Post by klinemj on Jun 26, 2012 19:48:18 GMT -5
So, I got my new ERC-2 this AM. If you are in the market for a used Denon 2930ci in great shape - PM me and read no further - I'll make you a deal. If you have a Denon 2930ci and wonder what an ERC-2 would be like - read on!
OK, I'll skip all the usual "love the packaging/hefty build/brick of a remote" and get right to it: The sound of the ERC-2 is awesome.
Selection after selection, I found that the ERC's (E, from now on) clarity & soundstage are far better than the Denon's (D, from now on). Audio Bliss when paired with my USP-1 and XPA-2 and Paradigm FL/FR/Sub!
This shows up most dramatically on CD's I had felt sounded blurred/confused with the D, such as Steely Dan "Rikki Don't Lose that Number", Radiohead "House of Cards", and Coldplay's whole Mylo Xyloto CD. Where notes of similar frequency blur together on the D, with the E - I hear distinct, separate notes/sounds. The end result is that, while CD's like this were fatiguing to listen to on D - they are listenable and enjoyable with the E.
After confirming improvements on the "challenge" CD's, I moved on to listen to some CD's I have always liked the sound of. Question? "Could they sound even better?" Answer: "Oh yeah..."
Here are some examples:
1) Miles Davis Kind of Blue, "So What": subtle details in Miles' working of his horn become blatantly clear...subtle variants in the strength of his breath through the horn, little warbles, etc...all much more clear.
2) Johnny Cash "Walk the Line"...hugely different separation in the various instruments and voices, with the "clickety-clack" percussion becoming so much more distinct and crisp. And, on the chimey guitar part about a minute in on "Get Rhythm" - I hear much more detail on the finger work.
3) Steely Dan Aja...I have listened to this album since it was released...and never did I notice a wooden block percussion sound far off to the right. I bet if I go back and listen through my D - I will now hear it as I know to listen for it. But before today - it totally escaped me.
4) Springsteen's "The Wild, the Innocent, and the e-street shuffle"...new details abound...every little detail came so much more clear. Subtle guitar work on Rosalita and subtle keyboards on New York City Serenade...how have I missed them all these years?
5) Leonard Cohen "Tower of Song"...his first large inhale between lyric phrases...D = sounds like an inhale off in the distance. E sounds like standing right next to him and hearing the low rumble and slight congestion. And...I can almost hear the back-up singers swaying their hips as they sing along. Speaking of backup singers...can't recall which CD it was up to here - but I could hear much more distinct differences between individual backup singers and the instruments...almost like a "cliff" with the E...see the "edge"/hear the "edge"...with the D...a less defined edge...more of a shallow slope and the backup singers blend in together and to the music.
6) Dire Straights "Private Investigations". "Oh my Knopfler"...E reveals subtle details of finger work and vocals that are hidden with the D.
7) Derek Trucks/Susan Tedeschi "Back Where I Started"...much more dynamic. And at one point, I swear I could hear the impact of Susan moving her mouth around the mic in a very distinctive way that created a volume variation with the E that is simply not noticable with the D. Also, the percussion work near the intro was so much more clear on E than D.
8) On one of the track above, I think it was one of Springsteen's - I was hearing various sounds with the E that sound like someone stepping on a loose board, then someone tapping the side of something (think it was a drum), and other odd noises. They were very distinct and present. When I went back with the D, I noticed some of them but they were less distinct. And, had I not heard them so clear on E - I would have thought the sound was one of my cats knocking something over upstairs. And, many were not audible at all on the D.
Bottom line...I really like it. Unless something radical changes in the next 2 weeks - it's not going back to Emotiva!
Other likes include: Love the heavy remote, love the loading mechanism (I didn't think I would!), love that I have options to upgrade it with a better preamp a a full balance system from source to amp should I choose to in the (near) future.
The only downsides so far are:
1) I noticing that if I try to "fast forward" to a specific point that the speed of forwarding is "not so fast" (not a big deal since I rarely do that...was just doing that to test specific points in my test music
2) A couple of the screws in the remote's bottom were pretty hard to remove - and I needed to do so to remove the battery-blocking strip it is shipped with. Again - no big deal - it's a 1-time thing (but they should not be SO tight to begin with...)
3) Mine did not come with a manual...have others gotten a manual with theirs?
4) Now I need to decide what to do w/my 2930...sell or re-deploy within the house?
