Ert8.3 did i chose thr right speaker for me?

[panterapunch]

Well finally i got my speakers after a little tricky shipment and issues but well they are at my living room now.

Now i planned to build my system almost from zero. Starting from speakers and i must admit i commited the worst sin in audio world i buy speakers without listen them.

I read forums and reviews. but after all the rule to buy what you hear better is the only way to do it right

First impresions:

Quality of the speakers great i must say the black finish its not flashy as those speakers make you turn the head to look at them but their monolitic aspect its great in my opinion,
The drivers look great, the binding post to, overal a quality product

Now the most important sound: oh lord what i did?

I know they must brake in but i dont think they will sound like incredible diferent after 400 hrs.

I started with paganini deutsche grammophon konzert für Violine und Orchester Nr. 4 d-moll allegro maestroso. I seat and let the music start in the sutile notes folowed by moments of great dinamic contrast the sound ob violin was precise and well defined the moments when orchestra came i feelt i was missing something but the precision of treble was so good that i enyoed the music.

Now i change the kind of music i put the cd sting ...all this time, what happened i felt the voice smashing my face absolutly taking the stage infront of my nose the bass was like mutted after a few seconds i changed the cd.

I went to Paco de lucia zyryab.
The sound came to me again i was able to listen the hands of paco on the guitar the clean notes and the sound of the box hitted with precision again treble great. Mids so good on the sound of the guitarr. What happended i was thinking.

I went to my old know music i recient buy the Alec R Costandinos remastered Romeo & juliet and the hunchback of notredame. (old eurodisco circa 1977)

For those who know the tracks a lot of violins and a lot of beats No magic at all maybe i didnt say this before i don intend to bash or something this is only what i hear and my opinion, i feelt like music came from a tv sapeaker no dinamic no disco energy its hard for me to explain because my limited english please forgive me but i was very disapointed the bass it was like muted plain sound.

Now my deductions and hope to not fall in madness after this. Ive read reviews specialy ruadrunner loving the speakers and i think mmm maybe im not an adiophyle and good sound in my ears its not so nice?

Mmm maybe my equipment right now its the villain the sources a generic cd for djs i guess the same as old gemini equipment made in china and rebranded.
My mac and my ipod with lossles tracks. I hear no diference playing the same song on cd or the ipod, i cant tell any diference if i change between this two sources.

Im using my old very old 1969
www.audiorama.com.br/gradiente/amplificador2.htm#PRO-2000%20MK-II

Its this the villain in my story? Rated as 70watts rms on 8 ohms and 90 watts rms on 4 ohms repaired a couple of times. Maybe the gradiente cant take the 4 ohms of the speakers?

I must say it sounds very decent with my infinity sm 155, iguess because they aure 8ohms and like 102 db sensibility.

Now what to do ? Keep going amd get the Xpa-5 and umc-1 and hope the sound improve a lot?


Im very afraid lol well i die to listen your opinions ill keep feeding the speakers with music and think what to do

Thanks All

[richtx6]

I did the same thing to have something to listen to while my Martin Logans were being rebuilt.

I had some shipping issues also but not Emo fault. Fedex

I hooked them up and well they sounded like "boxes"

The more I listen to them the better I like them, very flat.

I think the top end is a bit weak but that could be me. I'm listening to Emo XPA1'sX2, Emo USP 1 and ERC2 cd player and 2 ultra 12 subs.

Like the speakers but will be glad to have my ML's back

[panterapunch]

Ohh im not crazy after all lol. My issues were fedex to.

Did you listen boxie soun disapear, After a wile? Does subwofer make the trick? Or just good amps and time?

[richtx6]

I know the subs help, and the boxie sound hasn't changed but getting used to it. Having good amps help and boy they will get loud and clear with Emo xpa1's.

For the price I'm very happy with them. You have to think that at 600 each there's not much out there with the quality of build and sound to match, You didn't go wrong.

RT

[panterapunch]

Well it went higer price with shipment and taxes maybe more than a 683 b&w like 880 each

[richtx6]

Since I live in the US shipping was free and they were 1199 a pair at closeout. Still a great speaker for the bucks.

Throw some power to them. You'll like them a lot more.

[NorthStar]

OP, your loudspeakers are the most important thing after your recordings (music formats).

And they need to bet setup in balance with your environment (room).

You better love them, because if you don't, they're simply not right for you, and you'd better to keep looking around for your true MATES.

