Post by AudioNut on May 27, 2009 21:28:40 GMT -5
The first word that came to mind when I listened to the ERC-1 was: Heavenly
Finally I have received my ERC-1 after tracking down the Fedex guy. It was well worth the wait.
As I opened the box I came to see what I usually see from Emotiva which is grade A packaging. This unit is heavy and it feels sturdy all around even the remote is a brick of beauty.
Before I talk about the playback of this masterpiece of sound let lay out my setup.
The ERC-1 is hooked using analog cables from Acoustic Research (hoping to upgrade to Emotiva cables when available) to my preamp which is a Marantz receiver (until I get my XMC-1) thru the 7.1 analog inputs, then to my LPA-1 amp and then out to my NHT Classic 3 Monitors. I did most of my listening in 2 channel but then used subwoofer because of NHT lack of bass. For that I ran speaker wire to the high inputs on my HSU VFT-2 MK2 subwoofer set at 55 hz.
The first CD I put in was RUSH: Snake and Arrows
All I can say is that this album is filled with great acoustics and ERC-1 brought them all out and kept them balanced while being three dimensional. Every detail of each song was faithfully reproduced. Each instrument felt alive and amazing. It blew away my Oppo 981h that I used for cd playback, but that is no real shock to me.
Next CD Marilyn Manson Eat Me & Drink Me (I like a wide variety of music)
This cd has lots of background sounds of instruments and computerized sounds. I did use to play this on my Manatz CD player a 5400 model before I sold it. The Marantz made this cd sound good but I felt I was missing something in background, but the ERC-1 presented those sounds without taking away from the main portions of the album. The sound was clean, clear, and dramatic. Before my music felt there was a fog in front of it but not with ERC-1 it brought the music into a clearing and showed me what the artist wanted you to hear.
Then Dave Matthews Busted Stuff
This CD has some strong vocals and the ERC-1 brought them out in almost an emotional way. I felt I Dave was there in my room, it was just that good. I do have one of his concerts on Bluray and that is amazing. Yes the bluray recording is better, but the ERC-1 makes the album sound almost as good like 8.5 out of 10. Overall the album was brought out magnificently.
Conclusion
The ERC-1 took away the fog and let me see the light of great audio and reminds me why I got into this hobby. The ERC-1 does not add any color to the music it just presents it clean and clear. The ERC-1 has awesome imaging and makes music three dimensional. It presents all types of music great and leaving nothing behind. The ERC-1 has brought my system up a noch or two. I love my NHT speakers but I love them more with the ERC-1.
Thanks Emotiva for all your hard work and dedication to audio reproduction.
Finally I have received my ERC-1 after tracking down the Fedex guy. It was well worth the wait.
As I opened the box I came to see what I usually see from Emotiva which is grade A packaging. This unit is heavy and it feels sturdy all around even the remote is a brick of beauty.
Before I talk about the playback of this masterpiece of sound let lay out my setup.
The ERC-1 is hooked using analog cables from Acoustic Research (hoping to upgrade to Emotiva cables when available) to my preamp which is a Marantz receiver (until I get my XMC-1) thru the 7.1 analog inputs, then to my LPA-1 amp and then out to my NHT Classic 3 Monitors. I did most of my listening in 2 channel but then used subwoofer because of NHT lack of bass. For that I ran speaker wire to the high inputs on my HSU VFT-2 MK2 subwoofer set at 55 hz.
The first CD I put in was RUSH: Snake and Arrows
All I can say is that this album is filled with great acoustics and ERC-1 brought them all out and kept them balanced while being three dimensional. Every detail of each song was faithfully reproduced. Each instrument felt alive and amazing. It blew away my Oppo 981h that I used for cd playback, but that is no real shock to me.
Next CD Marilyn Manson Eat Me & Drink Me (I like a wide variety of music)
This cd has lots of background sounds of instruments and computerized sounds. I did use to play this on my Manatz CD player a 5400 model before I sold it. The Marantz made this cd sound good but I felt I was missing something in background, but the ERC-1 presented those sounds without taking away from the main portions of the album. The sound was clean, clear, and dramatic. Before my music felt there was a fog in front of it but not with ERC-1 it brought the music into a clearing and showed me what the artist wanted you to hear.
Then Dave Matthews Busted Stuff
This CD has some strong vocals and the ERC-1 brought them out in almost an emotional way. I felt I Dave was there in my room, it was just that good. I do have one of his concerts on Bluray and that is amazing. Yes the bluray recording is better, but the ERC-1 makes the album sound almost as good like 8.5 out of 10. Overall the album was brought out magnificently.
Conclusion
The ERC-1 took away the fog and let me see the light of great audio and reminds me why I got into this hobby. The ERC-1 does not add any color to the music it just presents it clean and clear. The ERC-1 has awesome imaging and makes music three dimensional. It presents all types of music great and leaving nothing behind. The ERC-1 has brought my system up a noch or two. I love my NHT speakers but I love them more with the ERC-1.
Thanks Emotiva for all your hard work and dedication to audio reproduction.
