Emerald Physics CS2 - First Impressions

GregC · « **on:** 22 Dec 2007, 08:08 pm »

I received my CS2 speakers last Tuesday and I have about 30 hours on them. They already sound sound awesome, and I am smiling knowing they will only continue to improve. I am running EVS 100 M amps on the top end and Bel Canto Ref 1000 Level-2 mods (with upgraded Silver WBT RCA and binding posts) from Underwood Hifi on the bottom. I am using all Signal cable Silver Resolution interconnects and speaker cables.

These speakers are the real deal, and you will be rewarded if you take your time and set them up like the precision instruments that they are. Mine are 12.5 inches from the side wall, and are toed in where the inner edge is 48.5 inches from the back wall and the outside edge is 60.5 inches from the back wall. I have selected the first program on the Behringer that is designed for a distance of 3-6 ft from the back wall. The image seems to float about 1 to 1.5 ft in front of my primary listening position (about 8 ft from the speakers).

The imaging, dynamics (micro and macro), resolution and bass blow me away and I cannot wait until I have some more hours on them and they are fully broken in. They sound so good with a stock DCX2496, I can only imagine what they are capable of with a modified DCX2496 in the chain.

I will report back after I have some more time on them and they are fully broken in.

zybar · « **Reply #1 on:** 23 Dec 2007, 02:25 pm »

Congrats on your purchase Greg.

Once they get 100-150 hours on them, report back and I am sure you will be even happier than you are already.

You might also want to play with toe-in to see what works best for you. Try from shooting just outside of your shoulders to crossing a few feet in front of you.

George

GregC · « **Reply #2 on:** 23 Dec 2007, 06:00 pm »

Hi George,

I have them crossing about 1.5 ft in front of me, but do you think that it would sound better crossing them further in front of me? These speakers are truly amazing, even with the few hours I have on them. I will definitely report back after I have at least 100 hours on them, but so far so good...

Greg

AB · « **Reply #3 on:** 23 Dec 2007, 08:31 pm »

Quote from: GregC on 22 Dec 2007, 08:08 pm

The image seems to float about 1 to 1.5 ft in front of my primary listening position (about 8 ft from the speakers).

Am I correct in understanding that the soundstage is 1 to 1.5 feet in front of you?
So a center image vocal is this close?

GregC · « **Reply #4 on:** 23 Dec 2007, 08:42 pm »

I have the speaker toed in so that the focal point is 1.5 ft in front of my primary listening position. This is what I have read yields the best sonic effect. The soundstage is wide, deep, and tall and the speakers disappear behind a wall of sound. These speakers are extremely transparent.

I heard the CS2 speakers at RMAF and they blew me away, sounding better than other speakers I heard costing up to $20k. My wife agreed that they sounded the best of the relatively affordable speakers we heard at the show. They were in a hotel room with no room treatments to speak of and still sounded very impressive.

My room has 8th Nerve treatments and the room itself was constructed with sound board, then a layer of Green Glue acoustic caulk, and then a layer of sheet rock to form a sandwich with the Green Glue.

This is the best sound I have heard from my system thus far, and the speakers allow me to hear exactly how good my upstream components are.

GregC · « **Reply #5 on:** 23 Dec 2007, 10:14 pm »

AB,

I did not answer your question. The vocal is floating between the plain of the speakers and is spatially correct. The speakers give the perspective of being the perfect distance from the stage without sounding forward or recessed.

Greg

pbrstreetgang · « **Reply #6 on:** 23 Dec 2007, 10:35 pm »

Quote

The image seems to float about 1 to 1.5 ft in front of my primary listening position (about 8 ft from the speakers).

Quote from: GregC on 23 Dec 2007, 10:14 pm

AB,

I did not answer your question. The vocal is floating between the plain of the speakers and is spatially correct. The speakers give the perspective of being the perfect distance from the stage without sounding forward or recessed.

Greg

I guess Im confused too, the first quote seems pretty clear the speakers project the soundfield 6+ ft out into the room 9whick I have experienced with horns and some concentrics), then the second clarification to a poster seems to contradict the first in that the CS2 actually doesnt project into the room - Strange.

GregC · « **Reply #7 on:** 23 Dec 2007, 10:51 pm »

English is a strange, because you often do not communicate your intended message. I have the speakers pointed so the focal point intersects 1.5 feet from my primary listening position. The sound of the speakers (regardless of positioning) seems like I am sitting 10 rows from the stage. The sound is not etched and does not seem to emanate from any point source, and the images float. These project a huge and realistic soundstage, and the center imaging is the best I have yet heard in my system. The sound is very transparent and you will hear exactly what is coming from your source components. I am very happy with the speakers, and they are not yet broken in. The open baffle bass is to die for. The speakers were so good that Clayton supposedly sold 35 pairs at the RMAF show.

I heard other well respected speakers at the show that did absolutely nothing for me. The LS6 and LS9 speakers were also amazing sounding at the show, but they would not work in my listening room due to their size.

I was nervous buying the CS2 speakers because they sounded great at the show; however, I was worried how they would sound in my room with my components. All I can say is that I have zero regrets.

AB · « **Reply #8 on:** 24 Dec 2007, 05:27 am »

Quote from: GregC on 23 Dec 2007, 10:14 pm

AB,

I did not answer your question. The vocal is floating between the plain of the speakers and is spatially correct. The speakers give the perspective of being the perfect distance from the stage without sounding forward or recessed.

Greg

Gotchya. Thanks for the clarification.
An image 1.5 foot in front of the listening position would be a bit forward to say the least.

