RMC-1 16 Channel Dolby Atmos & DTS:X Cinema Processor

Overview

The RMC-1 is a state-of-the-art surround sound processor - designed from the ground up to serve as the nerve center of a modern home theater or surround sound music system. The bit-perfect video switches in the RMC-1 ensure that you’ll get the best possible image quality from the latest HDR and Dolby Vision 4k UHD discs, and the advanced audio decoding engine, audio processing hardware, and room correction options guarantee you true audiophile sound quality and performance. Unlike other surround sound processors, the RMC-1 is not only a superb home theater processor, but also a true audiophile stereo component. When we set out to design the RMC-1 we had some relatively lofty goals. We wanted to design a processor that would support the latest Dolby Atmos and DTS:X object oriented surround sound formats, with plenty of channels to fulfill the needs of our most demanding customers, and sound quality and performance equal to or better than the best stereo equipment currently on the market. And, along with that, it had to deliver superb bit-perfect picture quality, and support the latest HDR and Dolby Vision 4k UHD video content. And, finally, it had to be relatively simple to configure and operate, so that our customers would actually be able to take full advantage of its advanced performance and capabilities.

Designing a surround sound processor that includes all of the features you need in a modern home theater system, while still delivering superb sound quality, is a truly formidable undertaking. Most AV receivers and pre/pros offer plenty of features, but include serious compromises in sound quality. And most audio gear that offers true audiophile sound quality is limited to stereo, and offers very few features. Our plans called for a platform that could deliver both.

To make all this possible, we started by developing a whole new hardware platform, which combines powerful new cutting-edge processor technology with painstaking analog circuit design to deliver the best possible audio performance. Running on this hardware platform, our proprietary operating system powers the menu system and all of the advanced control logic. This new platform was first introduced to the public in our highly successful XMC-1. The RMC-1 takes this technological innovation to the next level, with the latest 4k HDR and Dolby Vision UHD video switching capabilities, improved audio decoding and processing, the latest digital to analog conversion hardware, more channels to fully support the latest object oriented surround sound formats, and even more room for future expansion and upgrades. The RMC-1 is the ultimate expression of our new design philosophy.

Perfect for BOTH Home Theater Fans And Audiophiles

The RMC-1 delivers the level of audio performance and features you would expect from separate high-end audiophile components, combined with precise bit-perfect video switching of the latest HDR and Dolby Vision 4k UHD video content, and plenty of channels to support the latest object-oriented home theater surround sound formats (including Dolby Atmos up to 9.1.6 and DTS:X up to 7.1.4). The RMC-1 offers the full range of audio options, from native playback of DSD audio, to pure analog playback in our audiophile Reference Stereo mode, to full decoding of the latest object oriented sound tracks. With the RMC-1 you really can have it all….. without compromise.

Operating Modes for the Discerning Listener:

When used as a fully featured home theater processor, the RMC-1 starts by decoding the audio from your movie soundtracks and surround sound discs with the best possible sound quality.  Sophisticated bass management directs the low-frequency components of the audio spectrum to your subwoofer. This finely tuned digital audio is then converted into high-quality analog audio by precision DACs and sent to your amplifiers - via a high-quality analog ladder network volume control and audiophile grade analog circuitry.

If you listen to high-resolution audio downloads or other high-quality music sources which don't require all of that advanced processing, the RMC-1 offers several purist audiophile modes. High-quality digital sources, both PCM and DSD, can be converted directly to analog by the precision high-performance DACs, bypassing all of the more advanced processing. And, if you have analog sources which don't require any processing at all, they can be routed directly to the superb quality fully balanced analog signal path, bypassing all digital processing. 

Support For The Latest Audio and Video Formats

Home theater video is continually evolving to deliver a sharper picture, more colors, and more advanced features - which can make it difficult to keep track of what you actually need to take advantage of the latest video content and this year's 4k displays. The RMC-1 has eight HDMI video inputs and two HDMI video outputs, all of which support HDMI 2.0b and HDCP 2.2. The RMC-1 supports the full HDMI 2.0b 18 gBps video data rate, so it supports full 4k UHD video, at frame rates up to 4k/60, with full 12-bit color, and 4.4.4 chroma subsampling. It also supports static and dynamic HDR, including Dolby Vision, for a brilliant picture, with pure, intense colors, and remarkable contrast. The RMC-1 provides everything you need to get the most from the latest streaming content and 4k UHD Blu-Ray discs.

