eiger
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Post by eiger on Sept 30, 2009 22:52:45 GMT -5
All, I've posted pictures of my dedicated HT room over in this HT area, but wanted to get some advice as I am looking at upgrading my surrounds. Note - I posted the same thread over on an AVSForum thread and got advice that basically said to stay away from bipole/dipole given it's oudated and inefficient technology and that Dolby doesn't reccomend it anymore and that directional speakers provide much more of a consistent experience.  Below is my setup - 26 x 16 room. Onkyo 605 90W p/c AVR Klipsch Icon VF-35 Fronts/Matching Center Quintet III Side Surrounds Klipsch Sub-10 Bottom line is I want a kick-ass fill the large room with dynamic sound regardless of where I'm sitting. I'm looking at upgrading my satellites and also putting speakers in the back for a 7.1 experience. Habits are 80% HT/Gaming and 20% music with an emphasis on multi-channel. I am leaning toward mounted bookshelfs to accomodate my Klipsch Icons, but can be convinced otherwise if the price is right. Emphasis is on quality and estetics DO count! I considered ERDs, but are there any other opinions out there? Budget should not exceed 500 a pair. That's on the high end.    |
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Post by mcwit828 on Oct 1, 2009 2:24:01 GMT -5
I have been running a complete emo system for a while now and i have the ERD's on my side and it sounds to me, very clear and better effects then my prior enty hifi 5.1 system. I have the ERD's again on the side of where my guest/GF and I sit, the speaker tilted down where the driver is aimed at my ears while sitting and the sofa about three feet from the back wall. The ERD's are at the very top of the ceiling so I though tilting it down would give me a clearer sound then facing straight out. I have many guests looking behind them thinking that there are speakers there and they can hear effects on the sides too. I have them set up to run left and right tweeter bi-pole. Sounds really good. They are larger then your current speakers, but are not that noticable to me, I actually like the look and size, especially with the grill off. A lot of people comment on them. Hope it helps.
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Post by bfisher on Oct 1, 2009 19:03:14 GMT -5
No idea if the ERDs will blend with your speakers - but I don't understand the feedback you were given on the AVS forum. I have 4 ERDs for my 7.1 setup - and they sound amazing. They fill the room with sound. If I concentrate, I can locate where they are... and if I just listen - they blend in perfectly.
I've actually had guests comment on how engaging the surround effects are... exactly how you'd expect them to sound.
That said - I have the sides set to bipole, and the rears set to dipole.
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Post by Nemesis.ie on Oct 4, 2009 11:12:08 GMT -5
I think ERD-1s placed between the front most acoustic panels (a bit lower down than the current speakers) would be spot on.
Nice room BTW - I plan something very similar when I get a new house ...
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eiger
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Post by eiger on Oct 5, 2009 23:10:00 GMT -5
I think ERD-1s placed between the front most acoustic panels (a bit lower down than the current speakers) would be spot on. Nice room BTW - I plan something very similar when I get a new house ... Thanks Nemesis. I'm really enjoying getting the room to be exactly how I want it. I'm starting to think that my current surrounds might be placed a bit high. Especially at the center of the listening area, they are a fair distance from ear level. Could explain why I'm having difficulty picking out surrounds over front stage. I could increase the Db level. Problem is that I'm short on speaker wire to go down any further. Would have to add an interconnect.  |
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Post by Nemesis.ie on Oct 11, 2009 6:48:27 GMT -5
Go for the ERD-1s on the spooky sale, if you don't like them (I'm sure you will!) send them back. I find that with 5.1 and a large space behind (like your room seems to be) they are best in bi-pole mode - but you need to experiment. Also play with the height, mine are a little high I think at about 80cm above ear level. 50 or 60cm might be better, but again, if you can, experiment. Also remember, for a lot of material, you don't want to be able to "pick out" the surrounds, they should only be providing fill-in sound (i.e. the front is more prominent) unless there is supposed to be a particular surround effect happening there. I saw Monsters Vs Aliens in my HT recently and it is great for surround effect testing.  |
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Post by bigred7078 on Oct 11, 2009 12:45:51 GMT -5
di-pole/bi-pole outdated? lol
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Post by Nemesis.ie on Oct 11, 2009 14:04:06 GMT -5
... and if you decide not to go for di-pole/bi-pole, the ERM-6.2s would probably be great direct speakers for surround use (admittedly at a hefty price premium over the ERDs).
