**Official EMP Owner's Thread** - Page 41

Originally Posted by NicksHitachi 

+1

Originally Posted by ousooner2 

Might have to wait it out until July 4th. Seems like that's the other sale they had last year. You all might try to start a list or something and if they get enough people buying they might throw you a 10% discount or something

Anyone have experience with the 3310 or any Denon AVR's?

Denon 3310 w/ no warranty (local) = $380
Denon 1712 w/ 1 yr warranty (A4L) = $335

What do you all think? The 3310 is a local guy that's on here and Audioholics. I just dont want anything to fall apart on it in a few months and be SOL. I don't need any networking, but I cant seem to find any better AVR's for the price out there. The Onkyo's around $350 are about the same as the Denon's, but don't feature MultEQ XT

Originally Posted by ousooner2 

Well he's actually got 2 of the 3310's and said if anything happens within the first year or so he'll refund me like $100 OR sell me the other 3310 he has for like $300. Seems like a good guy from when I've talked to him. Has TONS of higher end equipment (salon2's, 201/2's, 802D's, etc) so I think he knows how to take care of his equipment properly.

That's a good idea about the pre-outs though. I don't need them now, but I'd like to add a 3 channel amp down the road since my room is larger than most. Now I need to pick up the TV stand and sub. I think I'm going to go with that 74" Legends Downtown Loft stand as it'll fit the e56ci and should fit all AV equipment (shelves are close at 17.25" wide, but should hold AVR's as most are right at 17" lol). Just need to keep it well ventilated in there. Just saw that the 3310 only has MultEQ though, unlike the 17xx that has MultEQ XT where it EQ's the sub. That's a bummer. I'll have a sub way before I put an amp to the front 3 or 2 channels

Originally Posted by jkim2001 



Well EMP gang, it was fun while it lasted. I plan on returning my speakers.

First, let me say the 55Ti towers, ES1010 sub, E56ci center and E55 wi surrounds were an outstanding deal. I got these on BF and don't think others systems come this close to the features/specs it offers.

Second, I gave these puppies a real good listen throwing everything I had at it. It is great for a good HT set-up. Good volume, incredible bass.

Musically it just fell flat. High cymbals and percussion was shockingly muted, voices were hidden. It really felt that I was listening with a towel over my head. Settings on my Pioneer SC-1222K receiver was with zero EQ and room correction. It certainly does wake up a bit on MCACC Room EQ setings but still it didn't have the air or high freq sizzle and decay I was look for.

Thinking it was my receiver, I took the 55Tis over to my friends house. We did A/B comparison to his older Infinity and B&W CDM-7NT on his Yammy receiver. No comparison.

I believe another person on this forum or elsewhere had issues with his speakers. Perhaps we got a bad batch? I've checked polarity, listening positions relative to wall, different toe-in angles, you name it i did it. It goes to show how much I desparately wanted to keep this system.

I spoke to Brian and he admitted the mids/highs are a bit laid back compared to other speakers. But it's not to my taste.

Honestly, if it even gave 50% of the high freq performance of other speakers I listened to, I would have kept them!

I've asked EMP when the speakers are returned back to perhaps take a look into my speakers and see if there was a wiring issue. If so, i may consider keeping them and getting another pair. If everything turns out to be normal, I think EMP should maybe consider getting tweeters retrofitted for their next impression line speaker.

Still, I think for HT purposes, it is a good buy.

Originally Posted by jkim2001 



Well EMP gang, it was fun while it lasted. I plan on returning my speakers.

First, let me say the 55Ti towers, ES1010 sub, E56ci center and E55 wi surrounds were an outstanding deal. I got these on BF and don't think others systems come this close to the features/specs it offers.

Second, I gave these puppies a real good listen throwing everything I had at it. It is great for a good HT set-up. Good volume, incredible bass.

Musically it just fell flat. High cymbals and percussion was shockingly muted, voices were hidden. It really felt that I was listening with a towel over my head. Settings on my Pioneer SC-1222K receiver was with zero EQ and room correction. It certainly does wake up a bit on MCACC Room EQ setings but still it didn't have the air or high freq sizzle and decay I was look for.

Thinking it was my receiver, I took the 55Tis over to my friends house. We did A/B comparison to his older Infinity and B&W CDM-7NT on his Yammy receiver. No comparison.

I believe another person on this forum or elsewhere had issues with his speakers. Perhaps we got a bad batch? I've checked polarity, listening positions relative to wall, different toe-in angles, you name it i did it. It goes to show how much I desparately wanted to keep this system.

