Bought a nice pair of Era D4 on ebay for around 530 - 30% cashback. Woohoo. Thanks you guys.

Does anyone know what size spades the D5 take?
I am looking at 2 different types and I dont know which one will work best

-Spades: SS9 will fit from 1/4" to 5/16" (9mm) binding posts
-Spades: HDS5 will fit 1/2" barrier strips and 1/4" binding posts

any ideas?

After running my D5's on a lower-grade Sony receiver, it's time to upgrade to higher end amplification. I run a 2.1 setup (D5 on stands, Sub8) for theater, TV, and (mostly) music.

As I only need 2 (perhaps 3) channels of amplification, I've decided on a separate pre-pro and amp so I can take advantage of higher end DAC without dumping money into unused amplification.

I've had my eye on the Emotiva XPA-2, but it's rated at 250wpc @8ohm. Is there generally any concern about pushing that much power into the D5?

After running my D5's on a lower-grade Sony receiver, it's time to upgrade to higher end amplification. I run a 2.1 setup (D5 on stands, Sub8) for theater, TV, and (mostly) music.

As I only need 2 (perhaps 3) channels of amplification, I've decided on a separate pre-pro and amp so I can take advantage of higher end DAC without dumping money into unused amplification.

I've had my eye on the Emotiva XPA-2, but it's rated at 250wpc @8ohm. Is there generally any concern about pushing that much power into the D5?

While I have never heard the Emotiva amps, there is no reason for concern running the D5s off of a 250W amp. I run my D4s on a 250W Musical Fidelity A5. It really is a beautiful combination.

While I have never heard the Emotiva amps, there is no reason for concern running the D5s off of a 250W amp. I run my D4s on a 250W Musical Fidelity A5. It really is a beautiful combination.

Good to know -- I'm also considering the A5.5, as I find the integrated DAC an interesting feature alongside our HTPC / DVR (Vista based).

Out of curiosity, what pre-pro are you running with the A5.5?

-R

Good to know -- I'm also considering the A5.5, as I find the integrated DAC an interesting feature alongside our HTPC / DVR (Vista based).

Out of curiosity, what pre-pro are you running with the A5.5?

-R

I am running the A5 integrated amp, so the pre is built in. I feed it with the Musical Fidelity X-DACv8 though. My main source is the Squeezebox. I really have no complaints with this setup.

Once I got the D5LCR I started running it full-range as well - still with the sub. Bass-tastic, I know, but I like it :)[/QUOTE]

Basstastic!?! LOL
I'm stealing this...
:D

Just bought the D5's (beautiful sycamore) and have them on J-29 black Paradigm premier stands (filled). They're paired with a Cambridge Audio 640A integrated and a 640C cd player. Fantastic combo!

Sounds great FerCruz, let us know what you think when you get going some more.

So which Aerial Acoustics speaker would the D5 and D5 LCR be best related to?

So which Aerial Acoustics speaker would the D5 and D5 LCR be best related to?

The Aerial 5B monitor.

I've read through a lot of this thread and am very excited to be auditioning some ERA bookshelves soon and I wanted some ERA lovers' opinions. I love the looks of the ERA speakers and I've heard some great things about them.

First, my setup. Onkyo SR805 (on order), MFW-15 Sub (arrived recently).

Here's a pic.
http://tpellowe.com/avsforum/current.jpg

Questions:

1) Should I get D4's or D5's? Crossed over to MFW-15 at somewhere around 80hz. I'd LOVE to get away with the smaller size of the D4's if I won't notice a difference.
2) Should I get an LCR for the center or the same as my fronts?
3) Where can I find a good price or buy online? (may have to pm me for that one.)

Thanks so much for your help!

Todd

Questions:

1) Should I get D4's or D5's? Crossed over to MFW-15 at somewhere around 80hz. I'd LOVE to get away with the smaller size of the D4's if I won't notice a difference.
2) Should I get an LCR for the center or the same as my fronts?
3) Where can I find a good price or buy online? (may have to pm me for that one.)


1) Your room doesn't look too large, so D4's should work fine. (I have D5's but I think my room is larger than what your photo shows.)

2) Two D4's and a D4LCR across the front should sound great!

3) I don't know if there are any Era dealers that sell online, but if you are not close to an Era dealer, you may find one that could work out shipping them to you.

the room is only 13.15x12.5x8.

thanks for your input!

1) Should I get D4's or D5's? Crossed over to MFW-15 at somewhere around 80hz. I'd LOVE to get away with the smaller size of the D4's if I won't notice a difference.
2) Should I get an LCR for the center or the same as my fronts?
3) Where can I find a good price or buy online? (may have to pm me for that one.)

Thanks so much for your help!

Todd

Hi Todd,
Nice set up! You could almost go either way. If the D5's had too much bass, you could cut them off at 60-70Hz. If you're listening to HT on the D4's you would probably have to do this anyway. At least w/ the D5, you don't lose out on dynamic range and there's a chance you could even run them full range (my preference).
I also like the same series center although they both have the era family sound, so you could mix the D4 center w/ the D5, just be sure to cut off the D4 @ 60-80Hz...
We don't have internet dealers, but if you let me know where you are, we can get a good dealer to ship them to you that has a 30 day in-home trial.
As always, please let me know if I can be of further service. You can call or write.
Best wishes,
David Solomon
770-649-9544


The D5 will be more dynamic and would probably be my first choice.

Thanks David. I'll be in touch.

Hi all,
I have been comparing speakers for a few weeks now and from those I have spent time listening to (Era, PSB, Vandersteen, B&W, Paradigm, Focal) I am really impressed with the D14. I live in an apartment at the moment, although I am on the bottom floor (slab) and it is a recent and well-built unit with little sound transmission to above floor (see details below). I have plenty of room for them in terms of space from the wall. the rear of the speaker would be about 22" away.

So, my question is this... if I were to go with the the D14s and the bass turns out to be a bit much for good neighborly relations, what would the effect of using a bit of foam or similar acoustic treatment in the slot? I know that in a typical ported design this would have very little impact to anything above about 100Hz. However, I am certainly not an acoustic engineer. Is there something in the design of the D14 itself or a "slotted" approach in general that would make this a particularly bad idea? Also, as FYI I am planning to buy a house within the next year so this is a temporary situation.

Side note on current living conditions...
I recently had the opportunity to determine the level at which I can listen in my apartment and not have any impact on the folks above. About a month ago they were renovating that unit so I turned on the stereo and went upstairs. Using a Radio Shack spl meter I determined that average levels of 80dB or slightly more are competlely inaudible in the unit above. Only when the average reached over 85dB with a strong bass track could I hear anything at all upstairs, just a tiny hint of bass transmission. My current speakers are B&W 685 monitors which are rated at 49Hz. So, I think the D14 will probably be ok as I rarely listen at anything above 75-80dB average. But, from my experience with the D14s the bass can be quite impressive :)

Thanks, and sorry for the long post. I just wanted to set the context of the question.

Hi all,
So, my question is this... if I were to go with the the D14s and the bass turns out to be a bit much for good neighborly relations, what would the effect of using a bit of foam or similar acoustic treatment in the slot? .
This will basically make the bass more like the D10... The more of the slot you stuff, the less bass output you get. It's actually a good way to tune the bass to your room if the D14's have a bit too much bass output.
Happy holidays,
David

Thanks for the response David, and Happy Holidays to you too!

Hi,
I've had a pair of D10s with a D4LCR and D4 Satellites since the end of August 2008. I don't have a sub and run everything full range. Since I live in a bottom floor apartment with poor sound insulation I really couldn't run a sub guilt free.
I'm running a Denon 2807 AVR which has a decent amount of power ( 110 watts per channel ), but isn't obviously the best possible match.

I'm pretty happy with the setup, but spend a fair amount of time listening to music ( probably about half of the time ), and there are times where I wish the bass were a little fuller and more detailed. My room is 12 ' 11" wide x 13' 11" long x 10' 11" high and I have the fronts projecting along the width. When listening in 2 channel mode I turn of any equalization and run the Denon in direct mode.

I'm considering upgrading to the D14s since this would be a better match for the rest of my speakers and would potentially improve my 2 channel listening experience.

I'm wondering if anyone has had much experience between the D10s and D14s and whether it would be worth the trouble or if the difference would be too subtle to really justify? Also I noticed there is a bit of foam in the front ports ( I had to realign one of the rings because it got shifted durinig shipping to my audio store ), would removing the foam ring increase the bass output slightly without degrading the sound quality?

Thanks,

Ben

Hi,

I'm considering upgrading to the D14s since this would be a better match for the rest of my speakers and would potentially improve my 2 channel listening experience.

I'm wondering if anyone has had much experience between the D10s and D14s and whether it would be worth the trouble or if the difference would be too subtle to really justify? Also I noticed there is a bit of foam in the front ports ( I had to realign one of the rings because it got shifted durinig shipping to my audio store ), would removing the foam ring increase the bass output slightly without degrading the sound quality?

