Emerald Physics

So good..Brilliant speakers..I posted about it here when i heard it in RMAF last year. I think they are a steal at the price they sell the CS1.

It was near perfection in that hotel room.
Easily one of the highlights of the show for me.

Highly recommended.

I too love those speakers.
Very live sounding. One of those very rare speakers which does not have any compression. In comparison most “boxed speakers” although very refined, can sound quite compressed. Not the speaker for you if your primary listening is “audiophile female vocals”, “string quartets” and such.
For regular music they “rock”. One good thing about these speakers is that they can sound very good in any room once you tune electronic crossover to your room.
With the right kind of associated equipment, I am sure you can make it refined sounding too.

square_wave schrieb:

Not the speaker for you if your primary listening is “audiophile female vocals”, “string quartets” and such.

I'm a lovin' dat

Square wave,

Did you hear the more recent CS 2.3 and CS 3s? The 2.3 is "the best", although for larger rooms ( and needs to be bi-amped), the CS 3 is more suited to a 250 - 500 sq ft listening area and is easier to integrate in a smaller room...The 3s can even be placed 2ft from the rear wall..

I have heard both though I was slightly disappointed with the 3s especially in the low freq extension.
Thing is, with the 2.3, you can tweak tone on the Behr X-over..with the 3s, the preset is a preset. Although Sridhar was working with Clayton on a pre-set menu based on the distances from the rear wall such as
2ft : -2dB...0 dB...+2dB...+3dB
3ft : -2dB...0 dB...+2dB...+3dB
and so on..

In my opinion, if the 3s match up the 2.3s in terms of extension...they would be mindblowing! Let me know if the "gurus" have had a chance to visit ARN..looking forward to more reviews.

Cheers guys!

p.s btw, if you guys are waitin for the speakers to do the full 400 hrs, I dont think thats going to be a possibility in the near future...these guys ( especially the 2.3s ) are selling like hot wada pav at Joshi wadewale

I want to add..I don't know if thisis going to be a private affair or not..but a friend of mine is demoing their Planar line array speaker system. They are based on the orthodynamic driver principle of which I have become a fan of especially for headphones.

The demo is being held at ARN systems. Anyone interested might want to contact ARN and ask them. These line arrays are huge monsters used for studio recordings and cost 20000$. My friend who manufacturers these has two pairs out right now..One is at ARN and the other is in California US. Just don't quote me on this though. I would gather that it would be a treat to listen to these speakers if you can get a chance.

Still don't get it.

If the speakers are that good why are they not good for string quartets, female vocals etc ?

Manek

Hi Nautlius
The lower bass reproduction of the CS3 will not be the same as the CS2.3, if it was one has to wonder what would the use be of having 2 15" woofers per channel. The weight/feel and impact of the lower registers will be better on the CS2.3 for sure. Keep in mind this - the CS2.3 goes down to 20 Hz at almost flat response whereas on the CS3 it is 32 Hz at F3 point. You can always choose to put it closer to the wall. Yes, we will get a +3 dB corretion done to give the right response in the room - after that it can still be increased a bit (with presets) depending on tastes.

cheers
Sridhar

I was fortunate enough to spend 'quality time'listening to a pair of 'broken in' 2.3s.

Here are my impressions.I came away questioning, to quote Paul Simon, 'all that I once held as true'

Conditioned Frames of References
The only open baffle speaker that I have heard are the Jamo R 909s. These speakers, if I remember right had a very relaxed and open sound.Which brings me to my next point. For one reason or another, I have come to believe that the tonality that works best for me is a 'refined', 'relaxed', 'musical' yet 'detailed'.

...and then I heard the Emerald Physics.

Box in a Box
If you have largely grown up listening to box speakers, you sort of tend to be a little oblivious to other philosophies of speaker design.

A listen to the EPs will challenge that.

The first thing that hit me was the sound stage. Enormous ( in height, depth and width) and completely un-shackled from the speakers.

The blasphemy of sound processing
The Emerald Physics come with a Behringer DCX 2496 Digital sound processor that works to correct/work with the deficiencies of the your listening room.

This way you shape the sound of the speakers to suit the room that you will be listening to the speakers in; eliminating totally the need to 'treat' your room.
Another given, if you really want to juice the best from your 'box' speakers.

Read the John Potis review of the CS 2 in Positive Feedback for more gyan here - http://www.positive-feedback.com/Issue37/emerald_physics.htm and here - http://www.positive-feedback.com/Issue38/emerald_physics_2.htm .

Tonality

I have already spoken of how the image totally breaks free of the speakers. Outside of that these speakers have a very, very live and dynamic sound.Mind you these are not 'bright' and 'forward' like the Klipsch's. On the other hand they are also the opposite of 'polite'and 'refined' as in Spendors, Harbeths and might I add Cadence

In a sense they are honest, perhaps almost brutally so.

