I use - and like - my $900 IOTAVX AVX1 7.1 4K "Home Theater AV Processor" with room correction (image #3 below), although I only use it for my 3.0 system (L-C-R, no subwoofer).
My preference for music is still 2.0 stereo, but for movies with multichannel audio, a proper center channel anchors the dialog, by doubling woofer area, it increases bass response, and adds a "fullness" of volume in my very tiny room. I have no intention of replacing the IOTAVX, but the company appears to be a very small marketing company in the U.K. that contracts the assembly out to Chinese manufacturing, and has no presence elsewhere. The design is an update to an older Nakamichi AV Pre/Pro, and I have no idea who designed it. Comments abound the internet suggest that support is o.k. at times, but not always there when you might need it. So with IOTAVX in the U.K., and me in Panama, my expectations for service and support are minimal.
I watch the market out of curiosity. Audio has been a life-long hobby for me, and video in the past 20 years or so. I have looked at possible replacements in case the IOTAVX dies some day. Although I haven't been a McIntosh fan-boi since the 1970's, their current MX100 is my dream A/V pre-pro, although it has more channels (11.2) than I would need. At $5,000USD, it is far too expensive for me, but I like that it skips the legacy video I/O and other connections for which I would have no use. (And of course, the $17,000 Trinnov Altitude 16 appears to be the best of the best, but it is far too expensive for most of us.)
Unfortunately, the mid-range brand-name market segment apparently has no "basic" A/V Pre/Pro products available - I can find no equivalent to the IOTAVX anywhere. The only true budget A/V processors I came up with are generic units. Amir and others recommend good-measuring A/V receivers like the Denon AVR-X3700H with all-channel pre-outs, but they are big monsters with many, many connections on the back, and start at about $1,200-1,500.
In line with my interest in a budget replacement should the need arise, I would like to hear comments from anyone who has tried the inexpensive generic A/V processors like the first two below.
1. Generic $63 unit from Amazon:
2. "Daok" unit from Amazon - $180
3. IOTAVX AVX1 from IOTAVX direct - $950 (The only one I could find with just the features I need, including balanced XLR outputs.)
4. Denon AVR-3700H from Amazon - $1,500
5. McIntosh MX100 - $5,000
6. Trinnov Altitude 16 - $17,000
My preference for music is still 2.0 stereo, but for movies with multichannel audio, a proper center channel anchors the dialog, by doubling woofer area, it increases bass response, and adds a "fullness" of volume in my very tiny room. I have no intention of replacing the IOTAVX, but the company appears to be a very small marketing company in the U.K. that contracts the assembly out to Chinese manufacturing, and has no presence elsewhere. The design is an update to an older Nakamichi AV Pre/Pro, and I have no idea who designed it. Comments abound the internet suggest that support is o.k. at times, but not always there when you might need it. So with IOTAVX in the U.K., and me in Panama, my expectations for service and support are minimal.
I watch the market out of curiosity. Audio has been a life-long hobby for me, and video in the past 20 years or so. I have looked at possible replacements in case the IOTAVX dies some day. Although I haven't been a McIntosh fan-boi since the 1970's, their current MX100 is my dream A/V pre-pro, although it has more channels (11.2) than I would need. At $5,000USD, it is far too expensive for me, but I like that it skips the legacy video I/O and other connections for which I would have no use. (And of course, the $17,000 Trinnov Altitude 16 appears to be the best of the best, but it is far too expensive for most of us.)
Unfortunately, the mid-range brand-name market segment apparently has no "basic" A/V Pre/Pro products available - I can find no equivalent to the IOTAVX anywhere. The only true budget A/V processors I came up with are generic units. Amir and others recommend good-measuring A/V receivers like the Denon AVR-X3700H with all-channel pre-outs, but they are big monsters with many, many connections on the back, and start at about $1,200-1,500.
In line with my interest in a budget replacement should the need arise, I would like to hear comments from anyone who has tried the inexpensive generic A/V processors like the first two below.
1. Generic $63 unit from Amazon:
2. "Daok" unit from Amazon - $180
3. IOTAVX AVX1 from IOTAVX direct - $950 (The only one I could find with just the features I need, including balanced XLR outputs.)
4. Denon AVR-3700H from Amazon - $1,500
5. McIntosh MX100 - $5,000
6. Trinnov Altitude 16 - $17,000