Kapvin
I was quite quite disappointed with the UMC 1-I had an LMC 1 earlier, so having owned both I can speak with some authority. The remote is an impressive unit without backlighting. The audio was barely adequate-but when I upgraded to a Marantz AV 7005, it was light years ahead in terms of tonal quality and far more lifelike. I know that Emotiva had a newer XMC 1 prepro in the works, but it was a long time coming-I dont know if it has since been launched.
Whats good about Emotiva?-I suppose value for money and ability to work off 110/220 out of box. I also suspect that unlike the big brands, internet based Emotiva and Sherbourn and a few others are not spending a huge amount on branding which then gets added to the price we consumers end up paying! I am not yet in a position to comment on Sherbourn, but they had a very good reputation for their products esp their multi channel amps.
Again this is only my personal view.
Cheers