T1 Review

[miata57]

craig59
Thanks for your informative reply. Best of luck with your 5.1 setup.
Howie

[miata57]

After listening to the T1's for over a week now, I have a few observations:

1. To me, they seem a little on the bright side.
2. Bass is definitely present and accurate, but not as loud as I would have liked
3.They are incredibly revealing, and poor recordings sound irritating
4. I have tried to match them up to a sub but I like my sub and MMGs combo better
5.Toe-in is very noticeable and small changes make a huge difference

I think I may still be getting used to the ribbon tweeter. The next couple of weeks should be interesting.

Still happy with these speakers for the price.
Howie

[Deleted]

Let's talk about placement of the T1s for a minute, because that can have an impact on what you hear from them.

The Airmotiv folded ribbon tweeter element in the T1 speakers is capable of quite wide dispersion, but how this is achieved is important if you are particularly sensitive to 'brightness' in the treble. The T1 ribbon exhibits a slight rise (up to about 3dB over the reference sensitivity) starting from 12kHz and increasing to a peak at 20kHz. (Believe me, this is not severe; we had speakers from SVS and Bowers & Wilkins in-house during voicing and listening evaluation of the T1 and they exhibited greater misbehavior in the treble, along with a character that was not just bright, but grating - something the Airmotiv tweeters don't do). The flattest treble response is experienced at about 10 to 15 degrees horizontally off-axis, and then by 30 degrees off-axis, the level at 20kHz has dropped to -3dB (below reference sensitivity). This gives the T1 speakers full-range, "sweet-spot" performance over a 60-degree pattern, which is excellent and even better than many dome tweeters. The best way to achieve perfect treble balance is with modest toe-out of the speakers by about 10 to 15 degrees. (Think about turning the speakers so they are pointing more straight ahead rather than directly at you.) Of course, if you like a bit of extra air and definition on top, you can toe the speakers directly in toward your seat. This was a calculated decision made in order to create a revealing speaker with the best possible performance in music and home theater applications, specifically where a wide sweet-spot is desirable. If the flattest possible on-axis performance is essential to you, try connecting a 0.05mH inductor in the place of the jumper from the lower set of binding posts to the upper pair, and this should have the same effect as toe-out.

I voiced the T1 speakers as I do all my speakers -- for realism and balance, rather than looking for "more of this, less of that". That means looking for the combination of crossover topology and component values that give the best in-room balance while maintaining flat on-axis response. When you are looking for speakers to give you a window on the musical performance (which also translates to realism in home theater applications), you don't want a speaker that editorializes on the musical balance of the recorded performance. Combine that with the open, airy, and startlingly real presentation from the Airmotiv folded ribbon element, and the result is sound that is vividly real and alive. So enough waxing poetic about that. Excessive bass, just like excessive midrange or excessive treble, is excess, and excess in any one area of the musical spectrum tends to overshadow detail and musical content like dynamics and articulation in other parts of the spectrum, so the bass of the T1 is not 'overhyped' or 'fulsome', and this is a delibrate choice for the sake of accuracy.

Getting the best bass and midbass performance from the T1 speakers requires following a few rules, just as it does with any other speaker. When choosing placement locations for the T1s, give them at least 18 inches between the speaker and the back wall, and more than that if you can. If the bass sounds boomy or overly full, the speaker is probably too close to the back wall. Also, choose a distance from the side walls that is not an even multiple of the distance from the speaker to the back wall. (For example, prefer distances that are not 1/2, 1, 2, 4, or 8 times the distance from the speaker to the back wall.) Also take this time to reconsider your subwoofer placement, as that may need to change when you bring a new speaker into your environment. Place the subwoofer in your listening position and let it play, then walk around the room to find where the bass blends best with the main speakers. When it sounds best to you, move the subwoofer to that spot, and run your room calibration routine if one is available in your AVR, HT preamp-processor, or 2ch preamp. (If you don't have this, don't sweat it too much - it just puts the last bit of polish on the bass response achieved by careful placement of the sub.) Best placement for smooth bass response is usually 1/3 or 1/5 of the way along a wall. If you have multiple subs, don't force yourself to set them up symmetrically - just follow the walking-around method and identify multiple good-sounding locations instead of only one. If every part of the acoustic solution is correct, then the entire solution will be correct.

