Post by wje on Feb 5, 2009 13:36:14 GMT -5
First, I'll start off by indicating that my review is based on music only. When I tried the ERMs, I didn't use them for movie watching. Now, it's off to the review.
Packaging: The speakers were nicely packed, 2 speakers in individual boxes placed within a larger outer box - as well as a pair of the newly designed grills.
Build quality / Look / Feel: Straight out of the box, these are some solid little monsters. Even though the finish is satin black, you still might want to wear a pair of cotton gloves when unpacking them and setting them into position. The aluminum front panel gets bonus points as it essentially covers up all of the speaker mounting bolts / screws and makes for a very nice and clean appearance.
Setup: I quickly hooked the speakers up and left the room. I didn't wan't to start to form any real solid opinions on the speakers before they've had a chance to get broken in a bit and acclimate. After 3-4 hours of time, I then went back to the room where I had them playing and ran through the Audyssey setup on my Onkyo receiver. I used a pair of the ERMs in conjunction with a subwoofer. The setup with Audyssey was relatively seamless - but, did set my subwoofer crossover point to 70Hz. I then moved it to 80Hz, based on the natural frequency response of the speakers.
Sound: As I was about to sink in for some critical listening, I checked the toggles on the rear of the speaker one more time. Boundary setting = off, treble adjustment = flat. So, how was it? The speakers sounded beautiful. I listen to quite a bit of lighter jazz and these speakers performed very well with all the music that was put through them. The sound had me impressed -and, it does take a bit to impress me. I've returned many speakers because they didn't meet my criteria when it comes to sound. Over the course of the few days of use, I ended up moving the tweeter adjustment switch to the +2dB level to increase the detail a bit more. This put the sound in a very good territory for my music - as well as my weaker ears.
Appearance: A few comments that I've read have reflected that these are just boring, black speakers. However, they truly are not that bad when it comes to their appearance. In fact, I like their appearance. The look is clean and with the high quality of assembly, fit and finish, these are speakers to be proud of.
Final Verdict: I realized if the ERMs were going to be a permanent part of my home, I'd have to dedicated another $150 or so to get some proper stands. After several days of pondering, I decided to opt for another pair of floor standing speakers. However, I don't think ill of the ERMs. I wish I had the area for a 3rd system. They'd see a lot of use and enjoyment.
Packaging: The speakers were nicely packed, 2 speakers in individual boxes placed within a larger outer box - as well as a pair of the newly designed grills.
Build quality / Look / Feel: Straight out of the box, these are some solid little monsters. Even though the finish is satin black, you still might want to wear a pair of cotton gloves when unpacking them and setting them into position. The aluminum front panel gets bonus points as it essentially covers up all of the speaker mounting bolts / screws and makes for a very nice and clean appearance.
Setup: I quickly hooked the speakers up and left the room. I didn't wan't to start to form any real solid opinions on the speakers before they've had a chance to get broken in a bit and acclimate. After 3-4 hours of time, I then went back to the room where I had them playing and ran through the Audyssey setup on my Onkyo receiver. I used a pair of the ERMs in conjunction with a subwoofer. The setup with Audyssey was relatively seamless - but, did set my subwoofer crossover point to 70Hz. I then moved it to 80Hz, based on the natural frequency response of the speakers.
Sound: As I was about to sink in for some critical listening, I checked the toggles on the rear of the speaker one more time. Boundary setting = off, treble adjustment = flat. So, how was it? The speakers sounded beautiful. I listen to quite a bit of lighter jazz and these speakers performed very well with all the music that was put through them. The sound had me impressed -and, it does take a bit to impress me. I've returned many speakers because they didn't meet my criteria when it comes to sound. Over the course of the few days of use, I ended up moving the tweeter adjustment switch to the +2dB level to increase the detail a bit more. This put the sound in a very good territory for my music - as well as my weaker ears.
Appearance: A few comments that I've read have reflected that these are just boring, black speakers. However, they truly are not that bad when it comes to their appearance. In fact, I like their appearance. The look is clean and with the high quality of assembly, fit and finish, these are speakers to be proud of.
Final Verdict: I realized if the ERMs were going to be a permanent part of my home, I'd have to dedicated another $150 or so to get some proper stands. After several days of pondering, I decided to opt for another pair of floor standing speakers. However, I don't think ill of the ERMs. I wish I had the area for a 3rd system. They'd see a lot of use and enjoyment.