I spoke to Brian and he admitted the mids/highs are a bit laid back compared to other speakers. But it's not to my taste.

Honestly, if it even gave 50% of the high freq performance of other speakers I listened to, I would have kept them!

I've asked EMP when the speakers are returned back to perhaps take a look into my speakers and see if there was a wiring issue. If so, i may consider keeping them and getting another pair. If everything turns out to be normal, I think EMP should maybe consider getting tweeters retrofitted for their next impression line speaker.

Still, I think for HT purposes, it is a good buy.

Originally Posted by MrEastSide 

Not discounting anyone's opinion, but I've just never understood how someone can think a speaker is good for HT and not for music and vice versa. Obviously, there's differences in the two, but movies are filled with music and all kinds of dynamics. It just doesn't make sense to me how a speaker can be great for one and not at least moderately good for the other. That said, sorry for your bad luck. I can't get enough of my EMP!

Originally Posted by ousooner2 

That's a pretty interesting take on these! I don't think I've seen one review say the midrange was "hidden". That sounds like a serious room or setup issue to me. There are multiple members, not including Gene (Audioholics mod) that have heard TOOONS of speakers and they say the midrange is spot on with the e55ti's. Let me say though that all that matters is what YOU hear and how YOUR ears perceive the sound. I have no affiliation with EMP and, not to sound like a dick, but I don't really care what speakers you have lol....as long as you end up happy with the sound that's all that matters. I would just hate to see you spend 2x+ for the same level of midrange/lower treble capabilities. I agree in that the tweeter should be a db or so higher, but that would be very close to inaudible most of the time. Sounds like you're definitely after a "brighter" top end type of speaker though. You might check out the Focal 814v's at A4L. I've heard the polyglass line multiple times and it strikes me as very forward. I would say HTD speakers, but I've seen a few people say they have more of a laid back sound for the horn (level 3) so that might not be good for you.

I've never had the chance to use MCACC, but it seems like many on here are much more fond of Audyssey. I wonder if MCACC isn't doing anything for you or is somehow getting something wrong. Have you check the settings after EQ? Are the "changable" after MCACC does it's thing?

Also, just because a speaker isn't as bright on that top end doesn't mean you're necessarily "missing" information. It can definitely be added also!

Have you checked all the drivers to make sure they're all working correctly? You don't have settings on the Pio altered or anything (bass/treble crap on the front of most AVR's)?
Lol I was going to post this same general idea/question. I hate that saying. A frequency is a frequency. It's reproduced at a decibel in which it's told to. Sure that's a SUPER oversimplified version, but you know what I mean. I also don't get how people say brighter speakers are for movies and more laid back ("flat") speakers are for music. The main goal is to reproduce the source accurately, with low distortion, etc. Peoples ears are certainly different, but things aren't any different from movies to music.

Originally Posted by cme4brain 

I would say there is a vast difference between the sound requirements of a HT speaker and one delivering music. HT speakers have- my guess- 80% of their tonal output mostly in the narrow band of human speech and sound effects - certainly the center channel! Again my crummy opinion but I say it takes 5 times the HT speaker quality to reproduce music- at least. Crummy HTIB speakers can do a credible job of reproducing the movie effects, but would be miserable for music. Music reproduction, on the other hand, has the entire frequency range to reproduce- think of a symphony with deep bass kettle drums and high piccalo's. Music, when in a movie, is itself a sound effect and temporary, not the main reason for it. Listening to a music CD however has 100% of the experience is music. Subwoofers are not even needed in music reproduction- traditionalists hate them for music. The entire existance of subwoofers is for home theater. Not trying to raise controversy, just expressing an opinion.

Originally Posted by MrEastSide 

I'm currently playing Lego Lord of the Rings on my XBox360 and while this is a video game, I've got this thing jammin' right now, with huge orchestral arrangements just crashing from my setup and I don't feel like I'm missing a single detail, simply amazing. So these speakers are good for videogames with music, but not music-music... lol. That's why I just never get the argument between different types of content. Really, I'm just poking a little fun. If they don't sound good to him, they don't sound good to him. I do wonder, though, sometimes, if it's partially a mental thing.

As for the Focal 814, I did not find my set forward at all, I couldn't detect anything I could consider bright or enhanced treble. What I did notice was the bass was definitely stronger on the Focal than the EMP. However, I had those Focal set up in a small and more enclosed area. That may have made them seem more boomy than they really are. If he doesn't care for the EMP, I can't see him caring for the 814s. I think they're fairly comparable speakers, minus the inflated price tag that the 814s used to sell for.