For the best imaging, sit in your listening seat and draw an imaginary line from your seat to the screen, or perpendicular to the wall where your system is set up. Place your speakers equal distances along that line, about 8 feet apart or whatever you can accommodate that allows you to also achieve proper positioning for bass performance. The distance from either speaker to the adjacent side wall need not be perfectly the same, but it's better if it can be. (Ask yourself if maybe your listening position needs to move to allow this.) Then, take the distance between the two front speakers, draw an imaginary line between the two speakers, and set your listening distance from that imaginary line so it is equal to that distance. If your listening position is fixed, try to bring the speakers closer together or further apart so the distance between them is the same as the distance from your seat to the plane of the speakers.

Also, give your speakers some time to break in. After 100 hours of play at typical listening volumes, your Airmotiv speakers should be fully mechanically settled-in. Things do change in a speaker during this phase - the stiffness of woofer suspensions changes, the folded ribbon diaphragm becomes just a little more flexible, and the woven fiber cones (or paper cones) find the right lay and relax their tension under load, and all these things change the sound of a driver both audibly and measurably, however slight. Some also believe that crossover components, cabinets, and cables break in, though I'm more of a skeptic on those topics and how meaningful any change might be, if any occurs in those items at all (in my mind, it shouldn't). Others believe that the 'break-in' process simply involves your ears and mind naturally acclimating to the sound of a new speaker and the different way that it presents sonic information. Either way, the result of this structured play-time is usually positive.

Try the above recommendations for care and feeding of your new speakers, and after all that, see if you love them by then.

[Dan Laufman]

Great stuff here, I love it!

The speakers definitely need some time to settle in, especially the AMT. You will be amazed by the change in the AMT after about 40-50 hours of break in.

The AMT's become so sweet and detailed and lose the slight "tizzy edge" they have when new. You'll know it when you hear it. The tweeters just disappear and you just hear your music.

Enjoy!

[miata57]

Thank you Rory and Dan for you informative words. I will definitely make some adjustments to speaker and sub placement in hopes of finding the sweet spot.
I am certainly hearing much more detail than I have with any other speaker I have owned. There is a big difference coming from the MMGs and going with the T1s. This is something I am still adjusting to.
On another topic, I have not bi-wired the speakers as I have read there is really no improvement in sound. If anyone has some feedback about bi-wiring, it would be appreciated.
Howie

[KeithL]

Glad you're enjoying them.... every speaker is a little different, and you have to find the best position and toe-in angle for each in your room.

As for bi-wiring.... some people insist they hear a difference. From an engineering point of view, there is the possibility of getting  a really minimal technical improvement (the kind of difference that's going to be so small that it might or might not even be measurable). Remember that doubling the wire is the equivalent of using a wire about one gauge step thicker, which may also get you a tiny improvement, so you might be hearing that. Of course, as long as you don't wire it wrong, it isn't going to hurt anything either....  other than your budget.

Sept 14, 2016 10:10:17 GMT -5 miata57 said:

Thank you Rory and Dan for you informative words. I will definitely make some adjustments to speaker and sub placement in hopes of finding the sweet spot.
I am certainly hearing much more detail than I have with any other speaker I have owned. There is a big difference coming from the MMGs and going with the T1s. This is something I am still adjusting to.
On another topic, I have not bi-wired the speakers as I have read there is really no improvement in sound. If anyone has some feedback about bi-wiring, it would be appreciated.
Howie

[vcautokid]

I had the Maggie MMG speakers too, and the Airmotiv Airmotion tweeter is so much more detailed, and extended. The MMG do not have extended highs. So a greater sense of openness and air will be had with the air motion tweeter. I love that tweeter.

[audiophill]

They must be good speakers, I told my buddy to get a pair and they are out of stock already!

[khurram]

Sept 14, 2016 20:07:31 GMT -5 audiophill said:

They must be good speakers, I told my buddy to get a pair and they are out of stock already!

They are indeed. So much so that I'm running them 2.0 as my home theater and don't miss having a center channel or sub. They've got plentiful low-end.

[miata57]

My preference would be to have some additional low end, but from what I have read, they kept this speaker very accurate rather than having an intentional boost at the lower frequencies. This speaker is letting me hear information I just never heard with my MMGs. This has been a difficult transition for me because I still love the MMG sound, but when I consider all the information that I was not hearing it seems to make sense to keep what is a more revealing, accurate and life like. Adding a sub has helped, with the bass still accurate and not boomy at all. The crossover point I have settled on is 60hz.
When you consider the price of the T1s, the speaker really is a bargain.
Happy listening!
Howie

[craigl59]

