New ERC-3!!

[Bonzo]

Dec 26, 2013 19:04:09 GMT -5 Mickboy said:

But that gets Emotiva into dangerous territory. It's better if others that this person knows personally and privately, get to hear him recommend the gear he actually owns. Influence is Priceless and Emotiva has probably pissed many 'Old School' companies off. The company is doing well and developing a reputation (good one at that) and respect-no need to Flaunt anything here, the deck will speak for itself.

Yes yes, i understand this, and a lot of other reasons why he should remain nameless. But I'd still like to know.

Now, Bonzo, do you own a RL vinyl copy of Zep II?

Yes, 2 copies actually.

Also, what are your favorite CD editions-sound quality wise-of the Zeppelin Catalogue?

Hard to say for me since I don't consider the Zep recordings very good audiophile grade stuff. People on Zep forums like to think getting the best sounding Zep is the ultimate achievement but the recordings are so far from audiophile for me I just don't even consider them. Zep's sound itself is awesome enough for me that it really doesn't matter.

But, if you consider Zep related, I'd say the closest to being audiophile grade are The Honey Drippers, Vol. 1, and Robert's 2 latest offerings, Raising Sand (available as 24/96 from HD Tracks) and The Band Of Joy.

Now back on track for my next post.....

[Jim]

Before listening to the ERC-3:


After listening to it:

[Bonzo]

Dec 22, 2013 17:56:02 GMT -5 Mickboy said:

forums.stevehoffman.tv/threads/emotivas-erc-3-449-cd-player.335326/page-3#post-9807718

So I got to reading this thread over at the Hoffman forum and couldn't disagree more with what some folks over there are saying. Who here has a Blu-ray or DVD player that loads and plays CD's faster than a stand alone CD player? Are they serious? Never have I owned (or seen such an animal) in my experience. For S&G I went home last night and tested my players.

From time of pressing play with a CD loaded and an open tray....all times in seconds

Panasonic Blu-ray = 19
Pioneer Universal DVD = 18
Denon Universal DVD = 15
Pioneer CD Burner = 10
Sony CD = 5

My old Sony from back in 1995 crushes the competition. It terms of ergonomics alone this old classic is hard to beat. I just find it amusing when kids all act like the newest technology is always the best.

With load times of around 9 seconds, that's pretty good for the Emotiva, just not the best it could be. Certainly better than my Denon Universal that I currently use for 99% of my music listening. For CD's it's a dog. I only use it because of how nice it sounds.

[Bonzo]

So while we continue to get more input regarding the sound of the Emotiva, I have some ergonomic things to discuss.

- We've got a load time of around 9-10 seconds.
- We know it was created more for left handers more than righties (a matter of opinion of course, but for me the entire front face seems flipped the wrong way. Using it as is will be a serious quirk for me).
- We know the remote is a tank, and appears to be a point of preference as to whether you like that sort of thing (I do by the way. How anyone can complain about something being made "too well" amuses me.)

How is the track skipping? Not play back skipping, but skipping or jumping from track to track? Like quickly pressing the track skip button multiple times to go from track 2 to track 14? Or using the direct track buttons on the remote? I only ask because this is important to me. It's a huge down side for my Denon Universal when compared to my Sony. It's something even big dogs don't pay attention to. I got to use a mega-buck Classé CD player a few years ago and it was the worst transport I've ever used. Skipping tracks was totally frustrating and VERY slow. I don't always listen to entire CD's, especially when friends are over. On the contrary, we do a lot of DJ style listening where we load and unload CD's and quickly jump to tracks.

[Bonzo]

For me the ultimate sound test for this Emotiva will be going up against the Oppo 105. I don't have a dedicated 2 channel listening station. I have a multi-purpose room for music listening and movie watching. I currently have the Panny Blu-ray player (for Blu-ray movies and BR-audio discs), my Denon Universal for critical CD / SACD / DVD-A, and my old Sony for recreational CD playing and burning. A Universal Blu-ray / DVD / CD / SACD / DVD-A player is the first and utmost must. A dedicated CD player is secondary.

