HDSapper
Emo VIPs 
"Any problem on earth can be solved with the careful application of high explosives."
Posts: 833
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Post by HDSapper on Sept 10, 2011 7:51:07 GMT -5
I'm not going to put a lot into this review because, by now, you've heard it all before. Bottom Line Up Front though, the reference series speakers ARE every bit as good as "they" said. If you don't get yours before they're gone, you're missing a great opportunity.
Last year at EmoFest I decided to abandon my hopes of building a system around the ERT-8.3s when I saw the X-Ref line. At this year's EmoFest I sat next to Ron for a good while listening to the X-Ref towers in the 2-channel room. They sounded pretty good. I was thinking, "maybe they're the right choice." Then Ron says "I just listened to this song at home yesterday. The new speakers sound good, but not as good as my 8.3s."
So considering the fact that the clearance prices on the reference speakers brought my original choice from $2500 to $1700 (just slightly more than the X-Ref equivalents), I placed my order. They arrived yesterday afternoon. ERT-8.3s (L/R), ERM-6.2s (C/SR/SL).
I wrestled them out of their boxes and swapped them with the old Polk speakers they are replacing. I decided to do a factory default on the UMC-1 to clear out old settings and ran Emo-Q. Reviewing the settings found a few odd settings, but I adjusted them and started listening.
I was worried to get my hopes up. I assumed I would like them, but I didn't want to be disappointed if the improvements were small. I'm happy to say they were better right out of the box. Just...wow!
Mid-bass was most improved. Really full sounding. The highs were better too. I only got to listen for a couple hours last night, but so far I'm thrilled with the purchase.
If you're at all considering getting new speakers soon, don't miss the opportunity to get these great speakers at the clearance prices.
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Post by Dwayland on Sept 10, 2011 8:07:57 GMT -5
Thanks for the comments. I "used" to have the 8.3's as well and let em tell you, I miss them and have struggled as of late as to what was going to become of my current speakers... I won't go into it, but they are linked to some "bad memories," if you know what I mean (MLS) and even though I have upgraded the cabinet and XO, I have really been wanting to replace them.
I too thought I might wait for the new line, but after reading your post, I might just have to bring the 8.3's home again. :-)
Bottom line, I concur with what had been said above,
Purchase, listen and enjoy!
Derek
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Sept 10, 2011 8:34:33 GMT -5
I concur with the both of you. I too had a Polk-repalced-by-8.3 experience emotivalounge.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=speakerreviews&action=display&thread=4617I miss that sound, that's for sure, although I've never looked back for two-channel joy after the Mirage were acquired. That said, the 8.3s were a revelation for me, and I wish I had the room to enjoy more speakers (don't we all) and a valet to switch out the speakers for me on a whim (lol). Although YMMV, I would most certainly consider the 8.3s again if I ever had a true HT room. No question. And with the prices right now, wow, what a great price. As far as the two-channel room at Emofest with the new ref towers, I think their goal is completely different. While the 8.3s are beefier on the bottom end, the mid range on the new ref towers were, in a word, remarkable. The level of clarity on voices and piano was truly special and it never lost its warm, tonally accurate signature. I put the towers through their paces early on upon arriving Saturday with my usual reference stuff. While the music overall was excellent I think the speakers had not warmed up yet because certain tracks seemed closed. I know this is hogwash but there it is: the room seemed a bit lifeless. I know this because when I returned much later I walked in (Ronnie was holding court) and the room was jumping... as so were these towers. The real culprit was most likely the volume. I was one of the first to arrive and the volume was low. The previously playing discs were the Emotiva reference discs and these were recorded at a higher dB than my material. I turned it up a little bit but was sheepish for fear I would offend some. Yes, I'm with stupid. Ronnie had the levels turned up to the appropriate levels, and the place was jumping. The new refs filled the room with a wonderful sense of space and still with the impressive mid-range. All in all, I liked them, and will hope for another listening session. |
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geebo
Emo VIPs
"Too bad that all the people who know how to run the country are driving taxicabs and cutting hair"
Posts: 24,211
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Post by geebo on Sept 10, 2011 8:45:40 GMT -5
I'm not going to put a lot into this review because, by now, you've heard it all before. Bottom Line Up Front though, the reference series speakers ARE every bit as good as "they" said. If you don't get yours before they're gone, you're missing a great opportunity. Last year at EmoFest I decided to abandon my hopes of building a system around the ERT-8.3s when I saw the X-Ref line. At this year's EmoFest I sat next to Ron for a good while listening to the X-Ref towers in the 2-channel room. They sounded pretty good. I was thinking, "maybe they're the right choice." Then Ron says "I just listened to this song at home yesterday. The new speakers sound good, but not as good as my 8.3s." So considering the fact that the clearance prices on the reference speakers brought my original choice from $2500 to $1700 (just slightly more than the X-Ref equivalents), I placed my order. They arrived yesterday afternoon. ERT-8.3s (L/R), ERM-6.2s (C/SR/SL). I wrestled them out of their boxes and swapped them with the old Polk speakers they are replacing. I decided to do a factory default on the UMC-1 to clear out old settings and ran Emo-Q. Reviewing the settings found a few odd settings, but I adjusted them and started listening. I was worried to get my hopes up. I assumed I would like them, but I didn't want to be disappointed if the improvements were small. I'm happy to say they were better right out of the box. Just...wow! Mid-bass was most improved. Really full sounding. The highs were better too. I only got to listen for a couple hours last night, but so far I'm thrilled with the purchase. If you're at all considering getting new speakers soon, don't miss the opportunity to get these great speakers at the clearance prices. I got my 8.3's when the clearance started. I agree with your comments and would only add that they will get even better as the loosen up. So glad I got them. ;D |
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HDSapper
Emo VIPs
"Any problem on earth can be solved with the careful application of high explosives."