Thanks,

Ben

Hi Ben,
To give a little history, the D10's were designed against a sheetrock wall w/ 16" stud centers. They can be a little bass shy but this is how we designed them... So many times, I've listened to 2 channel and HT where people have the speaker as close to the wall as possible and the bass is so over bloated you can't even listen. So when we voiced the D10, it was specifically done this way for this type of environment.
The D14's on the other hand, were voiced to have lots of bass output for those who can pull them from the wall and or for rooms that don't reproduce bass very well.
Having said this, there are rooms that naturally make more bass than others. And some rooms make little bass, sometimes even with a subwoofer.
By the way, removing the foam around the port won't increase the bass output. This is to displace the air flow from the port.

Hope this helps,
David Solomon

A question for the D5 owners. I will be adding a sub to my system to add more bass (D5's and Cambridge integrated and cd player). I wan't to run the D5's full range. What setting would you recommend for the sub? The D5's go down to 50hz, Should I cut the sub at that? 60hz maybe?

Thanks!

A question for the D5 owners. I will be adding a sub to my system to add more bass (D5's and Cambridge integrated and cd player). I wan't to run the D5's full range. What setting would you recommend for the sub? The D5's go down to 50hz, Should I cut the sub at that? 60hz maybe?

I have the D5's and D5LCR across the front and run them full range. I think I have my sub cut at 60hz or 80hz (can't remember which), but I am happy with the sound in my room. Sound is very subjective, so try various settings with various music (and or movies) and see which you prefer. There right answer is the one that is right for you.

Thanks!

I got a Velodyne Impact-10 and the XO is at 50hz (the SW's lowest setting). Great results, I was missing information, specially with orchestras and rock.

Am looking to purchase ERA D5 but not sure where to look, pls help.

Thx

Am looking to purchase ERA D5 but not sure where to look, pls help.

Thx

Go to the Era website. They have a search to find your closest dealer. It is well worth it. I really like these speakers.

Go to the Era website. They have a search to find your closest dealer. It is well worth it. I really like these speakers.



I have googled it but can't locate their webpage

Here you go.

http://signalpathint.com/index.php/component/option,com_locator/Itemid,43/

Greetings David,
I'm on the market to buy new speakers. I'm very impressed with the D14 that I came across at a dealer. They didn't have the D10. Other than the bass, can you describe any other differences?

Would you be able to make a recommendation based on my room setting. I have a 17ft x 15ft room. The speaker are to place along the wide length of the room at the corners. I'll have the speakers approx 4 inch from the back of the speaker and about 6 inches from the side. They will be toed in toward the sofa at the centered about 10 ft from the speakers. Would you recommend the D10 or D14 with this set up?

Will the D10 provide better bass due to the goal of the original design? Is there other sonic compromises that might impact either of these? I'm also assuming that the D14 can be tuned via the rear port if it sounds too boomy being that close to the wall.

Appreciate any advice you can provide.
-Best Regards!


Hi Ben,
To give a little history, the D10's were designed against a sheetrock wall w/ 16" stud centers. They can be a little bass shy but this is how we designed them... So many times, I've listened to 2 channel and HT where people have the speaker as close to the wall as possible and the bass is so over bloated you can't even listen. So when we voiced the D10, it was specifically done this way for this type of environment.
The D14's on the other hand, were voiced to have lots of bass output for those who can pull them from the wall and or for rooms that don't reproduce bass very well.
Having said this, there are rooms that naturally make more bass than others. And some rooms make little bass, sometimes even with a subwoofer.
By the way, removing the foam around the port won't increase the bass output. This is to displace the air flow from the port.

Hope this helps,
David Solomon

Greetings David,
I'm on the market to buy new speakers. I'm very impressed with the D14 that I came across at a dealer. They didn't have the D10. Other than the bass, can you describe any other differences?

Would you be able to make a recommendation based on my room setting. I have a 17ft x 15ft room. The speaker are to place along the wide length of the room at the corners. I'll have the speakers approx 4 inch from the back of the speaker and about 6 inches from the side. They will be toed in toward the sofa at the centered about 10 ft from the speakers. Would you recommend the D10 or D14 with this set up?

Will the D10 provide better bass due to the goal of the original design? Is there other sonic compromises that might impact either of these? I'm also assuming that the D14 can be tuned via the rear port if it sounds too boomy being that close to the wall.

Appreciate any advice you can provide.
-Best Regards!

The sound is still the era family sound provided they go close to the wall. Otherwise, they can be a bit thin w/o a sub.
Based on eveything in your post, you're a D10 man if I've ever seen one. This is the perfect application.
Hope this helps,
David

Hi,
I don't have a dynaudio dealer anywhere near me. I've read good things about both. Can you give more detailed thoughts comparing the 220s and D14 both sonically and their construction (fit and finish wise)? I appreciate your help since you have both. At the end of the day, which would you take home for 90% music listening (jazz, soul, blues, acoustics)?

Thank you

PS Have you had a chance to listen to Focus 220 II? If so, how are these?

I tell you what, these D14's are really impressing me and our customers. So much so I have elevated these in stature into our Dynaudio room and they now reside beside the Dynaudio Focus 220's. The Dyn is a bigger animal, but as an alternative, the D14's are very ear pleasing.

I'm quite taken back by the bass of these little guys too......Yes, I said little, they are not as large as you might think. You really need to see in person.

The finish is absolutely amazing for a speaker that costs so little.

Greetings,
I'm getting ready to set up my 5.1 surround sound system. In the front I will be using the ERA Design 4 Satellite speakers with the Design 4 LCR center speaker. In the rear I will be using ERA Design 4 Satellite speakers and the ERA 8 Subwoofer. I will be driving these with an Arcam AVR 350 Receiver. What is a premium in-wall speaker wire you would all suggest ? I've looked at the Liberty 12-1P-UC THX Ultracap 12-2 In-wall Speaker cable and the Belden 1311A 12/2 Oxygen free high conductance CL3 rated what speaker wire are some of you using the more research I do the more confused I'm getting. Any suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks!

I will have three Ascend Sierras in front an F12 Rhythmic/Ascend sub and I’m on the fence with ERA D4 for surrounds in 5.1. Can anyone comment on the combo and if they might match well. WAF states size matters for the surrounds and in my research the D4 seams like the best sound- size- build- product out there. The only other speaker I’m looking at is the Aperion 4b. The htm 200 from ascend might be too big. If anyone has other options I’ll look into those as well. Thanks Vandy

Hi,
I don't have a dynaudio dealer anywhere near me. I've read good things about both. Can you give more detailed thoughts comparing the 220s and D14 both sonically and their construction (fit and finish wise)? I appreciate your help since you have both. At the end of the day, which would you take home for 90% music listening (jazz, soul, blues, acoustics)?

Thank you

PS Have you had a chance to listen to Focus 220 II? If so, how are these?


Two very good speakers you are looking at there. Since you are responding to my previous comments about the D14, I'm happy to respond again.

The D14's are very nice speakers indeed. How do they sound compared to the Focus 220? Only you can make the final decision, however, I'm an honest guy and you've asked my opinion. First, let's talk fit and finish of both.....One word SUPERB on both of these. Second to none actually! When it comes to sound, the D14 has it's place in this world for sure, however, so does Dynaudio. Pound-for-pound I feel nothing on the planet compares to Dynaudio's brilliance. They obviously are my favorite speaker brand out there. The Focus 220 is the better speaker, it has deeper and tighter bass and is smoother on the top end. This speaker costs $1K more, though. Do keep that in mind. The D14 is still a fine speaker and I really like it. It's certainly no slouch and can hang with and better a lot speakers in it's price range and many above it too.

There, that was a somewhat safe comparison. As a dealer I'm not one to knock what I sell. As I do sell these speakers for a reason. If they sucked they wouldn't be in my showroom. ;)

Have you looked into Transparent in-wall speaker wires? They have some very inexpensive options. It also gives you the option of adding a custom network onto the cable in the future as long as know the length of your run.

Greetings,
I'm getting ready to set up my 5.1 surround sound system. In the front I will be using the ERA Design 4 Satellite speakers with the Design 4 LCR center speaker. In the rear I will be using ERA Design 4 Satellite speakers and the ERA 8 Subwoofer. I will be driving these with an Arcam AVR 350 Receiver. What is a premium in-wall speaker wire you would all suggest ? I've looked at the Liberty 12-1P-UC THX Ultracap 12-2 In-wall Speaker cable and the Belden 1311A 12/2 Oxygen free high conductance CL3 rated what speaker wire are some of you using the more research I do the more confused I'm getting. Any suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks!

I just bought a pair of D4's and a D4 LCR on Audiogon. In prep for the D4's I bought a pair of Sanus Basic Foundations, but am trying to figure out the Right Thing(tm) for the LCR's. I have a 58" plasma mounted on the wall (a bit on the high side, but not fireplace height), and I figure a 28" stand is a good fit for the center. Sanus only seems to make 18" stands for centers.