So ultimately my first move (in this source component direction) will be to buy an Oppo 105 (or wait until say, a newer 125 model is available) to replace both my Panny and Denon. That way I kill 2 birds with one stone.

Then my decision will be to buy the Emotiva, or perhaps, stick with my old Sony and buy a new DAC. And that's going to be a "sound" and ergonomic decision. We'll see.

It appears from early reviews that this player is really great performance wise, and that's awesome. It's built like a tank and has a great hefty remote. It has outputs galore. It now has a tray loader which is much better IMO. It looks good and it's not outrageously priced. What could be better?

But in my particular case, since it will be a secondary upgrade, here are my TINY NIT PICKS about the Emotiva ERC-3 that make me hesitate, all personal feelings, and all feelings site unseen, in no particular order:

- I would have MUCH liked to have seen direct track access buttons on the face plate, not just the remote. Some consider this obtrusive to the looks, but I consider it a huge plus. People seem to forget that one of the huge advantages CD has over LP's is direct track access, and I personally find that very feature important. While they are adding it, it would be better to have 20+ track access, not just 10+. I feel a button layout 5 across and 4 down makes for the most ergonomic "quick find" layout.
- In today's modern trend, it certainly would have been nice to include a digital input to use the internal DAC.
- It should have HDCD decoding. I have a lot of these CD's (like from the Grateful Dead who totally embraced HDCD)
- It should load faster. 9-10 seconds is good, but my old Sony does it in 5. That's 50% faster, which is huge.
- It's made for lefties. I open a CD case using both hands, then hold it in my left hand while I remove the CD with my right. I then hit the open button, place the disc in the player, slide my hand away from the tray to the right, and press play. With this player, I'll have to slide my hand to the left to hit play, which from a righty point of view now puts the tray sort of in the way.
- The blue lights dim which is a must, but do they turn off completely? And it would have been nice to also have the dim switch on the unit.
- A metal loading tray would be preferred.

Again, these are my nit picks, nothing more. I present them here to be used as positive criticism. Perhaps if they ever make an ERC-4 some of these thoughts may be taken into consideration. After all, if I don't bring them up publically, they'll never know how customers feel.

Thanks to Emotiva for putting out such a nice piece of machinery. I'm sure you will make a lot of people very happy.

Cheers --- Bonzo

[Mickboy]

Dec 27, 2013 10:53:11 GMT -5 Bonzo said:

For me the ultimate sound test for this Emotiva will be going up against the Oppo 105. I don't have a dedicated 2 channel listening station. I have a multi-purpose room for music listening and movie watching. I currently have the Panny Blu-ray player (for Blu-ray movies and BR-audio discs), my Denon Universal for critical CD / SACD / DVD-A, and my old Sony for recreational CD playing and burning. A Universal Blu-ray / DVD / CD / SACD / DVD-A player is the first and utmost must. A dedicated CD player is secondary.

So ultimately my first move (in this source component direction) will be to buy an Oppo 105 (or wait until say, a newer 125 model is available) to replace both my Panny and Denon. That way I kill 2 birds with one stone.

Then my decision will be to buy the Emotiva, or perhaps, stick with my old Sony and buy a new DAC. And that's going to be a "sound" and ergonomic decision. We'll see.

It appears from early reviews that this player is really great performance wise, and that's awesome. It's built like a tank and has a great hefty remote. It has outputs galore. It now has a tray loader which is much better IMO. It looks good and it's not outrageously priced. What could be better?

But in my particular case, since it will be a secondary upgrade, here are my TINY NIT PICKS about the Emotiva ERC-3 that make me hesitate, all personal feelings, and all feelings site unseen, in no particular order:

