The ERC-1 Has Landed --- Review

[Deleted]

My new Emotiva Reference ERC-1 CD player arrived yesterday two weeks after my new Oppo BDP-83 universal player. Emotiva had the ERC-1 out the door and shipped less than three hours after I placed my order. I have been curious to compare the two in standard Redbook CD playback performance. Some thought I was wasting my time because the Emo would sound much better.

I have always been on the skeptical and objective side when it comes to other than speakers and cartridges sounding differently (amps do sound differently when driven to significant distortion or clipping). I have been very impressed with the specs and photos of the ERC-1. I can honestly say I'm not sure if I will hear a difference between the ERC-1 and Oppo 83. My presumption is that there will be either a very slight improvement from the ERC-1 or that I will hear no difference. I don't think it will be a significant difference. (these were my honest thoughts before I started this review)



Packing ..... The packing on the ERC-1 is the best I have every seen in an electronics product. Both of the double boxes are extremely thick, heavy and strong. The inner padding was excellent. The packing materials weigh 8 lbs!

Appearance ..... Aesthetics are always subject to personal observations. I think the ERC-1 and remote control are simpling stunning. I could not have designed a more attractive component for my tastes. The ERC-1 is handsome with its brushed satin black finish with silver highlights. The blue lights add the perfect glow. (I always loved the look of McIntosh equipment) The control buttons are the perfect size and color.

Build Quality ..... This is simply one well built machine. Every thing about this player sings high quality from the heavy outside panels, the front and rear controls and connections, to the inner circuitry. It appears to be constructed of top quality parts throughout. This is a very hefty player.

Functionality ..... I was very pleased with the organized and clearly written owner's manual. The specifications in the manual contain one small typo. The frequency response should read "20Hz - 20kHz (+/-0.1dB)" instead of (+0/-1dB).

The operation of the front panel controls are simple and precise. I found the display prompts just a little confusing at first. From turn on to loading a disk you see, .....EMOTIVA.....LOADING.....NO DISC.....READY...... Without reading the manual first I might have been tempted to try to load the disc when I saw LOADING instead of waiting for Ready. I feel maybe .....EMOTIVA.....WHUS UP BRO?.....WAIT.....NO DISC.....LOAD..... might have been more clear. The back panel is perfectly designed and includes balanced outputs.

Loading a disc is a little different than the only other slot loading player I have used which is in my car. If you look carefully with a flash light there are two micro leprechauns inside that actually do the loading. The load slot is covered with a felt like cover with a slit in the middle. You can her this as you begin to slide the disc in. When the disc is in several inches the leprechauns grab it and load the disc. After several loads I became very comfortable with the process.

Remote Control ..... The remote control looks like a piece of metal art work you might see displayed in the Louvre. It is the classiest looking remote I have ever laid eyes on. It appears to be made from a very heavy (it weighs a ton!) and satin brushed aluminum with shiny silver buttons. Control operation is very precise. I found the buttons slightly small for my large hands (you know what they say about guys with large hands) and would have preferred the buttons were the same satin finish as the end caps.



Pre-Test Comments ..... Before I even inserted the first CD there was no doubt in my nit-picky/frugal mind that the ERC-1 was a permanent member of my Audio/Home Theater Club. In my opinion it is simply a beautiful piece of electronics design. I have been slightly nit-picky in some of my above comments. I had to look hard to find any suggestions for improvement. I don't hesitate for a second to send a piece of equipment back when I am not fully satisfied. This is probably the first component I ever knew was a keeper before I even tested its performance.

