[HalF]

Hi Craig,
I've been checking out some HT speaker systems and have been finding problems with movie dialogue sounding too harsh for my ears.
How is the dialogue on your new system?  I've seen you've been able to try out quite a few different systems.  So am very interested to learn how you think this system performs in that area.
Thanks,
Hal

[Craig Chase]

Hal - The dialogue is crystal clear without being harsh at all, to my ears. For example, When we watched "The Incredibles", when Mr. Incredible started talking, I could "see" Craig T. Nelson talking (actually, I was seeing his character from "Coach") - and when Frozone was giving his interview, I was thinking "Samuel L. Jackson" ... So I looked at the box, and there his name was.

Normally, when watching animated movies, I never try to figure out who is doing the voice - normally I just watch the picture and enjoy.

The Essence speakers have already earned a healthy dose of respect.

[Craig Chase]

Tonight we are watching "Seabiscuit" The clarity of these speakers, especially for the price, is terrific.

The other surprising performance paramenter is the dynamics. When the horse race scenes are rolling, it is INTENSE ! You can hear into each hoofbeat - talk about a "fast" speaker !

This is even more fun than the Maestro review. The Maestro, as fantastic as it is, is exceeded in the bang for the buck arena by the "regular" speakers in the line.

I have already dropped Mike a line on those Talismans ...  

[Harry P]

Craig, I've always thought that Mike Ds speakers sound a lot like Mike Kelly's speakers (Aerial Acoustics). Have you ever heard Aerials? They're goreous and sound wonderful at around two-three times the price of the ACIs. Curious if you'd find the same results.

[Craig Chase]

Harry - I have heard some Aerials, but not side by side with the Essence. Of course, I have had the Essence for under a week.

Based on Sonic memory, I tend to agree with you - The Aerials were most impressive speakers - neutral but not dry, explosive dynamics with no harshness, and the ability to disappear. The Essence package does the same.

Even my wife, who has suffered through a LOT of speaker switching in the past couple of years, loves these speakers. She has always been pretty tolerant of this hobby, but these speakers are getting HER to sit up and take notice of their sound quality.

[thedeskE]

A casual ear can be a good reference point.

E

[HalF]

Craig,
Thanks much for your feedback on the speakers.

Hope things aren't too hot back there in PA.  I lived in the Harrisburg area for a few years in the '80's.  Lovely state except for winter, summer and the liquor laws.

Take care,
Hal

[Craig Chase]

Craig,
Thanks much for your feedback on the speakers.

Hope things aren't too hot back there in PA.  I lived in the Harrisburg area for a few years in the '80's.  Lovely state except for winter, summer and the liquor laws.

Take care,
Hal

We are right on Lake Erie, so summers are lake breeze nice. Winters are snowy and long, and a 7000 Square Foot lake front property is $700K.

I think that is SLIGHTLY lower than SF housing ? ...  

The ACI's just keep getting better. Talismans are on order ...  

[jkscherk]

Sorry for my lack of input so far;  other things have kept me from getting my thoughts down.  The short version:  the Essence V is a truly musical and accurate speaker and one of the best I’ve heard to-date and in my setup, soundly surpasses the Panorama.  On to the details…..

First, my setup.   Parasound Halo C-2 pre/pro driving a Sherbourn 7/2100A amplifier.  Sources consist of a Denon 3910 universal player and LG OTA HD receiver.  Essence Vs with an Essence up front, twin Force subs, Emerald On-Walls for surrounds, and Definitive In-Walls for the rears.  All power is fed to the gear via 2, dedicated 20-amp circuits.  The amp is isolated on one line with a PS Audio UPC-200 and all other gear goes through a PS Audio Power Director 3.5 on the other line.

I started with ACI by purchasing a single Force sub.  I was quite impressed; I decided to look into using their gear for main speakers as well.  I had a lot of discussion with Mike about my room, needs and goals.  We talked extensively about the Panorama versus the Essence V, and it was with a bit of hesitation that Mike convinced me that the V was the right choice.  Once received, I was immediately struck by the sheer mass and solid feel of construction.  The pictures on the site don’t do them justice.  I also acquired an Essence for center duty as well as a second Force.  You might say I was a “convert”!  Over the next 8 months I was consistently impressed with the quality of sound that this system produced.  However, being a 2-channel guy before getting into HT, I was always wondering……”should I have picked the Panoramas instead??”  When I saw a great deal on the Panoramas a couple of months ago, I once again gave Mike a call and we jointly decided that it made sense to do a comparison in my own home, with my own gear.  That’s how I got to here!

I grabbed a pair of Panoramas with the walnut finish.  Truly an attractive speaker, bordering on a very nice piece of furniture.  The finish is outstanding.  My wife wanted me to keep them if for aesthetics alone!  Once again….super solid fit and finish….and surprisingly heavy.  On to listening.......