Irrespective of the technology used, the ERDs seem to provide a beautifully smooth sound field and the effects are well placed but not intrusive/speaker-localised.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Oct 11, 2009 14:39:51 GMT -5
di-pole/bi-pole outdated? lol my thoughts exactly. however, consider the source: AVS . . its like a crap shoot |
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Animo
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Post by Animo on Oct 11, 2009 18:08:00 GMT -5
Go for the ERD-1s on the spooky sale, if you don't like them (I'm sure you will!) send them back. I find that with 5.1 and a large space behind (like your room seems to be) they are best in bi-pole mode - but you need to experiment. Also play with the height, mine are a little high I think at about 80cm above ear level. 50 or 60cm might be better, but again, if you can, experiment. I agree with the ERDs being on sale. These make an excellent choice for side and rear surrounds. Height isn't the biggest concern, but side and rear placement are. The sides should be mounted directly to the side of your listening position, and the rears should be equidistant from the side walls. In my system you will notice that the rears are a little higher simply because of the closets, but my listening position is directly between both side speakers. I find that a good height is having the bottom of the speaker exactly 6 feet off the floor, but again, this is not critical.  No idea if the ERDs will blend with your speakers - but I don't understand the feedback you were given on the AVS forum. I have 4 ERDs for my 7.1 setup - and they sound amazing. They fill the room with sound. If I concentrate, I can locate where they are... and if I just listen - they blend in perfectly. That said - I have the sides set to bipole, and the rears set to dipole. Reverse your surround settings so that the sides are L/R dipoles and the rears are bipoles. That will reduce or eliminate your ability to pinpoint the speakers. |
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Post by bfisher on Oct 11, 2009 19:36:20 GMT -5
now that i reread this - i think that's what i have (side = dipole, rear = bipoles). Now I can't remember... damn!
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Post by 2infinity on Oct 11, 2009 20:32:10 GMT -5
what about the axiom qs8? $540 a pair in multiple finishes to fit your decor? That is if you are looking outside the emo line  |
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Post by Nemesis.ie on Oct 12, 2009 5:18:27 GMT -5
Although folks have reviewed both and the ERD-1s were the winner at about 1/2 the price. ;-)
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eiger
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Post by eiger on Oct 13, 2009 11:12:04 GMT -5
Thanks for all the advice.
UPDATE -
Placed an order for two sets of ERD-1s to go into the 7.1 realm. I bought them a day before the spooky sale, but called them back and they credited me the sale price. Awesome CS.
FedEx shows them arriving today. ;D
I'll get them hooked up and see how they sound. If I don't like them, they'll go back. I've heard Axioms are cool, but definitely on the higher price side. Didn't want to spend a 1k for two sets. I was also concerned slightly about the 4ohm versus my Klipsch fronts being 8. My Onkyo is rated down to 6, but was told by quite a few people including an Emo rep, mentioned that even tho more power is being drawn to reach same levels, it's not a huge issue of the amp overheating since they aren't used to the same level the L/C/R are and it's done quite a bit. Although we are talking about Onkyo which is a hotbox anyway.... What do you guys think?
I have plans to upgrade to an 800 series Onkyo or another form of pre/pro at some point.
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eiger
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Post by eiger on Oct 13, 2009 18:48:39 GMT -5
di-pole/bi-pole outdated? lol I was told there is a differing opinion between Dolby and THX in this area specifically. |
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Post by merton on Oct 24, 2009 0:25:35 GMT -5
O.K., my question may need to go into the Stupid Question Zone, but the folks in this thread may be able to give me the best answers. Can the ERD-1's be used turned 90 degrees without bizarre soundfield issues? I realize there will be mounting issues and can deal with them. We have a listening room with an irregular shape, so the lines between our fronts and surrounds create a parallelogram rather than a rectangle. Combine this with the fact that I have already installed in-wall no-name surrounds with painted grills ~ 7 1/2 x 11". I could probably get past the WAF if I mount the ERD's vertically, but if I mount them as intended, it would take some sheetrock work to our freshly painted den. I probably should just break down and get some decent ceiling-mounted speakers. However, the price for a pair of ERD's is good and they would probably match up well with our Kef 104.2 fronts. Can the ERD's bipole/dipole settings compensate for a 90 degree orientation? BTW, my listening importance is maybe 60% 2-channel, 30% HT and 10% 5.1 (SACD & DVD-A). Thanks.
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klinemj
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Post by klinemj on Oct 24, 2009 17:14:47 GMT -5
A question on mounting ERD-1's...is there anyone using them with speaker supports like shown in eiger's picture (nice room, btw...)? I currently have my surrounds supported from mounts like he has, but dropped down from the ceiling instead of the walls due to room issues that prevent wall mounting on my right surround.
It looks from the manual that there is a fixture for wall mounting or a connection to use a keyhole style connector but it's not clear on the keyhole style. Does anyone know for sure?
Thx,
Mark
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