A quick Google turns up the Wood Technology CC-28's as a possible option (sorry, the forum won't let me post links yet), which seems like it would blend in fairly well with the Sanus stands.

What has me puzzled is how to handle the curved nature of the speaker when put on its side. I have the rubber mat and all, but it still seems weird to me. Any other stand options for the D4 LCR's that folks recommend?

The other option I suppose is wall mounting, and while I've seen the postings here on AVS that say the D4 is designed to sound good in that configuration, I'm pretty old-school conservative on wall mounting. I.e., speakers sound best when stand-mounted. Am I worried too much about that?

I have a D5 LCR and it came with a couple of rubber wedges that actually slide under the back of the speaker to support it. They are kind of nice in that you can adjust the angle of the speaker pretty easily. I would imagine that the D4 would come with something similar or it would at least be available.

I have a D5 LCR and it came with a couple of rubber wedges that actually slide under the back of the speaker to support it. They are kind of nice in that you can adjust the angle of the speaker pretty easily. I would imagine that the D4 would come with something similar or it would at least be available.

The D4 LCR I purchased from Audio Visionaries in Colorado Springs, also came with wedges.

I've got the D4 mains and D4 LCR installed now. Wow. Neutral, detailed, seamless and precise soundstage. All the things I look for in speakers, and very nicely finished to boot.

So nice in fact, that I'm considering moving them upstairs to the living room, where looks have historically been a higher priority. Right now there's a Denon 2.1 all-in-one DVD player/receiver driving the crappy pair of speakers that were included. Assuming the Denon can handle the D4's, it would be really nice to have better sound up there. As it is now, I find myself turning up the volume louder than I would normally do, just to make dialog intelligible.

So I'm considering perhaps getting a pair of D5's for the basement home theater:

Driven by an NAD T763 receiver
Center would still be a D4 LCR
The backs of the D4's are currently 6" from the wall (and sound great). Optimal position of the D5's (visually) would be about 4" off the wall. Is that going to cause tonal balance issues?
Is the extra bass extension going to be noticable? I have an Audio Concepts Force XL sub driving the bottom end now.
The room isn't terribly large: 12x16 with a 7' drop ceiling. Seating is about 8' from the front of the speakers.

Any thoughts? Am I just as well off by getting a second pair of D4's?

Any thoughts? Am I just as well off by getting a second pair of D4's?

I prefer and direct folks towards the D5 where applicable. They provide a tad fuller sound and a bit larger soundstage overall. For HT a subwoofer is still very much needed with either, though. The ACI sub will work just fine with either of these.

Right now there's a Denon 2.1 all-in-one DVD player/receiver driving the crappy pair of speakers that were included. Assuming the Denon can handle the D4's, it would be really nice to have better sound up there. As it is now, I find myself turning up the volume louder than I would normally do, just to make dialog intelligible.

You will be upgrading the Denon all-in-one as it will not drive the D4's appropriately. You would be amazed what additional current can do for these speakers.

I prefer and direct folks towards the D5 where applicable. They provide a tad fuller sound and a bit larger soundstage overall. For HT a subwoofer is still very much needed with either, though. The ACI sub will work just fine with either of these.

Yes, wouldn't even consider a HT without a sub.

I guess my biggest concern is how the D5's are going sound with only 4" of clearance off the back wall. They will be on stands, with generous clearance from the side walls, with the plasma being the only other component nearby.

I guess my biggest concern is how the D5's are going sound with only 4" of clearance off the back wall. They will be on stands, with generous clearance from the side walls, with the plasma being the only other component nearby.

Hard to tell until you have them set up in that fashion. I'm not as concerned with the back walls as I would be the side walls, which it sounds like you have plenty of clearance.

Got an offer accepted on Audiogon, should come in a week or two. Same guy from whom I bought the D4 center, which is in immaculate shape.

Watched Spider Man 3 last night with my wife. The SM franchise has held up pretty well I gotta say---SM3 wears repeated viewings well, and my wife (not a huge action move fan) enjoyed it very much.

One thing I noticed with the three Era's in front was how seamless the soundstage has become. Not only up in front, but the surrounds (a four-year old pair of Cambridge Soundworks dipoles) tie in much better than before.

The scene where the Sandman is born in the pit was simply amazing---the swirling blades did a perfect 360 around the room. I watched SM3 a couple of weeks ago, before the Era's were in place, and that scene did not jump out like that originally.

Can't wait to try the D5's.

David S., PMs sent.

Can't wait to try the D5's.

I've had the D5's on the air for about a week now. All the good things about the D4 are there---neutral, detailed, seamless soundstage---and a few noticeable improvements. Bottom-end extension is audibly better. Overall more "punch" and presence. They handled The Incredibles effortlessly.

Definitely worth obtaining, especially since I can use the D4's elsewhere in the house.

Still can't get over how much better it makes my mid-fi Cambridge Soundworks surrounds sound. I was anticipating that upgrading the fronts was going to all but force me to revamp the rears. But no pressing need at this point---this is the first time I've had my surround system really gel into a cohesive stage, and I'm enjoying the ride.

I've had the D5's on the air for about a week now.

The update is that the D5's keep getting better. I've streamed a couple of music-heavy Netflix movies (Across the Universe, That Thing You Do), which are stereo only, and the D5 handled the low-end beautifully. I had to remind myself occasionally that the sub was not in the mix---the bottom had plenty of presence.

I've moved the D4's upstairs to the Denon S101 all-in-one. Could be a better situation, but the Denon seems to have enough juice to drive the D4's. Only real limitation right now is that the Denon seems to be EQ'd for the speakers they supply, so I had to boost Treble to +10dB in order to get the mids under control. Not perfect by any means, but the D4's are wayyyy more detailed than the Denon speakers, so my goal of being able to get intelligible dialog without cranking the volume has been achieved.

I am so glad I ran into this line of speakers.

I know this has been brought up many times in this thread, including many questions from me about crossover settings.

I have D5 mains, D5LCR center and D4 surrounds. If you spend enough time on this forum, you get it beat into your head to cross over monitors at 80hz, and even cross over most floorstanding speakers at 80hz or maybe 50-60hz. I am sure David Soloman is sick of trying to convince us of this, but I have thrown convention to the wind, and have been running my D5s as large. I do have the option on my receiver of running the mains as large with the sub set to plus (which sends everything to the mains, but sends the same info to the sub below whatever you set the crossover at). I set it to that and cross over the sub in the receiver at 50hz.

I was shocked what I found out once I really critically listened. With the sub crossed over at 80hz, I did get more bass, but with the D5s set to large and the crossover set much lower, I got punchier bass, maybe slam is the right word. I also found that when I switched back and forth, some of the guitars were obscured by the bass with the 80hz setting, but sounded more "right" with the large setting. Nothing overwhelmed anything else. I would love for others to throw conventional wisdom out the window and give this a try and report back.

I'm happy to say I have a pair of Era D4's arriving soon for my bedroom / home office. Would an NAD C355bee or C352 do enough justice? It's in my bedroom, so I don't need to rock the joint

I was shocked what I found out once I really critically listened. With the sub crossed over at 80hz, I did get more bass, but with the D5s set to large and the crossover set much lower, I got punchier bass, maybe slam is the right word. I also found that when I switched back and forth, some of the guitars were obscured by the bass with the 80hz setting, but sounded more "right" with the large setting. Nothing overwhelmed anything else. I would love for others to throw conventional wisdom out the window and give this a try and report back.

Well, my unscientific sample is that I didn't have the same luck you did. When I first got the D5's I set the decoder in my Samsung 2500 Blu-Ray player such that the mains were "Large". I then proceeded to play "The Incredibles", and it didn't take too many explosions to regret that tweak. Definitely sounded like the D5's excursion was being overtaxed on the peaks, with a nasty, raucous distortion/clipping.

I put them back to "Small" and all was right with the world again.

I could imagine that for most material, the D5's are more than up to the task of taking a full-range signal. But they didn't handle the really loud stuff gracefully. I have no clue what the Samsung mapping of crossover frequencies to speaker sizes are, and wish that I had more fine-grained control. But it is what it is, and the "Small" setting works well enough for my purposes at the moment.

Well, my unscientific sample is that I didn't have the same luck you did. When I first got the D5's I set the decoder in my Samsung 2500 Blu-Ray player such that the mains were "Large". I then proceeded to play "The Incredibles", and it didn't take too many explosions to regret that tweak. Definitely sounded like the D5's excursion was being overtaxed on the peaks, with a nasty, raucous distortion/clipping.

I put them back to "Small" and all was right with the world again.

I could imagine that for most material, the D5's are more than up to the task of taking a full-range signal. But they didn't handle the really loud stuff gracefully. I have no clue what the Samsung mapping of crossover frequencies to speaker sizes are, and wish that I had more fine-grained control. But it is what it is, and the "Small" setting works well enough for my purposes at the moment.

