 input and one 2.0 output, which will allow you to pass through HDCP 2.2-protected 4K/60 sources. We confirmed with Emotiva that the new board is basic HDMI 2.0, which means it cannot pass HDR signals. An HDMI 2.0a update is coming in early 2017. The current upgrade is free to consumers who purchase the pre/pro before the board is available and costs $299 for those who purchase the XMC-1 used or at a discount.

From Emotiva
Emotiva Audio Corporation is offering an important new enhancement for its highly popular XMC-1 7.2-channel Preamp/Processor.

Beginning in August, Emotiva will offer owners of the XMC-1 an opportunity to upgrade to HDMI 2.0 and HDCP 2.2 from the original HDMI board. The upgraded version, which will be included on all XMC-1 units shipped after the board is available, features one HDMI 2.0 input and one HDMI 2.0 output, with full HDCP 2.2 support.

Emotiva is offering the upgrade at no cost to consumers who purchase the preamp/processor before the board is available this summer, and at a cost of $299 for those who purchase the XMC-1 used or at a discount.

"Since the XMC-1 first hit the market, we've talked about how its modular design allows us to continually find ways to make it better through enhancements that tap into the best of current technologies and formats," commented Dan Laufman, President and Founder, Emotiva Audio Corporation. "True to our word, the HDMI/HDCP upgrade adds full HDMI 2.0 and HDCP functionality with little or no cost to our customers."

Emotiva's XMC-1 preamp/processor, which is manufactured at the company's facility in Franklin, TN, and is available from both the company's website and select audio dealers, was originally developed under the guidance of legendary digital systems architect Ray Dennison. Since it first shipped in 2014, the XMC-1 has represented a new high-water mark for feature-rich, audiophile-caliber, multichannel preamplification at an affordable price.

At the heart of the XMC-1 are two powerful 32-bit, dual-core, floating-point digital signal processors controlled by an advanced ARM processor running under custom Linux software, providing more than enough processing horsepower to decode all of the latest high-resolution multichannel audio formats, with true 7.2-channel decoding, including separate level, distance, and EQ controls for stereo subwoofers and summed LFE.

To ensure that every one of those 7.2 channels sounds its best in any room, the XMC-1 features Dirac Live for Emotiva room correction, which is the company's proprietary version of Dirac Live, the most advanced room correction technology available today. Dirac Live is continually praised for capabilities that exceed other consumer-grade room correction software, with time and frequency domains that bring the listener closer to the action, whether it's a heart-pounding action sequence or concert performance. A calibrated measurement microphone and Dirac Live for Emotiva software license are included in the purchase of the product.

In addition to the XMC-1's current array of seven HDMI 1.4 inputs and one HDMI 1.4 output (3D and 4K compatible), the XMC-1 also boasts four optical and four coaxial digital audio inputs; balanced and unbalanced stereo audio inputs; two USB Type A ports, which facilitate FLAC, WAV, AAC, and MP3 audio streaming; a USB Type B port for high bitrate lossless audio streaming; and a 3.5mm headphone output driven by a dedicated Texas Instruments DirectPath Stereo Headphone Amplifier.

The impressive multi-channel and streaming audio processing capabilities of the XMC-1 are counterbalanced by features such as selectable pure direct audio passthrough with no additional processing of 2.0-, 5.1-, and 7.2-channel audio sources, as well as pure direct audio processing of SACD's DSD audio.

Looking ahead, Emotiva will announce further enhancements including Dolby Atmos and DTS-X in December.

"The beauty of a modular design is that it guarantees the XMC-1 will never be out of date," added Laufman. "The units our customers buy today will remain just as vital and satisfying no matter what new formats take hold in the market. Buy it now, enjoy it for a lifetime."

Additional Resources
• Emotiva Introduces BasX Line of Preamps and Amps at HomeTheaterReview.com.
• Emotiva XMC-1 7.2-Channel AV Pre/Pro Reviewed at HomeTheaterReview.com.