Comparison of Emotiva, Sherbourn, and Sunfire Processors
Due to multiple requests about the similarities between the various processors utilizing Bob Carver/Sunfire platform we felt it important to provide some perspective on the three main units available to consumers. Sherbourn Technologies and Emotiva both are able to have their products made through a manufacturer in China who is licensed to make these products based on the Bob Carver/Sunfire platform.
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Sunfire
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AV123
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Sherbourn
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|---|---|---|---|
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Front |
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Rear |
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MSRP |
$4000 |
$2495 |
$2999 |
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MSRP
w/200W
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$7295
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$4299 (combo)
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$4999
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Special Features |
Flash memory
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Flash memory
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Flash memory
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Flash Memory |
upgradeable via CD |
upgradeable via RS-232 |
upgradeable via RS-232 |
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Warranty |
2-years parts & labor |
5-years parts & labor |
5-years parts & labor |
As you can see, the units are essentially identical, except for cosmetics, pricing, warranty and some small details. A shoot-off would be silly, and you can likely get an idea of which product interests you by your needs, aesthetics preference, warranty requirements, etc.
We were glad to see the platform adapt a bit from the Theater Grand III. Added are 0.5db channel trims, component video upconversion, independent channel trims for each mode of operation, and a better overall signal to noise ratio.
DMC-1 Pre-Pro Build Quality
When I received the Emotiva, the unit was tightly encased in a well-padded box. My experiences with the various shipping carriers leaves me wondering when the next crushed box or banged up unit will arrive. When you receive as many products over the course of a year as we do, you start to feel edgy when nothing has broken in over a month! I say all of this because the Emotiva box looked like it could handle a couple drops off the business end of a delivery truck. It hadn't been damaged in the least, mind you, but the thick cardboard and interior padding had some substance.
Opening up the packaging I found a well-encased DMC-1 with a beautiful brushed aluminum "floating" faceplate, polished black lacquer wood side panels, all part of a 3U rackmountable chassis. The floating faceplate was a rather nifty effect, with the indiglo blue backlighting creating a surround effect that literally lifts the accent panels off the face of the unit. I have not seen a more beautiful product. If you are one who may be bothered by the 10,000 candle power LED's that grace the front of the DMC-1 have no fear, the front lighting has 3 dim settings in addition to 'Off'. This unit is complimented by a very obvious attention to detail that shows up in every facet of it's design. Even the power button features a sculpted 'E' logo and comes backlit.
Before opening up the unit I spun it around and took a look at the back panel and connections.
Back Panel of the Emotiva DMC-1 7.1 Home
Theater Processor
You cannot help but recognize the well-organized layout of the processor, with all inputs well-arranged and easy to reach. Connectors were ample, yet well-spaced and I felt that I was given plenty of room to maneuver my hands to get my source components connected. Emotiva chose to mirror this organized structure with the front panel buttons, providing almost a hybrid look of simplicity and functionality. While the processor has a plethora of buttons on the front, it maintains that "high-end" look that tends to model a more subdued feature-set and cleaner appearance.
Not wanting to wait another second, I cracked open the
unit (no, not literally!) to take a peek inside of this processor and see what made it tick. Despite
the sparse initial appearance of the DMC-1, it only
takes a few moments to find out that the efficiently laid-out unit packs a whole lot of top-shelf
technology in its 27-pound chassis.
The Emotiva DMC-1 uses some pretty heavyweight chips to handle analogue to digital conversion and vice versa. The Cirrus Logic CS5394 24-bit/192kHz DAC and Analog Devices 24-bit AD1853 ADC make up this part of the processor while the high-end Motorola (Freescale) "Symphony" DSPD56367 chip handles all DSP functions including Dolby Digital, DTS decoding to the digital tone controls. You can see from the photo that while this device runs cool and requires only two amps of power, Emotiva elected to place a rather large toroidal transformer in the chassis as part of the power supply. I found the grounding of the unit to be excellent and the individual boards seemed to be well laid-out and securely fastened to the enclosure. Efficiency is a good thing and Emotiva put together a succinct and effective package.