I have heard speakers do this with certain recordings but I can't imagine it would be an effect anyone could be happy with long term.

lonewolfny42 · « **Reply #9 on:** 24 Dec 2007, 05:46 am »

GregC.....

Thanks for your review....

Can you tell us what speakers you used before these ? Thanks....

Chris

GregC · « **Reply #10 on:** 24 Dec 2007, 06:15 am »

I was using Tyler Linbrook Signature System one piece speakers (in rosewood) that were setup for tri-amping and had upgraded Cardas posts. The Tylers were a very nice speaker and definitely performed beyond their price point. However, they took more than 400 hours until the Millennium tweeters started to open up and sound their best. For an enclosed speaker, I was very happy with the Tylers. However, it comes down to preferences when comparing them to the CS2 speakers. The Tylers use excellent drivers and high quality passive crossover components, and I admire the cabinet work and veneer. The CS2 speakers require vertical bi-amping, but I love the open baffle bass and the transparency of the CS2 speakers. I keep running them in the basement to break them in, and every 6 hours when I check in on them they continue to improve. I am excited to hear their true potential, and may even further explore the limits by upgrading the DCX2496. What an innovative and fun product!

lonewolfny42 · « **Reply #11 on:** 24 Dec 2007, 06:19 am »

Thanks Greg.....happy listening....

GregC · « **Reply #12 on:** 24 Dec 2007, 06:21 am »

Quote

Gotchya. Thanks for the clarification.
An image 1.5 foot in front of the listening position would be a bit forward to say the least.
I have heard speakers do this with certain recordings but I can't imagine it would be an effect anyone could be happy with long term.

Having the sound stage 1.5 ft in front of you would definitely be the definition of listener fatigue!

I am just mentioning how I setup the speakers so if you were to look at the waveguides and draw a line from the direction they are pointing, the lines of the two waveguides would cross 1.5 ft in front of my listening position. The soundstage perspective seems to be about 10 rows back.

Wind Chaser · « **Reply #13 on:** 24 Dec 2007, 06:33 am »

Quote from: GregC on 24 Dec 2007, 06:21 am

Having the sound stage 1.5 ft in front of you would definitely be the definition of listener fatigue!

I once got that close to Margo Timmins, it was quite exhilarating!

GregC · « **Reply #14 on:** 24 Dec 2007, 06:46 am »

Chris,

I met you at the RMAF this year. I was there with my wife, and you may have remembered me since I just had elbow surgery a month beforehand. The RMAF sure is an awesome show. I live just 15 minutes away and look forward to it each year.

Greg

lonewolfny42 · « **Reply #15 on:** 24 Dec 2007, 06:58 am »

Quote from: GregC on 24 Dec 2007, 06:46 am

Chris,

I met you at the RMAF this year. I was there with my wife, and you may have remembered me since I just had elbow surgery a month beforehand. The RMAF sure is an awesome show. I live just 15 minutes away and look forward to it each year.

Greg

Yes.....I hope your doing better now Greg. It was a good show...and it was nice to meet you and your wife. I hope to go again in '08. Glad to read the speakers are working out for you...

....enjoy !!

Chris

GregC · « **Reply #16 on:** 24 Dec 2007, 07:29 pm »

It was nice meeting you too Chris. I dislocated and shattered the radial head in my right elbow, and tore the ligaments too, so it was tough to get around the RMAF show. My wife and I still had fun. I am doing much better now and I have been having fun with the CS2 speakers. I will plan on being in better condition for next year's show.

GregC · « **Reply #17 on:** 13 Jan 2008, 08:21 pm »

It has been awhile since I reported on my CS2 speakers, so I thought I would provide an update. The speakers have continued to open up and relax, and each day when I think they cannot sound any better they have continued to raise the bar. The biggest area of improvement I have heard in the first 80 hours is the improvement in the dynamics (micro and macro).

In addition to allowing the speakers time to open up, I did one change that made a huge difference in the sound quality. I sent my Silver Resolution cables in (along with some gold plated 0.25 inch female fast-on connectors) and had one end of my cables re-terminated with the fast-on connectors. That allowed me to slide the cable directly on to the upper driver. The leap forward in transparency, resolution, and dynamics is scary.

I will run my system for a couple more weeks in my current configuration, and then the final thing I will be trying in my system is a modified DCX2496 cross-over that is being modded by Ric Schultz of EVS. If the modded crossover can wring out even more transparency and resolution, I will look forward to live concert events in my basement every night.

Seriously, these speakers are a new paradigm and one of the best performers I have heard at their price point or well beyond. I finally can hear how good my source components are upstream.

lonewolfny42 · « **Reply #18 on:** 13 Jan 2008, 08:27 pm »

Greg....Have you played around > some more < with their placement in your room ? Thanks...

And....have you healed up OK....I hope.

GregC · « **Reply #19 on:** 13 Jan 2008, 08:51 pm »

Hi Chris,

I am healing up well and I am not letting anything change the way I conduct my life. Within a year's time I should be back to close to normal.

I played with the positioning quite a bit. The speakers are precision instruments and respond to the most minute adjustments. Currently I have them toed in so that they are 13.5 inches from the side wall, 48.5 inches from the inside edge to the back wall, and 60.75 inches from the outside edge to the back wall. I am using the first DSP pre-program on the DCX 2496 that is designed for positioning from 3 to 6 feet from the back wall. The focal point crosses about 1.5 to 2 feet in front of my listening position. The soundstage is huge and the speakers disappear and image extremely well. If I walk around the room the soundstage and image stays stable and the only thing that changes is my listening perspective (just like a live soundstage).

Greg