XRT- 6.2 Review

[Pauly]

Have you really blasted them with any movies yet, Neekos? I'm kind of thinking about the X-Ref line for my HT room now.

[Deleted]

Not yet Pauly. Haven't had time due to work lately, but the next week should give me time to pop in a few action flicks and more, so I can better assess their capabilities.

I'll report back. Right now I am enjoying the heck out of them for music.

[Deleted]

So, I've been toying with the setup for a while, and some interesting findings are evident.

With the XRT 6.2 and the XRC 6.2 along with the X-Ref 12, I've only played a few movies. So far, the sound is fuller from what I remember other speakers sounding like, but there are a few issues with the center speaker such as too much chestiness in the sound and that same sonic concerns of a slight void in the midrange which was evident in the XRT's when I first got them.

The X-Ref 12 and the XRC 6.2 are new so I will give it a few days and many hours before I can accurately judge them as well as positioning the cc more forward in the configuration.

PS. The UMC is WAY hot on the sub output in relation to the X-Ref. I have the sub volume down to about -5. I'm not getting a good mix of sub integration, so I bumped up the UMC Sub Frequency to the max and am using the X-ref cutoff at around 75hz which blends much better with the rest of the speakers.

More to come..

[Deleted]

I've logged in about 50 more hours of music and movies on the speakers and will write up my final conclusions tomorrow.

Stay tuned.

[dcg44s]

Looking forward to it,thanks for sharing.

[Deleted]

One of the critical areas in audio for me is the intelligibility of voices in music as well as sounds and voices during movies. This last review deals with what the X-Ref do well and what they fall just short of. Please, note, after about two weeks of evaluating the speakers, my impression has changed to some extent and it's largely because of more time being spent with them and being able to become more aware of certain positives and deficits.

Again, my experiences with speakers has been long. The X-Ref had to compete with some excellent speakers I have owned which included LSA-1 monitors, Paradigm Reference 20v.5, Magnepan MMG, MG12, MG1.7, Emotiva Reference ERM-1 and 6.2

As a package, the X-Ref XRT 6.2 and XRC 6.2 acquitted themselves well for home theater use. After extended listening and evaluation, I believe Emotiva comes in at a price point that is competitive. In saying that, I am very comfortable in my assessment on the speakers.

The XRT 6.2's have the advantage of an open and airy treble range and a solid bass foundation. Where it falls a bit short is the midrange section. Although it is good, there are limits to what you can achieve with an introductory price of $799. Some cost cutting measures had to be met. While I say that the X-Ref is more revealing in the treble range over the Reference series speakers, I can also say that I now feel the reference series is more refined and neutral in the midrange albeit still laid back and a bit dark. Voices and sibilance's are more real and accurate through the Reference Series. I threw everything that I am familiar with in terms of recordings at the X-Ref to assess the treble to midrange cohesion that the other speakers nailed in the past. This is where the X-Ref can't compare, keep in mind, I am comparing primarily music oriented speakers to the X-Ref, and some were more expensive to boot. There appears to be a design decision made to have the speakers meet a criteria of meeting music needs and coexist in a h/t setup. I believe that Emotiva has met this goal, but... don't expect them to be as refined and better speakers that have their goal set primarily on music. The Magnepan's come to mind. They have the midrange down to a science, which is why many can put up with somewhat less than great bass. When you get the midrange down, speakers take on an immediacy and coherent approach that is hard to ignore. When you lack that particular section even if a little bit, it's noticeable.

The XTR's and XRC exhibit the same behavior. Both are very good at what they do. They give you a solid foundation for dual purpose all around performers. I give credit to Emotiva for being able to accomplish this at this price point. If you are looking for value in h/t packages, this is a good place to start. Oddly enough, the XRC did not integrate as seemlessly as I hoped it would with the XRT's for h/t use regardless of positioning, etc..

If your primary objective is music, I would stretch the budget and go after either the Emotiva Reference Series ( ERT 8.3) or other reputable speakers brands that I've listed. Be prepared to spend more though, there is no way getting around that.

I look forward to what Emotiva will do with the new Reference Series line coming in 2012.

[pitbullmike]

Nov 29, 2011 18:45:02 GMT -5 neekos said:

I look forward to what Emotiva will do with the new Reference Series line coming in 2012.

Great review neekos...I'm curious about this new reference line your talking about, I didn't even know they were planing on a new line. Is there a thread about these on this board somewhere? Or was that just rumored at Emofest??

[Deleted]

Thanks Mike.

I believe a few people spoke to Dan and Lonnie about it at Emofest. I also heard about possibly including ribbon tweeters. Maybe someone else can chime in with more details. Or was this wishful dreaming on my part ?

[Pauly]

Neekos, do have any experience with the Ascend Acoustics 340SE or 170SE? I've been wondering how the X-ref would compare to the Ascends. I really enjoy the Ascend 340SE center that I've had for a couple of years now, but at high volumes it can get a little too chesty sounding and it loses it's vocal clarity. It seems to me that the X-Ref would do pretty darn well at high volumes, so the upgrade bug is getting stronger.

[Deleted]

Hey Pauly:

I owned a pair of 170's years ago, but my electronics, speakers and room were nowhere near what I have now, so I couldn't honestly tell you how they would sound in my current setup. I can tell you that back then, driving them with a Denon 4802 receiver, the sound was too bright at higher volumes for my liking, but it could have been the above mentioned scenario.

[roadrunner]

Pauly,

The XRT-6.2 is definitely a step up from the Ascend 340/170. The XRT-6.2 speakers handle high volume with aplomb. They stay musical even at extremely high volumes. If the old bug is biting you the X-Ref towers are a good candidate for curing the urge. ;D

[Pauly]

That's what I've been thinking, Ronny. However, it makes much more sense financially to get a pair of Ascends to match my 340SE center. I really do love the Ascend speakers. They are very neutral, have great imaging, and the vocal clarity(especially at low volumes)is very very good. The only problem I have with them is with their extremely high volume performance, which isn't too much of an issue for me since we usually keep it pretty low. But they are the best speakers I've heard in their price range, and even better than some costing a bit more. But the X-Ref is very tempting. I have a feeling that a pair of 6.1's and a 6.2 center would make for a pretty good improvement.

Considering that they would only be used for movies and TV, I really like the bigger size of the 6.1 which seems to be a bit bigger than most monitors, and the 6.2 center looks to be very well built, and it's also a bit bigger than the 340SE. I especially like the offset tweeter and front slot ports.

It's so frustrating trying to decide on speakers. Especially when all of your top candidates are from ID companies lol. It seems like every few months I get the urge to upgrade, do a ton of research and ask a bunch questions, then I just decide to keep what I have and I never buy anything lol. I'll take some more time to think about it. It may be worth it to save up a bit more for the Emo speakers. We'll see.

[buggs1a]

How do these compare to the M&K LCr 750 thx mk2?