At any rate, it could be possible (although, I suspect, highly unlikely) that he got a bad pair of speakers. Perhaps, it's just not the sound he's looking for, or a combination of other variables that he just couldn't get them sounding right.

Originally Posted by ousooner2 

That's a pretty interesting take on these! I don't think I've seen one review say the midrange was "hidden". That sounds like a serious room or setup issue to me. There are multiple members, not including Gene (Audioholics mod) that have heard TOOONS of speakers and they say the midrange is spot on with the e55ti's. Let me say though that all that matters is what YOU hear and how YOUR ears perceive the sound. I have no affiliation with EMP and, not to sound like a dick, but I don't really care what speakers you have lol....as long as you end up happy with the sound that's all that matters. I would just hate to see you spend 2x+ for the same level of midrange/lower treble capabilities. I agree in that the tweeter should be a db or so higher, but that would be very close to inaudible most of the time. Sounds like you're definitely after a "brighter" top end type of speaker though. You might check out the Focal 814v's at A4L. I've heard the polyglass line multiple times and it strikes me as very forward. I would say HTD speakers, but I've seen a few people say they have more of a laid back sound for the horn (level 3) so that might not be good for you.

I've never had the chance to use MCACC, but it seems like many on here are much more fond of Audyssey. I wonder if MCACC isn't doing anything for you or is somehow getting something wrong. Have you check the settings after EQ? Are the "changable" after MCACC does it's thing?

Also, just because a speaker isn't as bright on that top end doesn't mean you're necessarily "missing" information. It can definitely be added also!

Have you checked all the drivers to make sure they're all working correctly? You don't have settings on the Pio altered or anything (bass/treble crap on the front of most AVR's)?
Lol I was going to post this same general idea/question. I hate that saying. A frequency is a frequency. It's reproduced at a decibel in which it's told to. Sure that's a SUPER oversimplified version, but you know what I mean. I also don't get how people say brighter speakers are for movies and more laid back ("flat") speakers are for music. The main goal is to reproduce the source accurately, with low distortion, etc. Peoples ears are certainly different, but things aren't any different from movies to music.

Originally Posted by cme4brain 

I would say there is a vast difference between the sound requirements of a HT speaker and one delivering music. HT speakers have- my guess- 80% of their tonal output mostly in the narrow band of human speech and sound effects - certainly the center channel! Again my crummy opinion but I say it takes 5 times the HT speaker quality to reproduce music- at least. Crummy HTIB speakers can do a credible job of reproducing the movie effects, but would be miserable for music. Music reproduction, on the other hand, has the entire frequency range to reproduce- think of a symphony with deep bass kettle drums and high piccalo's. Music, when in a movie, is itself a sound effect and temporary, not the main reason for it. Listening to a music CD however has 100% of the experience is music. Subwoofers are not even needed in music reproduction- traditionalists hate them for music. The entire existance of subwoofers is for home theater. Not trying to raise controversy, just expressing an opinion.

Originally Posted by ousooner2 

I see what you're saying. I'm not disagreeing, because I think we're talking about the same thing...but kinda characteristics of it. I don't know how to word it. I believe what you're saying is that most people want music to be accurate and for movies to have impact/dynamics throughout the movie...yes?

I mean you could easily say that a music speaker is usually set up in 2.0 and most of the time HT is setup with a center so your 2.0 setup would for one need better dispersion characteristics. But who would NOT want that for a HT speaker? You could also say that a music speaker has more bass below 70-80hz and it can be more of a full range speaker, but if your speaker doesn't play down into the 20's...you could still be missing quite a bit of info. And if it's not playing it at the same spl or slightly higher throughout the bandwidth then it's really not useable. That's not even taking distortion characteristics, power compression, your tune, etc. I don't know of a single thing for a HT speaker I would NOT want for a music setup and vice versa. That's just my mind mind so I'm open to discussion on this kind of stuff because I really like hearing outside opinions.

Sound effects/Musical soundtracks might not be in a movie as much as the vocal range, but it can be very close or more in lots of movies. There isn't a smaller range of frequencies movie producers use. They can and do still use the useable bandwidth (20-20kHz..give or take).

My main point is that 99.9% of people want a speaker that can reproduce the source accurately. Let me say that everyone's ears are different and everyone will not have the same opinion about each speaker, that's what makes choosing speakers such a hard thing without hearing them. Personal preference of sound, room acoustics, tune, etc will play the largest part in speaker choice
So you're saying you do not like these speakers for your music listening? Why not? Just wondering

Originally Posted by jkim2001 

I'm starting to feel the fangs of Emp fans out here and I understand that many of you are happy. I just wish I was