Comparison Test Setup ..... I hooked up both the ERC-1 and the Oppo 83 to my Sony STR-DA4ES (used until my new pre/pro arrives) with identical brand new IXOS .5 meter RCA cables from the player's analog outs. I used the "analog direct" mode (pure direct) on the Sony with side by side inputs on the function selector. Two channel stereo sound (sub was turned off) was played using a 5 channel Emotiva XPA-5 amp (2 channels driven: 275 watts/8 ohms and 450 watts/4 ohms) through two Axiom Audio model M2 bookshelf speakers (Freq Resp +/-3dB (Hz): 70 - 22kHz). This speaker uses the same 1" titanium tweeter as Axiom's top of the line M80 and is very neutral sounding with a 5.25" aluminum mid/bass driver. The M2's have excellent off axis response and were placed about 6" apart. My seat was about 7' away. Later I listened again to some tracks closer and farther away and came to the same conclusions.

I calibrated both players to the exact same volume level using the volume control on the Oppo. This was set with a Radio Shack analog sound meter on a tripod and two tracks from the Stryke's Bass Zone Test CD. Track one was a 1KHz tone and track two was pink noise. Both players output exactly 89dB's with track one and 81dB's with track two. I again checked the output after my tests and they were still identical. (One has to be very careful doing this so that the body does not interfere with the sound reflecting to the back to the meter).

Initially I wanted to do a blind test but found it too difficult with my equipment. Switching inputs from one player to the other caused a 2-3 second delay which made an instantaneous switch on the same music clip impossible. Instead I decided to use a 3 second additional delay for a total of approximately 6 seconds. This allowed me to listen to one player for about a 3 second clip and then switch inputs and listen to the same 3 seconds on the other player. I then reversed the lead player and the test CD's half way though the test. I first practiced many times so I had this down to a smooth process and I could just concentrate on the comparison of the music. I choose 3 second passages that allowed me to check for clarity and definition, imaging and sound stage. I choose passages containing acapella singing, closed and far miked instruments and solo vocals, choral singing, spread out instrument placements and delicate tones from cymbals and other percussion instruments.



Music Test Tracks ..... I made two identical test CD's on new Taiyo Yuden (high quality Japanese blanks) CD-R's. I switched test CD's in the two players half way thru the test.

R. Kelly ..... Gotham City ..... Jive Records (I did not make this up)
The Beatles ..... Because (acapella) ..... Capitol
Nora Jones ..... The Nearness Of You ..... Blue Note Records
The Gipsy Kings ..... Volare ..... Nonesuch
Diane Schuur ..... Funny (But I Still Love You) ..... GRP Records
Lyle Lovett ..... She makes Me Feel Good ..... MCA/Curb
Ambrosian Singers ..... O Tannenbaum ..... Columbia
Ben Webster/Ella Fitzgerald ..... In A Mellow Tone ..... Verve
Voices Of Ascension ..... Sicut Cervus ..... TDK
Pete Fountain ..... A Closer Walk ..... Decca
Sara K. ..... Oh Well ..... Chesky
Dave's True Story ..... Dear Miss Lucy ..... Chesky
Steve Porcaro and David Paich ..... She ..... Sheffield Lab
LA Chamber Orchestra ..... Water Music/Handel ..... Delos
Scott Hamilton ..... That's All ..... Concord Records
Jerry Hadley ..... All I Ask Of You ..... RCA Victor
Clark Terry ..... Pennies From Heaven ..... Chesky
Rahsaan Roland Kirk ..... In A Mellow Tone ..... Warner
Oscar Peterson ..... North York ..... Telarc

More Pre-Test Comments (man will this dude ever get to the good stuff?) ..... I spent a lot of time preparing for this listening test. I wanted whatever conclusions I found to be objective as possible. The listening was a very tiring and a concentration filled exercise as well as a lot of fun. There was approximately 72 minutes of music. I conducted a shortened version of the comparison last night at lower levels and then today the full test in which the music was usually in the 70-80 decibel level.

Conclusions ..... I choose passages to compare that were filled with very defined sound. I listened to passages with the trumpet on the right, the drums in the middle and the piano of the left ... or passages that had a soloist up front and the drums behind her ... and on and on ... to see if I could detect any difference in soundstage or imaging. I checked and checked to make sure the sound volume level was precisely matched. I took a long break half way though.

