Emotiva Ultra Subwoofers

I know someone over at the Emo Lounge said he ordered one and expected it on Thursday so hopefully he posts his impressions on it.

What sub has auto-cal?

The Rythmiks with the PEQ amp provide one band of parametric EQ (manually set).

What other subs even have that? The Ultras do not come with an EQ ability.

You certainly can buy external sub eq systems, some of which are automatic.

On an aside, I've been waiting for these Ultra subs from Emo since late last year. They were first promised in January when prototype were expected early in the month and the pre-order was to be on the website by the second week. That of course never happened.

Then some tease news in a webcast in Mid-February with again "imminent" overtones.

Finally, they are here. Or at least the 12", hopefully the 10" is orderable soon.

I think the 10" will be a real contender in some markets - dominantly the 2.1 space where size and/or budget constraints exist. I plan to get one while anxiously waiting for a Rythmik F10 to become a reality.

I like Emotiva as a company, but i'm seriously having to call BS on some of these stats unless they're selling $1500 worth of subwoofer for $500.

That 12" is in a sealed 14.5"w 14.5"h 15.25"d cube, with a 500w amp, and they're claiming that the "typical in room SPL" is 113db? I'd call ******** if they said it did 113db at 1m, that would be the equivalent of a PB13 Ultra. Unless their idea of a "typical" room is a 3' cube where you're spooning the subwoofer...

The JL audio HT subs (f112/f113, gotham, etc) all have auto calibration. I wanna say the Velodyne DD-15/DD-18 do as well, but im not 100% sure on the latter.

And what's wrong with spooning your subwoofer? I agree, those are some pretty tall claims from Emo though. Isn't there already a subwoofer that goes by the "ULTRA" name? Is that just a play on marketing under an already great product? I do own an Ultra, but mine has SVS on it. I also own an Emo, but that just seems kind of cheesy to me!

So these are out now. Thoughts?

As for the Ultra name, I will cut them some slack as their entire entry product line is called Ultra. That's what the U in UPA and USP stands for.

consider how much markup is made on speakers on the commercial side and you will find that their claims are probably not that exagerated.

I still find their pricing a bit agressive but I will believe it until proven otherwise.

Interested in the 12, but I will wait a bit to get some real proof that it's all that.

SVS should kick some booty here. They should change the namre of our SVS ULTRAs to "SVS not an EMO-SUB...."

It says "Weight 38 lbs", huh????? Can that even be right? My bicycle weighs more than this sub. Judging by the rest of the specs I would have guessed it'd weigh-in near double that.

I thought that the SV SB12plus was light, until i saw the emo ultra12, not to mention, it claims to have extensive bracing, which in terms should add some weight, but it doesnt seem like it added. The frequency response is also listed as in room response which means it should play higher in anechoic. At 499, cant expect too much.

Some 12" drivers weigh more than that sub. Not that weight equals quality, but 38lbs for an approximate 14" cube made of mdf with bracing plus driver and amp should clock in at considerably more than that.

I agree something don't seem right. I have (2) Mirage Prestige S10 that weighs about 40#'s each, nice sub but I am looking for something that hits harder.

Velodyne: All the DD Series, Optimum series and DEQ Series of subwoofers as well as the SubContractor Series of amps all have auto-cal.

Paradigm: Signature SUB25, SUB1 and SUB2, Seismic 110, SUB 12 and SUB 15, UltraCube 10 and 12, and all the DSP series have EQ but you need the Paradigm PBK-1 mic system.

JL Audio: Gotham and Fathom series has EQ.

Triad: All InRoom DSP subwoofers have EQ

Sunfire: All True Sub EQ series have EQ.

These are the subs I know about


or you can add the Velodyne SMS-1 or the Audyssey Sub Equalizer to almost any subwoofer to get better sound in your room.

My Epik Vanquish is about the same dimensions 14" cube and weighs in at 75 lbs.

Exactly - you can get auto cal on ultra high end subs; others, like Rythmik with PEQ amp have a band available manually; otherwise you need an external system (and many of them are still manually).

My point is that the budget Emo Ultra subs shouldn't be knocked for not having an ultra high end feature.

The Epik must be a very solid cabinet.

Everyone is knocking the weight of the Emo sub, but look at the eD A3S-250 and future SVS SB-12 NSD.... They are similar sized subs with 10" and 12" drivers, respectively...and they only weight in at 35 lbs shipped and 41 lbs, respectively.

Doesn't seem Emo is too far off from others in this size range.

Not knocking on emo. Just points that we noticed from emo compare to the competetion. The svs Sb nsd12 has a slight smaller enclousure then emo, yet still is almost 10% heavier. I would say that weight might helps us get an idea of how well the cabinets are constructed. Just a thought.

True...although driver and amp weight need to be considered as well. SVS usually has some pretty solid drivers, so that may account for much of the weight difference.

I like the Epik Dual Empires. 140# might bust something to lift it.

It is pretty solid! I think the Rythmik 12" is in the same weight range.

Wrong! The Rythmik F12 is roughly almost a 16" cube and yet its 80lbs. Of course it sports a Class A/B amp which will outweigh a Class D but not by that much!

I was referring to the Rythmik in comparison to my Epik Vanquish - probably not obvious without seeing the comment above though. I would call 75 lbs (Epik) vs 80 lbs (Rythmik) in the same range.

Okay... now that you point it out, I can see our mis-communication scenario clearly. Yes, it would appear the F12 and the Vanquish are very similar in weights and both are a good deal heavier than the new Ultra 12 Emo... with the real questions being "Why is that? What is it missing?" and "Is the missing weight going to result in anything audible?"

Thats what I am talking about. I like the Epik and the SVS. If I am going to upgrade from the Mirage Prestige S10's I have, I don't want to buy something that is not much better than what I already have. I have 3 Emotiva amps and a Emotiva Preamp and love their products, but I want to make the right choice.

I ordered an Ultra 12 last week. Should have it this next week so I'll post my impressions....

Can't wait, I have the green light from the wife....