Anyway - I hope this helps others make their decision. If I have more thoughts after more listening over the next couple weeks, I will post them here.
Mark
OK, I'll skip all the usual "love the packaging/hefty build/brick of a remote" and get right to it: The sound of the ERC-2 is awesome.
Selection after selection, I found that the ERC's (E, from now on) clarity & soundstage are far better than the Denon's (D, from now on). Audio Bliss when paired with my USP-1 and XPA-2 and Paradigm FL/FR/Sub!
This shows up most dramatically on CD's I had felt sounded blurred/confused with the D, such as Steely Dan "Rikki Don't Lose that Number", Radiohead "House of Cards", and Coldplay's whole Mylo Xyloto CD. Where notes of similar frequency blur together on the D, with the E - I hear distinct, separate notes/sounds. The end result is that, while CD's like this were fatiguing to listen to on D - they are listenable and enjoyable with the E.
After confirming improvements on the "challenge" CD's, I moved on to listen to some CD's I have always liked the sound of. Question? "Could they sound even better?" Answer: "Oh yeah..."
Here are some examples:
1) Miles Davis Kind of Blue, "So What": subtle details in Miles' working of his horn become blatantly clear...subtle variants in the strength of his breath through the horn, little warbles, etc...all much more clear.
2) Johnny Cash "Walk the Line"...hugely different separation in the various instruments and voices, with the "clickety-clack" percussion becoming so much more distinct and crisp. And, on the chimey guitar part about a minute in on "Get Rhythm" - I hear much more detail on the finger work.
3) Steely Dan Aja...I have listened to this album since it was released...and never did I notice a wooden block percussion sound far off to the right. I bet if I go back and listen through my D - I will now hear it as I know to listen for it. But before today - it totally escaped me.
4) Springsteen's "The Wild, the Innocent, and the e-street shuffle"...new details abound...every little detail came so much more clear. Subtle guitar work on Rosalita and subtle keyboards on New York City Serenade...how have I missed them all these years?
5) Leonard Cohen "Tower of Song"...his first large inhale between lyric phrases...D = sounds like an inhale off in the distance. E sounds like standing right next to him and hearing the low rumble and slight congestion. And...I can almost hear the back-up singers swaying their hips as they sing along. Speaking of backup singers...can't recall which CD it was up to here - but I could hear much more distinct differences between individual backup singers and the instruments...almost like a "cliff" with the E...see the "edge"/hear the "edge"...with the D...a less defined edge...more of a shallow slope and the backup singers blend in together and to the music.
6) Dire Straights "Private Investigations". "Oh my Knopfler"...E reveals subtle details of finger work and vocals that are hidden with the D.
7) Derek Trucks/Susan Tedeschi "Back Where I Started"...much more dynamic. And at one point, I swear I could hear the impact of Susan moving her mouth around the mic in a very distinctive way that created a volume variation with the E that is simply not noticable with the D. Also, the percussion work near the intro was so much more clear on E than D.
8) On one of the track above, I think it was one of Springsteen's - I was hearing various sounds with the E that sound like someone stepping on a loose board, then someone tapping the side of something (think it was a drum), and other odd noises. They were very distinct and present. When I went back with the D, I noticed some of them but they were less distinct. And, had I not heard them so clear on E - I would have thought the sound was one of my cats knocking something over upstairs. And, many were not audible at all on the D.
Bottom line...I really like it. Unless something radical changes in the next 2 weeks - it's not going back to Emotiva!
Other likes include: Love the heavy remote, love the loading mechanism (I didn't think I would!), love that I have options to upgrade it with a better preamp a a full balance system from source to amp should I choose to in the (near) future.
The only downsides so far are:
1) I noticing that if I try to "fast forward" to a specific point that the speed of forwarding is "not so fast" (not a big deal since I rarely do that...was just doing that to test specific points in my test music
2) A couple of the screws in the remote's bottom were pretty hard to remove - and I needed to do so to remove the battery-blocking strip it is shipped with. Again - no big deal - it's a 1-time thing (but they should not be SO tight to begin with...)
3) Mine did not come with a manual...have others gotten a manual with theirs?
4) Now I need to decide what to do w/my 2930...sell or re-deploy within the house?
Anyway - I hope this helps others make their decision. If I have more thoughts after more listening over the next couple weeks, I will post them here.
Mark