The Oppo machine has impressed me on BD, DVD, SACD/DVD-Audio and now CD playback. I don't think one could get better sound quality from a universal player in this range or even far more expensive. I simply have no negatives about the fine sound I heard from this player. The Oppo 83 is a very solid machine and a great bargain at $499.

In every way the Emotive ERC-1 is on a higher level compared to the Opp player including build quality, functionality and customer service. I feel the ERC-1 is simply a steel at the amazing price of $399. The sound of the Emo ERC-1 was simply superb, from definition to imaging to soundstage. I have listened to many high end CD players in our local dealers. I have never heard a player that sounded better than the ERC-1, period!.

I think this is a compliment to the CD performance of the Oppo. It is also a compliment to Emotiva who has produced an obviously great product that I have absolutely no hesitation recommending highly. This player is in a class by itself for price/performance.

I hope someone else will conduct a similar objective comparison test with the ERC-1 and other players. I would love to hear the results and conclusions.

At $399 or two or three or four or five times this price the ERC-1 is a no-brainer. They will only be able to pry the Emo ERC-1 from my cold dead hands!

Chuck ;D

[genjivn]

Chuck, my experience is a little bit different than yours. I have the Denon DVD-9000, the Onkyo SP-1000, and the ERC-1 just delivered this moring.

To my ears, all three players have different sonic characteristics. I feel that the Onkyo sounds cold and precise, the Denon is sweet and laid back, while the ERC-1 is forward and exciting.

The ERC-1 can compete with the other twos just fine. The level of details is impressive, soundstage is very solid, and vocal is inviting. In fact I can hear more details on the ERC-1 than the Denon while the Denon throws a bigger and deeper soundstage. I only have the ERC-1 for a few hours. It may change after break-in but so far I have no complains except there is no way to turn off the blue light completely:)

[Deleted]

Jun 6, 2009 1:50:14 GMT -5 genjivn said:

I feel that the Onkyo sounds cold and precise, the Denon is sweet and laid back, while the ERC-1 is forward and exciting.

Sounds like three girls I used to date when I was single.

[roadrunner]

Chuck,

If I understood your testing methodology, you only listened to each player in three second clips. Is that correct? The reason I am trying to verify this point is that it would be nearly impossible to detect any significant difference with such short listening intervals.

About 15 years ago, I participated in a psychoacoustic study in listening to 10 second clips of music to pick the genre of the clip and to rank our preferences. They then repeated it with 30 clips; then 1 minute clips.

The results showed that at 10 seconds pratically no one could distinguish enough difference to produce meaningful results. At 30 seconds listening intervals about half the participants produced statistically significant results; and, at 1 minute essentially all particpants succeeded in being able to make the distinctions the test was designed to measure.

All participants were paid a fee for participating and given a CD of your choice from the cuts you evaluated. The purpose of the test was revealed after completion. They were establishing how long they had to play competing clips to get statistically significant results in rating which music end users are likely to purchase; and to see how long it took to establish a preference between cuts within the same genre; and, how long it took to establish a preference between cuts from different genres.

From having sat through this two hour test, I would have been shocked had you been able to detect significant differences between the two players. Three seconds just isn't long enough for most poeple. Other than the listening intervals I liked your approach in setting up your A/B test.

I think all the nuances that must be heard, processed and evaluated in listening to music requires a fairly significant interval for the brain to effectively process all that is coming in. I doubt I would be able to make a pick under your time constraints.

However, comparing the same CD on the Oppo DV-980H, 981, Denon 3910, 2910, Onkyo 390 and the ERC-1 it was easy to select the winner... it was not even close. During my evaluation, I listened to about one minute of the same track on each player.