That problem could just be lack of control from the receiver/ amp you're running. What are your using to power them?

That problem could just be lack of control from the receiver/ amp you're running. What are your using to power them?

NAD T762. Theoretically possible that the NAD ran out of gas, but seems unlikely. I'm familiar with amp clipping, and this did not sound like that. And while the NAD is not high-end, it's a pretty competent amp and this is the first time I've run into any problems.

The Era's have been preceded by a fair number of other speakers of various sizes connected to the NAD, and this is the first time I've had anything like this happen.

Well, my unscientific sample is that I didn't have the same luck you did. When I first got the D5's I set the decoder in my Samsung 2500 Blu-Ray player such that the mains were "Large". I then proceeded to play "The Incredibles", and it didn't take too many explosions to regret that tweak. Definitely sounded like the D5's excursion was being overtaxed on the peaks, with a nasty, raucous distortion/clipping.

I put them back to "Small" and all was right with the world again.

I could imagine that for most material, the D5's are more than up to the task of taking a full-range signal. But they didn't handle the really loud stuff gracefully. I have no clue what the Samsung mapping of crossover frequencies to speaker sizes are, and wish that I had more fine-grained control. But it is what it is, and the "Small" setting works well enough for my purposes at the moment.

Hi David,
Bass sucks most of the power from your amp and is the hardest task for the amp. Since the D5 is only about 86dB, you do need to have a pretty high-current amp or the D5 can bottom out on the "Large" setting. When you switch to the small setting and the amp isn't driving bass, it's more efficient/less taxes and can drive mid-bass to high-end better w/o bottoming out the woofer.

It's usually not the speaker, but the amp if this happens.

This is easily proven by trying a bigger/better/ more high-current receiver.
They usually run $1200-$3000. Another less expensive alternative is to get a good two channel amp and run it from your L/R pre outs. Between 100-200 wpc. A lot of retailers have a loaner program so customers can prove this to themselves.

On a side, many receivers are rated @100wpc, but have low current. Those would be the receivers that are typically $300-$700... Most of those have small power supplies and storage caps, so dynamic content often drains the unit of reserve power resulting in your description.
Hope this helps,
David

NAD T762. Theoretically possible that the NAD ran out of gas, but seems unlikely. I'm familiar with amp clipping, and this did not sound like that. And while the NAD is not high-end, it's a pretty competent amp and this is the first time I've run into any problems.

The Era's have been preceded by a fair number of other speakers of various sizes connected to the NAD, and this is the first time I've had anything like this happen.

Hi David,
This is actually a fine amp...
Still, if you the D5 is bottoming out, you're just using more power than you have onboard...
Sorry for the long email last time, but I often hear this when one is using a $300 receiver and wonders why they they don't sound right.
Best wishes,
David

I had the same issue as davidyon and came up with the same conclusion he did. The D5s are great speakers but they are still 5" drivers and they go too deep to get the kind of volumes with that kind of bass. The T762 is a very powerful amp, one of the most powerful receivers ever made under $2K. It can very easily put a bookshelf, any bookshelf, into bass distortion. A big amp can make it very easy to hear port chuffing with deep bass material as well. I can repeat this with any bookshelf speaker, but the D5 is a bit more susceptible because it does go so deep. I alway recommend using the crossover unless a customer just likes the doubled bass sound.

I had the same issue as davidyon and came up with the same conclusion he did. The D5s are great speakers but they are still 5" drivers and they go too deep to get the kind of volumes with that kind of bass. The T762 is a very powerful amp, one of the most powerful receivers ever made under $2K. It can very easily put a bookshelf, any bookshelf, into bass distortion. A big amp can make it very easy to hear port chuffing with deep bass material as well. I can repeat this with any bookshelf speaker, but the D5 is a bit more susceptible because it does go so deep. I alway recommend using the crossover unless a customer just likes the doubled bass sound.

Hi John,
Thanks for the reply. For many, I'm glad to further define the position of running full or limited bass. I've heard it good and bad both ways.
Other issues come into place in deciding which way to set your system up.
What's my room like?
How loud do I want my system to get?
How loud will the speakers play?

Many rooms either add or subtract bass (and other frequencies) from speakers depending on where they resonate or where standing waves build.
50Hz-120Hz are common problem areas. This can make or break a system. Many articles have been written over the years about how room affect system performance and response.
Some rooms are fairly flat, but this would be an exception.

SPL also has a play in which way you go. As you mention, the D5 is a 5" bass driver and can only take so much volume. You will certainly run into problems if you try to play them louder than they can go, with or without sufficient power.
At 86dB 1w/1m, they will play approx 105dB full range w/o over-driving the system w/100wpc.
Within these parameters, I prefer them full range. Above this spl, it would be better to cut off between 50Hz-80Hz, depending on how loud you listen.
I've also found since the speaker has very low distortion, many just keep turning them up until whatever amp is clipping. NAD has a soft clip circuit that isn't as noticeable as most when in clip mode.
At any rate, I appreciate the clarification as I had not defined the parameters very well, rather my preferences as I like to set them up and listen.
Best wishes,
David

I had the same issue as davidyon and came up with the same conclusion he did. The D5s are great speakers but they are still 5" drivers and they go too deep to get the kind of volumes with that kind of bass. The T762 is a very powerful amp, one of the most powerful receivers ever made under $2K. It can very easily put a bookshelf, any bookshelf, into bass distortion.

Not to beat this into the ground, but I pretty much agree with this take on it. I'd be perfectly happy to accept that the D5 can easily overtax most amps. But given my experience with this NAD, and what amps sound like when their capacity is exceeded, the symptoms I experienced simply do not line up with an overdriven amplifier.

To their credit, the D5's did very well. The Incredibles is one of the more challenging soundtracks I have. And the problem only showed up on the loudest of transients (explosions, jet engines, etc), and not very often at that.

David, I was wondering if I may ask a couple of questions regarding the D5 and D10 speakers?

I am looking at these as my mains for a revamp of my system and was wondering if you think a Denon AVR-4306 receiver would power these sufficiently? I would be using these in an open floor plan house, the listening area is only about 15x20 but the rest of the area adds up to about 4200 cubic feet. I would also be using them with an SVS PB13-Ultra, so I will most likely be crossing them over but I reserve judgment until I get to try both.

After power requirements my other concern is with placement against a back wall. I typically have my speakers about 18" from the back of the speaker to the wall. The speakers run against the long wall so they will be several feet on either side from a side wall. I noticed in another post you spoke of how you designed the D10 to be closer to a wall but that would put my equipment rack directly in between the front baffles and I am hesitant to do that, are the D10's going to be too bass shy with this little amount of room (IE do they HAVE to be right up on the wall)?

Last question, do you think based off of the size of my room that D5's are off of the table?

David, I was wondering if I may ask a couple of questions regarding the D5 and D10 speakers?

I am looking at these as my mains for a revamp of my system and was wondering if you think a Denon AVR-4306 receiver would power these sufficiently? I would be using these in an open floor plan house, the listening area is only about 15x20 but the rest of the area adds up to about 4200 cubic feet. I would also be using them with an SVS PB13-Ultra, so I will most likely be crossing them over but I reserve judgment until I get to try both.

After power requirements my other concern is with placement against a back wall. I typically have my speakers about 18" from the back of the speaker to the wall. The speakers run against the long wall so they will be several feet on either side from a side wall. I noticed in another post you spoke of how you designed the D10 to be closer to a wall but that would put my equipment rack directly in between the front baffles and I am hesitant to do that, are the D10's going to be too bass shy with this little amount of room (IE do they HAVE to be right up on the wall)?

Last question, do you think based off of the size of my room that D5's are off of the table?

Hi Snow,
The 4306 will be fine. Great power supply!
If you didn't have the SVS, they would be a little thin. But given the size of the room and the SVS PB 13, you'll be fine even pulling them out a bit. You'll get good depth of field. Although I LOVE the 5's, the D10 crossover is better.
Hope this helps,
David

Thanks David, very much appreciated. :)

I got my D4 (L,R,SR,SL) and D4LCR (Center). I have the front three set up, and they are absolutely wonderful. I am going to wall mount the D4 surrounds using the included wall bracket, but I am not 100% sure how to do it.

I am guessing the supplied screws are to mount speaker to the bracket on the top and back, and I need to supply my own drywall anchors to get them up on the wall. Do I mount the speaker to the bracket first, and then mount the bracket to the wall? Do I put the bracket up first and then mount the speaker to the bracket next?

I got my D4 (L,R,SR,SL) and D4LCR (Center). I have the front three set up, and they are absolutely wonderful. I am going to wall mount the D4 surrounds using the included wall bracket, but I am not 100% sure how to do it.

