Post by Animo on Feb 14, 2009 1:21:22 GMT -5
As we all have been eagerly awaiting word on this speaker I decided to try to get it out there as soon as possible. The speaker arrived this morning in it's usual double box. Inside was the usual black sock containing the speaker. Surrounding the sock on either end and in the middle was a foam retainer to keep the speaker snugly packed for transit. As we are getting accustomed to the black sock, it has come to my attention that the sock has multiple uses.....like hiding my ugly face.
The fit and finish of the ERM-6.3 is excellent. The sort of care and craftsmanship that goes into speakers costing 2 to 3 times as much. The Emotiva logo, and 2 self adhesive padded strips (a nice alternative to little rubber bumpers) are included. The finish of the cabinet is matt black and is perfect. There was no manual included to give information on how to use the switches on the back panel. After several trials and errors, the sound quality we preferred came from leaving all switches in the off position.
Joking aside, we set the speaker in Nick's system to do the evaluations.
The sources include 2 XPA-2's for left and right mains.
One XPA-3 for center (reviewed here) and surrounds.
One XPA-2 in bridged mode for the LFE subwoofer.
Oppo DB-981HD DVD player.
Fosgate Model 4 processor.
The main speakers are Custom Cabasse Monitors, actively crossed over, to a pair of isobaric bass bins.
The LFE sub is a passive unit with two 13 inch Vieta drivers also in an isobaric enclosure.
ERD-1's are used for the surround channels.
**Nick wanted me to add that the speaker cables are simple 10 gauge Monster.**
We started off by playing the DVD Audio of Blue Man Group...."The Complex".
The first playings only used the center channel alone for evaluation and later the rest of the speakers were incorporated. The first impression we got was that the speaker sounded a little bright and fatiguing. Nick then decided to change out the interconnect on the center, because he also had a similar result with other speakers as the center. The center channel is the only channel hooked up with an Audioquest Topaz interconnect. Nick replaced it with an American Hybrid Technology interconnect. Immediately the speaker came into it's own. As mentioned Blue Man's "The Complex" was the first thing we listened to. This disc along with having unusual dynamic range, can sound very bright if the speaker is not designed to be flat. The Emotiva ERM-6.3 performed flawlessly in this respect. You could clearly tell the difference between electronically produced instruments and the the real McCoy.
The next CD was Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young's "American Dream". We listened to "This Old House". This is primarily a Niel Young cut, but, the chorus is sung by everyone, and is a test of congestion, which appears solely in lesser quality speakers. While it passed the test, we were surprised at how emotionally involved we became when the four imperfect voices, did indeed make perfect music.
Next into the Oppo was Joni Mitchell's "Court & Spark" on HDCD. The female voice appeared to really bring the speaker to life, or visa versa. This CD as well as Weather Report's "Black Market" which we also played, could be considered the acid test for midrange hoot. There was no harshness or excessive peaks that could become irritating. While checking out female voices we played everyone's favorite, the venerable Sarah McLachlan's "Surfacing". The 6.3 brought out lot's of detail and clarity in her voice. The sound of her breathing, incorporated into her singing sounded completely natural, and enhanced, as opposed to detracting from her performance. What kept surprising us was that, the more we listened , the more we wanted to listen, and we continued breaking out CD after CD.
We then decided to break away from vocals, and thought we would audition some orchestral passages. First up was the "Original Motion Picture Soundtrack to "Jurassic Park" by John Williams. We listened to the "Opening Titles" & The "Theme from Jurassic Park". The first instance where the Theme opens with a french horn solo, we were immediately drawn into the music. Following are the flutes and violins, and then the entire orchestra. By being drawn in, I don't mean that we listened to snipets of several familiar songs and tracks. Instead we were listening to entire songs and major portions of the CD's. For more orchestral music we listened to another Original Motion Picture Soundtrack....this time "Star Wars Episode II" again by John Williams. Since this is very familiar territory, we only listened to the first two cuts....the "Main Theme" and the "Love Theme". It was during the listening of these 2 cuts, that Nick realized how well this stands alone as music, as compared to being part and parcel of a filmtrack.