- I would have MUCH liked to have seen direct track access buttons on the face plate, not just the remote. Some consider this obtrusive to the looks, but I consider it a huge plus. People seem to forget that one of the huge advantages CD has over LP's is direct track access, and I personally find that very feature important. While they are adding it, it would be better to have 20+ track access, not just 10+. I feel a button layout 5 across and 4 down makes for the most ergonomic "quick find" layout.
- In today's modern trend, it certainly would have been nice to include a digital input to use the internal DAC.
- It should have HDCD decoding. I have a lot of these CD's (like from the Grateful Dead who totally embraced HDCD)
- It should load faster. 9-10 seconds is good, but my old Sony does it in 5. That's 50% faster, which is huge.
- It's made for lefties. I open a CD case using both hands, then hold it in my left hand while I remove the CD with my right. I then hit the open button, place the disc in the player, slide my hand away from the tray to the right, and press play. With this player, I'll have to slide my hand to the left to hit play, which from a righty point of view now puts the tray sort of in the way.
- The blue lights dim which is a must, but do they turn off completely? And it would have been nice to also have the dim switch on the unit.
- A metal loading tray would be preferred.

Again, these are my nit picks, nothing more. I present them here to be used as positive criticism. Perhaps if they ever make an ERC-4 some of these thoughts may be taken into consideration. After all, if I don't bring them up publically, they'll never know how customers feel.

Thanks to Emotiva for putting out such a nice piece of machinery. I'm sure you will make a lot of people very happy.

Cheers --- Bonzo

Bonzo.....Spot On!!
Along with my nit picks you've pretty much summed up the rest of the ergonomic and functional issues. Well written and well done. I'm still on the fence because of the open button not responding on the first push, so i'll have to do some soul searching to see if I want to send it back. It really, though is the best sounding player I've heard.
Mickboy

[Mickboy]

Dec 27, 2013 9:56:21 GMT -5 Bonzo said:

Dec 22, 2013 17:56:02 GMT -5 Mickboy said:

forums.stevehoffman.tv/threads/emotivas-erc-3-449-cd-player.335326/page-3#post-9807718

So I got to reading this thread over at the Hoffman forum and couldn't disagree more with what some folks over there are saying. Who here has a Blu-ray or DVD player that loads and plays CD's faster than a stand alone CD player? Are they serious? Never have I owned (or seen such an animal) in my experience. For S&G I went home last night and tested my players.

From time of pressing play with a CD loaded and an open tray....all times in seconds

Panasonic Blu-ray = 19
Pioneer Universal DVD = 18
Denon Universal DVD = 15
Pioneer CD Burner = 10
Sony CD = 5

My old Sony from back in 1995 crushes the competition. It terms of ergonomics alone this old classic is hard to beat. I just find it amusing when kids all act like the newest technology is always the best.

With load times of around 9 seconds, that's pretty good for the Emotiva, just not the best it could be. Certainly better than my Denon Universal that I currently use for 99% of my music listening. For CD's it's a dog. I only use it because of how nice it sounds.

LOL! Yeah, that's the thread that they put me in 'Time Out' last weekend. The one guy pretty much told me I didn't know what I was talking about........hmm.....
So to each their own. Thanks Bonzo for doing the tray time test. Very informative and that's good information for us all here.
Mickboy

[KeithL]

The ERC-3 DOES indeed play AND DECODE HDCDs.

Dec 27, 2013 14:36:01 GMT -5 Mickboy said:

Dec 27, 2013 10:53:11 GMT -5 Bonzo said:

For me the ultimate sound test for this Emotiva will be going up against the Oppo 105. I don't have a dedicated 2 channel listening station. I have a multi-purpose room for music listening and movie watching. I currently have the Panny Blu-ray player (for Blu-ray movies and BR-audio discs), my Denon Universal for critical CD / SACD / DVD-A, and my old Sony for recreational CD playing and burning. A Universal Blu-ray / DVD / CD / SACD / DVD-A player is the first and utmost must. A dedicated CD player is secondary.

So ultimately my first move (in this source component direction) will be to buy an Oppo 105 (or wait until say, a newer 125 model is available) to replace both my Panny and Denon. That way I kill 2 birds with one stone.

Then my decision will be to buy the Emotiva, or perhaps, stick with my old Sony and buy a new DAC. And that's going to be a "sound" and ergonomic decision. We'll see.

It appears from early reviews that this player is really great performance wise, and that's awesome. It's built like a tank and has a great hefty remote. It has outputs galore. It now has a tray loader which is much better IMO. It looks good and it's not outrageously priced. What could be better?