The RMC-1 supports Dolby Atmos and DTS:X, the latest object oriented surround sound formats, and Dolby TrueHD and DTS Master Audio, the current high-quality regular surround sound formats. Of course, the RMC-1 also provides full support for all the usual analog and digital audio formats, including PCM and DSD digital audio, vie both HDMI and USB. 

 

Here are some of the things that make the RMC-1 so unique:

True Audiophile Sound Quality

Regardless of how you configure it, we designed the RMC-1 first and foremost to deliver true audiophile sound quality, so it always sounds great. As an audio component, whether playing stereo music or multi-channel surround sound, the RMC-1 delivers performance and sound quality equal to those you would expect from the best high-end analog preamp. As a home theater processor, the RMC-1 supports both surround sound formats like Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio, and the latest cutting edge immersive formats – Dolby Atmos and DTS:X, and gives you the best possible sound quality with each.

The RMC-1 combines superb quality analog circuitry, which enables all of your high quality music to sound its best, with precision digital processing, and plenty of channels and decoding options to ensure you the ultimate listening experience with the latest blockbuster movies and concert videos. With the RMC-1, you really can have a superb stereo music system, and a truly awesome home theater audio system, in a single convenient, practical, and easy to master audio component.

Advanced Menu System And Configuration Options

Modern home theater systems can be very complex. To make the RMC-1 powerful and flexible, yet simple to configure and operate, we developed our own custom menu and control system. Frequently used options are easy to find and access, more in-depth options are arranged logically, and the current status is always clearly displayed on the dual informative front panel OLED displays and the highly configurable on-screen display. The RMC-1 can be controlled from the unique multi-axis front panel encoder, from its iconic solid metal remote control, or using the handy remote control app, which is available for Apple and Windows computers, and Android phones. The RMC-1 can also be integrated into most universal remote and whole-home control systems.

Because the RMC-1 is all about power and control, it gives you unprecedented flexibility to configure your system to sound just the way you want it to. Advanced bass management supports up to three subwoofers, and lets you set independent crossover points for each set of speakers. Two entirely separate sets of manual parametric equalizers let you create custom response curves, and can import settings directly from the popular Room EQ Wizard (REW). Settings can be saved as files, exported to a computer, and saved settings can be modified using a simple XML or text editor. Precision bass and treble controls, separate from the more advanced EQ settings, make simple response adjustments easy, and true Fletcher-Munson loudness compensation keeps your music sounding good, even at very low listening levels.

The World's Most Advanced Automatic Room Correction System 

One of the main features of the RMC-1 is the advanced Dirac Live automatic room correction system, which operates across both the time and frequency domains, taking you dramatically closer to the action in today's blockbuster movies, and lifting the veil between you and your high-resolution music files. Dirac Live is widely considered to be the most advanced room correction system available today. The powerful Dirac Live engine is built into the RMC-1 itself, while the calibration software is installed and run on your computer when it's time to calibrate your system. Each RMC-1 includes its own calibrated measurement microphone and Dirac Interface Kit.
 

Designed and Assembled in the USA with Globally Sourced Components

Assembling products here in the USA gives us exceptional control over every facet of the design and production process, which helps us build the highest quality products for our customers while minimizing unnecessary complications and production delays. As with many of our current products, the RMC-1 is assembled in our production center here in Franklin, Tennessee - just south of Nashville…

The Path To The Future

Home theater technology has made rapid strides since we first introduced our XMC-1, and continues to advance at a rapid pace. Because of this, we designed the RMC-1 with three hardware accessory bays for future expansion. We plan to make a variety of expansion options and modules available (we’ll release more details about those later). The main circuitry in the RMC-1 is also fully modular, and so can be upgraded to keep up with the latest and greatest options as they become available.

Features

True Audiophile Sound Quality

• Designed first and foremost to deliver superb sound quality.
• Fully balanced Reference Stereo signal path.
• Highest quality audio decoding for the latest Dolby Atmos and DTS:X object oriented surround sound formats.
• Highest quality audio decoding for high resolution surround sound formats like Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio.
• Support for stereo and surround sound PCM digital audio via HDMI.
• Native support for stereo and surround sound DSD digital audio via HDMI, and for both single-rate and double rate stereo DSD audio via USB.
• Audiophile grade AKM4490 Verita DACs, operating in fully balanced Mono mode, on all 16 Main Zone outputs. (Independent AKM4490 DAC for Zone 2.)
• AKM5572 Verita ADCs on analog inputs.
• Exclusive Dirac Live™ for Emotiva automatic room correction system.
• Hardware based ASRCs (asynchronous sample rate converters) between DSP stages for extremely high jitter immunity with digital audio sources.
• Digitally controlled precision analog ladder network volume controls. (Cirrus CS3318 resistor ladder network volume controls on main zone; Cirrus CS3310 resistor ladder network volume control on secondary zones.)
• High performance digital AM/FM tuner.

