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Post by leonardu11 on Dec 17, 2014 23:35:08 GMT -5
I have been a novice HiFi follower since my college days. I have listened to some very expensive and wonderful systems over the years. I am now 68 and still a novice, but I am not deaf yet and can still appreciate fine reproduction of original music. My first experience with Emotiva was a purchase of their UMC-1 with the expectation of upgrading to the XMC-1. I had a lot of problems with the UMC-1 and Emotiva did what I felt was a very generous thing. They replaced it with a UMC-200. I am very pleased with the unit. I feel it is the best bang for buck in processors. I am not able to rock out in my family room\home entertainment room b\c my wife keeps stating "turn it down". I decided that I would create a man cave\sound room in my office.
I purchased the well reviewed Airmotiv 5 speakers and was stunned by the beauty of the sound. I have some experience with quality speakers. I built a 5.1 system anchored by Focal speakers that I assembled in a kit. I love the speakers, but must say the Airmotiv 5's kick their butt for a bargain price. Next, I decided to purchase the ERC-3 and was not expecting a great improvement over my dated but quality cd player. Well was I ever wrong. The ERC-3's quality of sound just stunned me. It was the greatest sound improvement for the dollar that I have ever experienced. I heard sound quality and detail that I never thought possible at this price. Wow. This thing is so well built that it reminds me of the good old days when Americans made quality audio gear.
I want to thank Emotiva from the bottom of my heart for creating such superb gear at such a reasonable price. Your service has been first class. There is always something to complain about no matter how good the product and service if you spend too much time looking for something to complain about. I know Emotiva has had some problems, but running a business like theirs means you make some mistakes along the way. Keep up the great work Emotiva.
Len
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Post by Gary Cook on Dec 17, 2014 23:59:47 GMT -5
Nice reviews Len, welcome to the ERC-3 appreciation society  Cheers Gary |
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Post by garbulky on Dec 18, 2014 3:25:40 GMT -5
Hi there! Welcome to the forum. I hope you stay a while. I agree that the airmotiv line is one of their best values alongside their amps. Glad to hear the ERC-3 is a big stepup. There was another guy on this forum who was curious about ERC-3. From your review, I'm going to take it that you've experienced no issues related to noise with it and obviously enjoy the sound quality. I shall pass it along to moonwolf who is curious about its performance. |
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Post by jmasterj on Dec 18, 2014 9:04:02 GMT -5
Hi Len,
Welcome to the Lounge. I remember feeling the same way "stunned" the first time I listened to my ERC-1. I actually decided right then that as long as Emotiva continues to make CD players that they would be the only player for me. I haven't upgraded yet because my ERC-1 is still going strong. I had to send it in to replace the loader after I had it about a year. I actually believe it sounds better after the repair. Four years later it's still making sweet music. Whenever it spins it's last CD it will be replaced by whatever model ERC they have available.
Guess what they also make superb amplifiers too. See you around the Lounge. j
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Post by leonardu11 on Dec 18, 2014 14:59:47 GMT -5
My ERC-3 only makes a little noise while loading which is normal for a cd player or blue ray player. Once it loads it is dead quiet. Not the slightest noise while playing. I loaded it with a disc and did not turn the Airmotiv 5's on and it was dead quiet even if I was right in front of the player. I can only speak for the unit I received. Emotiva may have fixed the noise problem with the newer production ERC-3's. The unit operates perfectly and is built to last.