Posts: 833
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Post by HDSapper on Sept 10, 2011 8:52:52 GMT -5
I hope you're right, but if they don't get any better they're still a great buy. I noticed that they sound good at "normal" volume, but they really come alive when you turn it up.
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geebo
Emo VIPs
"Too bad that all the people who know how to run the country are driving taxicabs and cutting hair"
Posts: 24,211
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Post by geebo on Sept 10, 2011 8:56:51 GMT -5
I hope you're right, but if they don't get any better they're still a great buy. I noticed that they sound good at "normal" volume, but they really come alive when turn it up. Absolutely. I was pleased with them right out of the box. But you'll see what I mean after they've had a chance to break in. ;D |
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stiehl11
Emo VIPs
Give me available light!
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Post by stiehl11 on Sept 10, 2011 12:15:29 GMT -5
The person I brought to Emofest bought a pair of scratch and dent 8.3 for $800. He's in China right now but when he returns I'm going to ask him if I can bring over my PC-3s to see how they stack up. I didn't get a chance to listen to them in one of the rooms at Emofest but I listened to enough of the speakers there that I now have a reference for, what I'll call, the "Emotiva sound". I would definitely like to do some A/B testing (as I have with Revel and B&W speakers) between them and my Phase Techs. It might motivate me to track down a pair of PC-9s if I can find a floor-stander that (IMO) best what I have now.
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Post by savjac on Sept 10, 2011 12:59:26 GMT -5
Congrats on your new purchase.
I went to the fest with the intention of buying a pair after listening to them, but apparently I missed the correct room. I was in the room with the newer speakers and while I liked them a good bit, was more interested in the 8.3's. I am really sorry I did not get to hear them, I usually do not buy speakers blind so I saw the static speakers and kept my money in my pocket. I do love the Key Ring and CD tho. Sometimes I feel like such a dork, all I had to do was ask and they could have directed me to the proper room. DOH !!!
