ERM 6.3 FIRST REVIEW & COMMENTS

[cgolf]

Just received a new set of ERM 6.3s for my front system-left, center and right. Ordered them last Friday and they arrived on Tuesday. That's fast!! Fantastic packing-double boxed like a tank. Boxes were in perfect condition which is, I'm sorry, unusual for Houston area Fedex deliveries.

I just calibrated all my speakers again. I'm running the left and right off a XPA-2 and the center and surrounds off a XPA-5.

Quick report. They sound fantastic. Very crisp, clear and distinct. Haven't messed with the switches on the rear and I'm changing the positions of the left and right speakers to have the tweeters facing either out or both facing in to see what sounds the best. More after I've listened to much more music and some movies. I've listened to some cable music channels and a couple of CDs. With these speakers and the XPA-2, there is very distinct separation and arrangement of instruments.

So far they are much clearer and crisper than my Axiom M22s. ;D

[dazedandconfused]

Am glad to hear that you like them better than the Axioms... I was considering them as an alternative to the Emos.

[Deleted]

the 6.3 seems to miss out on the praise that is usually heaped on the well deserved other models. This is one workhorse of a center that delivers way beyond its price point. Watching movies has become an immensely enjoyable experience now that the dialog is crystal clear

[bfisher]

the 6.3s as LCR is a great combination...

errr... I think it is... it's still a LR combination for me... but not for much longer! Getting closer every day.

[f1nels]

I look forward to further impressions, cgolf.I find my Axiom front sounstage to be excellent and I was wondering if you could elaborate on 'clearer and crisper'.I am considering ordering 8.3's and a 6.3 for a 30day audition and comparison to the Axioms.I'm in Canada though, so return shipping would cost me if I didn't keep them. I am curious how much better they could be or if they are worth the extra money since the Axioms were about $1,500 for the L,R and center.Your thoughts are appreciated.

[cgolf]

Aug 6, 2009 8:31:31 GMT -5 f1nels said:

I look forward to further impressions, cgolf.I find my Axiom front sounstage to be excellent and I was wondering if you could elaborate on 'clearer and crisper'.I am considering ordering 8.3's and a 6.3 for a 30day audition and comparison to the Axioms.I'm in Canada though, so return shipping would cost me if I didn't keep them. I am curious how much better they could be or if they are worth the extra money since the Axioms were about $1,500 for the L,R and center.Your thoughts are appreciated.

I've had the Axiom M60s and the M22s with the VP150 center. I was always pleased with the 60s & the 22s but was never happy with the VP center. No matter what I did to tweek it, it just never seemed to perform the way I thought a center should. The dialogue was never that distinct or loud, even with it jacked up a few decibels with a RS sound meter.

As soon as I hooked up the 6.3 as my center, it was night and day. At least for me with my electronics and room. The dialogue was crisp and distinct and you could hear it even with other sounds or music coming from the fronts. I did recalibrate all my speakers and still have the center bumped up a couple of extra decibels.

For the front left and right, the 6.3s perform better than the 22s and 60s for this reason. They are "louder" than the 22s and about the same as the 60s. By louder I don't mean volume necessarily, but more in your face to me. Not brighter, just more distinct. Some have said they seem to be more realistic so maybe that is the correct word. The 60s were great speakers but I just like the sound of these better. I'm still in that test mode with them so I'm still listening and learning what their true sound really is. When I had the tweeters facing in, they seemed more laid back. With the tweeters facing out, they have a better soundstage and are brighter. I don't like the word brighter so I use crisper and distinct. Again, I haven't had time to try different settings in the rear so that's a whole nother writeup.

[headknocker]

I was seriously thinking about getting the M60's until I discovered this site. After discovering Emo my plan was completely reworked.

[Deleted]

Thanks Cgolf for your comments on the ERM-6.3.

I have recently replaced my Axiom's (3ea M2i's and 2ea QS4's) with a 3 ERM-1/2 ERD-1 system. The M2i's have the same tweeter as all the Axiom speakers and the ERM and ERD also have the same tweeter as all the Emotiva speakers.