Last CD was our venerable referrance CD, Flimm & The BB's "Tricylce". We are so familiar with this CD as we always use it at some point to check out and rate any speaker we may listen to. Before we knew it, we were sucked in so far, that we ended up listening to the entire CD. There was one passage, that Nick actually saw the tweeter move due to the dynamic nature of this recording. I was so amazed, I had to see it for myself, and Nick rewound the CD and I too did indeed see the tweeter move. Neither of us have ever experienced this phenomena before.
Now like I mentioned in the beginning, at first, just the 6.3 was being used. We then added the left and right subwoofers, which balanced out the sound of the one speaker. This is definitely a midrange monster. With the subs it's a total beast. We then went full bore with the monitors as well, and the ERM-6.3 blended seamlessly into the mix. One other unique feature we noticed was that the ERM-6.3, seemed to go deeper and deeper, as if the extreme low frequencies were actually coming from the speaker itself. So after three solid hours of listening to music we thought we'd check out a movie.
In went "The Transformers". The voicing of this speaker seemed completely natural, and not as if anything was being reproduced. Male voices-----natural. Female voices---natural. As if the actors were actually speaking to us instead of others in the movie. The speakers seemed to go away, and we were drawn into the action as if we were taking part in it ourselves. Nick has had 3 other center channel speakers in his system. A "B&W", an "ACI" (Audio Concepts) and presently his "Athena". None of those speakers came close to the ERM-6.3. This is by far the best home theater sound Nick has had in his room. On another note, Nick hadn't realized that the Oppo, played through his processor yielded a 5.1 music experience that he actually found pleasing and enjoyable, as he is basically a hardcore 2 channel music listener. With three hours of music and two hours with a movie, I would easily say, we gave it our all. The ERM-6.3 actually seemed to smooth out after the first two hours of listening. Five hours seems like nothing, when you consider that, if not for the time of day, and our Saturday schedules, we'd probably still be listening right now. But alas, Nick is tired, and I still have to go home.
The fit and finish of the ERM-6.3 is excellent. The sort of care and craftsmanship that goes into speakers costing 2 to 3 times as much. The Emotiva logo, and 2 self adhesive padded strips (a nice alternative to little rubber bumpers) are included. The finish of the cabinet is matt black and is perfect. There was no manual included to give information on how to use the switches on the back panel. After several trials and errors, the sound quality we preferred came from leaving all switches in the off position.
Joking aside, we set the speaker in Nick's system to do the evaluations.
The sources include 2 XPA-2's for left and right mains.
One XPA-3 for center (reviewed here) and surrounds.
One XPA-2 in bridged mode for the LFE subwoofer.
Oppo DB-981HD DVD player.
Fosgate Model 4 processor.
The main speakers are Custom Cabasse Monitors, actively crossed over, to a pair of isobaric bass bins.
The LFE sub is a passive unit with two 13 inch Vieta drivers also in an isobaric enclosure.
ERD-1's are used for the surround channels.
**Nick wanted me to add that the speaker cables are simple 10 gauge Monster.**
We started off by playing the DVD Audio of Blue Man Group...."The Complex".
The first playings only used the center channel alone for evaluation and later the rest of the speakers were incorporated. The first impression we got was that the speaker sounded a little bright and fatiguing. Nick then decided to change out the interconnect on the center, because he also had a similar result with other speakers as the center. The center channel is the only channel hooked up with an Audioquest Topaz interconnect. Nick replaced it with an American Hybrid Technology interconnect. Immediately the speaker came into it's own. As mentioned Blue Man's "The Complex" was the first thing we listened to. This disc along with having unusual dynamic range, can sound very bright if the speaker is not designed to be flat. The Emotiva ERM-6.3 performed flawlessly in this respect. You could clearly tell the difference between electronically produced instruments and the the real McCoy.