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Post by roadrunner on Sept 11, 2011 2:19:15 GMT -5
The person I brought to Emofest bought a pair of scratch and dent 8.3 for $800. He's in China right now but when he returns I'm going to ask him if I can bring over my PC-3s to see how they stack up. I didn't get a chance to listen to them in one of the rooms at Emofest but I listened to enough of the speakers there that I now have a reference for, what I'll call, the "Emotiva sound". I would definitely like to do some A/B testing (as I have with Revel and B&W speakers) between them and my Phase Techs. It might motivate me to track down a pair of PC-9s if I can find a floor-stander that (IMO) best what I have now. So it was your friend who beat me to picking up the "scratch and dent" pair of ERT-8.3 speakers. When I heard they were available for only $800 for the pair I got excited... then got disappointed to learn someone had already "stole them". ;D Lucky dog.  Just a word for you in doing your comparison between your PC-3 and the 8.3... wait until the 8.3 are fully broken in before doing your comparison. The 8.3s sound fantastic straight out of the box, but they improve significantly over the first 100 hours of use. So if you really want to know how the PC-3s stack-up, be patient and let your buddy put some real time on them before running your comparison. You are in for a treat. |
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Post by roadrunner on Sept 11, 2011 3:02:02 GMT -5
Rather When you came back to the 2-channel room while I was "holding court" I was playing some of my Reference Recordings HDCD albums at "reference SPL". From the reaction of the crowd I should have asked Big Dan to put me on commission. lol I had a great time listening to some of my favorite music and got a good feel for the capabilities of the new XRef towers. For those of you who visited the 2-channel room and asked about where to get those albums, just click on the link below. The sound quality of their CDs is astounding and will allow you to experience music at the highest quality imaginable. Happy listening. www.referencerecordings.com/HDSapper, congrats on your new speakers. They are going to put a big grin on your face every time you listen to them; and you will get a bonus for your efforts... the 8.3s just keep on getting better and better as you break them in. The ERM-6.3 is a great center channel speaker and will do wonders with your vocals. The price you got on the 6.2s was like stealing. Christmas has come early for you! ...a major sound upgrade at a pittance. |
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Post by Davecski65 on Sept 11, 2011 10:37:57 GMT -5
WOW,after reading all the posts here and been wanting to upgrade to better speakers,not that my ORB Audio speakers arent great sounding,but for the price and all the great things i hear about the 8.3-6.3s i really have an itch to upgrade,,only thing is i dont think my UPA-5 would handle the power requirements very well ,might have to upgrade to XPA-5.now will have to think about this hard,but man you guys make it hard to sit here and listen to all the good things about these speakers,and i am going to wind up kicking myself if i dont get them before there gone!.....
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Post by Wideawake on Sept 11, 2011 10:57:19 GMT -5
Davecski, I am in NJ and I own a pair of ERM-1s, which is the top section of the 8.3. If you want, you can borrow them to listen in your home before you decide on buying the ref speakers. PM me if interested.
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stiehl11
Emo VIPs
Give me available light!
Posts: 7,261
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Post by stiehl11 on Sept 11, 2011 17:48:23 GMT -5
The person I brought to Emofest bought a pair of scratch and dent 8.3 for $800. He's in China right now but when he returns I'm going to ask him if I can bring over my PC-3s to see how they stack up. I didn't get a chance to listen to them in one of the rooms at Emofest but I listened to enough of the speakers there that I now have a reference for, what I'll call, the "Emotiva sound". I would definitely like to do some A/B testing (as I have with Revel and B&W speakers) between them and my Phase Techs. It might motivate me to track down a pair of PC-9s if I can find a floor-stander that (IMO) best what I have now. So it was your friend who beat me to picking up the "scratch and dent" pair of ERT-8.3 speakers. When I heard they were available for only $800 for the pair I got excited... then got disappointed to learn someone had already "stole them". ;D Lucky dog. Just a word for you in doing your comparison between your PC-3 and the 8.3... wait until the 8.3 are fully broken in before doing your comparison. The 8.3s sound fantastic straight out of the box, but they improve significantly over the first 100 hours of use. So if you really want to know how the PC-3s stack-up, be patient and let your buddy put some real time on them before running your comparison. You are in for a treat. They had several pair there from what I remember. He got the ones that were in bags and not one of the sets that were in boxes. I know how you feel; there were 2 UPA-1 monos there and they were not only spoken for but out of the area by time I made it to the shed (around 11 on Saturday). |
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Post by Davecski65 on Sept 12, 2011 19:29:58 GMT -5
Thanks Wideawake,that is a great offer,and much appreciated,but i am not familar with the ERD-1s,but have heard some talk about them here.will keep that offer in mind,have to save abit and hope speakers are still avalable when i can pull the trigger
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Post by Kidchewie on Sept 12, 2011 20:04:40 GMT -5
LALALALALALALAL, wife would kill me LALALALALALALAL!
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HDSapper
Emo VIPs
"Any problem on earth can be solved with the careful application of high explosives."
Posts: 833
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Post by HDSapper on Sept 16, 2011 10:04:02 GMT -5
Spent a few hours last night listening to CDs. The speakers are really sounding good! I brought home 5 CDs from the library including James Taylor - Sweet Baby James, Joe Bonamassa - Sloe Gin, and Tedeschi Trucks Band - Revelator. All sounded great.
Of note, whlile listening to the JT disc I had one of those moments where I heard something new in a song I've heard a thousand time before! And it wasn't subtle either! It seems there's a cello in Fire and Rain. It's low and soft, but distinct. Now I need to make sure this isn't just a different version of the song from what I'm used to on the Greatest Hits discs. I'll check that tonight. If it has been there the whole time then I'll really wonder what else I've been missing.
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