But in my particular case, since it will be a secondary upgrade, here are my TINY NIT PICKS about the Emotiva ERC-3 that make me hesitate, all personal feelings, and all feelings site unseen, in no particular order:

- I would have MUCH liked to have seen direct track access buttons on the face plate, not just the remote. Some consider this obtrusive to the looks, but I consider it a huge plus. People seem to forget that one of the huge advantages CD has over LP's is direct track access, and I personally find that very feature important. While they are adding it, it would be better to have 20+ track access, not just 10+. I feel a button layout 5 across and 4 down makes for the most ergonomic "quick find" layout.
- In today's modern trend, it certainly would have been nice to include a digital input to use the internal DAC.
- It should have HDCD decoding. I have a lot of these CD's (like from the Grateful Dead who totally embraced HDCD)
- It should load faster. 9-10 seconds is good, but my old Sony does it in 5. That's 50% faster, which is huge.
- It's made for lefties. I open a CD case using both hands, then hold it in my left hand while I remove the CD with my right. I then hit the open button, place the disc in the player, slide my hand away from the tray to the right, and press play. With this player, I'll have to slide my hand to the left to hit play, which from a righty point of view now puts the tray sort of in the way.
- The blue lights dim which is a must, but do they turn off completely? And it would have been nice to also have the dim switch on the unit.
- A metal loading tray would be preferred.

Again, these are my nit picks, nothing more. I present them here to be used as positive criticism. Perhaps if they ever make an ERC-4 some of these thoughts may be taken into consideration. After all, if I don't bring them up publically, they'll never know how customers feel.

Thanks to Emotiva for putting out such a nice piece of machinery. I'm sure you will make a lot of people very happy.

Cheers --- Bonzo

Bonzo.....Spot On!!
Along with my nit picks you've pretty much summed up the rest of the ergonomic and functional issues. Well written and well done. I'm still on the fence because of the open button not responding on the first push, so i'll have to do some soul searching to see if I want to send it back. It really, though is the best sounding player I've heard.
Mickboy

[Bonzo]

Dec 27, 2013 15:56:14 GMT -5 KeithL said:

The ERC-3 DOES indeed play AND DECODE HDCDs.

Well hey, that's great to know. One nit pick down already!!!!! I was wondering about it actually, knowing that you are a fellow Dead Head how you let that one slide.

Until your answer here I don't think anyone actually gave any definitive answer regarding this. I just went back and re-read the product page and it's vague, so you may want to get your webpage person to fix the write up. It says it plays HDCD's (but so do all "redbox" CD players). Same goes for hybrid SACD's (at least I'm fairly sure since all my cars and even my boombox play them) so I'm not sure why you even mention that. But under the format section it does not mention being able to "DECODE" HDCD at all. You will gain some followers with a more clear write up description.

Thanks for the info.

Cheers --- Bonzo

[robh3606]

Hello Keith

The HD before the track number is the indicator for HDCD decoding??

I am very happy with mine. Don't really care what they are saying over there.

Rob

[sevenseas]

I had an opportunity to test the ERC-3 against my Onkyo DX-7555 cd player.

My current setup includes a Primaluna Prologue Three preamp connected to the Emotiva UPA-200 (love this combo) and the 2012 Glow Audio One using EL84 tubes. For speakers I use tektondesign Lore and Paradigm Monitor 9 v4 speakers. I used the ERC-3 with both units as well as with both pairs of speakers. I tend to listen mostly to jazz, both instrumental and vocals.

I had no problems with the ERC-3. CD’s loaded quickly, appreciated the lighted tray and overall found it to be a solid unit by Emotiva.

ERC-3: I was very impressed with the detail and soundstage I heard. Bass was controlled without being too overbearing. The presentation was forward and involving.

DX-7555: It doesn’t reveal the details as clearly as the ERC-3. The bass is not as strong. Presentation is somewhat laid back. Not nearly as good on the soundstage.