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moonwolf
Minor Hero
Audio is a great hobby
Posts: 87 
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Post by moonwolf on Dec 18, 2014 15:14:17 GMT -5
Hi there! Welcome to the forum. I hope you stay a while. I agree that the airmotiv line is one of their best values alongside their amps. Glad to hear the ERC-3 is a big stepup. There was another guy on this forum who was curious about ERC-3. From your review, I'm going to take it that you've experienced no issues related to noise with it and obviously enjoy the sound quality. I shall pass it along to moonwolf who is curious about its performance. Glad to hear that ERC-3 sounds awesome. At the moment, I'm leaning toward DC-1. Like you said, one DAC vs two DAC's in DC-1. Hopefully, emotiva will include an optical-in or USB-in on the next CD player, so that it can be also used as a DAC. |
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Post by brutiarti on Dec 18, 2014 17:10:21 GMT -5
Hi there! Welcome to the forum. I hope you stay a while. I agree that the airmotiv line is one of their best values alongside their amps. Glad to hear the ERC-3 is a big stepup. There was another guy on this forum who was curious about ERC-3. From your review, I'm going to take it that you've experienced no issues related to noise with it and obviously enjoy the sound quality. I shall pass it along to moonwolf who is curious about its performance. Glad to hear that ERC-3 sounds awesome. At the moment, I'm leaning toward DC-1. Like you said, one DAC vs two DAC's in DC-1. Hopefully, emotiva will include an optical-in or USB-in on the next CD player, so that it can be also used as a DAC. Guys, i have the erc-2 and I will like to do an upgrade but without a heavy expense, like getting the Parasound cd-1, so I have some options. As Garbulky mentioned, I can use the transport from the erc-2 to the dc-1 and will cost around $500. I also have the option to get the schiit gaugnir for $750 or get the Erc-3 and sell the Erc-2 and probably add $150. What about the xda-2 gen2? Any comment please... |
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Post by garbulky on Dec 18, 2014 17:37:44 GMT -5
Glad to hear that ERC-3 sounds awesome. At the moment, I'm leaning toward DC-1. Like you said, one DAC vs two DAC's in DC-1. Hopefully, emotiva will include an optical-in or USB-in on the next CD player, so that it can be also used as a DAC. Guys, i have the erc-2 and I will like to do an upgrade but without a heavy expense, like getting the Parasound cd-1, so I have some options. As Garbulky mentioned, I can use the transport from the erc-2 to the dc-1 and will cost around $500. I also have the option to get the schiit gaugnir for $750 or get the Erc-3 and sell the Erc-2 and probably add $150. What about the xda-2 gen2? Any comment please... I wouldn't go for the XDA-2. It just isn't an upgrade in sound quality. Have you seen the audio gd stuff? They use saber chips that are used in the oppo and they have really nice build quality. Their prices range from $500 to $2000. www.audio-gd.com/ProductsDAC-EN.htm |
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moonwolf
Minor Hero
Audio is a great hobby
Posts: 87
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Post by moonwolf on Dec 18, 2014 23:11:55 GMT -5
Guys, i have the erc-2 and I will like to do an upgrade but without a heavy expense, like getting the Parasound cd-1, so I have some options. As Garbulky mentioned, I can use the transport from the erc-2 to the dc-1 and will cost around $500. I also have the option to get the schiit gaugnir for $750 or get the Erc-3 and sell the Erc-2 and probably add $150. What about the xda-2 gen2? Any comment please... I wouldn't go for the XDA-2. It just isn't an upgrade in sound quality. Have you seen the audio gd stuff? They use saber chips that are used in the oppo and they have really nice build quality. Their prices range from $500 to $2000. www.audio-gd.com/ProductsDAC-EN.htmI agree with garbulky. I have xda-2, which I'm enjoying on daily basis. But, xda-2 was not one of those upgrade for me which got my pants wet. It was certainly good for value, but not good enough to recommend whole heartly when there seemingly better options available. by the way, I used marantz cd player before, which has very distinct sound from xda-2. If i consider emotiva house sounds to be neutral with slightish warmness and laid-backness, I think marantz house sound is bit more dark and exciting. For me, I like emotiva sounds better, but I think marantz is worth to check out too if you find emotiva sound is not cup of your tea. They offer pretty good value too. |