But do give them a chance to break-in first.

[richtx6]

Agreed give them some time

[panterapunch]

well i hope time improve the sound but i think maybe xpa-5 can take the true sound of this speakers

[panterapunch]

do you think old amp maybe its the guilty on the lack of bass?

[NorthStar]

Forget the amp, it's your speakers with your room! An amp won't change their sound!

[panterapunch]

mmmmt i tried very little on office and sound the same lack of bass as at home , but my infinity get lots more bass on the same room tomorow ill try a vs b test

[NorthStar]

Positioning is the key. ...And if you're not pleased after the break-in period time & with careful positioning; time to get back on your musical journey and look for some other speakers.

That's life man! You don't mess around with a pair of loudspeakers, it's your partner, your destiny into the other dimension...

[pop]

Oct 18, 2011 1:54:21 GMT -5 NorthStar said:

Forget the amp, it's your speakers with your room! An amp won't change their sound!

I'm confused, the OP says his amp is from 1969. I was born in 1985, and even I have changed a lot since then. How can you be sure its the room? Did he specify dimensions? Obviously it is possible that the speakers are brand new and need time to break in. I'm not trying to come off of rude, just curious about your statement. Everything I have read, even before this forum, demand you have a powerful amp to push 4 ohm speakers. Are you sure the OP has his speakers set up right? I am interested to see what he has to say down the road.

Good luck Pantera, as I will be pushing ALL Emotiva speakers in the future. Blindly I might add. However, I have no past listening experiences to judge on. Lucky me

[terrynew]

To me it definitely sounds as if the amp is the culprit as the OP states that it went in for repairs a few times and maybe it is struggling with a 4 Ohm load. We have seen lots of members expressing their views about the Ert8.3's and it has been all positive comments.

[roadrunner]

I just read your post on the Emotiva speakers, the ERT-8.3, and I think you put your finger on the problem you noticed while playing media with strong dynamic passages.

"Im using my old very old 1969
www.audiorama.com.br/gradiente/amplificador2.htm#PRO-2000%20MK-II

Its this the villain in my story? Rated as 70watts rms on 8 ohms and 90 watts rms on 4 ohms repaired a couple of times. Maybe the gradiente cant take the 4 ohms of the speakers?"

You are using an old amplifier that is not suited for driving 4 Ohm loads. The second part of the problem is that you are used to driving speakers that present an 8 Ohm load that have a sensitivity rating of 102. The ERT-8.3 are far less efficient, with a rating of 87... a 15 DB lower output than your Infinity speakers would produce with the same strength of input signal. This is a huge difference in volume for the same output. The ERT-8.3 are capable of producing monsterous dynamics IF you are using an amp that is designed to drive a 4 Ohm load.

Even if your current amp was capable of driving 4 Ohm loads you have to remember that the difference in efficiency betwee the Infinity speaker and the Emotiva speakers would require 32 times as much power to obtain the same volume level; and it will be during the most dynamic passages that this difference will stand out.

Yes, you need the power that the XPA series amps are capable of producing to make the ERT-8.3 produce the type of sound that will put you on "cloud nine". With this type of power, the ERT-8.3 speakers have huge dynamics. If you are using these speakers primarily for music, I recommend that you use choose from the following amps to drive your front mains:

1. XPA-1
2. XPA-2
3. UPA-1

If you are also using these speakers as part of your HT multi-channel sound system, then you would want to add additional XPA series amps to handle the needs of the remaining channels -- like the XPA-5.

Did you ever notice that Emotiva uses 4 XPA-1 amps to drive the ERT-8.3 speakers in its demo rooms in Franklin, TN and whenever they demo their equipment at roadshows? They do this because the ERT-8.3s have monsterous dynamic range, but you have to use a powerful amp capable of handling a 4 Ohm load.

Well recorded classical music, like you tried to demo them with, are perfect for showing off the dynamics of these speakers. Once you obtain amplification suited to the ERT-8.3s you will see why so many Lounge members have fallen in love with these speakers. I truly believe you will love them as much as I do, once you hear them driven with an XPA series amp.

[Deleted]

Oct 17, 2011 22:34:33 GMT -5 panterapunch said:

Im using my old very old 1969
www.audiorama.com.br/gradiente/amplificador2.htm#PRO-2000%20MK-II

Its this the villain in my story? Rated as 70watts rms on 8 ohms and 90 watts rms on 4 ohms repaired a couple of times. Maybe the gradiente cant take the 4 ohms of the speakers?