Are they fatiguing? No. I heard them for around two and a half hours and I did not find the sound tiring.

Versatile
I heard music that spanned genres from Western Classical ( the 2L sampler. BTW if you managed to get a copy, do hear them on the EPs ) to Jazz ( David Berger - Hello Hindustan, Tuck and Patti ) to world (Renauld Garcia Fons ) to Rock ( Rush Exit Stage, Left) and more. The EPs played each with equal verve.

Inner Detail
Bags of this. From the pluck and decay of a note on an acoustic guitar, to the deeply resonating note played on acoustic bass, I must say that I have not heard detail of this kind in a speaker at this price.

Bass
Amazing! both quality and quantity.

Works well with modest equipment
Here is the other stunner. The CS 2.3's that I heard were being driven by a modest Cayin for the mids and the highs and some Quad 909's for the bass ( an overkill according to the owner ).

I believe that the EPs sound good even when driven by the humble NAD and become better and better with more quality amplification. The point here is that you don't really need to break the bank to partner these with expensive gear.
...and oh I forgot to mention the speaker cables being used were very, very, very humble.

I was totally impressed.If you get a chance do give these a listen and oh do try and listen without prejudice.

Cheers,
K

Manek schrieb:

Still don't get it. If the speakers are that good why are they not good for string quartets, female vocals etc ? Manek

Well they are!

I heard Maria Bethania, Patti Andress ( one half of Tuck and Patti) and a few other female vocalists that I cannot remember.

Also heard udher ka Mohammed Rafi ( Good 'ol Nat King Cole), Al Stewart etc.

Also heard smaller ensembles from the 2L sampler...

The mid-range is very,very good.Transparent is the word that pops up in my head.

These speakers do not romance ( read make it more voluptious) this frequency spectrum.What's in the recording is pretty much what you will hear.No more, no less.

(me thinks that's what SQ is saying )

Krish,thanks for that really interesting review
...any idea ofwhat they do with the not so good recordings ? ie not the Bad ones bu the So-So ones which make up the majority of most CD collections

Krish schrieb:

Manek schrieb: Still don't get it. If the speakers are that good why are they not good for string quartets, female vocals etc ? Manek Well they are! I heard Maria Bethania, Patti Andress ( one half of Tuck and Patti) and a few other female vocalists that I cannot remember. Also heard udher ka Mohammed Rafi ( Good 'ol Nat King Cole), Al Stewart etc. Also heard smaller ensembles from the 2L sampler... The mid-range is very,very good.Transparent is the word that pops up in my head. These speakers do not romance ( read make it more voluptious) this frequency spectrum.What's in the recording is pretty much what you will hear.No more, no less. (me thinks that's what SQ is saying )

Yup. I meant something Similar. I must confess that I have heard only the original Emerald physics speaker. The CS-2.
http://www.positive-feedback.com/Issue37/emerald_physics.htm
I heard them two times and they were in the process of being correctly tuned to the room. Those were earlier days. The speaker is very dynamic, uncompressed and “live” sounding. It is quite the opposite of “mellow” - “flowing” -“flowery” sound which most vocal and string quartet lovers prefer I am not saying “all” but “most”
I need to go and hear the new ones. Planning this weekend.

Square, if possible do try and give the CS 3 a listen as well...seriously need another opinion on this.

Krish..glad you liked the EP speakers..

Lots of good deals out on audiogon for these amazing speakers..am awfully tempted..just wish i had a proper room to put them in.

I have about 3000$ invested in headphones and I know I would be hella more happy with a pair of speakers.

Arj schrieb:

Krish,thanks for that really interesting review ...any idea ofwhat they do with the not so good recordings ? ie not the Bad ones bu the So-So ones which make up the majority of most CD collections :cut

The EPs are very honest.So what is in the CD is what you will hear.Warts and all. These speakers will not prettify the recording.

In a sense they offer the expansive, unboxy sound of a open baffle coupled with the 'accuracy'( my interpretation) of a studio monitor.

Having said that most of the stuff that I heard sounded pretty O.K.

