Post by budgetaudiophile on Jan 26, 2009 17:43:08 GMT -5
I've been living with the ERD-1's now for a few months now, so I feel it's time to write up a review. Obviously, I liked them enough to keep them, as 30 days is long past, but a recent amplifier upgrade (which trickled down to the surrounds) have revealed to me more of their potential.
First, packing and ship time are first rate. The speakers arrived in perfect shape and in very good time. The speaker "bags" are a nice touch, as well. The mounting gear that comes with them are also first rate, and make it very easy to install these speakers on your wall. Someone actually put some thought behind these prior to putting them into production. I found the finish and build quality of my pair to be very good. I also liked t bi-pole/di-pole options. I haven’t tried bi-pole setting yet, but may do so just to see how it sounds. Since I’m looking for a more diffuse sound in the surround channels for my room, I selected di-pole.
As my sig says, below, I have an all Thiel speaker compliment across the front. I didn't feel that it would be necessary to go to the expense of buying Thiels for surrounds to get decent movie effect. I contemplated it, but had too many pieces of gear left to purchase for my theater room to sink $2000+ into surround speakers (or perhaps around $1300 on the used market - if I got lucky). I was leaning towards the larger Axiom surround speaker, having read good reviews of it, but then discovered the ERD-1’s, which cost a lot less. I researched these and found a review that did a direct comparison between the Axioms I was looking at and the ERD-1’s… the ERD-1’s not only won, but won hands down. It sounded promising, and given the 30-day return policy, I had nothing to lose by trying them (except return shipping).
Installation was easy, thanks to the supplied hardware. These things flush mount beautifully on my wall. While these are small speakers, they aren’t as light as you may think. You’ll likely want to either use drywall anchors or put at least one or two screws into a stud to support the speakers properly.
As a side note, my speakers came with the original magnetic covers, which worked, but didn’t secure tightly. Emotiva, without any prompting on my part, sent out replacement covers about a month later. The new covers work MUCH better. This was a very nice surprise for me, and shows the quality of customer service you receive from Emotiva. While I could have lived with the old covers, the new ones are nicer and also have a Emo logo you can attach if you like (I did, I think it looks better with the logos... do I get a break on my next purchase for advertising?
).
My initial impressions were postivie. They did not stand out like a sore thumb against the Thiel main three, and in fact, blended in nicely. They provide enveloping surround effects, which is really what you want in a theater room. For the price of admission, I was quite happy with the ERD-1s. I’ve watched many movies with these speakers performing surround duties, and they have yet to disappoint. From the gunfire of Live Free or Die Hard (a great action flick, btw, and also a great torture test for your sub and surround… heck, for all of your speakers), to the support elements of Kung-Fu Panda, these speakers did their job admirably, without seeming out of place in a Thiel speaker based system (this is high praise in itself).
As good as they were when I first placed them in my system, it wasn’t until the XPA-3 entered my setup (moving the Rotel mono amps to surround duty, effectively doubling the power to the ERD-1’s) that these good speakers became great. Everything improved with the extra power (and note that I had already level-set the system after swapping amps around, so they were all level matched) – better dynamics, crisper details, and a more enveloping experience. Movies came alive even more than before. This was completely unexpected. I had a quality amp driving them before and really didn't see a need to bump up the power, it just worked out that way. Glad it did.
If you’re looking for a great surround speaker at a great price, look no further. The ERD-1’s are the real deal, and a steal at the current sale price. I’d encourage you to pump as much power into them as you can afford. They really come alive with a higher power amplifier, but do make sure you have them set to “small” or have the crossover on your pre-amp set appropriately. A ton of power and low bass is not likely to be a good mix for the small woofers. Keep them within their range, and you'll be happy you spent a bit more on surround channel amplification.
Obviously, these speakers get my recommendation.
First, packing and ship time are first rate. The speakers arrived in perfect shape and in very good time. The speaker "bags" are a nice touch, as well. The mounting gear that comes with them are also first rate, and make it very easy to install these speakers on your wall. Someone actually put some thought behind these prior to putting them into production. I found the finish and build quality of my pair to be very good. I also liked t bi-pole/di-pole options. I haven’t tried bi-pole setting yet, but may do so just to see how it sounds. Since I’m looking for a more diffuse sound in the surround channels for my room, I selected di-pole.
As my sig says, below, I have an all Thiel speaker compliment across the front. I didn't feel that it would be necessary to go to the expense of buying Thiels for surrounds to get decent movie effect. I contemplated it, but had too many pieces of gear left to purchase for my theater room to sink $2000+ into surround speakers (or perhaps around $1300 on the used market - if I got lucky). I was leaning towards the larger Axiom surround speaker, having read good reviews of it, but then discovered the ERD-1’s, which cost a lot less. I researched these and found a review that did a direct comparison between the Axioms I was looking at and the ERD-1’s… the ERD-1’s not only won, but won hands down. It sounded promising, and given the 30-day return policy, I had nothing to lose by trying them (except return shipping).
Installation was easy, thanks to the supplied hardware. These things flush mount beautifully on my wall. While these are small speakers, they aren’t as light as you may think. You’ll likely want to either use drywall anchors or put at least one or two screws into a stud to support the speakers properly.
As a side note, my speakers came with the original magnetic covers, which worked, but didn’t secure tightly. Emotiva, without any prompting on my part, sent out replacement covers about a month later. The new covers work MUCH better. This was a very nice surprise for me, and shows the quality of customer service you receive from Emotiva. While I could have lived with the old covers, the new ones are nicer and also have a Emo logo you can attach if you like (I did, I think it looks better with the logos... do I get a break on my next purchase for advertising?
).My initial impressions were postivie. They did not stand out like a sore thumb against the Thiel main three, and in fact, blended in nicely. They provide enveloping surround effects, which is really what you want in a theater room. For the price of admission, I was quite happy with the ERD-1s. I’ve watched many movies with these speakers performing surround duties, and they have yet to disappoint. From the gunfire of Live Free or Die Hard (a great action flick, btw, and also a great torture test for your sub and surround… heck, for all of your speakers), to the support elements of Kung-Fu Panda, these speakers did their job admirably, without seeming out of place in a Thiel speaker based system (this is high praise in itself).
As good as they were when I first placed them in my system, it wasn’t until the XPA-3 entered my setup (moving the Rotel mono amps to surround duty, effectively doubling the power to the ERD-1’s) that these good speakers became great. Everything improved with the extra power (and note that I had already level-set the system after swapping amps around, so they were all level matched) – better dynamics, crisper details, and a more enveloping experience. Movies came alive even more than before. This was completely unexpected. I had a quality amp driving them before and really didn't see a need to bump up the power, it just worked out that way. Glad it did.
If you’re looking for a great surround speaker at a great price, look no further. The ERD-1’s are the real deal, and a steal at the current sale price. I’d encourage you to pump as much power into them as you can afford. They really come alive with a higher power amplifier, but do make sure you have them set to “small” or have the crossover on your pre-amp set appropriately. A ton of power and low bass is not likely to be a good mix for the small woofers. Keep them within their range, and you'll be happy you spent a bit more on surround channel amplification.
Obviously, these speakers get my recommendation.
