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Post by Bonzo on Dec 8, 2016 13:45:43 GMT -5
Got my magazine last night in the mail and they review this system quite favorably. I didn't have time last night or today to post some highlights, but will do that as soon as I can. Or now that there is this thread, if someone else has the the magazine and the time, have at it here. I just thought I'd get this started in case someone wanted to go out and buy a hard copy. Until time allows, this post is just a big tease. Note: They also review some ELAC speakers with favorable results, although the 2 reviews are by 2 different authors.
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Post by copperpipe on Dec 8, 2016 18:28:14 GMT -5
Hey, you've had 4 hours now to post some article text but I see nothing... what's up with that? We crucify poor Nick at 3 hours so you're really pushing it here
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Post by Bonzo on Dec 8, 2016 22:27:43 GMT -5
Hey, you've had 4 hours now to post some article text but I see nothing... what's up with that? We crucify poor Nick at 3 hours so you're really pushing it here Sucka!!!! No no, just kidding. I was busy at work solving a disaster. Wanted to wait until I got home anyway so I could be totally accurate. Soooo.....
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Post by Bonzo on Dec 8, 2016 23:00:22 GMT -5
Sound & Vision Magazine, January 2017, Volume 82, No. 1 Reviewer = Daniel KuminT1 x2 (sensitivity measured 90 db) C1 (sensitivity measured 89.5 db) E1 x 2 (sensitivity measured 86.5 db) No Emotiva subwoofer (when added during certain tests, an SVS PC-12-Plus was used) due to unavailability in time for this review STARSPerformance = 4-1/2 Build Quality = 3-1/2 Value = 5 I don't want to get accused of doing anything illegal by making any direct reprints. But the review was very positive. I'd say more overall positive than the recent XPA-7 Gen 3 review in Secrets Dan posted. He used all the "flag words" associated with positive reviews. You know the ones. He even used some I don't normally read, like Keith's favorite word "neutral." The cover page type says "A towering value >> Emotiva's Airmotiv T1 sounds crazy good." I think the most revealing compliments were associated with the constant comparisons to his normal much more expensive every day speakers. In some ways the T1's were actually slightly better (and in some ways slightly less). He complimented their ability to play low, even without a sub. He also praised the tonal balance between the mains and center channel. The bench graph looks quite smooth to my eyes, but I'm FAR from an expert in analyzing such things. Overall he really liked these things. There's more to read but like I said I'm not going to copy it word for word. If you are very interested you'll need to buy yourself a copy, or wait until it's available online. If you want to know something more specific, ask and I'll see if it was answered in the review and make another post. Since people also like to know the flip side, I think there were only 4 things that might raise an eyebrow for some folks. At least they were the only 4 that I remember. - He said when too close to the back wall the T1's "could sound distinctively "tubby." To fix this he moved them "nearly 4 feet" out into the room. That may or may not be a problem for some people and their rooms, so I'll leave that up to each person to decide for themselves if that's an issue. - He said the T1's vertical sweet spot was too low and fairly narrow. So he tilted the speakers back 6 degrees to compensate. I do this with my speakers and it makes a big difference. I'm surprised more people don't at least try it, but that's just me. - He said the center channel lacked some in the lower mids, most obvious on male announcer's voices. - He didn't like the spring clip wire connectors on the E1's, but forgave that issue due to their low price. That's it for now. I hope this helped some people get interested in these speakers. They certainly sound like a fine buy for many people's needs. I will be telling a few of my "not likely to spend big bucks on speakers" friends about them for sure. With a 30 day return policy, what's to lose? Cheers ---- Bonzo PS: Hey Dan Laufman, is this post okay even though I don't have a dog in the hunt?