I am guessing the supplied screws are to mount speaker to the bracket on the top and back, and I need to supply my own drywall anchors to get them up on the wall. Do I mount the speaker to the bracket first, and then mount the bracket to the wall? Do I put the bracket up first and then mount the speaker to the bracket next?


I had the same question. You need to get your own drywall screws. Use two of them to first mount the bracket to the wall. Once it is secure, Use the provided bolt to come up through the bottom of the bracket into bottom of the D4. Don't tighten it all the way, so you have some room to swivel the speaker to where you want it. Once it is in place, tighten the bolt

I had the same question. You need to get your own drywall screws. Use two of them to first mount the bracket to the wall. Once it is secure, Use the provided bolt to come up through the bottom of the bracket into bottom of the D4. Don't tighten it all the way, so you have some room to swivel the speaker to where you want it. Once it is in place, tighten the bolt

You might even consider using a stud finder and mounting the bracket to a wall stud. It is worth it for the extra support. FWIW, the D4 sounds great even wall mounted. The port just doesn't push enough air to cause a problem. I had my mains wall mounted for a bit before my desk was finished and was happy with the sound.

Perfect explanation Redskin and love mounting to a stud as Iostream suggested...

Hi David,

I interested in your D4's (and smaller sub too). I'm definitely not a high volume guy.

Will I be able to drive the D4's adequately with a Marantz SR6003?

Thanks.

Hi David,

I interested in your D4's (and smaller sub too). I'm definitely not a high volume guy.

Will I be able to drive the D4's adequately with a Marantz SR6003?

Thanks.

Hi Zman,
The Marantz should work fine. It has a nice power supply.
David Solomon

Hi David

well, after review after review about speakers like ascend/axiom/rega/linn/eops/av123/ ect....i believe i have decided to go with era...but now, i have to add the d14's to the mix as i can get a real good price on a pair and so your thoughts are needed and wanted :)

whatever i choose will be replacing a set of kef 103/4's...nothing wrong with them, just want something different...the problems are twofold...

1. they are the mains in my stereo and my h/t system...the rest of the system is kef except for the sub which is a hsu...so i am concerned about blending them with the rest of the kef's

2. my listening area is pretty poor...the system is against the only way it could, with an opening at each end of the wall with the mains right next to each opening..in other words..opening>speaker>>system>>speaker>opening..thats why i had to get a sub as there is hardly any bass in the room without a sub on the the opposite way, and this occurred even when i had AR 9's! and since the system is in the middle of the wall the mains need to sit out at least a foot or so, so the sound isnt blocked. the listening position is then about 10 feet away.

so, which speaker would work the best?? :)

thanks for taking time to read this!

I guess this thread might be a more appropriate place for this question.

I have 3 ERA design 4 speakers and 2 design 3 speakers currently. The 3 D4s are up front and the D3s are currently used as surrounds. However, tomorrow I am picking up 2 more D4s. Should I put the new D4s as front presence speakers coming from my Yamaha RX-V663 or should I replace the surround D3s with the D4s and put the D3s up front?

What is more important? Having the front presence speakers match the fronts or having the surrounds match the fronts. Right now the surrounds don’t match the fronts and it sound pretty good. However, I will eventually go to a traditional 7.1 setup one day so I decided to pick up the extra 2 speakers while I could still get them at a great price.

I have a question about D5 placement. My decision about purchasing a pair depends on getting an answer. I don't see any way I can get a pair of D5's to audition at home. I need speakers primarily for front-only stereo for listening to classical (and other) music. I will also use them for front-only home theater speakers. My room is approximately 12x12. My existing speakers are circa-1975 Fried RII's; so I like a good sound stage and adequate bass, but am not going to spend a fortune to get them.

My plan is to set the speakers on an open shelf beside and a bit to the front of my 50" TV. So, there would be air to the right, left and front, but not all around like on stands. The rear might have to aim into a compartment of our entertainment unit. I note that some reviewers normally stuff the ports on speakers like this. (I may or may not get a subwoofer.) I am also thinking of getting a Peachtree Nova as an amp.

Has anyone tried these speakers in such a situation? Any advice concerning the port?

I have a question about D5 placement. My decision about purchasing a pair depends on getting an answer. I don't see any way I can get a pair of D5's to audition at home. I need speakers primarily for front-only stereo for listening to classical (and other) music. I will also use them for front-only home theater speakers. My room is approximately 12x12. My existing speakers are circa-1975 Fried RII's; so I like a good sound stage and adequate bass, but am not going to spend a fortune to get them.

My plan is to set the speakers on an open shelf beside and a bit to the front of my 50" TV. So, there would be air to the right, left and front, but not all around like on stands. The rear might have to aim into a compartment of our entertainment unit. I note that some reviewers normally stuff the ports on speakers like this. (I may or may not get a subwoofer.) I am also thinking of getting a Peachtree Nova as an amp.

Has anyone tried these speakers in such a situation? Any advice concerning the port?
Having been through the selection process and being pretty much where you are I'll give you my non expert $0.02

I listened several times to my material on Paradigms (Studio20/60/100), B&W CM7/9, Several Totems, Dynaudio Focus series, PSB, Quads, Viennal Acoustic (Bach) and Era D5/4/10/14 speakers, I a ERA based system with D5 (zone 2) D14 L/R, D4 center, D4 surrounds and a JL Fathom 112 for a sub. I do not have my room setup and I buying the speakers a pair a month. Right now I'm running D5's for L/R and D4's in surround (5.1). My D5's are sitting on 20 inch boxes (24 is better for my setup) and open in front, TV to one side, bookcase to each outside and about 20 inches out from the wall. Drive is a Pioneer SC-07 and all cables are homemade 10G with monster bananas. I played with placement last night with my wife and both of us agreed on toein and that the 20" real clearance was noticeable in helping. THe side gap does not seem to matter. My room has hardwood floors so I dropped the highend 1dB/octive to address some brightness. THe D5's sound great with very good base and super clarity. I would not worry too much on side clearance but keep some in back. One thing I want to try is a 45 degree deflector behind the port to see if I can suck them back some and "fool " the speaker into thinking it has more back space. I did try a stuffed port approach and frankly they still sounded good but we both preferred the open port. b Difference was that the base and maybe mid range was a tiny bit muddled.

Greetings,
I was wondering if anyone has used the Bello SP-300 or Bello Sp-24 Speaker stands with the ERA Design 4 Speakers, and if so how do you like them?

Greetings,
I was wondering if anyone has used the Bello SP-300 or Bello Sp-24 Speaker stands with the ERA Design 4 Speakers, and if so how do you like them?

Hi Brent,
It's a beautiful stand but the top plate is much too big... you would really need a 4x4 like the Definitive Tech Pro 100/1000. Not my fav, but works pretty well.

David Solomon

I wounder if one of you or perhaps David S. can give me some advice. I have most of my setup installed (D14 for fronts, D4Center for the center, and D4's for the rears. I have the D14 set to Large, and the Center and rears as Small, along with my Receiver crossover at 80 Hz. My receives is a Pioneer Elite SC-07. I'm finding that the dialog is a bit hard to understand at times as it seems to be a bit mid heavy or perhaps too little high end? Either way the dialog is sort of muddy. Have I set this up incorrectly? I tried a crossover at 50Hz as well with no noticeable difference. BTW I have a sub in the mail so right now I'm just with these 5 speakers.

thoughts?

thanks in advance, paul

I have the D14 set to Large, and the Center and rears as Small, along with my Receiver crossover at 80 Hz.

There is no real need to set the D14's to LARGE for home theater usage.

Did you AUTO calibrate or just adjust by ear? You may need to change the speaker distance settings, etc. to hear a noticeable difference.

Are the D10's & D14's available in black or piano black?

Are the D10's & D14's available in black or piano black?

NO, at least I've never seen a pair of them in black.

I wounder if one of you or perhaps David S. can give me some advice. I have most of my setup installed (D14 for fronts, D4Center for the center, and D4's for the rears. I have the D14 set to Large, and the Center and rears as Small, along with my Receiver crossover at 80 Hz. My receives is a Pioneer Elite SC-07. I'm finding that the dialog is a bit hard to understand at times as it seems to be a bit mid heavy or perhaps too little high end? Either way the dialog is sort of muddy. Have I set this up incorrectly? I tried a crossover at 50Hz as well with no noticeable difference. BTW I have a sub in the mail so right now I'm just with these 5 speakers.

thoughts?

thanks in advance, paul
Hi Paul,
I agree w/Tony that running the D14 in small would most likely rectify the problem and restore the mid-range clarity. Having said this, it's known that I like running mains in full range when possible. I like that mid-bass punch that ia hard to replicate w/an avg subwoofer.
To get into this a little deeper, we designed the D14 to be pulled away from the wall 2-4ft for rooms that are tight w/ not much low freq resonance. They just have a bunch of low-energy. The D10 was designed to be installed closer to the wall or w/rooms that have a deeper (looser) resonate frequency.
So on first glance, it sounds like you either have the speakers too close to the wall or you have a room that is bass fat. Which brings us back to Tony's suggestion of running them crossed over a little higher than where the bass begins to bloom.
If you're new to this or the above is close to Latin, you should probably get a local dealer to calibrate the system. It makes all the difference in the world.
Hope this helps,
David

thanks very much for the advice. I will try this tonight. I currently have the D14's setup 28 inches from the rear wall and toe in is 25 degrees from normal. The music performance with good recordings is very good with good clarity and clear highs. I am only seeing vocal mud in movies. Anyway I will try the crossover settings in Small mode and then try moving further from the wall.

thanks for your help.

apul

Hi all,

I'm trying to put a 5.1 system together that I'll enjoy and my wife will enjoy looking at. :) I love the Era's, but my wife is dead-set on in-ceiling surround speakers. Farther back, I saw mention of them as an upcoming possibility, but I can find nothing on Era's website to show if/when they are coming.