So there you have it

P.S - I hope that is an answer of some sort!

square_wave schrieb:

Krish schrieb: Manek schrieb: Still don't get it. If the speakers are that good why are they not good for string quartets, female vocals etc ? Manek Well they are! I heard Maria Bethania, Patti Andress ( one half of Tuck and Patti) and a few other female vocalists that I cannot remember. Also heard udher ka Mohammed Rafi ( Good 'ol Nat King Cole), Al Stewart etc. Also heard smaller ensembles from the 2L sampler... The mid-range is very,very good.Transparent is the word that pops up in my head. These speakers do not romance ( read make it more voluptious) this frequency spectrum.What's in the recording is pretty much what you will hear.No more, no less. (me thinks that's what SQ is saying ) Yup. I meant something Similar. I must confess that I have heard only the original Emerald physics speaker. The CS-2. http://www.positive-feedback.com/Issue37/emerald_physics.htm I heard them two times and they were in the process of being correctly tuned to the room. Those were earlier days. The speaker is very dynamic, uncompressed and “live” sounding. It is quite the opposite of “mellow” - “flowing” -“flowery” sound which most vocal and string quartet lovers prefer I am not saying “all” but “most” I need to go and hear the new ones. Planning this weekend.

Hey SQ,
So what did you make of the CS 3s?

K

Finally got to hear the CS 3’s.
Listened to the following cd’s.
1.Tchaikovsky1812 overture
2.2L sampler – a few songs
3.McCoy Tyner - New York reunion
4.Stan Getz – Bossas and Ballads
5.Ella and Louis
6.John Coltrane - Soultrane
7.Fleetwood Mac- Rumors
8.Pink Floyd –Wall
9.Dire straits - assorted
10.Grateful dead – Assorted
11.Some assorted test cds.

Scale – The sound stage is large and realistic. It is like real performers on a stage. Each instrument has a realistic size to it. Western classical thrives. In comparison most boxed speakers can make the size miniature and sound anemic.

Very dynamic – The sound has an “out of the box” dynamic attack. Very realistic and convincing.

No apologies - There is a “no- apologies” speaker. No comments like “ the interconnects are burning in. so the sound can be a bit constricted for a few days, please come next Saturday and it may sound much better” and such Play the speakers and you just sit and listen. The speaker does so many things right, that you do not want to think of anything else

Coherency – This is speaker combines the coherency of a single driver full range with the extension and slam of a multi driver speaker. Very convincing job. Hardcore followers of each genre may be able to nit-pick if you really want to but this is as good as it gets for the money if you want to combine both.

Irritability factor – The speaker removes most the irritables caused by the interaction of the room and thickness inherent with most boxed speakers in less than ideal rooms. This is a super-major plus in my book.

Bass- This is one of the best aspects of the loudspeaker. No thickness or muddiness. Out of the box and well defined and clean with lot of detail. Very balanced and convincing. For medium sized room, the CS-3 is all you need.

I was able to enjoy all genres of music, none scoring above the other. With most music, it was some of the most impressive renditions I have heard. Classical, choral, female vocals, rock, jazz……. all sounded just fine

Someone recently told me ( a member of this forum), if there is just 10 percent improvement in sound, it gets lost in time. If there is more than 30 percent, you remember it always. This is one of those speakers which does more than the 30 percent. Very impressive.

Good one SQ...
Whats the room size/dimensions you would typically need to play them without worries ?

What were the electronics associated ?

abhi.pani schrieb:

Good one SQ... Whats the room size/dimensions you would typically need to play them without worries ? What were the electronics associated ?

This room was approximately 18ft x 16ft. From what I hear, if you can have 2ft behind the speakers, that is all you need. The minimum setting in the behringer active unit is 2ft. If you have this and the room is decent sized one, you are done. Check with Sridhar for more details.
Source – Usher cd player.
Cables- some random audio art cables.
Pre- Passive – custom made (The one which Siva had put for sale)
Amplication – Symphonic line, Leben cs600, Nad c370

The symphonic line was the best. Very neutral and colorless sound. The leben came close (slightly different sound). C370 ? well most people can live with this amp too. That is the beauty of this speaker. The quality of the amp will not make day and night difference The speakers will show the difference, but it does so many things right that you will not be too bothered

square_wave schrieb:

abhi.pani schrieb: Good one SQ... Whats the room size/dimensions you would typically need to play them without worries ? What were the electronics associated ? This room was approximately 18ft x 16ft. From what I hear, if you can have 2ft behind the speakers, that is all you need. The minimum setting in the behringer active unit is 2ft. If you have this and the room is decent sized one, you are done. Check with Sridhar for more details. Source – Usher cd player. Cables- some random audio art cables. Pre- Passive – custom made (The one which Siva had put for sale) Amplication – Symphonic line, Leben cs600, Nad c370 The symphonic line was the best. Very neutral and colorless sound. The leben came close (slightly different sound). C370 ? well most people can live with this amp too. That is the beauty of this speaker. The quality of the amp will not make day and night difference The speakers will show the difference, but it does so many things right that you will not be too bothered :L

Now that's the other thing about the EPs.They are very sensitive .The EP3's f'rinstance are spec'd at 95dB 1.83V @ 1M @ 1kHz.So it's really tonality that will determine the choice of amplifier you want to partner the EPs with and not muscle power!