Flexible Audio Input and Output Options

• Supports an extremely wide variety of audio sources, including HDMI audio, analog audio, AM and FM radio, digital S/PDIF and USB PCM audio, and both single and double-rate DSD digital audio.
• Independent audio input selection for each video input. (The user can associate any audio source with any video input. In addition, the user may temporarily choose to listen to any audio-only source while watching any video input.)
• Second audio zone with separate DACs and source selection. (Second Zone can track Main Zone or be set to use separate digital or analog audio input.)

Flexible Audio Control Options

• Support for up to three separate subwoofers, with independent level, distance, room correction, and EQ settings for each.
• Advanced bass management with fully independent crossover settings for each speaker group.
• Our exclusive Live AV™ menu feature, which allows you to hear the changes you make to most menu settings, including levels and crossover frequencies, in real time.
• Two sets of fully independent 11-band manual parametric speaker EQ settings.
• Global Bass and Treble controls with user-selectable turnover points (independent from more complex EQ settings).
• User selectable true Fletcher-Munson loudness compensation.
• Selectable dynamic range control.

Support For The Latest Surround Sound Audio Modes

• The RMC-1 will automatically detect how the audio on each source you play is encoded and select the optimum mode to use to decode it. Decoded audio will then be optimized for your unique system configuration. All automatic processing modes can be manually overridden temporarily, and default modes can be reconfigured to suit your listening preferences.
• Support for the latest surround sound audio decoding options: - Dolby Atmos (up to 9.1.6). - Dolby TrueHD (up to 7.2). - Dolby Digital Plus. - Dolby Digital. - DTS:X (up to 7.1.4) - DTS-HD Master Audio. - DTS-HD High Resolution Audio. - DTS 5.1. - Stereo and Multi-Channel PCM. - Stereo and Multi-Channel DSD.
• Support for the latest digital post processing modes: - Dolby Surround. - DTS Neural:X.

Cutting Edge Video Switching

• 18 Gbps video bandwidth with bit-perfect signal switching on all HDMI inputs and outputs. Supports formats up to 4k UHD 50/60Hz 4.4.4 with HDR, HDR10, and Dolby Vision
• ARC (Audio Return Channel) and CEC support on primary output.
• The RMC-1 is a pure video switch; video inputs are routed directly to the appropriate output without any unnecessary processing. Video switching is provided by three Panasonic MN864788 High Speed LSI 4k UHD Video Switches.
• Unique Video On Standby option allows both audio and video to be routed directly to your display when the RMC-1 is turned off. This allows you or other family members to use your monitor to watch cable or TV shows while your main home theater system is turned off.

Powerful Display and Control Options

• Front panel control via unique multi-axis encoder, which combines a precision rotary encoder and a sensitive four-quadrant joystick type controller.  
• Full sized machined aluminum infrared remote control with discrete buttons for HDMI input selection, trim adjustments, and other major functions.
• Remote control apps - available for Apple and Windows computers and Android phones.
• Integration with universal infrared remote controls and popular infrared and network operated whole-home control systems.
• Four flexible Trigger Outputs can be independently configured to activate amplifiers or other trigger-enabled equipment.

Specifications

Audio Operating Modes (modes determine how the audio signal is processed by the RMC-1):

• Reference Stereo Mode: Purist stereo mode with no bass management; analog signals remain pure analog.
• Direct Mode: Minimal processing with bass management.
• Surround Mode: Full surround sound processing, with bass management and room correction.
• Stereo Mode: Full bass management and room correction for stereo input signals.
• All Stereo Mode

Decoding and Processing

Surround Sound Processing Support:

• Dolby Atmos (up to 9.1.6).
• Dolby TrueHD (up to 7.2).
• Dolby Digital Plus.
• Dolby Digital.
• DTS:X (up to 7.1.4)
• DTS-HD Master Audio.
• DTS-HD High Resolution Audio.
• DTS 5.1.
• Multi-Channel PCM.