Can anyone shed some light on this?

Thanks!

Hi Paul,

So on first glance, it sounds like you either have the speakers too close to the wall or you have a room that is bass fat. Which brings us back to Tony's suggestion of running them crossed over a little higher than where the bass begins to bloom.
If you're new to this or the above is close to Latin, you should probably get a local dealer to calibrate the system. It makes all the difference in the world.
Hope this helps,
David

Hi David I had a productive weekend and found something unexpected. I found that my center channel kept acting like the highs were not being reproduced and after the above changes I reran the pioneer MCACC calibration system and noticed something strange. During the speaker distance checking portion the system generates high frequency chirps to do what I assume is a time of flight calc. As the Fronts, surrounds, and center located I got a CHIRP, CHIRP, CHIRP, CHIRP, THUD! Dead tweeter or what? I pulled the wiring and verified good contact and retested. THUD!. I pulled a D5 from my ZOne 2 and tried it. CHIRP! I switched back, THUD! I also selected a troublesome vocal section of a DVD and tested both and with the center it was very difficult to understand, with the D5 it was crystal clear. I went ahead and returned the center to the dealer and expect to hear back soon. I suspect this is a freak. My dealer seems to be selling lots of these and they said that they've never had a failure and I have no reason to doubt that. Either way stuff happens and this is a reason that I'm glad I bought good stuff from a reputable place!

regards

paul

Hi all,

I'm trying to put a 5.1 system together that I'll enjoy and my wife will enjoy looking at. :) I love the Era's, but my wife is dead-set on in-ceiling surround speakers. Farther back, I saw mention of them as an upcoming possibility, but I can find nothing on Era's website to show if/when they are coming.

Can anyone shed some light on this?

Thanks!

Hi Grit,
We are currently not going forward w/the in-ceiling speakers. There are several that work well w/our speakers. First off, if you're only playing movies, bloody little actually goes to your back speakers. They're mostly for effects and room size ques. You will get an occasional bullet or plane flying overhead, but not too often.
If you're listening to movies mostly, I would recommend a mid-grade speakercraft or something w/a soft dome tweeter. If you listen to 5.1 music, you might want to step up to Triad for the rear effects. They match the era's better in timber and tone.
Hope this helps,
David Solomon

Has anyone tried the Sanus Hover (http://www.sanus.com/us/en/products/speaker-foundations/sp-hover/HF1) series stands with the D3s? I use D3s as surrounds for my D4 Sat and LCR. My new apartment is forcing me to stand mount everything instead of wall mounting it like I did in my last home. I'm considering using the Sanus all around as they are rated to 10# and the D4s only weight 10.4#s. Or I can use the Def Tech Pro 100/200/1000 stands for the D4 sats but it looks too big, plus no threaded bottom insert for the D3s.

Hi David I had a productive weekend and found something unexpected. I found that my center channel kept acting like the highs were not being reproduced and after the above changes I reran the pioneer MCACC calibration system and noticed something strange. During the speaker distance checking portion the system generates high frequency chirps to do what I assume is a time of flight calc. As the Fronts, surrounds, and center located I got a CHIRP, CHIRP, CHIRP, CHIRP, THUD! Dead tweeter or what? I pulled the wiring and verified good contact and retested. THUD!. I pulled a D5 from my ZOne 2 and tried it. CHIRP! I switched back, THUD! I also selected a troublesome vocal section of a DVD and tested both and with the center it was very difficult to understand, with the D5 it was crystal clear. I went ahead and returned the center to the dealer and expect to hear back soon. I suspect this is a freak. My dealer seems to be selling lots of these and they said that they've never had a failure and I have no reason to doubt that. Either way stuff happens and this is a reason that I'm glad I bought good stuff from a reputable place!

regards

paul

Congratulations Paul... LOL,,,You are about the 3rd person to blow a tweeter in 5 years. This was also the most likely cause of your problem but I never even thought of it since we have so few blown. Glad you figured it out.
We'll be glad to send a tweet to your dealer, but would have sent one straight to you to change out.
It's an easy swap and will take all of 5 minutes.
So you know, everything that happens on screen comes out of the center. Explosions, crashes voices etc.. It's the most used speaker in a multi-channel system w/video. Therefore, it typically needs a really good amp that keeps up w/the volume you want to recreate. My final thought is you may not have quite enough power going to it. You may want to run it on small to br less taxing on your receiver. If you already have it on small and you blow another, you just need more power or DC is somehow making it down the line from the receiver.
Thanks for the update!
David

Has anyone tried the Sanus Hover (http://www.sanus.com/us/en/products/speaker-foundations/sp-hover/HF1) series stands with the D3s? I use D3s as surrounds for my D4 Sat and LCR. My new apartment is forcing me to stand mount everything instead of wall mounting it like I did in my last home. I'm considering using the Sanus all around as they are rated to 10# and the D4s only weight 10.4#s. Or I can use the Def Tech Pro 100/200/1000 stands for the D4 sats but it looks too big, plus no threaded bottom insert for the D3s.

I have used these stands, but like all telescoping stands, they are not very stable. They are made for the garden variety plastic speakers that are so popular these days.
I go down to the Def Tech stands as needed because they are more stable.
For adhearing them, I use BluTac...or you can just go to an office depot and get some tac-n-stik, which is basicly the same stuff for about $1...
Just wad a little on each corner of the stand and they hold the speaker in place well.
I'd go one step further and sand load the Def Tech stands. They sound better and are more stable like this.
Best wishes,
David

If you listen to 5.1 music, you might want to step up to Triad for the rear effects. They match the era's better in timber and tone.


Sweet! No wonder I am enjoying my D5s and a D5 LCR across the front with Triad InCeiling speakers for the surrounds. :D I had not seen this combo mentioned here, but was really my only choice as my system is in a room with an open floor plan that spreads into the adjacent room. Ceiling mounting the surrounds was my only option. I got a deal on a pair of Triad Mini/8 LCR InCeiling speakers and they do go very well with the D5s.

I have used these stands, but like all telescoping stands, they are not very stable. They are made for the garden variety plastic speakers that are so popular these days.
I go down to the Def Tech stands as needed because they are more stable.
For adhearing them, I use BluTac...or you can just go to an office depot and get some tac-n-stik, which is basicly the same stuff for about $1...
Just wad a little on each corner of the stand and they hold the speaker in place well.
I'd go one step further and sand load the Def Tech stands. They sound better and are more stable like this.
Best wishes,
David

Thanks Dave but won't the Def Tech top plate show through with the small D3s?

Congratulations Paul... LOL,,,You are about the 3rd person to blow a tweeter in 5 years. This was also the most likely cause of your problem but I never even thought of it since we have so few blown. Glad you figured it out.
David

No Worries. BTW the dealer verified a high freq issue not not specifically a tweeter problem (wiring/electronics??). I suspect DOA or damage in shipment as it always had the problem (first call to the dealer was next day) and I never pumped any high-ish power to the system. On the pioneer we yet to get over -15 to -20 dB in 5.1 mode. Chances of a blown tweeter seem slim. Either way its getting sorted. Thanks for standing behind your stuff. Wish everyone did!

cheers
paul
p

Thanks Dave but won't the Def Tech top plate show through with the small D3s?

No, They're perfect. Not quite as wide and deep as the D3.
Best,
David

For you A/V knowledgeable types: My new blu-ray player (LG BD390) has an audio setting for speakers: large or small. Does anyone have any idea what this really means/does? Any advice on what's right for ERA D5's (via Peachtree Nova) without subwoofers in a 2-channel system? I am interested in musical results, not gut shaking movie sound. A/B comparisons are tough because of how long it takes to make the change in the BD menu system.

For you A/V knowledgeable types: My new blu-ray player (LG BD390) has an audio setting for speakers: large or small. Does anyone have any idea what this really means/does? Any advice on what's right for ERA D5's (via Peachtree Nova) without subwoofers in a 2-channel system? I am interested in musical results, not gut shaking movie sound. A/B comparisons are tough because of how long it takes to make the change in the BD menu system.