Have now had a chance to complete the 5.1 installation of the T1, C1, and E1 speakers and can report my experiences. The recording chain includes an Oppo 103D feeding an Emotiva XPA5 connected to these speakers. Stereo feeds were done with an HP computer running JRiver22 to the Oppo and T1s.
After the five speakers were arranged in a large room with an 11 foot ceiling (flat), three test content groups were heard: classical 5.1 Bluray recordings, Bluray movies, and popular stereo feeds.
Classical examples included Salonen's recording of Holst's planets on Signum Vision, Jarvi's recording of the Schumann Symphonies by Cmajor, and Chailly's recording of Mahler's 4th by Accentus Musicus. All are splendid performances for fidelity and comparison purposes.
The Emotiva speakers excelled everywhere but distinguished themselves in two particulars.
First, they provide an accurate “picture” of the orchestras so that you can close your eyes and imagine the ensemble actually arranged in front of you. Although nothing actually captures a live experience, being close enough to imagine the same is a significant accomplishment. In the particular case of the Bremen orchestra (Schumann) the strings were so accurately represented that you could hear the minor intonation variances typical of violin sections. The C1 center channel provides the center portion of the orchestra in a matching way to the outer T1s and helps flesh out this cohesive aural picture.
Second, the dynamic ranges of the Holst and Mahler performances were faithfully produced and point to the necessity of adequate amplifier power. These speakers can take a lot of power and will respond accordingly. Classical recordings typically avoid the kind of compression used in movies and popular music and, so, a greater dynamic range must be accommodated. Mahler's infamous crescendo ending the third movement and preparing the fourth (one of the great gestures in western art music) was so effectively handled it earned a repeated listening. Use a powerful amp for these speakers to get this kind of dynamic result.
After finishing this first group, had the chance to try out the just-released Captain America movie “Civil War.” This was a memorable experience. The speakers are superb for music and even better for movies. Others on this site have noted the improvement in dialogue with the C1. Typically, I will rewind several times during the first time through a movie in order to capture slurred or hurried speech. This time, the entire movie unfolded in complete clarity and with easy comprehension. This is, of course, a fabulous flick and the speakers remind you of being in a well-tuned theater. Have tried a number of other favorite movies and heard something new in each. Treat yourself to the movie/score of Skyfall through these speakers – it's worth doing.
Finally, tried a number of stereo recordings. Miata57 and I have been discussing various spacing positions for the T1s and my experiments suggest that the further you separate the two, the better and more accurate the soundstage becomes. Finally settled on a distance of 11 feet angled towards the listening chair. A number of popular mixes that use multiple and front/back positions were accurately represented – so much so that they created that feeling of the performers being right in your house. Two recordings that show this characteristic are “Familiarity” from the Punch Brothers album “Phosphorescent Blues” and “Go Down Moses” from Natalie Merchant's self-titled album. Give them a try and see if each instrument/voice sits in a specific position clearly and independently of its neighbors. For an extraordinary example of clarity and realism, check out the new Sarah Jarosz album “Undercurrent.” This is one accurate recording, complemented nicely by the T1s clarity and damping.
Have one complaint already made by phone to the Emotiva technical people – this is the mounting system for the E1 rear speakers. This simple method of two bolts sliding into slots is sabotaged by the bolt hole sizes (they need to be larger for the round portion) and, more importantly, the width of the supporting plastic holder. The latter needs to be wider in order to keep the E1 from wobbling from side to side. If you mount these high on the wall (as required in this installation) it's a balancing act to get the speaker wires attached, then fit the speaker holes over the two screws placed exactly 10 and ½ inches apart. Good luck here.
Cannot comment on the E1s sounding characteristics because, outside of test signals, none of the SACD or BluRay disks I have send much content to the back. Curiously, the one place where they could be heard was in applause – that was realistic and somewhat startling.
Wanted first to provide some audible reactions to the 5.1 speakers and next, will supply another post devoted to more technical data from checks made with REW.

[craigl59]