I must say it sounds very decent with my infinity sm 155, iguess because they aure 8ohms and like 102 db sensibility.

Now what to do ? Keep going amd get the Xpa-5 and umc-1 and hope the sound improve a lot?


Im very afraid lol well i die to listen your opinions ill keep feeding the speakers with music and think what to do

Thanks All

Hi Francisco,

You have the problem figured out. You mentioned that your amplifier had no problem with your Infinity SM 155's which are specified at 8 ohms and 102dB's. The SM155 is extremely sensitive, very few speaker have a sensitivity rating of 102dB's. The Emo 8.3's have a rating of 89dB's/4 ohms. That means, without getting into the math, that the Emo 8.3 takes about 40 times as much amplifier power to produce the same output level/volume as the Infinity SM 155. In other words, driving the Infinity SM 155 with your Gradiente amp would be comparable to driving the Emotiva 8.3 with 2800 watts of power to reach the same volume. The other way around, using the Gradiente amp to drive the SM 155 is like driving the Emo 8.3's with only 2 watts of power.

The Gradiente amp is way underpowered for the Emotiva 8.3. I can tell by looking at the power ratings of the Gradiente amp that it is not strong into a 4 ohm speakers like the Emo 8.3, since the 4 ohm power rating is only about 30% higher than the 8 ohms rating. The Gradiente is not an adequate amp for the Emo 8.3's.

Unfortunately you give no indication of how big your room is. However, you should have at least the power of the XPA-5 as a minimum to drive the Emo 8.3's. Better, would be either the Emo XPA-2 or best, the Emo XPA-1 x 2. Buy an amp that has lots of power into 4 ohms and the 8.3 will sound great! This is why your 8.3's have little clean and defined bass or midrange sound. This problem you hear has nothing to do with break-in.

CarlosNut ;D



PS: In reading the post above I see that two great minds think alike. The reason I was 18 minutes behind RR in posting was that I had to take a break, rest and change my Depends.

[roadrunner]

Oct 18, 2011 1:54:21 GMT -5 NorthStar said:

Forget the amp, it's your speakers with your room! An amp won't change their sound!

Bob,

You must have missed where the OP showed that his old amp had nearly the same output at 8 Ohms and 4 Ohms. Amps having a decent design will produce from 50% to 100% more output at a 4 Ohm load as it does with an 8 Ohm load. This alone should tell you this amp is not suited for driving 4 Ohm speakers like the Emotiva Reference Series speakers.

Now you also need to notice that the OP is used to driving Infinity speakers having an Efficiency Rating of 102 and that the ERT-8.3 is rated at 87. To produce the same volume level as the Infinity speaker, the OP would have to feed the 8.3s 32 times as much power... and that assumes his old amp is even able to drive a 4 Ohm load.

Bob, in this case, the amp most definitely does make a difference. A HUGE difference.

[Deleted]

Oct 18, 2011 1:54:21 GMT -5 NorthStar said:

Forget the amp, it's your speakers with your room! An amp won't change their sound!

Bob,

You must have missed where the OP showed that his old amp had nearly the same output at 8 Ohms and 4 Ohms. Amps having a decent design will produce from 50% to 100% more output at a 4 Ohm load as it does with an 8 Ohm load. This alone should tell you this amp is not suited for driving 4 Ohm speakers like the Emotiva Reference Series speakers.

Now you also need to notice that the OP is used to driving Infinity speakers having an Efficiency Rating of 102 and that the ERT-8.3 is rated at 87. To produce the same volume level as the Infinity speaker, the OP would have to feed the 8.3s 32 times as much power... and that assumes his old amp is even able to drive a 4 Ohm load.

Bob, in this case, the amp most definitely does make a difference. A HUGE difference.


PS: Whoops, late again!

[pop]

It was a late night inside the Emotiva forum. Francisco was in trouble, he needed help. When it seemed that no one would shed light on his problem, Chuckie and RR came blasting answers regardless of time or compensation. Meanwhile, Pop takes his last drink of 2009 Lange Pinot noir. A delicious moderately priced Pinot from the beautiful wooded state of Oregon (in case you were searching for a gem.) He cannot help but think to himself how valuable these two members have been to his own search of answers. Then, all of a sudden it became apparent. They were on the payroll for Emotiva!!! Yes, it all makes sense now.

HAHA, that's good stuff right there.