At the end of my testing I ended returning the ERC-3 to Emotiva. The ERC-3 tends to bring out the details whether good or bad in a recording. The DX-7555 tends to mask both good and bad in a recording. I could still enjoy poor recordings with the DX-7555.

The DX-7555 is clearly not in the same league as the ERC-3. I highly recommend auditioning the ERC-3.

[LCSeminole]

Dec 28, 2013 19:44:56 GMT -5 robh3606 said:

The HD before the track number is the indicator for HDCD decoding??

The HD before the track # on the ERC-1/ERC-2 is the indicator for HDCD decoding, so I'd imagine the same would go for the ERC-3.

[Gary Cook]

Dec 27, 2013 10:53:11 GMT -5 Bonzo said:

For me the ultimate sound test for this Emotiva will be going up against the Oppo 105. I don't have a dedicated 2 channel listening station. I have a multi-purpose room for music listening and movie watching. I currently have the Panny Blu-ray player (for Blu-ray movies and BR-audio discs), my Denon Universal for critical CD / SACD / DVD-A, and my old Sony for recreational CD playing and burning. A Universal Blu-ray / DVD / CD / SACD / DVD-A player is the first and utmost must. A dedicated CD player is secondary.
So ultimately my first move (in this source component direction) will be to buy an Oppo 105 (or wait until say, a newer 125 model is available) to replace both my Panny and Denon. That way I kill 2 birds with one stone.

Here is why I chose an ERC-3 over a 105 (I tested one for more than a month).
For stereo listing the ERC-3 is just flat out better, sound stage, attack, decay, male and female vocals, instruments and all are more natural, location locked and dimensional.
Obviously the 105 played SACD's but I don't have enough to be too concerned. Plus they (in 5.1) sounded better with the UMC-200 equalisation and bass management, so the $big for the 105 DAC's is wasted (and I don't have a bad room acoustically).
A 103 with the UMC-200 equalisation and bass management sounds just as good as the 105.
A 103 plus an ERC-3 costs less (a lot less in Australia) than a 105.
When I want a better/newer/up to date BD player I don't have to fork out $big for a 125/145/165 etc. A 123/143/163 will do the job just as well.
When I want a better/newer/up to date CD player I don't have to fork out $big for a 125/145/165 etc. An ERC-4/5/6 will do the job better at substantially less cost.

The argument (105 vs 103 + ERC-3) is much like the argument for separates, separates are far more economical and give superior results.
Don't get me wrong the 105 is a good BD player, as good as a 103 and a good SACD player, but it's not as good a CD player as an ERC-3 and it's not as good an SACD player as 103 + a UMC-200

Arguing for a 105 as a "do it all in one box solution" is a fallacy just like the same reasoning behind choosing AVR over a separate pre amp processor and power amp. My opinion of course, my room and my speakers others might disagree.


Happy New Year
Gary

[Gary Cook]

Dec 27, 2013 10:53:11 GMT -5 Bonzo said:

But in my particular case, since it will be a secondary upgrade, here are my TINY NIT PICKS about the Emotiva ERC-3 that make me hesitate, all personal feelings, and all feelings site unseen, in no particular order:

- I would have MUCH liked to have seen direct track access buttons on the face plate, not just the remote. Some consider this obtrusive to the looks, but I consider it a huge plus. People seem to forget that one of the huge advantages CD has over LP's is direct track access, and I personally find that very feature important. While they are adding it, it would be better to have 20+ track access, not just 10+. I feel a button layout 5 across and 4 down makes for the most ergonomic "quick find" layout.

I load the CD, sit in the lounge chair and use the remote, I have no real use for any buttons on the ERC-3 itself other than standby on/off and open/close tray. Punch the track number into the remote and in less than a second it's playing, amazingly fast.

- In today's modern trend, it certainly would have been nice to include a digital input to use the internal DAC.

I have no need for external DAC, if i did I would wait for an XDA-3 (XDA look + DC-1 DAC).

- It should have HDCD decoding. I have a lot of these CD's (like from the Grateful Dead who totally embraced HDCD)

My ERC-3 plays HDCD's and it says so in the Manual and on the product page.