Set it to large. Setting it to small, will send the bass information to a sub. Since you are not using one, you want everything sent to your D5s. Your D5s will play what they can and not play the really deep stuff. I am not real familiar with the Nova, but you want to make sure the settings are Large with it as well if you have the choice, for the same reasons.

rwinner, how do you like the Nova with the D5s? I am looking to free up some desk space and consolidate the Musical Fidelity stack + headphone amp into the Nova.

rwinner, how do you like the Nova with the D5s? I am looking to free up some desk space and consolidate the Musical Fidelity stack + headphone amp into the Nova.
I like the Nova and D5 combination but with some reservations. First, you need to know that I am not using this as a desktop setup but rather as a main stereo and for TV viewing. My principal interest is classical music. My room is small (12ftx12ft). I am replacing a set of Fried R2 speakers that I have used happily since 1975. The Nova/D5 is more analytical and brighter than the Fried/Rotel combo and I have to get used to it or add some bass (25-50Hz) somehow or the D5's just need to break in some. Right now I can't add a subwoofer but will be able to eventually. I am pretty pleased with the soundstage; the Frieds were great on that. I don't use headphones. I am a computer guy and am thinking about setting up a music server using a spare PC I inherited. If you have a site to recommend that discusses how best to do this, please let me know. For now, the complexity of a new TV, new blu-ray, new amp, new speakers, new cabinet that smells bad, new fans, new cables, etc., and a wife who doubts the wisdom of all this is all I can handle!

I like the Nova and D5 combination but with some reservations. First, you need to know that I am not using this as a desktop setup but rather as a main stereo and for TV viewing. My principal interest is classical music. My room is small (12ftx12ft). I am replacing a set of Fried R2 speakers that I have used happily since 1975. The Nova/D5 is more analytical and brighter than the Fried/Rotel combo and I have to get used to it or add some bass (25-50Hz) somehow or the D5's just need to break in some. Right now I can't add a subwoofer but will be able to eventually. I am pretty pleased with the soundstage; the Frieds were great on that. I don't use headphones. I am a computer guy and am thinking about setting up a music server using a spare PC I inherited. If you have a site to recommend that discusses how best to do this, please let me know. For now, the complexity of a new TV, new blu-ray, new amp, new speakers, new cabinet that smells bad, new fans, new cables, etc., and a wife who doubts the wisdom of all this is all I can handle!

Hi,
You should know that the D5 and Nova takes a few days to break-in.
After that, the system mellows and becomes more musical and much less bright.
I won't even play the D5's or Nova at a show until they have at least 48-72 hours on them.
Would love to know how you like once you've had some time on the system.
Best wishes,
David Solomon

Hi,
You should know that the D5 and Nova takes a few days to break-in.
After that, the system mellows and becomes more musical and much less bright.
I won't even play the D5's or Nova at a show until they have at least 48-72 hours on them.
Would love to know how you like once you've had some time on the system.
Best wishes,
David Solomon
Fair enough. Life intervenes, so it may take a month before I have broken them in.

I like the Nova and D5 combination but with some reservations. First, you need to know that I am not using this as a desktop setup but rather as a main stereo and for TV viewing. My principal interest is classical music. My room is small (12ftx12ft). I am replacing a set of Fried R2 speakers that I have used happily since 1975. The Nova/D5 is more analytical and brighter than the Fried/Rotel combo and I have to get used to it or add some bass (25-50Hz) somehow or the D5's just need to break in some. Right now I can't add a subwoofer but will be able to eventually. I am pretty pleased with the soundstage; the Frieds were great on that. I don't use headphones. I am a computer guy and am thinking about setting up a music server using a spare PC I inherited. If you have a site to recommend that discusses how best to do this, please let me know. For now, the complexity of a new TV, new blu-ray, new amp, new speakers, new cabinet that smells bad, new fans, new cables, etc., and a wife who doubts the wisdom of all this is all I can handle!

If you are interested in a media server/client solution i would highly recommend you have a look at XBMC. I have been using it for about three years and find it to be far ahead of most other solutions out there. I would start by checking out the website as well as a very extensive thread here on avsforum:

http://xbmc.org/

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=635294

It is a little work to get set up, by once you are there, it is fantastic to use. If you have questions about it, feel free to PM me.

Jeff

I have decided to dismantle my 5.1 system and go back to 2 channel listening. I was thinking of using my D5 - LCR with a SONOS unit in a large bedroom but I would want to wire it up for mono. Does anyone know if there is a safe way to do this? If not I would probably just sell the speaker.

You just have to connect the positive lead to the Right positive post on the amp and the negative lead to the Left negative post on the amp. (Or the opposite way. It doesn't matter)

If I do as you suggest while I get both channels or just the rt. or left?

Neither. You'll just have mono.

Hi
I have bought Era design 5 speakers last week. I have Pio BDP-51d payer.
and SAMY 46A650 ,NAD 325 BEE Int Amp. If i connect my TV and BDP 51d with hdmi cable , i am getting "hum" sound from era speakers.. I doubt that are these speakers magnetically shielded...????

Hi
I have bought Era design 5 speakers last week. I have Pio BDP-51d payer.
and SAMY 46A650 ,NAD 325 BEE Int Amp. If i connect my TV and BDP 51d with hdmi cable , i am getting "hum" sound from era speakers.. I doubt that are these speakers magnetically shielded...????

Magnetic shielding is to protect the picture on a CRT based television. It has nothing to do with the sound. In fact the magnets that are being shielded are in the speakers, not the television. For your hum, I am guessing you have a ground loop somewhere in your electronics.

thanks for the reply...I am getting "hum" sound if i connect this player with my TV(Samy LN46A650) through HDMI cable. I used different cables but still i am getting hum sound. If i disconnect the hdmi cable the humm sound disappears.you were saying about ground loop in my electronics..can you please explain what is ground loop?? na dhow to get rid off?

I am looking for advice about subwoofers. I have era Design 5 monitors in a 12x12 room. I am interested in (classical) music performance in a 2-channel system. I'm thinking I'd like to extend the base about an octave, that is to about 25Hz. If I want earth movement, I'll use sex, not the stereo. :)
One non-obvious question is whether there is a substantial and cost-effective advantage to getting a subwoofer for each channel. I can buy used (Audiogon, ebay) and expect to spend less than $1000, perhaps substantially less. Brand advice is welcome. I've looked at Hsu, ACI, KEF, and era, but I note a large number of respected brands.

I am looking for advice about subwoofers. I have era Design 5 monitors in a 12x12 room. I am interested in (classical) music performance in a 2-channel system. I'm thinking I'd like to extend the base about an octave, that is to about 25Hz. .... I can buy used (Audiogon, ebay) and expect to spend less than $1000, perhaps substantially less. Brand advice is welcome. I've looked at Hsu, ACI, KEF, and era, but I note a large number of respected brands.

For that size room, one sub for each channel is overkill, in my opinion, but if you can get a good deal, go for two. I have the Design 5 monitors in a 5.1 system in a much larger room and use one Martin Logan Abyss sub with very good results. For a 12x12 room, you could probably even go with the Martin Logan Dynamo. Listening to both the Abyss and Dynamo I found that they are very "musical". By that I mean that I could actually hear different notes and not just a thump, thump, thump. If you listen mostly to classical music, I think you would enjoy the Martin Logan subs. Both are in your budget range if you are buying used from Audiogon, etc.

Hey all. looking to drive my D5 pair in another room and I'm investigating a disk player and amp combination or perhaps a combined unit like the NAD L54. I was planning on running these as a Zone 2 set off my pioneer sc07 but the cost of the cabling and remote solutions are near what separate components would cost. any thoughts? Everyone here is familiar with the D5's and reasonable power levels. I'm not experienced in players/amps so your thoughts are valued. THis is the last step in my audio journey! woohoo! listened to so many speakers my ears bled. well not really.

Hey all. looking to drive my D5 pair in another room and I'm investigating a disk player and amp combination or perhaps a combined unit like the NAD L54. I was planning on running these as a Zone 2 set off my pioneer sc07 but the cost of the cabling and remote solutions are near what separate components would cost. any thoughts? Everyone here is familiar with the D5's and reasonable power levels. I'm not experienced in players/amps so your thoughts are valued. THis is the last step in my audio journey! woohoo! listened to so many speakers my ears bled. well not really.
I've found te Peachtree Nova to have plenty of power for the D5's at 80 w/c. They bill it as "high current," but I'm not sure of the significance relative to your question. With the Nova you might consider going purely digital with the Wadia dock or a digital-out cd player. You don't state a budget and this may be out of your range for this application.

actually i did look at the Nova as you mentioned and you are correct it is a bit more than I want to spend. I was and am searching for a CD/DVD player and amp that would drive the D5 pair for roughly $500. I think the NAD L73 fits the bill and as far as I can tell is a good piece of gear for the money. It has 60W x 2 which seems a bit low but my wife (ie. the user) NEVER cranks it so I suspect 60 will be OK. It also has a tuner so she can listen to car talk on weekends. If I'm gonna drag the spouse into stereo geekdom it must be done in baby steps and with her thinking its her idea! thanks for the verification of your power experience.