I really enjoyed my Axiom's but I can tell you that the Emo's silk dome tweeter and the aramid type fiber mid/woofer are a definitely higher class of driver in my opinion. The power handling is extremely impressive. The sound remains ultra clean, defined, natural and with very low distortion even when driven very loudly. I am driving them with an XPA-5 (350 watts per channel/all 5 channels driven into 4 ohms).

In a direct A/B comparison I realized the slightly metallic characteristic sound of the Axiom titanium and metal drivers was quite obvious. The Emotiva drivers by contrast seemed ultra clean and natural.

emotivalounge.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=speakerreviews&action=display&thread=5476

[cgolf]

Aug 8, 2009 3:25:20 GMT -5 @chuckienut said:

Thanks Cgolf for your comments on the ERM-6.3.

I have recently replaced my Axiom's (3ea M2i's and 2ea QS4's) with a 3 ERM-1/2 ERD-1 system. The M2i's have the same tweeter as all the Axiom speakers and the ERM and ERD also have the same tweeter as all the Emotiva speakers.

I really enjoyed my Axiom's but I can tell you that the Emo's silk dome tweeter and the aramid type fiber mid/woofer are a definitely higher class of driver in my opinion. The power handling is extremely impressive. The sound remains ultra clean, defined, natural and with very low distortion even when driven very loudly. I am driving them with an XPA-5 (350 watts per channel/all 5 channels driven into 4 ohms).

In a direct A/B comparison I realized the slightly metallic characteristic sound of the Axiom titanium and metal drivers was quite obvious. The Emotiva drivers by contrast seemed ultra clean and natural.

emotivalounge.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=speakerreviews&action=display&thread=5476

So you felt that the ERDs even ousted the QS series for surround duty? The QS8s are my last holdout for Axioms.....

[Animo]

I thought the QS8s looked like they would be pretty amazing for side and rear surround speakers. However, by the time I was ready to buy surrounds, Emotiva had the ERD-1s available. I looked at both designs, and took into consideration, that I had built my own speakers based on Vance Dickason's designs, so I decided to buy the ERD-1s...(4 of them). As a matter of fact, 4 ERD-1s cost less than one pair of Axiom QS8s. I have no idea of the sound quality of the Axioms, however, I am more than pleased with the way the ERDs sound and perform. It was money well spent, and I have no regrets.

Cgolf, I sent you a second PM
I hope to hear your thoughts.

[Deleted]

The ERDs performed quite well at the Texas get together last month. I was amazed at the sound that emanated from them for the size of speaker.

[Deleted]

Aug 8, 2009 8:10:40 GMT -5 cgolf said:

So you felt that the ERDs even ousted the QS series for surround duty? The QS8s are my last holdout for Axioms.....

I don't have the ERD-1's mounted in their final resting place yet. They are on CD stands about 4' high next to the wall and just below where I'll mount them. They do sound excellent and better than my QS4's IMO.

Note this comment in a review from Audioholics:

".....Right from the beginning, I suspected that Emotiva had something special with their ERD-1 dipole speakers. The Axiom QS8's are a very highly regarded rear "quad" pole speaker (a top and bottom woofer and two side angled tweeters - one on each side all firing in phase). I was surprised to find that the ERD-1s bested the Axioms on almost every metric I could come up with. The opening sequence of the first and title track features a keyboard bouncing around the rears and what sounds to be a train pulling into a station. The ERDs really performed well not only during the quiet section at the very beginning but also in remaining articulate during the louder sections. At no point did I think the ERDs were being overpowered or drowned out. At the same time, they blended well with the rest of the system. Basically, when I wanted to hear them I could, when I didn't, they just disappeared. While some might say that a bipole configuration would be best for multichannel music, I found the dipole setting to create a nice diffuse sound that still performed well for point-source effects. As always, we encourage you to experiment for yourself and see what you prefer. Just make sure to check your levels as you switch between the settings as the levels are likely to change. While I've always found the Axioms to be a fine surround speaker, the ERDs are in an entirely different class......"

[cgolf]

Aug 8, 2009 15:12:03 GMT -5 @chuckienut said:

Aug 8, 2009 8:10:40 GMT -5 cgolf said:

So you felt that the ERDs even ousted the QS series for surround duty? The QS8s are my last holdout for Axioms.....