Digital Post Processing Support:

• Dolby Surround.
• DTS Neural:X.

Displays and Controls

Front Panel Display:

• Dual, independently configurable, 64 x 256 resolution, blue OLED displays.

On-Screen Display (OSD):

• Configurable full color OSD displayed over live video, including 4k and 3D sources.

Controls and Remote Control Options:

• Front panel control via unique multi-axis encoder, which combines a precision rotary encoder and a sensitive four-quadrant joystick type controller.
• Full sized machined aluminum infrared remote control with discrete buttons for HDMI input selection, trim adjustments, and other major functions.
• Remote control apps - available for Apple and Windows computers and Android phones.
• Integration with universal infrared remote controls and popular infrared and network operated whole-home control systems.
• Four flexible Trigger Outputs can be independently configured to activate amplifiers or other trigger-enabled equipment.

Inputs / Outputs

Analog Audio Inputs:

• (1) pair; stereo: Reference quality analog audio (balanced XLR).
• (3) pairs; stereo: Reference quality analog audio (unbalanced; machined gold-plated RCA connectors).

Analog Audio Outputs:

• (1) set; 16 channels: Main analog audio outputs (balanced XLR).
• (1) pair; stereo: analog line level Zone 2 output (unbalanced).
• (1) high quality 1/8” stereo headphone output.

Digital Video Inputs and Outputs:

• (8): HDMI digital video inputs: HDMI 2.0b with HDCP 2.2 (all inputs support HDMI 2.0b and HDR, including dynamic HDR and Dolby Vision).
• (2): HDMI digital video outputs: HDMI 2.0b with HDCP 2.2 (one with CEC and ARC). (both outputs support HDMI 2.0b and HDR - including dynamic HDR and Dolby Vision).

Digital Audio Inputs:

• Internal high-performance AM/FM tuner.
• (4): Toslink optical S/PDIF digital audio (up to 24/192).
• (4): Coax (RCA) electrical S/PDIF digital audio (up to 24/192).
• (1): AES/EBU (XLR) digital audio.
• (1): USB Type B digital audio (UAC2 USB audio up to 24/192k)
• Digital PCM and DSD audio supported on all HDMI inputs and USB input

Digital Audio Outputs:

• (1): Toslink optical S/PDIF digital audio.
• (1): Coax (RCA) electrical S/PDIF digital audio.

Other Inputs:

• (2): USB Type A digital data inputs (for firmware updates and future enhancements).
• (1): Ethernet port (RJ-45) (network connection for Dirac and remote control applications).
• (3): Expansion slots for additional optional custom Input/Output modules

Cutting Edge Operating System and Processors

Main System Processor:

• The RMC-1 is controlled by our own proprietary Linux-based operating system, and by several powerful DSP engines, each running custom software code.
• The main control functions on the RMC-1 are handled by a Texas Instruments AM-1808 Sitara Arm9 32 bit 375MHz processor.

Video Processing:

• The RMC-1 is a pure video switch; video inputs are switched directly to the appropriate output without any unnecessary processing. Video switching on the RMC-1 is handled by three Panasonic MN864788 High Speed LSI 4k UHD Video Switches.

Audio Processing:

• All audio decoding and post processing is handled by twin Analog Devices, dual-core, 450 MHz DSP engines.
• Audio digital-to-analog conversion for each of the 16 main audio outputs is performed by an individual AKM4490 Verita DAC operating in fully balanced Mono mode.

Power Requirements

• 115 VAC or 230 VAC @ 50 / 60 Hz (automatically detected).

Dimensions & Weight

• Boxed: 22” Wide x 19” Deep x 10” High
• Unboxed: 17” Wide x 15.5” Deep x 7” High (not counting feet)
• Unboxed: 17” Wide x 15.5” Deep x 7.525” High (with feet)
• Unboxed 24 lbs.; Boxed 32 lbs.

User Manual

RMC-1 User Manual
 

Dirac Live User Manual + FAQ

Dirac Live User Manual

Dirac Live Quick Start Guide
 

Firmware + Instructions/Release Notes

RMC-1 3.1 Firmware

Firmware Instructions and Release Notes
Universal Remote IP Control Integration
 

Emotiva Processor Setup Resources

Emotiva Processor Compatibility, Configuration Notes