I let them play for 100+ hours before doing any serious listening then I sat down for some comparisons.  I had both models, side-by-side so direct comparisons were fairly easy.  Before anyone makes a comment, this was not some sophisticated, double-blind comparison yadah, yadah, yadah……  Just me listening to music I’m very familiar with.  I used a variety of music:  Mark Knopler, Moby, Norah Jones, Chris Boty, U2, various classical works, etc.  I ran them with subs and without.  Overall I probably spent 6-8 hours comparing the two over a 3-4 evenings.

The most notable differences were in the size of the soundstage and quality of mid-bass.  In both cases, the Vs surpassed the Panorama.  While the Panorama on its own (without subs) went much lower than the V, the quality and fullness of the mid-bass was superior in the V.  All of the music seemed to be rounder and more palpable in this listening region with the V.  This was a puzzle to me as the Panoramas do extend lower, so I thought they’d do better over the entire bass range.  I asked Mike if what I was hearing seemed odd or wrong to him.  To my surprise, he agreed with my findings.  As I understand it, in order to get the increased range in the Panoramas, they utilize a ported design.  The Vs on the other hand are sealed.  As a result, the Panoramas go lower, but the Vs have greater clarity/accuracy in those regions they do cover.  At least this is my layman’s way of describing it.      This was also the case when the subs were included in the setup, thus freeing the Panoramas of the need to reproduce the lower octaves.  Here I thought the difference was as noticeable if not more.  Regarding soundstage....not sure if it’s the additional driver surface area, cabinet configuration, crossover design or what, but the Vs threw a bigger and better soundstage as well.  The overall presentation of the music took one more step toward that 3-dimensional feeling we all are striving for in our setups.  It seemed like I was in the room where the music was being performed, rather than listening to a really good pair of speakers.  

The highs and mids were pretty close between the 2, with the exception noted above in what contributed to that bigger sense of space with the Vs.  In summary, I found the overall sound preferable with the Vs.

In case you haven’t ascertained by now I was extremely impressed and decided to keep the Vs and send the Panoramas back to Mike.  I did about a 30-minute debrief with Mike after making my decision and we both agreed that the Vs are the real “sleeper” in the ACI line-up and people don’t give them a chance when they see that lower extension spec stop at 75Hz.  I firmly believe, and I think Mike does as well, that if you are using subs all of the time and are looking for the best offering for HT or multi-channel music, the Vs are the ultimate.  The only way to go a step better would be the Jag/LFM combination.....but it seems I might be too late to catch that train!  

If I wasn’t using subs or wanted only a 2-channel system, the Panoramas would be at the top of my list…..right behind the Jag/LFM combo.  

I hope this is helpful to someone considering these choices, but as with many of these rants, these were my findings, with my ears, based on what I LIKE!  You’re listening experiences may differ.

Mike, please jump in if I’ve mis-stated anything or feel that I didn’t represent what you and I covered!  I don’t want to put words in your mouth!

One final comment…….in case you haven’t had the pleasure of working with ACI or Mike himself, I can firmly attest to Mike and his company being one of the best experiences you'll in this “hobby”.

John

[HalF]

Craig,
Thanks much for your feedback on the speakers.

Hope things aren't too hot back there in PA.  I lived in the Harrisburg area for a few years in the '80's.  Lovely state except for winter, summer and the liquor laws.

Take care,
Hal

We are right on Lake Erie, so summers are lake breeze nice. Winters are snowy and long, and a 7000 Square Foot lake front property is $700K.

I think that is SLIGHTLY lower than SF housing ? ...  

That $700K would definitely get you a real nice outhouse in this neck of the woods.

[Craig Chase]

Craig,
Thanks much for your feedback on the speakers.

Hope things aren't too hot back there in PA.  I lived in the Harrisburg area for a few years in the '80's.  Lovely state except for winter, summer and the liquor laws.

Take care,
Hal

We are right on Lake Erie, so summers are lake breeze nice. Winters are snowy and long, and a 7000 Square Foot lake front property is $700K.

I think that is SLIGHTLY lower than SF housing ? ...  

That $700K would definitely get you a real nice outhouse in this neck of the woods.

GREAT comeback ....  

[Craig Chase]

Sorry for my lack of input so far;  other things have kept me from getting my thoughts down.  The short version:  the Essence V is a truly musical and accurate speaker and one of the best I’ve heard to-date and in my setup, soundly surpasses the Panorama.  On to the details…..

First, my setup.   Parasound Halo C-2 pre/pro driving a Sherbourn 7/2100A amplifier.  Sources consist of a Denon 3910 universal player and LG OTA HD receiver.  Essence Vs with an Essence up front, twin Force subs, Emerald On-Walls  ...

EXCELLENT write up ...  

[thedeskE]

jkscherk

Enjoyed the thoughts - Thanks!

E

[HalF]

Again, I really appreciate all the input about the quality of this speaker system.  Thanks.

I'm guessing that with V's only going down to 75HZ that it is much more crucial (or should I say difficult) to get the SW calibrated properly in order to handle the smooth transition down to the lower frequencies?
With the recommended crossover of 80HZ, seems like there would be less room for error in setting up the system.

I'm pretty much of an audio newbie, so please bear with me if the above question seems stupid.

