I waited for about a year after the XMC-1 was introduced so got beyond the initial problem time. There was one major flaw I found after I received it, and that was very quickly fixed (I may have been lucky in the FW cycle). It worked fine after that until the HDMI 2.0 board upgrade, which I had been eagerly awaiting. It was supposed to be out a month or two after I purchased mine, but it took a about another year before the board was available. I waited about three months then did the swap, after most users seemed to indicate it was functional. It was a mess that took about six months to get more-or-less fully functional, and another while before it was really satisfactory in terms of normal use without having to play games to switch inputs and reboot once a week. It worked OK for me after that, though some users still had issues with their systems.
When the RMC rolled out, 2-3 years after it was first introduced at trade shows, it was lacking Dirac Live and had a number of issues (bugs). Emotiva offered a very generous upgrade program so my plans were for an RMC-1/RMC-1L/XMC-2 upgrade (TBD). Two-plus years later, Dirac Live is working though not at the rate they originally stated (48 kS/s vs. 96 kS/s), there are still some outstanding bugs (though far fewer), Dirac Live Bass Control is not yet available, and bass management is still not working fully (as of last night's posts on their Lounge, though may be acceptable for many). BM is a concern since I have multiple subs. The trade-in program ended Dec 31, 2021 so I missed the window. For me, the current FW would still be inadequate, and about a year after they started shipping the RMC-1 and the troubles were still piled high (a little over a year ago now), I got a great deal on a refurbished (dealer trade-in) SDP-75 (Trinnov Altitude 32, JBL Synthesis style).
My XMC-1 is in its box. I thought about selling it, but prices have plummeted, so I may see if one of the kids wants it (my usual path). I'd have to get them an amp, however.
My feeling from the Lounge thread is that the MC-1 seems less buggy overall than their "premier" processors, although there were a few big problems at release that were fixed pretty quickly. Bass management, I just don't know. Data I have seen is somewhat mixed on whether it is working as it should but I frankly have not been following that thread.
For me, Emotiva is a very mixed bag. My amps are working great and have been since ca. 2008. The XMC-1 was a mixed bag but ultimately worked fine for me. The RMC-1/1L/XMC-2 saga has been ridiculously painful to observe. My personal contact with Emotiva support has been good, albeit at times the promised FW fix was months late, but my overall impression via their Lounge posts and bug fix release schedule for the new processors is poor. I would consider another Emotiva amplifier and some of their other products, but am unlikely to ever again purchase a processor from them.
Completely IMO - Don