...and that means so much more choice.

Krish,
have you become a headbanger ? YOur Avatar seems to Suggest so

SW, great review..BTW when you connectecd the leben, was it used as an Int amp or as a Power amp ?

Arj schrieb:

Krish, have you become a headbanger ? YOur Avatar seems to Suggest so SW, great review..BTW when you connectecd the leben, was it used as an Int amp or as a Power amp ?

Used as an integrated.
The behringer was in the loop using the rec-out loop or something since the amp does not have a pre-out.

Arj schrieb:

Krish, have you become a headbanger ? YOur Avatar seems to Suggest so SW, great review..BTW when you connectecd the leben, was it used as an Int amp or as a Power amp ?

Good music get me head bangin'

Krish schrieb:

Hi, I'm wondering if any of you wonderful folks from Bengaluru have had the opportunity to audition the Emerald Physics speakers at length. ...and indeed if you have, what did you make of them? -Sound Staging -Tonality -Imaging -weaknesses if any. It would be nice if a few of you (SQ,Abhi,Arj,Jeeves,ROC...)could go over to Sridhar's for a critical listen and post your views Cheers, K

Sir,

I did get a chance to listen to this speaker on Saturday.

I was in Bangalore - Audio Trip & I did visit ARN - service station - demo room.

This is a 'jewel' of a speaker in the audio world.
I liked it a lot.

Will write a 'detailed' listing in a bit !

All must audition it. It is a 'serious' product...

http://www.emeraldphysics.com/page9/page9.html

This is what I had auditioned..

bhagwan69 schrieb:

Sir, I did get a chance to listen to this speaker on Saturday. I was in Bangalore - Audio Trip & I did visit ARN - service station - demo room.

Oh! good to know that you were able to make it to Bangalore for the audio trip. It was much overdue & glad to read that it finally came together this time.
I would be interested in knowing which systems you were able to audition.
Looking forward to your trip report. Thanks.

I would be interested in knowing which systems you were able to audition.
Looking forward to your trip report. Thanks.

Hi B !

I had a 'great' trip.
Super fun....

The guys in Bangalore are great hosts.

I did listen to a few set ups.

Siva
Kiran
Arjun
Abhi
Sridhar's show room

I am not so sure if I can write about them here - on the forum - [this thread too should not get hijacked]

But a nice place. Great people - very kind and 'accommodating' for sure !

Hi Bhagwan,
It was our pleasure having you and Fram in Bangalore.
The passion you guys have for this special hobby is amazing. The experience very enlightening

I guess it is our turn to visit you guys.

bhagwan69 schrieb:

Krish schrieb: Hi, I'm wondering if any of you wonderful folks from Bengaluru have had the opportunity to audition the Emerald Physics speakers at length. ...and indeed if you have, what did you make of them? -Sound Staging -Tonality -Imaging -weaknesses if any. It would be nice if a few of you (SQ,Abhi,Arj,Jeeves,ROC...)could go over to Sridhar's for a critical listen and post your views Cheers, K Sir, I did get a chance to listen to this speaker on Saturday. I was in Bangalore - Audio Trip & I did visit ARN - service station - demo room. This is a 'jewel' of a speaker in the audio world. I liked it a lot. Will write a 'detailed' listing in a bit ! All must audition it. It is a 'serious' product... http://www.emeraldphysics.com/page9/page9.html This is what I had auditioned.. :)

Sir,
We wait with baited breath...

K

square_wave schrieb:

Hi Bhagwan, It was our pleasure having you and Fram in Bangalore. The passion you guys have for this special hobby is amazing. The experience very enlightening I guess it is our turn to visit you guys.

Most welcome - It will be our pleasure to host you all here in Mumbai !

Sir, We wait with baited breath... K

Hello !

I am not much of a 'review' writer;
However, what I did listen to was good.
The 'room' was not too large & was 'bare' [non treated]
There was a lot of electronics & the cables were just 'routed' in any manner.
This speaker needs 2 amps & bother were not the same - it is to EP's disadvantage.
All said, I liked what I heard.

The Speaker played Male Vocal rather well.
Classical [Western] was good too.
Soft Rock was nice.
EP - is not suited for female vocal.

Sound Stage was more than adequate on the W & D side of things. Tone was good.
This is a speaker that gives a 'big' [ish] sould for a small foot print in a 'small room'
So all in all, I liked it & would recommend an audition.

Bhagwan

Sir, We wait with baited breath... K

Sir,

You may post now;
I understand that you have had the speaker for a while & what are your impressions ?
Compared to the Linn etc...

Would love to hear.