FYI, I presently have the Hsu VTF-3 MK2.  Am wondering if that would work ok with the Essence V system.

[Craig Chase]

Again, I really appreciate all the input about the quality of this speaker system.  Thanks.

I'm guessing that with V's only going down to 75HZ that it is much more crucial (or should I say difficult) to get the SW calibrated properly in order to handle the smooth transition down to the lower frequencies?
With the recommended crossover of 80HZ, seems like there would be less room for error in setting up the system.

I'm pretty much of an audio newbie, so please bear with me if the above question seems  ...

The Hsu will work just fine with the Essence. It is an excellent product, with bass to below 20 Hz.  Mike Also tends to honestly "spec" his speakers. If you look at Soundstage Magazine's graphs of a lot of "Flat to 40 Hz speakers", you will see most roll off below about 60 to 80 Hz.

I have run the Essence fullrange - They have pretty good bass.

[HalF]

The Hsu will work just fine with the Essence. It is an excellent product, with bass to below 20 Hz.  Mike Also tends to honestly "spec" his speakers. If you look at Soundstage Magazine's graphs of a lot of "Flat to 40 Hz speakers", you will see most roll off below about 60 to 80 Hz.

I have run the Essence fullrange - They have pretty good bass.

Thanks for the info, Craig.

Hope you're enjoying your lakeside breezes.

[Craig Chase]

The Hsu will work just fine with the Essence. It is an excellent product, with bass to below 20 Hz.  Mike Also tends to honestly "spec" his speakers. If you look at Soundstage Magazine's graphs of a lot of "Flat to 40 Hz speakers", you will see most roll off below about 60 to 80 Hz.

I have run the Essence fullrange - They have pretty good bass.

Thanks for the info, Craig.

Hope you're enjoying your lakeside breezes.

You are welcome - and the lake is great this time of year ...  

[Mike Dzurko]

Again, I really appreciate all the input about the quality of this speaker system.  Thanks.

I'm guessing that with V's only going down to 75HZ that it is much more crucial (or should I say difficult) to get the SW calibrated properly in order to handle the smooth transition down to the lower frequencies?
With the recommended crossover of 80HZ, seems like there would be less room for error in setting up the system.

I'm pretty much of an audio newbie, so please bear with me if the above question seems  ...

Fact is, it is EASIER to integrate the Vs with a sub that it is with most speakers. Having the speaker start a gradual rolloff on its own at the crossover frequency makes for an excellent and predictable transition. People often comment on how easy it is to setup Essence Vs or Protege Vs because of this. That's one of the main reasons we designed them this way

[Craig Chase]

Last Thursday, Friday and Saturday, I played in a golf outing which consisted of 18 holes and dinner Thursday, 36 Holes and a poolside party Friday, and 18 holes with dinner again Saturday.

Yesterday ? It was rainy, and I was TOO tired to golf. So, I spent the day with my kids, and we watched "The Sandlot", "Blackhawk Down", and "The Princess Diaries".

The Sandlot is a cute baseball flick - my 8 year old and I had fun with that. It is not much of a home theater workout.

"The Princess Diaries" has a LOT to talk about, home theater style. There is one scene with a thunderstorm at the end which is quite realistic. The effect of rain all around was nice, but what really stood out was "outside chat" ... Many scenes take place at the high school which Mia (anne Hathaway) attends. You can easily hear what a lot of kids are saying off camera, as well as the main characters. The clarity of these speakers bests even the Energy Veritas 2.4i's. The dialogue off camera is usually just "noise", here it is pretty clear. One memorable line is "Mia is hot now" after she has her makeover. My daughter has seen this movie several times, and mentioned "Dad - I never heard that before" ...

And ... Blackhawk Down ... I have NEVER heard this movie sound quite so compelling. The combination of the score, whispers of soldiers, RPG explosions, rifle shots ... The Essence Package made this movie even more emotional than it was before. This was even for the "bad", sometimes. Why Bad ? The audio quality of this movie is astonishing, and the essence package allows you to hear the impact of a bullet, and the "squishy" sound it makes when coming out the other side. Ridley Scott REALLY made sure that every nuance is there, and the Essence trio delivered in spades. You get ALL the score, without it interfering with any dialogue. You get pretty much everything, whether you want to hear it or not.

You also can almost "see" things occuring off screen. There is one scene where the Somalian War Lord's guys are shooting a big cannon at our troops who are inside a building towards the end of the movie - and the first shot comes from behind. You have no idea it is coming, except this "WHOOSH" over your head, and a huge explosion on screen, the sound of which is presented right in front, as well as the picture of the explosion on the 120 inch screen. The power one feels as the round passes over one's head is actually a bit scary.

These speakers are SO good, I am hesistant to buy the Talismans - A large part of me wants another set of Essence ...

Mike, If you are reading this ... Are the Talisman actually BETTER ?

[thedeskE]

Mike, If you are reading this ... Are the Talisman actually BETTER ?

Oh, I'm sure they're not

Craig

Good thoughts on the movies - BHD is always a tough watch for me, but Ridley's films are  amazing - greatest camera since Stanley.

E