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Post by Percussionista on Dec 9, 2016 0:15:29 GMT -5
Good summary (I've read through the mag review too). Interestingly, for me, one thing I liked about the idea of the T1 towers were that they weren't as massive nor as tall as many other towers (such as my Vandersteen 3A's ;-)) But I hadn't considered that smaller towers might have such a lower sweet point - tipping them up a few degrees is a great idea. Also, the bit about the slight decrease in the center's lower mid's affecting male announcers - is a good thing! It often seems like they often pick these super-basso voices, particularly in commercials that sound as if they are goosed to begin with. They did like the clarity and blend along the front. Personally, I'm still wondering about the rumored T10's. I still like the extra heft and soundstage one often gets with larger towers, and in particular, if other finishes will be available (i.e., real wood - particularly a cherry variant) then my ears will perk way up. I'm going on 18.5 years with the Vandersteens and I'm strongly leaning towards speakers with real wood. Nice "furniture" that also sounds great. Sound & Vision Magazine, January 2017, Volume 82, No. 1 Reviewer = Daniel Kumin..... Since people also like to know the flip side, I think there were only 4 things that might raise an eyebrow for some folks. At least they were the only 4 that I remember. - He said when too close to the back wall the T1's "could sound distinctively "tubby." To fix this he moved them "nearly 4 feet" out into the room. That may or may not be a problem for some people and their rooms, so I'll leave that up to each person to decide for themselves if that's an issue. - He said the T1's vertical sweet spot was too low and fairly narrow. So he tilted the speakers back 6 degrees to compensate. I do this with my speakers and it makes a big difference. I'm surprised more people don't at least try it, but that's just me. - He said the center channel lacked some in the lower mids, most obvious on male announcer's voices. - He didn't like the spring clip wire connectors on the E1's, but forgave that issue due to their low price. ....
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Post by creimes on Dec 9, 2016 0:27:23 GMT -5
I've pondered selling my Chane speakers to try these but I really really like my Chanes and like anytime you sell speakers you lose a great deal of money on them.
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Post by niuguy on Dec 9, 2016 0:59:08 GMT -5
I've pondered selling my Chane speakers to try these but I really really like my Chanes and like anytime you sell speakers you lose a great deal of money on them. I think it's a mistake to think you're buying some sort of financial investment. You've steady spent the money. The money is already gone. You're not losing money by selling...only by buying.
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Post by creimes on Dec 9, 2016 9:11:29 GMT -5
How do you come to the conclusion I think I'm making an investment other than great sound haha, just sayin speakers are the gear you lose the most value in IMO, love trying different ones but gets very costly.
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Post by niuguy on Dec 9, 2016 9:30:27 GMT -5
How do you come to the conclusion I think I'm making an investment other than great sound haha, just sayin speakers are the gear you lose the most value in IMO, love trying different ones but gets very costly. I'm just trying to free you from the emotional burden of selling your old and buying new speakers!!
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Post by vneal on Dec 9, 2016 12:08:35 GMT -5
I read the favorable review. Looks like a good value. However your want to describe audio equipment I consider it a purchase for enjoyment for the here and now. You want investments look at the stock market
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Post by Bonzo on Dec 21, 2016 17:44:45 GMT -5
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Post by Loop 7 on Dec 21, 2016 20:45:45 GMT -5
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Deleted
Deleted Member
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Post by Deleted on Dec 21, 2016 21:54:05 GMT -5
Wow! Another Emotiva speaker home run! Excellent review with real test data and not just subjective comments. I do question whether Mr Kumin remembers Emotiva's excellent bang for the buck Reference Series and also the X-Ref Series of speakers. This new line obviously continues with speakers that far out distance their selling price by a long way! - He said when too close to the back wall the T1's "could sound distinctively "tubby." To fix this he moved them "nearly 4 feet" out into the room. That may or may not be a problem for some people and their rooms, so I'll leave that up to each person to decide for themselves if that's an issue................ That would be quite obvious to me with a tower that has a rear port! No tower, especially one with a rear port should ever be up against the wall. - He said the T1's vertical sweet spot was too low and fairly narrow. So he tilted the speakers back 6 degrees to compensate. I do this with my speakers and it makes a big difference. I'm surprised more people don't at least try it, but that's just me................ I might question the reviewers high end hearing. I would make my own in room evaluation before tilting them. I see the frequency response graph shows a rising high end above 10kHz which I usually find overly bright to my ears. I might possibly use a para EQ to lower the 10kHz and above response some and then tilt them if still desired. - He said the center channel lacked some in the lower mids, most obvious on male announcer's voices. ............... I agree with Percussionista : "the bit about the slight decrease in the center's lower mid's affecting male announcers - is a good thing! It often seems like they often pick these super-basso voices, particularly in commercials that sound as if they are goosed to begin with."
- He didn't like the spring clip wire connectors on the E1's, but forgave that issue due to their low price. ............... The reviewer had the E1's on a shelf. I think most knowledgeable users would mount the E1's on the wall up fairly high. The spring type clips are better against the wall as the E1's won't protrude from the wall with bare wire. Emotiva describes the E1's a s "SLIM LINE WALL MOUNT SURROUND LOUDSPEAKERS (hello!).
