Surround Processor Reviews

Analog frequency response in Direct mode:
–0.18 dB at 10 Hz
–0.05 dB at 20 Hz
–0.02 dB at 20 kHz
–0.12 dB at 50 kHz

Analog frequency response with signal processing:
–0.88 dB at 10 Hz
–0.25 dB at 20 Hz
–0.51 dB at 20 kHz
–20.18 dB at 50 kHz

The above chart shows the frequency response of the left (aqua), center (green), LFE (purple), and left surround (red) channels at the preamp outputs of the Dolby Digital decoder. The left channel measures –0.07 decibels at 20 hertz and –0.65 dB at 20 kilohertz. The center channel measures –0.12 dB at 20 Hz and –0.09 dB at 20 kHz, and the left surround channel measures –0.23 dB at 20 Hz and +0.09 dB at 20 kHz. The LFE channel, normalized to the level at 40 Hz, is –0.26 dB at 20 Hz, reaches the upper –3dB point at 118 Hz, and reaches the upper –6dB point at 121 Hz.

Response from the multichannel input to the main output measures –0.20 dB at 10 Hz, –0.05 dB at 20 Hz, –0.02 dB at 20 kHz, and –0.12 dB at 50 kHz. The analog THD+N was less than 0.016 percent at 1 kHz with a 100-millivolt input and the volume control set to 65.5. Crosstalk with a 100-mV input was –93.91 dB left to right and –92.23 dB right to left. The signal-to-noise ratio with “A” weighting was –127.94 dBrA—MJP

Video Test Bench
The Emotiva offers no analog video inputs and no scaling or other video processing from its HDMI inputs to its HDMI output. After initially detecting notable video clipping from its output with an Oppo BDP-103 Blu-ray player as the source, an investigation by Emotiva revealed that the UMC-200 was instructing the player to alter its output (see main text). Confirmation with a firmware-updated UMC-200 certified that it passes through HDMI signals with no negative effect or alteration.—DV