;D Well gang...it's been a couple weeks, a damaged pair of 8.3's and some anxious moments, but I finally got my replacement ERT-8.3's earlier this week. I finally got enough time to get the ERD-1's mounted on the walls today so I spent the day getting everything set up and calibrated and was off to the races. Before I give you my impressions I wanted to send along my thanks to everyone at Emotiva who handled my speaker exchange with prompt and courteous service...the whole team couldn't have been more accommodating. So to all of you out at Emotiva...THANKS!
Well, what can I say except WOW! I can't believe I have been suffering through my old surround set-up so long. Perhaps because I had never taken the time to compare it to other systems, but let me tell you...what an amazing improvement!
I first decided to give my ERT-8.3's and the X-Ref 10 Sub-woofer a go and listen to the stereo set up and see if these truly were as musical as I had heard. Boy was I impressed. I put on a few of my favorite CD's, most notably Supertramp's Crime of the Century...the Mobile Fidelity Ultra Disc version and was completely blown away. Now mind you, I have been listening to this disc for better than 35 years and I have to tell you that it was like hearing it all over again for the very first time.
The mids and highs were clean, crisp and open...I swear I heard things I had never heard before. The bottom end was fast and tight...not boomy or sluggish. Not being a bass freak per say a single X-Ref 10 will probably do the trick for me. (Everybody keeps telling me, "buy two, buy two!") But there was definitely a marked improvement in all registers over my previous set-up.
The speakers were surprisingly detailed considering their relatively conventional design. Granted they don't have quite the open and rarefied imaging of a top notch electrostatic or a pair of Magnepans...but they don't carry their price tag either. Frankly, they were pretty darn close though. The mids were a bit forward, but brought a wonderful presence to vocals I had only experienced in much more expensive setups that I had auditioned.
I love my sub too! Tight fast bass has just enough umf to keep this guy happy. It's not overpowering, which is just fine by me. There are enough settings to adjust, including "Movie Mode" which gives you a 6dB boost in the upper bass range to ensure that all those explosions and bombs rattle the windows when you pop in a Blu-ray.
I'll get a taste of things tomorrow night when I pop in my first Blu-ray and take it for a spin in surround sound. Then we can see how those ERD-1's really sound. Today it was just a bunch of crowd noise during all the football games. I did hear a lot of stuff I don't think I heard before though...I could have sworn I heard the Beer Guy open up and pour a bottle of Budweiser for a guy in Section 32, Row 4, Seat 15 during the Auburn-Clemson game.
A couple minor complaints and possible design change considerations for future generations of Emotiva speakers...
The outrigger feet for the ERT-8.3's are probably fine for hardwood floors, but without any real adjust-ability or carpet spikes are terribly unstable on my carpeted floors. I've managed to work up a set-up that has them reasonably balanced and stable, but would hope this might be re-thought in future tower speakers that Emotiva brings to the market.
Oh, and those magnetic speaker grills...I was kind of interested in seeing how I'd take to them. Not so much!
During set-up, especially when mounting the ERD-1's they became a real pain in the "you know what". You also have to work a little to get them properly aligned on the face of the speaker too. Nothing too challenging...at least for anyone with a high school degree.
Granted, once everything is done and set-up it becomes somewhat of a mute point and they stay secured in place just fine. But, just the same, I wouldn't have minded some good old fashion metal posts and rubber receptacles.
But in all seriousness, this is one amazing package for just over $2K...a steal at 3x the price. And believe me, I listened to plenty of systems before going on blind faith (based on you good Emotiva fans) that I would like the set-up...and I wasn't disappointed.
Get 'em before their gone if your even remotely thinking about these speakers. They're a heck of a deal and I am confident you not omly WON'T be disappointed, but rather you WILL be blown away by the sound.
Great job Emotiva...happy to be part of the club!
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During set-up, especially when mounting the ERD-1's they became a real pain in the "you know what". You also have to work a little to get them properly aligned on the face of the speaker too. Nothing too challenging...at least for anyone with a high school degree. 
Granted, once everything is done and set-up it becomes somewhat of a mute point and they stay secured in place just fine. But, just the same, I wouldn't have minded some good old fashion metal posts and rubber receptacles.
