Thanks for the comments and advice guys. At the risk of sounding naive, I am so impressed with EMO's "bang for the buck" / high quality at a very fair price, that I'm tempted to believe that the 8.3s will bring more to the table than other speakers in the comparable price range. When researching the amp it became crystal clear that the XPA-2 is as good or better than amps 3 times the price.
I think that you will discover that the Emotiva ERT-8.3 speakers are an even bigger bargain than their amps. I have been in this hobby for over 40 years and have owned speakers systems that cost many, many times as much as the ERT-8.3; and, I would have to say that the Emotiva speakers are more realistic sounding. Some of the previous speakers I owned were Klipsch Cornerhorns, Klipsch Cornwalls, Infinity Monitor II-A and Quad Electrostats. The ERT-8.3 reproduce a more "life-like" sound than any of them -- at a fraction of their cost.
I copied a review done by another Lounge Member who also has owned many very high-end speakers before buying his ERT-8.3s for you to read. I hope you find it useful.
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Re: The very first ERT 8.3 Speaker Review
« Reply #1 on Mar 18, 2009, 9:37pm »
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I placed my order for a pair of Emotiva ERT-8.3 Reference towers on Monday March 9 and and on Wednesday March 11 the Speakers were delivered from Tennessee to Kew Gardens, New York via FedEx in Excellent Condition.
First let me say that the customer service you get from Emotiva is the best that I have experienced in a long time. Many companies nowadays have forgotten how to treat customers and trust me I know since living in New York. Everytime I have call Emotiva I have always the pleasure of talking to Jennifer. She has always answered all my questions in a very professional and curteous manner and when she does not know the answer to my questions she always connects me with the right person.
Thank You Jennifer for always being so nice and helpful. Jennifer took my order over the phone for the RSP-2 Preamp,XPA-2 amplifier and the pair of ERT-8.3 Reference Speakers and within minutes I have the invoice send to email address and a few hours later the tracking numbers for all the items. Now,This is what I call "Class A customer service"
Anyway, my speakers were delivered on March 11 and when I came home after work (5pm) I was able to set them up together with the RSP-2 Preamp and the "almighty and powerful" XPA-2 amplifier. It took me around 2 hours to set up the system and once I was done I sat down to begin a listening session. *I know that in order to make a serious and complete review of these speakers I will need to give this speakers around a good 100 hours of break-in but I just wanted to see what was my first impression of them right out of the box*
First let me say that from the looks the speakers were appealing to me. Very well put together. Connecting the feet was very easy and the fact that part of the feet section is already attached to the speakers was a plus. Again very well done. The fact that the grill attaches to the front by way of a magnet which is already built into the speaker (which it does not affect the sound in any way)was a very nice touch. I know of another company(Tyler Acoustics) which is also using this approach when connecting the grill to their line of speakers which are 5 to 6 times more the cost of the ERT-8.3 towers. Very Nice Looking Pair of Tower Speakers.
Second,I can honestly say that I was very surprise,let me rephrase that,amazed at the sound of the towers right out of the box. Very clean sound. Very transparent and neutral. Not brightness noticed at all. I knew that the bass need it time to break in but otherwise it was a very positive experience and I knew that the best was yet to come.
The next day I turned the system on,put a CD in my player and ran the system from 6am to 11pm every day for the next 6 days . That's 17 hours a day which will give the system approx. 102 hours of break-in time. Since I work right across the street from where I live I was able to come home for lunch and check the system and listen to it from time to time.
Now after this 100+ hours of break in time I knew that it was time for a serious listening session. I have been an Audiophile for more than 10 years and I have either owned or auditioned many High End Speakers in those years. My most recent speakers were the Tyler Acoustics Lynbrook Signature Series($8000 pair). Tyler Acoustics does not make this model speaker anymore since he has gone to a new line. These speakers were my Reference Tower Speakers after owning or auditioning speakers like, Revel,Alon,Von Schweikert,Dali,Paradigm,Axioms,Legacy Audio Focus 2020,Aerial Acoustics and Focal LM Labs.
I can honestly tell you that the Emotiva ERT-8.3 Towers can compete toe to toe with these speakers. I know that the ERT-8.3 towers may not go as low on the bass extension as some of these speakers that I have mentioned did because the ERT-8.3 are not made to go that low but in anything else they have nothing to envy the speakers that I have mentioned including my Reference Tyler Acoustic Lynbrook Signature Series. In fact I sold my Lynbrooks last year to a friend because I was getting out of the audio hobby because of lack off time due to many long hours at my job.
But now I am back an I was looking again to put together a nice system and that's when I came across the Emotiva Web site and that's when I decided to give them a try. These speakers are here to stay in my house. Trust me. I like them better than most of the speakers that I have owned in the past and most of them costing more that 4 to 5 times what the ERT-8.3 cost.
They are very warmth sounding speakers. Very Dynamic and clear but never hint of brightness. It brings the music to your ears they way it was meant to be. Delicate Highs with a Beautiful Midrage Detail and a Wide Soundstage.They are so clear and detail that you can hear every instrument being played but with the delicacy that you want to spend hours listening to them. They are remarkable speakers. I am still wondering how Emotiva has being able to put such a nice sounding speakers at the price they are asking for them. To get this sound and performance you will need to spend a lot of money,maybe 5 to 6 more times what the ERT-8.3 cost.
My pair is here to stay for a long time. It shows you that there is still a company out there that can put a very nice pair of "High End Speakers" without you having to spend the so called "High End Prices" and that Company is called EMOTIVA AUDIO CORPORATION.
Here is a link to my current Emotiva System.
i618.photobucket.com/albums/tt266/NY1PR2009/DSC01576.jpgRegards to all,
Carlos
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The Emotiva speakers have extraordinary performance. The depth and breadth of their sound-stage is just breath taking. The imaging is one of the best I have ever experienced. With high quality media, you feel like you could literally reach out and touch one of the performers. The thing I am most impressed with is that the 8.3s reproduce sounds that as so accurate that you would swear you were listening to the actual instrument in a "live" setting.
The piano sounds like a real piano -- the attack and decay of the hammer striking the piano wire; the timbre of the sound as it resonates out into the room are all literally convincing. Try listening to the sound reproduced when striking a triangle... not many speakers can reproduce this sound accurately enough to sound real, but the 8.3s can. They same with a rim shot or the sound of brushes on cymbals. These are the "proof of the pudding" that very few speakers can properly handle -- yet the ERT-8.3 handles them with ease.
If vocals are your bag, you will instantly fall in love with the Emotiva ERT-8.3 speakers. It is like having your favorite singer give a personal performance just for you. Talk about realism...
Emotiva has a 30-Day Trial on all of their equipment. Try the ERT-8.3s in the comfort of your home, using your gear and decide for yourself if the 8.3s are your cup of tea. As a side note, I would highly recommend that for 2-channel listening you consider buying the USP-1 analog preamp to go with your XPA-2 Amp and the ERT-8.3 speakers -- pure analog nirvana.