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Post by brutiarti on Dec 18, 2014 23:30:29 GMT -5
I wouldn't go for the XDA-2. It just isn't an upgrade in sound quality. Have you seen the audio gd stuff? They use saber chips that are used in the oppo and they have really nice build quality. Their prices range from $500 to $2000. www.audio-gd.com/ProductsDAC-EN.htmI agree with garbulky. I have xda-2, which I'm enjoying on daily basis. But, xda-2 was not one of those upgrade for me which got my pants wet. It was certainly good for value, but not good enough to recommend whole heartly when there seemingly better options available. by the way, I used marantz cd player before, which has very distinct sound from xda-2. If i consider emotiva house sounds to be neutral with slightish warmness and laid-backness, I think marantz house sound is bit more dark and exciting. For me, I like emotiva sounds better, but I think marantz is worth to check out too if you find emotiva sound is not cup of your tea. They offer pretty good value too. I'm thinking going with the schiit gugnir option for DAC with my ERC-2, I check the gd audio that Garbulky mentioned but I'm more comfortable dealing with a US company for warranty issues, plus I found some oppo users liking the gugnir, something to think about... |
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Post by moko on Dec 19, 2014 2:37:38 GMT -5
I agree with garbulky. I have xda-2, which I'm enjoying on daily basis. But, xda-2 was not one of those upgrade for me which got my pants wet. It was certainly good for value, but not good enough to recommend whole heartly when there seemingly better options available. by the way, I used marantz cd player before, which has very distinct sound from xda-2. If i consider emotiva house sounds to be neutral with slightish warmness and laid-backness, I think marantz house sound is bit more dark and exciting. For me, I like emotiva sounds better, but I think marantz is worth to check out too if you find emotiva sound is not cup of your tea. They offer pretty good value too. I'm thinking going with the schiit gugnir option for DAC with my ERC-2, I check the gd audio that Garbulky mentioned but I'm more comfortable dealing with a US company for warranty issues, plus I found some oppo users liking the gugnir, something to think about... good choice ! they have 15 days trial. please post about your impression. |
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moonwolf
Minor Hero
Audio is a great hobby
Posts: 87
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Post by moonwolf on Dec 19, 2014 11:33:51 GMT -5
I'm thinking going with the schiit gugnir option for DAC with my ERC-2, I check the gd audio that Garbulky mentioned but I'm more comfortable dealing with a US company for warranty issues, plus I found some oppo users liking the gugnir, something to think about... good choice ! they have 15 days trial. please post about your impression. This one has been receiving positive reviews lately worth checking out. I haven't heard it myself, but generally a mass market product like this usually has better performance per dollar compared to a boutique company. But, I know Schiit has been receiving a glowing reviews. us.marantz.com/us/Products/Pages/ProductDetails.aspx?CatId=HiFiComponents&ProductId=HDDAC1 |
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Post by vcautokid on Dec 19, 2014 12:13:02 GMT -5
All of my Cds were lost in the move. But I'll tell you what, the ERC-3 would be the player I would have. So much player for so little money. My DC-1 keeps the tunes going for me now. Hope Emotiva always makes a great player like the ERC-3!
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Post by brutiarti on Dec 19, 2014 12:28:14 GMT -5
I will definitely will! The only problem that i see with the HDDAC1 is that it doesn't have balanced outputs and i currently run all balanced connections in my system, that's why I'm leaning with the gugnir instead of the cheaper bifrost |
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moonwolf
Minor Hero
Audio is a great hobby
Posts: 87
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Post by moonwolf on Dec 19, 2014 12:55:41 GMT -5
I will definitely will! The only problem that i see with the HDDAC1 is that it doesn't have balanced outputs and i currently run all balanced connections in my system, that's why I'm leaning with the gugnir instead of the cheaper bifrost We are in same boat here! One thing I didn't like about it was the lack of balanced outputs. I'm trying to run full balanced system now days too. I read some great reviews on gugnir by the way. |
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