I don't have the ERD-1's mounted in their final resting place yet. They are on CD stands about 4' high next to the wall and just below where I'll mount them. They do sound excellent and better than my QS4's IMO.

Note this comment in a review from Audioholics:

".....Right from the beginning, I suspected that Emotiva had something special with their ERD-1 dipole speakers. The Axiom QS8's are a very highly regarded rear "quad" pole speaker (a top and bottom woofer and two side angled tweeters - one on each side all firing in phase). I was surprised to find that the ERD-1s bested the Axioms on almost every metric I could come up with. The opening sequence of the first and title track features a keyboard bouncing around the rears and what sounds to be a train pulling into a station. The ERDs really performed well not only during the quiet section at the very beginning but also in remaining articulate during the louder sections. At no point did I think the ERDs were being overpowered or drowned out. At the same time, they blended well with the rest of the system. Basically, when I wanted to hear them I could, when I didn't, they just disappeared. While some might say that a bipole configuration would be best for multichannel music, I found the dipole setting to create a nice diffuse sound that still performed well for point-source effects. As always, we encourage you to experiment for yourself and see what you prefer. Just make sure to check your levels as you switch between the settings as the levels are likely to change. While I've always found the Axioms to be a fine surround speaker, the ERDs are in an entirely different class......"

Oh goodness. Back to the order mode again. Adios Axioms. Hello ERDs!!! ;D

[lynxo]

Hi,

would you be kind in giving me the shipping box dimensions
for one ERM-6.3? Another 10lbs for the box weight?

I'm trying guestimate how much is shipping charges from my area in case of a return.

thanks.

[cgolf]

Aug 14, 2009 11:39:44 GMT -5 lynxo said:

Hi,

would you be kind in giving me the shipping box dimensions
for one ERM-6.3? Another 10lbs for the box weight?

I'm trying guestimate how much is shipping charges from my area in case of a return.

thanks.

I just sent one of the 6.3s back but don't remember the dimensions or weight. You can get all of the specs for the speakers off the website and then just add about 3" to the length and width for boxes. I think the weight was something like 43# shipped.

[lynxo]

I just sent one of the 6.3s back but don't remember the dimensions or weight. You can get all of the specs for the speakers off the website and then just add about 3" to the length and width for boxes. I think the weight was something like 43# shipped.

thanks.

was one of your 6.3 defective?

[supersizemygear]

Did you get to spend some time with the 6.3 watching movies/blu-rays? I have not yet decided between the 6.3 or 6.2 for my l/r speakers.Thinking the 6.3 might be overkill for a small bedroom setup.

[cgolf]

Aug 14, 2009 12:28:35 GMT -5 lynxo said:

I just sent one of the 6.3s back but don't remember the dimensions or weight. You can get all of the specs for the speakers off the website and then just add about 3" to the length and width for boxes. I think the weight was something like 43# shipped.

thanks.

was one of your 6.3 defective?

One of the woofers was making a vibrating/rumbling/?? noise. Sounded like a bad woofer. They said to send the speaker back and they'd send me another one. I will tell you, these are awesome speakers. They are clear, crisp and can get real loud with no distortion or impact on clarity.

[cgolf]

Aug 14, 2009 12:33:02 GMT -5 supersizemygear said:

Did you get to spend some time with the 6.3 watching movies/blu-rays? I have not yet decided between the 6.3 or 6.2 for my l/r speakers.Thinking the 6.3 might be overkill for a small bedroom setup.

I haven't listened to any movies yet becasue I sent the one speaker back so I don't have a center speaker. I could still listen to movies but I'll wait for my center speaker. I bought 3-6.3s for the theater and musci and 2-6.2s for another system. I haven't opened the 6.2s yet so I can't compare.

The 6.3s really sound great and everything I have heard about the 6.2s is that they do too. Can't go wrong either way. I would think for a normal bedroom that the 6.2s would be plenty.

[supersizemygear]

Thanks for the input. I wonder if the 6.3 and 6.2 would be distingquishable in my bedroom. I'm planning to add a xpa-5 for power also.