Quote:
Originally Posted by Eternal Velocity /forum/post/21681508
Sensitivity is not as high as a typical pro audio speaker but it's perfectly fine.
With three 6.5" drivers, two 5.25" mids, and a high 3khz tweeter crossover point, these things can handle a good 200+ watts without compressing (which is better than some more sensitive speakers). The only time these speakers have EVER made me cringe was during inception; the scene when the glass breaks. And that was near reference levels on probably one of the most dynamic movies in the world. I'd wager you have to bust out over $3000 to do movies like that justice at reference. And no, some 12" elemental designs horn speakers won't do it justice, they'll just do it loud.
The Aluminum/Poly matrix cone is very well-designed and surprisingly resolving. The tweeter is nice and detailed.
Off-axis response is pretty nice. The tonality doesn't shift significantly whether you treat the room or not, or if you shift seats or not. The 2nd order midrange crossover has a lot to do with this. Overall frequency response is a LOT flatter than pretty much any other sub- 1K speaker (+/- 2db), never mind a complex 3-way with six drivers. They're not very placement sensitive at all, either.
Imaging is convincing enough. I wouldn't call it holographic, but the stereo image emanates from behind and around the speaker. You can tell they spent a good bit of time optimizing this speaker, because with this many drivers they really shouldn't image like they do. On good music you can close your eyes and forget the speakers are there.
The bass is very well damped (at least on my Generation 1s), which means it's slightly on the dry side. People used to typical "speaker bass" will probably find it a bit lacking, but it's a bit more accurate. Still not as tight as ""headphone bass"", but I'm sure that has to do with my room to a good extent.
The Cabinets are absolutely beautiful, even 2 years later I still smile looking at these speakers.
Honestly, this price for e55tis is a total steal. Unless you've got $1600 to drop on a pair of Philharmonic speakers, these are probably the best speakers you can buy. At the very least, they'll bring a smile to your face, unless you want speakers that add a thick layer of "cough syrup bass".