I think the NAD L73 fits the bill and as far as I can tell is a good piece of gear for the money. It has 60W x 2 which seems a bit low but my wife (ie. the user) NEVER cranks it so I suspect 60 will be OK. It also has a tuner so she can listen to car talk on weekends. If I'm gonna drag the spouse into stereo geekdom it must be done in baby steps and with her thinking its her idea! thanks for the verification of your power experience.

I think the L73 would be fine for the D5s. Remember that NAD is much more conservative in their power ratings than other brands. A 60W NAD amp is usually equivalent in real power to other brands' amps rated at 100W or more.

I bought an Era Sub 8 last week for my bedroom system. I ran it in my living room for a while to give it a good check out and see what it's really about. I can say that this little sub is a dynamo. It's got some great punch and handled some pretty bass heavy content really loud without any signs of giving up or distress. Given it's size and that it's only an 8" driver, you would never guess what this thing is capable of. Then again, given what Era can do with the D5, I guess you could expect that their subs would also punch above their weight as well. I am not only completely satisfied but thoroughly impressed with it's performance.

On an unrelated note, I heard that Era no longer has a Canadian distributor. I hope that we will still have access to Era products up here.

Oh, I've also got the D5, D5 LCR and D3 surrounds.

I have the option of buying Era Design D10 or Cambridge Soundworks Tower I, used for around $500. Any comparisons other than the stated specs? Thanks!

Due to this thread (and overall perception/reviews on the web) ERA has caught my eye as a possibility in my new speaker quest.

My main question (and by far most the important element in speaker performance to me) aimed at people who own either the D4 or the D5 is how does this speaker sound at LOW volume ?

Due to family constraints (wife + daughter) almost all of my listening is done at low to very low levels with the majority of that done "late night" after the said wife and daughter are asleep.

How does the D4/D5 perform at low volume ? I think I read in one review that the author stated that the D5 is the best speaker he has ever heard at low volumes. Can people who own the product confirm this ?

Amplification is provided by the Pioneer Elite SX-A6-J 2 channel receiver. It is rated on paper at 60W/CH but my suspicion is that it has more juice than that.

It is a DUAL MONO design (seperate XFMR for L/R channels) and weighs in at 22 lbs. Furthermore, Pioneer claims that in low power that it runs in Pure Class A mode for what that may or may not be worth.

One last question: how much space does the D5 need in the rear to avoid any bass boom ? The only place available for my speakers is on an open bookshelf ledge which is about 18" or so from the back wall.

Does ERA make a port plug for the D5 ? If not can some tissue be placed in the port if is sounds to thick ?

Any thoughts on this would be appreciated.

P.S.
Reading through this thread it really makes an impression (very positive) on me that the company owner is so engaged with his customer base.

Thanks

Bwilson1,
I have been living with D5's for about 5 months and am very pleased. I have listened at various volume levels except extremely loud. I often listen at lower-than-optimum levels to keep peace in the family. I found that the D5's needed about a month to break in; I am not sure whether I broke in or they did. I was changing from a pair of 1975-era Fried R2's that had a remarkably good bass and a somewhat laid back, "English" sound. The D5's are more accurate and lively and they seem to have a bass extension down to about 50-60, but that might require volume to achieve. I have recently added an NHT U2 bass system since they have had a price drop. Crossing over at 60, seems to add the right level of lower bass, and this combination sounds fantastic. I should point out that these remarks apply to classical music as I am much more forgiving on movies and TV than with acoustic music and have virtually no interest in rock.

The D5's present a remarkable sound stage. I listened yesterday to the ASV recording of the Lindsays playing the Death and the Maiden quartet and was astounded at the precision of the sound stage. It's a good choice of recording because it's plausible that a string quartet could actually be in the room. You can hear the bite of the strings that recordings and systems often mask, but which you can't miss in a live performance. I don't get this effusive often, but I was transported.

I have my D5's with the backs about 10-12" from the wall on an open console and have no boom problem from the port. My room is only 12'x12', which may make the U2 seem like extreme overkill, but the dual speakers and great controls make it so much easier to get around room dynamics. My amp is a Peachtree Audio Nova at 80w/ch and it is plenty powerful enough for the D5's. In fact, I am becoming convinced that we Americans are over-obsessed with watts.

For really keeping things quiet, you might consider some good head- or ear-phones. I like the Shure SE530's; they have had a huge price drop lately.

Due to this thread (and overall perception/reviews on the web) ERA has caught my eye as a possibility in my new speaker quest.

My main question (and by far most the important element in speaker performance to me) aimed at people who own either the D4 or the D5 is how does this speaker sound at LOW volume ?


Amplification is provided by the Pioneer Elite SX-A6-J 2 channel receiver. It is rated on paper at 60W/CH but my suspicion is that it has more juice than that.


One last question: how much space does the D5 need in the rear to avoid any bass boom ? The only place available for my speakers is on an open bookshelf ledge which is about 18" or so from the back wall.

Does ERA make a port plug for the D5 ? If not can some tissue be placed in the port if is sounds to thick ?

Thanks

This may seem a bit biased, but the D4/5 does sound really good at low levels. And the A6 should be a good match.
18" should be fine, but if too much bass, you can always use foam rubber to plug the port(s).
Best wishes,
David Solomon

Hi, I'm new!

I have a sub question!

I've been using Monitor Audio Silver 4i's up front (I believe David had a hand in those, no?) and a few years ago bought some D3's to replace my tiny MA Bronze surrounds.

The D3's sounded so interesting that I A/B'd my 4i's & D3's and had mixed feelings about the comparison - (my D3's seemed more musical).

I am picking up my D5 sats & Center tomorrow - query what is a good non era sub to run with this system? I only care about music,

I am thinking of upgrading my Monitor Audio ASW sub, it is IMO pretty accurate but also not state of the art. Any suggestions?

Thanks!

Ron

Hi, I'm new!
I am picking up my D5 sats & Center tomorrow - query what is a good non era sub to run with this system? I only care about music,

I am thinking of upgrading my Monitor Audio ASW sub, it is IMO pretty accurate but also not state of the art. Any suggestions?


I am sure there are lots of good options, but I have a Martin Logan Abyss sub with my D5 sats and D5 LCR and really like it. The Abyss is a very "musical" sub. You can actually hear the different low bass notes and not just thump, thump, thump...

Checking out their web site, looks like the Abyss is a discontinued model, but the Dynamo 1000 has very similar features and specs.

Hi, I'm new!

I have a sub question!


I am thinking of upgrading my Monitor Audio ASW sub, it is IMO pretty accurate but also not state of the art. Any suggestions?

Thanks!

Ron

without budget this is tough. I know nothing about the monitor ASW so you will need to have a listen. My only suggestion is a JL Fathom. I have the F112 and I'm amused and pleased everytime it turns on. WOrks extremely well in music only and will damage your house in HT mode. I also listened to REL/Paradigm servo/velodyne 15inch and selected the F112 with no questions. Mind I did not listen to every model of the others but I did listen to the same music on each although I can't say anything about the room correction or treatments.

I think the L73 would be fine for the D5s. Remember that NAD is much more conservative in their power ratings than other brands. A 60W NAD amp is usually equivalent in real power to other brands' amps rated at 100W or more.

followup for anyone interested. THe D5's running off a NAD L73 with 60wpc is a dandy setup. The D5's can take everything the NAD can dish but sound great and in HT mode (set to large) will and do shake the floor. Had a bit of a accident in setup and got 5 seconds of high volume LFE and WOW. So an honest 60wpc is just fine.

paul

My main question (and by far most the important element in speaker performance to me) aimed at people who own either the D4 or the D5 is how does this speaker sound at LOW volume ?

How does the D4/D5 perform at low volume ? I think I read in one review that the author stated that the D5 is the best speaker he has ever heard at low volumes. Can people who own the product confirm this ?


Hello - I was able to demo both the D4s & D5s at a dealer a year or so ago, both were set-up on a shelf. Both sounded good to me but I went with the D4's as the D5 seemed 'slightly' boomy at higher volumes (in fairness to the D5's, they were only 6"-8" from the wall and the plug wasn't installed). In my opinion the D4's sound very good at low volumes, with excellent mid range tone (hooked up to an Arcam solo in a family room) and will play as loud as I need when the volume is turned up.

I have a sub question!

I am picking up my D5 sats & Center tomorrow - query what is a good non era sub to run with this system? I only care about music,


Hello - As mentioned in paulsax's reply, without a price point it's a tough answer. JL is one of the best, but it's up there in price. If there's a place you could demo some B&W subs, the ASW610 (or ASW610XP) might be worth the trip to listen to.