I really appreciate the test bench results by S&V. Very good sensitivity of 90dB for the T1's and 89.5 for the C1. 86.5 for the E1 surrounds, perfect as the surrounds don't require as much power. My only criticism would be the rising high end, which I would easily reduce with an EQ adjustment if need for my ears. I would cross these over to a very good sub at about 70Hz for the T1's and higher for the other three, all five speakers set to "small". The new Airmotiv subs look like a good candidate. Congrats to Big Dan and crew for another superb value in Emotiva speakers! Even though I haven't heard them myself, one can get lots of predictive sound info by carefully reading the objective and subjective (between the lines) reviews. My Emo Reference and Airmotiv monitors sounded just like I thought they would. A no questions asked return policy backs them up. In view of the amazing performance versus price of the T1, C1 and E1 speakers, I must give them my coveted Chuckie's top 5 Nut Rating.
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Post by vcautokid on Dec 21, 2016 22:25:12 GMT -5
It is great days for all as Airmotiv Speakers are reviewed excellent by Sound and Vision. Performance, Value, Quality, it is all there. A win for everyone. Congratulations to Big Dan, Lonnie, Rory, and all the crew at Emotiva Audio who has once again hit it over the fence. Like I said, great days!
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Post by Axis on Dec 22, 2016 0:21:01 GMT -5
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Ctuna
Sensei
You can tune a piano, but you cant tunafish.
Posts: 712
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Post by Ctuna on Mar 1, 2017 16:27:16 GMT -5
Wow! Another Emotiva speaker home run! Excellent review with real test data and not just subjective comments. I do question whether Mr Kumin remembers Emotiva's excellent bang for the buck Reference Series and also the X-Ref Series of speakers. This new line obviously continues with speakers that far out distance their selling price by a long way! - He said when too close to the back wall the T1's "could sound distinctively "tubby." To fix this he moved them "nearly 4 feet" out into the room. That may or may not be a problem for some people and their rooms, so I'll leave that up to each person to decide for themselves if that's an issue................ That would be quite obvious to me with a tower that has a rear port! No tower, especially one with a rear port should ever be up against the wall. - He said the T1's vertical sweet spot was too low and fairly narrow. So he tilted the speakers back 6 degrees to compensate. I do this with my speakers and it makes a big difference. I'm surprised more people don't at least try it, but that's just me................ I might question the reviewers high end hearing. I would make my own in room evaluation before tilting them. I see the frequency response graph shows a rising high end above 10kHz which I usually find overly bright to my ears. I might possibly use a para EQ to lower the 10kHz and above response some and then tilt them if still desired. - He said the center channel lacked some in the lower mids, most obvious on male announcer's voices. ............... I agree with Percussionista : "the bit about the slight decrease in the center's lower mid's affecting male announcers - is a good thing! It often seems like they often pick these super-basso voices, particularly in commercials that sound as if they are goosed to begin with."
- He didn't like the spring clip wire connectors on the E1's, but forgave that issue due to their low price. ............... The reviewer had the E1's on a shelf. I think most knowledgeable users would mount the E1's on the wall up fairly high. The spring type clips are better against the wall as the E1's won't protrude from the wall with bare wire. Emotiva describes the E1's a s "SLIM LINE WALL MOUNT SURROUND LOUDSPEAKERS (hello!).
I really appreciate the test bench results by S&V. Very good sensitivity of 90dB for the T1's and 89.5 for the C1. 86.5 for the E1 surrounds, perfect as the surrounds don't require as much power. My only criticism would be the rising high end, which I would easily reduce with an EQ adjustment if need for my ears. I would cross these over to a very good sub at about 70Hz for the T1's and higher for the other three, all five speakers set to "small". The new Airmotiv subs look like a good candidate. Congrats to Big Dan and crew for another superb value in Emotiva speakers! Even though I haven't heard them myself, one can get lots of predictive sound info by carefully reading the objective and subjective (between the lines) reviews. My Emo Reference and Airmotiv monitors sounded just like I thought they would. A no questions asked return policy backs them up. In view of the amazing performance versus price of the T1, C1 and E1 speakers, I must give them my coveted Chuckie's top 5 Nut Rating. Mine arrived today and I will be setting them up tonight and give my thoughts on them. I am not much into surround sound and more concerened if the T1s will hold there own with my current Paradigm Model 11s. I did go home for lunch and opened up the boxes, but made the mistake of shooting past the wife without saying hi. LOL They are smaller than I thought, but I am not going to judge them based on looks or size. First thing I noticed is the grills move around very easy, but probably will not use them if I keep them anyway.