Second, and final post on the T1s.
Tried the T1s out first in a summer place then moved them to their final setting in a winter one. After this move they sounded even better and, so, I wanted to check our their specs and see why.
For those interested, am using REW for frequency and waterfall information. The accuracy of this admirable freeware is dependent upon the mic and converter. Am fortunate to have a studio and borrow an Earthworks QTC40 measurement mic and RME converters (UCX and UFX) for this purpose. Have found that it is more accurate to use a USB connection to REW (and the computer) in order to avoid any confusion from calibrating your soundcard and/or mic. For those interested in developing their own data, REW is free and most USB A/D converters will capture 20 to 20k hz effortlessly. If you want to avoid the significant expense of a quality measurement mic (the Earthworks is completely flat from 5hz to 40khz but costs well over a grand) you might consider a PZM mic. Used one of these to double check the QTC40s response data and found it was almost as good for this kind of test – my Crown PZM suffered only from a gradual rolloff starting at 8k. REW has a certain learning curve but patience will hold you in good stead here.
Since the T1s sound so good in this second location, I was not surprised to find that the room itself is favorable to audible audio frequencies. The T1s were, essentially, flat from 200 to 20khz and no adjustment was needed in this 7 octave span. Congrats to Emotiva and this room...
The adjustments required in order to balance out the spectrum of 30-200 hz were minor and produced, essentially, a flat-line response from the T1s alone (meaning, no sub) from 40 to 20k. The bass was about 20db down at 20hz and moved to 0db at 40hz – 30-40hz was still audible.
Keep in mind that these are actual figures but represent only the speakers in this room. Checked in an anechoic chamber, the T1s by themselves might be even better. In your room, who knows? It will be, I assure you, different than the above.
These figures second my initial aural response and suggest that the T1s themselves do not require a subwoofer for most musical needs – pianos and double basses do not extend much lower than 40hz. Movies tends to have explosions and other man-made effects in this low octave that make a sub more essential. And if you want some serious shaking, some subs go down to 12hz or so and will move your furniture. Personal bass preference plays a large part in this choice.
Added a large Hsu research sub (=15 inch) to the T1s and crossed it over at 40hz. The logic is that since tonal accuracy is always going to be compromised by a crossover, the lower the crossover frequency, the better. For whatever reason, this particular sub was much more effective than the 12 inch sub tried in the other place (also a Hsu). One reason might be that I matched the port arrangement (adjustable on the Hsu) to conform to the T1's arrangement (1 port open).
Regardless, this T1 and sub combination is admirably flat from 20 to 23k (there is a slight rolloff after 15k but it is less than 3db).
And the musical result?
Damn, these speaker sound accurate. They are finely damped anyway so there is no “bleed” from one sound to the next (always a problem with the MMG speakers they replaced). This accuracy contributes to the tonal realism of voices and instruments and helps create that “musician in the house” effect mentioned in the previous post.
Obviously, I find this kind of EQ worthwhile or wouldn't go to the trouble. EMO-Q does a version of this without the tools noted above and Emotiva uses Dirac software in one of its prestige preamps that claims it also handles the time dimension shown in waterfall graphs. They can tell you about this.
But I can state, after EQing these in two places, that the T1s are nicely controlled by themselves but will, of course, react to your room – whether it be good or bad.
Personally, this is what I want in a loudspeaker.

[adaboy]

Sept 16, 2016 10:12:31 GMT -5 miata57 said:

My preference would be to have some additional low end, but from what I have read, they kept this speaker very accurate rather than having an intentional boost at the lower frequencies. This speaker is letting me hear information I just never heard with my MMGs. This has been a difficult transition for me because I still love the MMG sound, but when I consider all the information that I was not hearing it seems to make sense to keep what is a more revealing, accurate and life like. Adding a sub has helped, with the bass still accurate and not boomy at all. The crossover point I have settled on is 60hz.
When you consider the price of the T1s, the speaker really is a bargain.
Happy listening!
Howie

Were you not running a sub with the MMG's?

[miata57]

Yes, I am using the same sub with the T1s that I was using with the MMGs. It is difficult to describe....I was getting more bass with my MMG/Sub combo than with the T1s and this is what has made the introduction to the T1s that much more difficult to feel comfortable with. After many hours of listening, I noticed the T1's had no problem playing low frequencies, perhaps less prominent but much more accurate. With this in mind, some recordings that are very bright can be a bit grating at high volumes. Put on a well produced album or CD and the T1s do everything just right. I admit, I am a bit of a bass freak but not if the sound gets boomy or unrealistic. At this stage in time, I cannot bring myself to put the MMGs back in their boxes however, the longer I listen to the T1s, the less likely my MMGs will get equal play in my system. The MMGs represent a very different sound, and not in a bad way, but as I mentioned before I can just hear so much more detail with the T1s.

[garbulky]

Sept 17, 2016 16:47:09 GMT -5 miata57 said:

Yes, I am using the same sub with the T1s that I was using with the MMGs. It is difficult to describe....I was getting more bass with my MMG/Sub combo than with the T1s and this is what has made the introduction to the T1s that much more difficult to feel comfortable with. After many hours of listening, I noticed the T1's had no problem playing low frequencies, perhaps less prominent but much more accurate. With this in mind, some recordings that are very bright can be a bit grating at high volumes. Put on a well produced album or CD and the T1s do everything just right. I admit, I am a bit of a bass freak but not if the sound gets boomy or unrealistic. At this stage in time, I cannot bring myself to put the MMGs back in their boxes however, the longer I listen to the T1s, the less likely my MMGs will get equal play in my system. The MMGs represent a very different sound, and not in a bad way, but as I mentioned before I can just hear so much more detail with the T1s.