[jmilton]

Charles....thanks for your efforts. Testing new stuff is fun. Your 3 sec. clips might have been longer, and I am sure that you will settle in and do extended listening sessions. Build quality, customer service and ultimately SOUND will sell the ERC-1. Like you, I would more likely go with the Oppo because it offers more function for the money. Wish I could compare the ERC to the Prima Luna Prolgoue 8 ($2500)...but again, the ERC would probably come out ahead in the Value department. If one is in the market for a great CD player for under $400...well, the choices are few. Bravo Emotiva!

Happy Listening!

[Mr. Ben]

Fantastic review. I am not surprised that you didn't hear any difference, and you seem to have done a good job of putting both players on equal footing, which is more than most people do. I suspect that your speakers are the limiting factor in your setup, not the CD player, and so there's the possibility that there are differences that get lost. Hard to know for sure without replacing them.

I'm surprised that you are going to keep it, given you think they sound identical.

[genjivn]

Jun 6, 2009 2:31:01 GMT -5 @chuckienut said:

Jun 6, 2009 1:50:14 GMT -5 genjivn said:

I feel that the Onkyo sounds cold and precise, the Denon is sweet and laid back, while the ERC-1 is forward and exciting.

Sounds like three girls I used to date when I was single.

That is why I keep them all ;D. I'm sure you did keep yours in your day

[kumayama]

Chuck,
I laud you for the nicely written and documented review. You went to great effort to utilize a methodology that would be as fair and objective as you believed you could reasonable carry out within the resources available to you. You then went on to describe that methodology so we can assess and judge for ourselves the validity of your conclusions.

Roadrunner commented on how your methodology may not allow for the sort of aural distinctions most critical listeners would find meaningful. As a neuropsychologist, I can confirm the psychoacoustic (i.e., human perception of musical sound forms) capabilities he referenced. For any research methodology or specific instrument, an underlying requirement is that it is capable of resolving the question to which it is asked to explore. I think that is the basic issue in considering your review (research) findings. The next step in validating your findings, if you so choose, is to show that your research methodology is ever able to detect differences between CD players, (or even between amps, speakers, cables, etc.), and how fine the distinctions it is capable of resolving.

I say this with true appreciation for all you have already done to try to make an objective comparison. For over a decade, I performed sonic evaluation of audio equipment for several very high end audio manufacturers. I learned a lot about the methodologies required to resolve audio component and design differences. It can be an elusive and humbling task to objectively justify and document a subjective experience. Again, I appreciate your efforts

[Deleted]

Clarification

I posted this review also at another forum. I wrote the review very late last night. In hindsight and from some of the responses at the other forum I realized my ending comments were not as I had intended. The conclusion some made that I felt these players were equal was not accurate.

I modified my review above in my conclusions section to clarify my thoughts. Sorry, if I have confused anyone.

If you do find that you still confused then please double or even triple your dose of Focus Factor! ;D

[a2058]

Is your "pure direct" mode really "pure direct"? I found if I let the processor take it through regular inputs and then do the "bypass", Oppo980H and ERC-1 sounded similar enough to not justify keeping this player. Now, input through the 7.1 channels is a whole different story. I see now it makes a whole lot of sense for me to get the analog preamp like the USP-1 to really keep the signal in the analog domain without any kind of digitization, known or unknown, in my system to take advantage of this player.

[Deleted]

Your replies are all very much appreciated. I will offer several comments.

Yes, I do plan on keeping both units. They are both excellent buys especially considering price/performance. The ERC-1 IMO is an exceptional value.

I realize now that my comments about the sound of these units was not complimentary enough. I have listened to many high end units at local dealers over the years. However, I believe the only way for a buyer to do a fair evaluation is in his own home with everything, speakers, amps, pre's, connectors, etc., being the same except for the products being compared. My test procedures are strictly non-professional with obvious limitations.

I don't think I made my switching procedure clear enough. I could have gone on for pages. Understand that half way thru my test CD I took a long break and reversed the test CD's and the play order of the two units. I had made the test CD over a week before the ERC-1 arrived and had listened to it over and over. More than half of the song were old time favorites that I was very familiar with. I programmed a 20 second gap between each track for a little rest period and to makes notes.