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Ctuna
Sensei
You can tune a piano, but you cant tunafish.
Posts: 712
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Post by Ctuna on Mar 2, 2017 10:13:35 GMT -5
This is my review so far of the new Emotiva 5 Channel Bundle I received yesterday, I was able to do a head to head comparison with my current Paradigms and the T1's by moving them in and out of the middle positions on the photo. Basically just took the photo for showing what I was camparing them with. I started by inserting a CD into my ERC 1, it was Pilgram by Eric Clapton and followed this up with Pretender by Jackson Brown among many many others. Although the looks of the speakers are maybe not as good, and to maybe being an unfair comparrison to speakers twice the price point of the T1's I must admit I was skeptical if they would truly sound better, but boy let me tell you, hands down they sounded better. I used both speakers without the sub involved and the first thing I noticed is the midrange and treble of the Airmotiv's shined ! vocals, back ground vocals had greater clarity to them, the symbols were more realistic and not as tinny sounding as the Paradigms, the guitar plucks such as acoustic and rythem guitars were very precise open and airy. Just hand down better in the upper region of the speakers. This is what I noticed with my Airmotiv 5s,s was the non vatiguing upper sound of the speakers and made me try these. The base was somewhat the same with a slight advantage in the upper bass region with the paradigms. When I did add my Utra sub 10 in later thespeakers really sounded good. I listened for upwards of 4 to 5 hours moving the speakers in and out with a wide variety of music. I would say the that the T1s truely impressed me in every way. My son came over and I decided to blind fold him and switched the speakers in and out, he picked the Airmotiv,s every time for overall sound quality. So I thought this was pretty much a non bias test. he was dogging me for buying them saying that I was wasting my money and the Paradigms sounded fine. I will have more time the next few days to keep listening and setting up the middle channnel and the surrounds. I will let you know how that goes, but so far I am very happy with them, for the money, its a no brainer. Although now hearing these I can only imagin how the T2s or something bigger will sound ! I would prefer some finish options as well as others here but cant complain at this price point.
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Post by geebo on Mar 2, 2017 10:43:09 GMT -5
View AttachmentThis is my review so far of the new Emotiva 5 Channel Bundle I received yesterday, I was able to do a head to head comparison with my current Paradigms and the T1's by moving them in and out of the middle positions on the photo. Basically just took the photo for showing what I was camparing them with. I started by inserting a CD into my ERC 1, it was Pilgram by Eric Clapton and followed this up with Pretender by Jackson Brown among many many others. Although the looks of the speakers are maybe not as good, and to maybe being an unfair comparrison to speakers twice the price point of the T1's I must admit I was skeptical if they would truly sound better, but boy let me tell you, hands down they sounded better. I used both speakers without the sub involved and the first thing I noticed is the midrange and treble of the Airmotiv's shined ! vocals, back ground vocals had greater clarity to them, the symbols were more realistic and not as tinny sounding as the Paradigms, the guitar plucks such as acoustic and rythem guitars were very precise open and airy. Just hand down better in the upper region of the speakers. This is what I noticed with my Airmotiv 5s,s was the non vatiguing upper sound of the speakers and made me try these. The base was somewhat the same with a slight advantage in the upper bass region with the paradigms. When I did add my Utra sub 10 in later thespeakers really sounded good. I listened for upwards of 4 to 5 hours moving the speakers in and out with a wide variety of music. I would say the that the T1s truely impressed me in every way. My son came over and I decided to blind fold him and switched the speakers in and out, he picked the Airmotiv,s every time for overall sound quality. So I thought this was pretty much a non bias test. he was dogging me for buying them saying that I was wasting my money and the Paradigms sounded fine. I will have more time the next few days to keep listening and setting up the middle channnel and the surrounds. I will let you know how that goes, but so far I am very happy with them, for the money, its a no brainer. Although now hearing these I can only imagin how the T2s or something bigger will sound ! I would prefer some finish options as well as others here but cant complain at this price point. Thanks for the write up. Now I'm REALLY looking forward to hearing the T2s when available.
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Ctuna
Sensei
You can tune a piano, but you cant tunafish.
Posts: 712
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Post by Ctuna on Mar 17, 2017 23:23:59 GMT -5
I am really liking the T1s, they sound really really good ! For the money they are a no brainer......
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