- It should load faster. 9-10 seconds is good, but my old Sony does it in 5. That's 50% faster, which is huge.

My 2001 vintage Sony CD player takes longer than 10 seconds. Anyway I like the 9 seconds, it gives me time to resume my lounge seat, pick up a drink, recline and get comfortable.

- It's made for lefties. I open a CD case using both hands, then hold it in my left hand while I remove the CD with my right. I then hit the open button, place the disc in the player, slide my hand away from the tray to the right, and press play. With this player, I'll have to slide my hand to the left to hit play, which from a righty point of view now puts the tray sort of in the way.

I am very right handed. I open the CD tray first by pushing the open button with my right hand, then I extract the CD from its case with my right hand, insert it then push the close button with my right hand. Your technique is both inefficient and illogical.

- The blue lights dim which is a must, but do they turn off completely? And it would have been nice to also have the dim switch on the unit.

Your lounge chair is obviously too close to the ERC-3 and/or you aren't reclining enough.

- A metal loading tray would be preferred.

I can't say as I have ever seen a a full metal tray. I do seem to recall reading something around 30 years ago about laser devices and full metal trays.

Again, these are my nit picks, nothing more. I present them here to be used as positive criticism. Perhaps if they ever make an ERC-4 some of these thoughts may be taken into consideration. After all, if I don't bring them up publically, they'll never know how customers feel.

The problem is the squeaky wheel gets the grease, I would hate the silent majority to be shouted down by the vocal minority.


Happy New Year
Gary

[pedrocols]

For somebody with a excellent DAC I find the ERC-3 useless......In fact very useless....

[Gary Cook]

Dec 29, 2013 2:52:07 GMT -5 pedrocols said:

For somebody with a excellent DAC I find the ERC-3 useless......In fact very useless....

The assumption being that the transport is as excellent as the DAC?


Happy New Year
Gary

[Mickboy]

Dec 29, 2013 1:13:16 GMT -5 Gary Cook said:

Dec 27, 2013 10:53:11 GMT -5 Bonzo said:

But in my particular case, since it will be a secondary upgrade, here are my TINY NIT PICKS about the Emotiva ERC-3 that make me hesitate, all personal feelings, and all feelings site unseen, in no particular order:

- I would have MUCH liked to have seen direct track access buttons on the face plate, not just the remote. Some consider this obtrusive to the looks, but I consider it a huge plus. People seem to forget that one of the huge advantages CD has over LP's is direct track access, and I personally find that very feature important. While they are adding it, it would be better to have 20+ track access, not just 10+. I feel a button layout 5 across and 4 down makes for the most ergonomic "quick find" layout.

I load the CD, sit in the lounge chair and use the remote, I have no real use for any buttons on the ERC-3 itself other than standby on/off and open/close tray. Punch the track number into the remote and in less than a second it's playing, amazingly fast.

- In today's modern trend, it certainly would have been nice to include a digital input to use the internal DAC.

I have no need for external DAC, if i did I would wait for an XDA-3 (XDA look + DC-1 DAC).

- It should have HDCD decoding. I have a lot of these CD's (like from the Grateful Dead who totally embraced HDCD)

My ERC-3 plays HDCD's and it says so in the Manual and on the product page.

- It should load faster. 9-10 seconds is good, but my old Sony does it in 5. That's 50% faster, which is huge.

My 2001 vintage Sony CD player takes longer than 10 seconds. Anyway I like the 9 seconds, it gives me time to resume my lounge seat, pick up a drink, recline and get comfortable.

- It's made for lefties. I open a CD case using both hands, then hold it in my left hand while I remove the CD with my right. I then hit the open button, place the disc in the player, slide my hand away from the tray to the right, and press play. With this player, I'll have to slide my hand to the left to hit play, which from a righty point of view now puts the tray sort of in the way.

I am very right handed. I open the CD tray first by pushing the open button with my right hand, then I extract the CD from its case with my right hand, insert it then push the close button with my right hand. Your technique is both inefficient and illogical.

- The blue lights dim which is a must, but do they turn off completely? And it would have been nice to also have the dim switch on the unit.