The next CD was Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young's "American Dream". We listened to "This Old House". This is primarily a Niel Young cut, but, the chorus is sung by everyone, and is a test of congestion, which appears solely in lesser quality speakers. While it passed the test, we were surprised at how emotionally involved we became when the four imperfect voices, did indeed make perfect music.
Next into the Oppo was Joni Mitchell's "Court & Spark" on HDCD. The female voice appeared to really bring the speaker to life, or visa versa. This CD as well as Weather Report's "Black Market" which we also played, could be considered the acid test for midrange hoot. There was no harshness or excessive peaks that could become irritating. While checking out female voices we played everyone's favorite, the venerable Sarah McLachlan's "Surfacing". The 6.3 brought out lot's of detail and clarity in her voice. The sound of her breathing, incorporated into her singing sounded completely natural, and enhanced, as opposed to detracting from her performance. What kept surprising us was that, the more we listened , the more we wanted to listen, and we continued breaking out CD after CD.
We then decided to break away from vocals, and thought we would audition some orchestral passages. First up was the "Original Motion Picture Soundtrack to "Jurassic Park" by John Williams. We listened to the "Opening Titles" & The "Theme from Jurassic Park". The first instance where the Theme opens with a french horn solo, we were immediately drawn into the music. Following are the flutes and violins, and then the entire orchestra. By being drawn in, I don't mean that we listened to snipets of several familiar songs and tracks. Instead we were listening to entire songs and major portions of the CD's. For more orchestral music we listened to another Original Motion Picture Soundtrack....this time "Star Wars Episode II" again by John Williams. Since this is very familiar territory, we only listened to the first two cuts....the "Main Theme" and the "Love Theme". It was during the listening of these 2 cuts, that Nick realized how well this stands alone as music, as compared to being part and parcel of a filmtrack.
Last CD was our venerable referrance CD, Flimm & The BB's "Tricylce". We are so familiar with this CD as we always use it at some point to check out and rate any speaker we may listen to. Before we knew it, we were sucked in so far, that we ended up listening to the entire CD. There was one passage, that Nick actually saw the tweeter move due to the dynamic nature of this recording. I was so amazed, I had to see it for myself, and Nick rewound the CD and I too did indeed see the tweeter move. Neither of us have ever experienced this phenomena before.
Now like I mentioned in the beginning, at first, just the 6.3 was being used. We then added the left and right subwoofers, which balanced out the sound of the one speaker. This is definitely a midrange monster. With the subs it's a total beast. We then went full bore with the monitors as well, and the ERM-6.3 blended seamlessly into the mix. One other unique feature we noticed was that the ERM-6.3, seemed to go deeper and deeper, as if the extreme low frequencies were actually coming from the speaker itself. So after three solid hours of listening to music we thought we'd check out a movie.
In went "The Transformers". The voicing of this speaker seemed completely natural, and not as if anything was being reproduced. Male voices-----natural. Female voices---natural. As if the actors were actually speaking to us instead of others in the movie. The speakers seemed to go away, and we were drawn into the action as if we were taking part in it ourselves. Nick has had 3 other center channel speakers in his system. A "B&W", an "ACI" (Audio Concepts) and presently his "Athena". None of those speakers came close to the ERM-6.3. This is by far the best home theater sound Nick has had in his room. On another note, Nick hadn't realized that the Oppo, played through his processor yielded a 5.1 music experience that he actually found pleasing and enjoyable, as he is basically a hardcore 2 channel music listener. With three hours of music and two hours with a movie, I would easily say, we gave it our all. The ERM-6.3 actually seemed to smooth out after the first two hours of listening. Five hours seems like nothing, when you consider that, if not for the time of day, and our Saturday schedules, we'd probably still be listening right now. But alas, Nick is tired, and I still have to go home.