I didn't come up with the 3 second delay idea until I did some pre-testing. I did in fact spend some time with no delay where I just switched back and forth every 10, 30 seconds or more and also where I did quick switches every several seconds or so. I felt my comparative acoustic memory (for lack of a better term) was better with the final procedure I ended up with.

I cued up both players with player B in a 3 second delay not counting the switch delay. I then started both players and ran the music non-stop. So I was listening to player A and waited until I heard a part that I thought was extra defined, this might be 10 seconds or 60 seconds. I would then make the switch. The last 3 seconds on player A would be the first 3 seconds I heard on player B, allowing for a direct comparison of what I thought was a critical part of the music. However, I would continue listening to player B usually until the character of the music changed (this could be 5, 10, 30 seconds or more) and then switch back to player A for the next comparison. So I was not just listening to short 3 second clips only but much longer sections on both players with the 3 second clips back to back due to the delay.

I would appreciate any more comments on these testing methods from Roadrunner, Kumayama or others. As you might be able to tell, I had a lot of fun doing this although it was quite time consuming. I might like to do more test in the future if I have time and of course improve my techniques if possible.

I am completely 100% thrilled with this purchase! I am a person who wants audio/HT equipment that looks as great as it performs. My wife loves the looks of our equipment with our black piano gloss custom finished speakers, the wall paint custom matched surrounds, the satin black sub with the glossy black Plexiglas inlaid top, the beautiful but subtle XPA-5 with the sexy blue lights, our gorgeous wood, glass, metal Bello component rack and our Panny plasma with the satin black bezel. When she gets home from Japan on Monday there is no doubt in my mind that she will think the ERC-1 is stunning.

[Deleted]

Jun 6, 2009 15:34:47 GMT -5 a2058 said:

Is your "pure direct" mode really "pure direct"? I found if I let the processor take it through regular inputs and then do the "bypass", Oppo980H and ERC-1 sounded similar enough to not justify keeping this player. Now, input through the 7.1 channels is a whole different story. I see now it makes a whole lot of sense for me to get the analog preamp like the USP-1 to really keep the signal in the analog domain without any kind of digitization, known or unknown, in my system to take advantage of this player.

Excellent point a2058. I in fact did a quick check comparing the analog direct mode versus the multichannel analog mode on my Sony and only one player and I didn't detect any difference. However, this was very quick and I was standing at the component rack when I did this check.

I will definitely go back and check this out plus the Sony owner's manual in detail to see if it makes a difference. Thanks

[Animo]

I am presently comparing the ERC-1 to my Oppo BDP-83.
Will have more details after the weekend.
Presently, I am liking both units.

[roadrunner]

Chuck,

If memory serves, you used the Axiom M2 speakers for your listening tests. Out of curiosity I went to the M2 Product page to learn more about it. The specs showed its frequency response to be 70-22k +3db/-9db so I checked out the response graph to get better details. Viewing the graph, it looks like the M2 has a response of 90-15K +/- 3db. It rolled off pretty fast after 15KHz.

Do you have another set of speakers with more extended frequency response that you could do some of your listening on? You mentioned the M80 in your review, but it wasn't clear if you also owned them?? If you do have such speakers, it would be easier to detect any nuances differences between players

The M2s have been very well reviewed speakers and surely must be very pleasant to listen to, but its restricted range probably made your task more difficult. A thought just came to me... do you have a good pair of headphones? That might be your easiest way to perform this particular chore Food for thought for you to consider as you contemplate refining your testing procedures.

You have done an admirable job in defining and reporting the results from your comparative review. I am glad to see that someone has taken the time to devote to such a project. It will prove valuable for many Lounge members. ;D ;D ;D

[Deleted]

Thanks Roadrunner for all of your fine posts here and on other threads. Actually, I think you might have misquoted the M2 specs. They are 70 - 22kHz @ +/-3dB and 60 - 22kHz @ +3dB- 9dB.