Your lounge chair is obviously too close to the ERC-3 and/or you aren't reclining enough.

- A metal loading tray would be preferred.

I can't say as I have ever seen a a full metal tray. I do seem to recall reading something around 30 years ago about laser devices and full metal trays.

Again, these are my nit picks, nothing more. I present them here to be used as positive criticism. Perhaps if they ever make an ERC-4 some of these thoughts may be taken into consideration. After all, if I don't bring them up publically, they'll never know how customers feel.

The problem is the squeaky wheel gets the grease, I would hate the silent majority to be shouted down by the vocal minority.


Happy New Year
Gary

All good counterpoints. So again, different strokes for different folks. I know that this player will be a hit for Emotiva. Dan did a good job on this. But unfortunately for me my A-D-D comes into play and I ended up sending it back. (Thanks for the Friday Help Rick!!) Stupid little things like the buttons (not only the 'open' button that I initially had an issue with) not executing it's command on the first push just bug the crap out of me.
Many moons ago I was able to pick up a Gorgeous Integrated-An SAE-TWO 90w/channel with beautiful Blue florescent power meters. I really loved that thing, but they used cheap switches in it and over a short time many of them (mono/stereo/low filter etc) exhibited static when being pushed. I went round and round even paying a tech to 'clean' the buttons contacts but alas, it kept doing it and I just couldn't take that kind of foo paw for the kind of money I spent. So it went to my big Brother who still has it.
Point is that things that are considered small by many unfortunately mean a lot to a few, like me. Even though this is The Best sounding player I've ever auditioned, the ergonomic problem I have with it, which many others won't even notice, rendered it's ADD-AF (A.D.D Acceptance Factor) Un satisfactory. So, I'll wait a while and maybe try another one down the road. I really do like the Look of the Unit-Beautiful. But as a note of warning to you-these 'lessons' are not cheap-it cost $46 to send this Beast back UPS. But that's already made up for by what I sold my Onkyo 7070 for, so I'm lucky in that regard. Emotive is a great company with great people like Rick. I'll be a customer for life just because of the good way they treat their customers. But to all of you with new ERC3's.....ENJOY THE MUSIC!!
Mickboy

[pedrocols]

Dec 29, 2013 4:24:27 GMT -5 Gary Cook said:

Dec 29, 2013 2:52:07 GMT -5 pedrocols said:

For somebody with a excellent DAC I find the ERC-3 useless......In fact very useless....

The assumption being that the transport is as excellent as the DAC?


Happy New Year
Gary

Yes. Although, I have read reviews about people claiming that the ERC-2 is hard to beat when used as a transport.

[stiehl11]

Dec 27, 2013 16:16:43 GMT -5 Bonzo said:

Same goes for hybrid SACD's (at least I'm fairly sure since all my cars and even my boombox play them) so I'm not sure why you even mention that.

Cheers --- Bonzo

Unfortunately, the ERC-2 did not play (all) SACD redbook layers. In my two experiences with the ERC-2 it never once read any of the SACDs that I brought to audition. Others have said that their's plays SACD redbook layers; but they were listening to different titles than I was trying. And, yes, all my titles that I tried to audition were "hybrid" SACDs and play absolutely fine in my car, bedroom (Sony DVD/CD), and theater (ERC-1) systems.

I'm not sure what happened with the ERC-2 and SACD redbook layer playback and it's water under the bridge as it's no longer offered (and most didn't care if it played the SACD redbook layer), but I'm glad to see that it's been addressed with the new ERC-3.

[Gary Cook]

Dec 29, 2013 14:35:04 GMT -5 pedrocols said:

Dec 29, 2013 4:24:27 GMT -5 Gary Cook said:

The assumption being that the transport is as excellent as the DAC?

Yes. Although, I have read reviews about people claiming that the ERC-2 is hard to beat when used as a transport.

Agreed, but I have read posts from guys complaining about the slot loading on the ERC-2. Then again, I have read posts from guys complaining about the tray loading on the ERC-3. You can't please all of the people all of the time (some words of wisdom from Abraham Lincoln).


Happy New year
Gary