CES 2017

Emotiva, the champion of value-packed audio products, will release 37 of them this year. The RMC-1 surround pre-pro is among them.

The company wants you to know that when it talks about 16 channels in balanced operation, it means input to output, no sneaky conversions, no cheating. Each channel is backed with its own 32-bit DAC operating in mono mode. Bleeding-edge Dirac room correction is another sweetener. And yes, there is an Atmos upgrade module, because Emotiva wouldn't hang you out to dry.

The product ships in the first quarter for $5000 or so. Emotiva would also be happy to sell you a full surround system for under $2500. But that's another story among dozens.