Try this - take the USP-1 out of the chain and connect direct to the XDA-2. Is it still on the bright side?

[miata57]

I will give that a try over the weekend, thx for the tip. I have so much gear hooked up through the USP-1 that it will only be a one off experiment, but at least I will know if the USP-1 is a factor.
I remember going from my NAD C-160 to the USP-1 did increase the top end.

[wharfrat]

Forgive me if I don't get this quite right, I'm new to the forum business and have never written before. I should add that I have no background in engineering or electonics. What I do have is four-plus decades of experience listening to hundreds, if not thousands, of selections of most types of music on numerous sound systems, mine and others'.

I have owned a pair of T1's now about two weeks. Virtually every speaker I've owned has had excellent LF and mid-range response. It is the HF response I've found lacking all these years. I am aware of a slight hearing loss at the high end of the frequency range, but I believe I can still differentiate the sound quality produced by one system from another. I listen strictly to two-channel set-ups. My dilemma is this: the T1's have the best HF response I've heard so far, but it's still somewhat lacking (crash cymbals in particular have a somewhat muddy sound to them). I believe this is a result of the room environment and/or the speaker placement I've established. My speakers are at the end of a long wall in an approximately 10'X 15' room. It is carpeted. The walls and 8' ceiling are drywall. I have my system set up in the only practical location in the apartment. My integrated amp has 125 watts X 2 into 8 ohms, and I'm using Kimber PBR interconnects and 8TC cables (single wire). I estimate I have 15-20 hours on my new speakers, which are about 5.5' apart. Do I need to give them more time? If anyone has checked out myspeakersetup.com, I'd be interested in your opinion of it. I will not be sending the T1's back, nor am I eager to invest in room treatments. Any thoughts?

[Deleted]

Sept 21, 2016 2:08:31 GMT -5 wharfrat said:

Forgive me if I don't get this quite right, I'm new to the forum business and have never written before. I should add that I have no background in engineering or electonics. What I do have is four-plus decades of experience listening to hundreds, if not thousands, of selections of most types of music on numerous sound systems, mine and others'.

I have owned a pair of T1's now about two weeks. Virtually every speaker I've owned has had excellent LF and mid-range response. It is the HF response I've found lacking all these years. I am aware of a slight hearing loss at the high end of the frequency range, but I believe I can still differentiate the sound quality produced by one system from another. I listen strictly to two-channel set-ups. My dilemma is this: the T1's have the best HF response I've heard so far, but it's still somewhat lacking (crash cymbals in particular have a somewhat muddy sound to them). I believe this is a result of the room environment and/or the speaker placement I've established. My speakers are at the end of a long wall in an approximately 10'X 15' room. It is carpeted. The walls and 8' ceiling are drywall. I have my system set up in the only practical location in the apartment. My integrated amp has 125 watts X 2 into 8 ohms, and I'm using Kimber PBR interconnects and 8TC cables (single wire). I estimate I have 15-20 hours on my new speakers, which are about 5.5' apart. Do I need to give them more time? If anyone has checked out myspeakersetup.com, I'd be interested in your opinion of it. I will not be sending the T1's back, nor am I eager to invest in room treatments. Any thoughts?

Wharfrat,   Welcome to the Lounge!

Since this an existing thread let me suggest you copy your text and then start a new thread in the speaker section.  Paste this post to start the new thread.  That will give members here a chance to concentrate specifically on your situation.  You could name your thread  "New T1's, Need Help" or something like that.

It would greatly help if you can list all of your components, especially your integrated amp, brand and model number, plus sound sources.

Also of great help would be to post 4 photos taken with wide angle lens of the opposite direction with you against or close to the middle of each side of the room.  That way we can see exactly how you currently have your speaker positioned and any room sound issues.  Be sure and give exact distances of speakers from the walls, side and behind the speaker as well as the distance to the speakers from the main listening seat.  They are 5.5' from each other, inside distance?

This is only a suggestion for more effective help.  50-100 hours break in time with the T1's should also help.  Just turn on some music, CD or streaming or FM radio and let them play all day long if possible or 24/7 and at varying volumes.  Full volume is not necessary.

Chuckinut