Emerald Physics EP CS 3- An Owners Review

I've now had the Emerald Physics EP CS 3s for a good eight months.

I think that they must have played close to a 1000 hours, so they can be considered as broke as broken in can be.

The rest of my rather humble system looks like this - Source: Rotel RCD 2; Pre: Roksan Kandy Mk III ( I"m using the integrated as a pre ); Graphic EQ: Behringher ( came along with the EPs); Power Amp : Roksan Kandy ; ICs: Audio Art; Speaker Cable: TDK.

Here is a brief note on my impressions.

Ok, let's begin with the most contentious issue with the EPs - Bass.

The first thing that most people comment on/notice about the speakers, is a lack of bass.

Not true.

The EPs do not do tactile bass. The design principle of open baffles is such that they will not move air.

However they DO bass, albeit of a different kind - Bass with great tone and texture.
Take fr'instance, the intro to the song Real Blues from the Ray Brown Trio album, Live at Loa or the intro to Oriental Bass by Renaud Gracia Fons from the album Oriental Bass or Joji Hirota and gang playing the O daiko (the O daiko means big fat drum in japanese, the largest of these is apparently 10 feet in diameter) on the track Kannabi from the album Japanese Drums.

Be it the attack and decay of each note on the acoustic bass or the striking of the mallet on the large O daiko, the EPs portray this kind of bass brilliantly, with out muddiness or overhang.

With that out of the way let me talk of the SINGLE reason that I am bewitched by these speakers.

Holographic soundstage & imaging
If you are able to get the Bass thing out of the way, the first thing that you will notice is the vivid, holographic soundstage. Just like in Avatar, you can almost reach out and touch and feel the sound.Consider that old audiophile favourite - Jazz at the pawnshop or Ahmad"s Blues or indeed The Buena Vista Club - Live at the Carnegie. I can easily sense the space in each of these recordings, in vivid three dimensions.

It's as if the speakers are audio projectors that create the illusion of 3D sound, but in doing so disappear completely.

Separation is fantastic too, especially in the better recordings (Telarc, Chesky, Audioquest, Naim,Stockfish …) .Instruments are located pretty accurately in the space.

Detail
Connoisseurs of Indian Classical music will be quick to point out that the difference between a ordinary performance and a sublime one is the use of Gamakas to embellish the Raga.Much like the use of fine Zardozi to add richness of fabric tapestry.

This is the second thing that draws me to music from the EP 3 - It's rich in detail.Like the Gamaka in our Classical tradition or the ornate embroidery in our fabrics, it makes me appreciate music at altogether another level.

The bend of a note, the brush of cymbal, the phat decay of a note played on the upright bass, the caress of a voice…

Transparency
the EPs are very transparent.They will reproduce quite faithfully whatever is fed into them by the rest of the chain.I changed an old Audio quest Turquoise cable with a Audio Art Cable and suddenly I was hearing a entirely new system. If you like tubes , then an audition of the EPs is a must.In fact do try and hear them with The Ayon CD 1 and Spirit to know how beguiling these can be.

Tone
Straight out of the box the EPs were hard and forward.But boy have they mellowed down over time.Not that they have become ‘polite’ and ‘refined’, but the hard edge has completely gone away.The highs are airy, the midrange is full, the bass we have already discussed.

Dynamics and Scale
The Eps are easy with all kinds of music, but it's the acoustic variety, in my opinion that really brings out the best in them. I have now begun to really enjoy Western Classical Music so much more. To hear an average of 80 musicians on different instruments play a quite passage and then break into crescendo is something. I quite recently picked Karl Bohm conducting the Berliner Symphony through the entire cycle of Mozart Symphonies.What a Treat!


Out of the box
I use that phrase in more ways than one.There is a lot that is contrarian about the EPs. The open baffle design, room correction in the digital domain, cheap hard workin’ professional drivers...However if one were to suspend judgement and ‘listen without prejudice’ you will find that you are listening to a remarkable speaker.

Reasons to dislike the EPs

Ok these speakers are not ready to use, you need to be a bit handy with a basic toolkit. They are not exactly easy on the eye (will not fit in with your period Louis XVI furniture or minimalist Scandinavian tastes). They look a little unfinished.Also to be avoided if your taste in Hifi is ‘polite’ and ‘refined’ or If your favourite genres are metal,house,hip hop or if deep tactile bass is important to you

Reasons to be in love with them
Music presented in vivid three dimensions. Lots and lots of detail that compel you to listen into the music. Scale and drama. Works pretty well with modest equipment, but get even better with better electronics.

surrealistix schrieb:

Yea - picked it up from Jimmy

He is a gentleman - was over @ my place last week.
Knows a lot about 'Audio' [is a vetran] ! Spent many hours with me - we had a great session - M & M [Music & Malt] !