I'm trying to narrow down my speaker selection . Leaning towards the Alegria Emma's , but I am concerned about that the speakers might not meet my expectations for bass . I'm not looking for huge rap bass , but something that has powerfull and punchy mid bass . The area that I am installing this system , is not an ideal listening enviroment , cinder block walls - and a concrete floor . I want a dynamic sound , with good imaging , that's not overly brite . Accuracy is not on the top of my list due to the aformentioned listening enviroment .
Besides the Emma's , I could pick up a set of the CBM-170'S for about $250 used , and with the extra money I thought that I could add a subwoofer . Question is , how "musical" are subwoofers , or are they mainly for movies ?
Whatever speaker I get , I need to mount them on the wall , preferably about ten feet from the floor . If you mount floor standing speakers on the wall , does it ruin their sound ? If not , I was thinking I might get the Athena F2.2's and make a heavy duty wall mount , where I could aim the speakers as necessary .
Lastly , I plan on spacing the speakers about twenty feet apart , and aim them in to get the triangle effect that people on this forum have talked about . Would a larger speaker (such as the f2.2) work better than a bookshelf speaker with the spacing that far apart .
My head unit is a HK3480 with a Marantz 4300 cd player .
Any advice would be much appreciated . Thank You , this forum has been a big help .
Chris me and you have the same exact setup in mind.
I have a HK-3480 and about to get the Marantz 4300 cdplayer.
How does the marantz 4300 sound so far ?
Im planning to buy a pair of Emma's. I had the same 3 speakers on my list aswell but it seems that with the emma's, you dont really need to add a subwoofer which i liked about them.
I've heard all three speakers although in fairness to the F2.2s, it was a horrible listening environment. I own the Ascends and I've spent a considerable amount of time listening to the Emmas.
Had the Emmas been available when I bought the CBM 170s, I'm not sure that I would have gone with the Ascends. The Ascends are fantastic speakers at their price point and they are very accurate and neutral in the mids and treble. They are lacking in bass and you would have to get a sub to do them justice for most music, especially classical, rock, rap or anything else heavier in bass.
Some subs are musical and some are better for HT. You should ask the question on another thread and I suspect you'll get answers galore on "musical" subs.
In order of quality for music, the Emmas are your best bet, then the Ascends with a sub and then the F2.2s. This ranking is irrespective of price and if budget is driving the purchase, you'll probably have to go with the used Ascends and forego a sub for now and buy it later.
Now, on the last issue, placement. This issue may actually outweigh everything else I've said in this post. I don't know that you'd have much luck getting the Emmas mounted in the fashion you describe. (Tim is the speaker manufacturer and he's on this site regularly and can answer that question better than me.) These are fairly hefty, quality speakers and I'm afraid that any "mount" you use might impact the speakers' sound and these really are floorstanders first.
Thanks Dave, I went ahead and ordered the Emmas. How high should i place the Emmas off the floor. I understand that its best to keep them 2'-3' away from the front wall for best results. I cant wait to get them. I listen to mostly rap and dance and im happy that i wont be needing a seperate subwoofer.
I have not actually recieved the 4300 yet, should be here on wensday . The HK3480 seems nice , but my current speakers are soo wiped out that I really can't take advantage of the reciever yet . Sounds like I should try to contact Dave about the Emmas .
Congratulations. I set a friend up with a NAD C320BEE, a nice little Cambridge Audio CDP, some Monster interconnects and zip cord connected to the Emmas. She is 3 months into this new system and continues to be amazed at the sound. She's gone back through most of her CD collection and she's bought some very high quality CDs recommended on this forum because she just can't believe some of the sounds that she's never heard before. You'll be very happy with your set up. The 2-3 foot from the walls is essential when you're listening. As for hanging them, I'd talk with Tim about that - he's the expert on these speakers obviously.
Chris, I'd be happy to talk with you about the Emmas but Tim's the guy who makes them. He can be reached at alegriaaudio.com but I think MO got his last set of seconds, which Tim restores to "like new" condition before he sends them out and MO is getting Tim's new XO, which made a very good speaker even better. Good luck guys, Dave.
Actually you should try and contact Tim about the Emmas. He is the creator/owner of them and he posts on here and is very helpfull.
Im about to order a 4300 and i also havent been able to take advantage of my HK3480 either. I cant wait to get everything up and running.
Edster or anyone... Will i need any interconnects for this setup ? Like from the marantz 4300 to the HK3480 and any special kind of wiring for the speakers ?
Just for your information. I'm running a vintage tube stereo set-up with a Fisher integrated tube amp, a pair of vintage Altec Lansing Stonehenge IIs ($470/pair in 1978) and a very high end Arcam Diva CDP-93 with an English made pair of interconnects and 12 gauge zip cord.
The Emmas don't match the 75lb. AL floorstanders in bass but they do a remarkable job in the mids and treble against the ALs. Would I give up my ALs for the Emmas, "NO" but it I was paying the $3000 to $5000/pair they would cost today, I'd be buying the Emmas in a heartbeat.
No, I don't work for Tim but I was amazed at what he has produced at this price point and I was already pretty dang impressed with the Ascends at their price point. It's not always about the money but it does seem that the higher up the chain you go, the more interesting it becomes in terms of return on investment. LOL
MO, no special wiring or fancy interconnects...save your $ for CDs! Go to Home Depot for all that stuff, any 12-16 gauge speaker cable will be fine, and just use generic Phillips interconnects.
Hi Chris. I wouldn't recommend Emma for wall mounting, especially in a cinder block wall environment. The close proximity to the wall would exaggerate the bass response and probably become pretty annoying after a while. Vented speakers for wall mounting should typically have front ports rather than rear ports. Most vented designs are rear ported but there are a few front ported designs out there that may work better for your situation. From a purely musical standpoint, a pair of sealed bookshelves with LF response around 80Hz and a sealed subwoofer that can get below 40Hz should work well (or as well as could be hoped) in your environment. The redesigned crossover used in Emma is adjusted for use on 22" tall stands with the speakers about 7-9 feet apart, slightly toed in and 2 feet from walls. (Emma thinks she's a big speaker) I think Stephen may be using his in a smaller environment (bedroom) but I doubt he's playing them at a volume level that creates a problem.
MO: I've actually got some monster interconnects that you can have for free. When you come by to listen to the Emma's, you can pick them up too, if youre interested. They're a 4' THX I100 or something along those lines. If nothing else they're well built, have an extremely solid connection, and they look neato.
Just recieved my Marantz cc4300 5 disc cd player. It was refurbished from accesorries4less and was packaged really well and didnt have a scratch or anything on it. I cant wait to hear the differance from the 1989 sony 5 disc changer to the marrantz 5 disc. I should be recieving my bstock EMMA's by wednesday to go off my HK-3480
Im telling you guys, that old 1989 Sony Stereo system that i still use is one of the best systems i have ever heard with all types of music. Its unfortunate that the speakers have been damaged over the years otherwise i whould have stayed with this setup. Maybe i could find a replacement on ebay possibly for the speakers.
I have recently ordered the Alegria Audio Emma's b-stock from Tim in hopes that it will meet my expectations and sound as good if not better then my 89 SONY Stereo setsup.
The 1989 Sony Speakers are a rear port design that is located on the top part of the back of the speaker. I also understand that the Emma's use a rear port aswell which should be interesting since i have obvouisly had luck with that design and enjoy the sound of it.
I will write a full review once i recieve my EMMA's on wednesday.
In spite of Sony's reputation they have produced many fine products. I feel that it is my responsibility as a consumer to educate myself about a product before making a purchase. So far I've had pretty good luck with Sony products(knock on plastic).