So they claim the response is down -3dB's at 70 Hz and 22kHz and down -9dB's at 60Hz. This might sound a little strange at first. However, Axiom is emphasizing that they designed this speaker to be used with a subwoofer and thus made it "drop off a cliff" below 70 Hz to match well with a sub. Thus the -9dB spec at 60Hz.

These specs are a little different than the graph. Look very closely at the graph and you will see that it hits -3dB's which is about 81 dB's on the chart at about 70 Hz and also about 17-17.5kHz. I think this is in fact very fine performance. I am 64 years old but have always had exceptional hearing (tested) and I can still hear to about 16kHz (presuming my test CD is accurate). However, above that would seem to be a waste on my ears. The M2 is virtually flat on the graph from about 80Hz to 16kHz. Yes, I do have good set of headphones that I will also try as I get time

I only mentioned that the M2 used the same exact tweeter as Axiom's top of the line M80 tower speaker so that others would know that this is a quality driver. The M80 uses two of them to extend power handling. Its graph appears to be down -3dB's at about 17.5-18kHz.

BTW, I think EMO uses the same tweeter on the ERM-1 as on the ERT-8.3. I feel the ERM-1 might be superior to my Axiom M2 and I have ordered one to test out against the M2. If I prefer the ERM-1 then I will order two more (LCR) and two of the ERD-1's.

My listening area is limited in our smaller condo so I must go with bookshelf size speakers. However, I actually prefer them to a tower size speakers and feel in the same series matched with a quality sub that they give superior performance in many ways.

Thanks much for your input.

[Deleted]

Jun 6, 2009 16:29:09 GMT -5 Animo said:

I am presently comparing the ERC-1 to my Oppo BDP-83.
Will have more details after the weekend.
Presently, I am liking both units.

Great Harvey, I'll be waiting to hear your feedback. Hope your recovery is going well.

[Deleted]

For anyone having problems stripping the screws trying to remove Phillips screws from equipment like the ERC-1 remote control see my photo below. I got two of these better type screwdrivers with ridged tips. They really hold great and I've never had another stripped screw.

[Mr. Ben]

Jun 6, 2009 15:34:47 GMT -5 a2058 said:

Is your "pure direct" mode really "pure direct"? I found if I let the processor take it through regular inputs and then do the "bypass", Oppo980H and ERC-1 sounded similar enough to not justify keeping this player. Now, input through the 7.1 channels is a whole different story. I see now it makes a whole lot of sense for me to get the analog preamp like the USP-1 to really keep the signal in the analog domain without any kind of digitization, known or unknown, in my system to take advantage of this player.

I checked out the manual for his Sony - it appears to NOT digitize incoming signals when put into analog direct mode. It looks like a good receiver.

[SticknStones]

Chuckienut,
You went all out in describing your testing approach and conclusions. This is a nice thread and highly informative! Thank you very much!

[Deleted]

Thanks sticknstones for the nice comments.

Thanks Mr. Ben, I read a2058's post but flat forgot to respond.

The manual says: "Analog Direct ..... When using this function only the volume and front speaker balance can be adjusted............Auto Off.....Lets you turn off the power of the unnecessary digital circuits automatically when outputting the analog signals using the Analog Direct or Multi CH Direct function."

When I bought this Sony STR-DA4ES I had speakers that were a very easy 8 ohm load and thus did not worry about the less than optimal strength of the amp. However, the pre/pro on this receiver is very sophisticated and inclusive with a great bass management section and very flexible Parametric EQ. Both bass management and EQ are independently adjustable for all channels. It even has two separate analog inputs sections, one 8ch and 6ch. The only thing it doesn't have is HDMI/HD-audio capability so I will sell it when the XMC-1 arrives.

I did do another check on the analog direct and the multichannel direct (2ch) and they do sound identical to me.