[TomS]

Now that I’ve had a little time to get a feel for the Emerald Physics CS2’s I thought it was time to put together just a few thoughts in one place.  Not quite a full review, rather a current state of affairs in my journey.  I’m definitely not a reviewer or a particularly good writer, but hopefully this will be useful to those considering these speakers.  Since most have never heard of Emerald Physics until recently, I’m providing a little more up front color here.  Feel free to read on to part 2 if you want more meat.

I am fortunate to have the Merlin VSM-MX’s and have always maintained a very satisfying system built around them.  Despite many other changes, my listening sessions are always enjoyable, so they stayed.  Sometimes I listen for hours on end if no one’s around needing my attention other than the dog.  All in all, a very good place to be for digging into my modest though eclectic music collection.  Not much help needed with this system, though of course, there’s always something more…

Then, RMAF 2007:
I went to RMAF in October to see what was new, with no need to buy anything in particular, much less another pair of speakers.  It was a good chance to meet and greet, say hello to old friends, meet some new ones, and take in some of the audio jewelry.  I’ve been in the queue for a pair of AV123 LS9’s for many months, so at the least, I was intent to hear Danny’s prototype LS6 and LS9’s to know what to expect some day.  Most would agree the LS9’s weren’t displayed in their best light, though Danny had his own hand on the LS6 throttles in a smaller room, revealing the killer potential of those monoliths.  I’m also in line for a pair of AV123 X-Static OB’s, so I took in some nice HT demo’s of those too.  Nice for the price, destined to be a classic.  SP Techs were on the list again, but unfortunately weren’t playing any of the times I stopped by the room.  Later, I re-visited a few rooms I’d noted before, this time with Zybar, Frank S, and SunshineDawg, when we happened on the Emerald Physics room.  Clayton Shaw was there by himself, very unassuming, with a rather simple setup, no room treatments or real exotic gear other than a sweet Modwright LS36.5.  As the music played, we all kept getting drawn into it, no matter what we threw at them.  We each grabbed in our bags for more demo material, and it just kept getting better.  We were all rather bowled over by the CS2’s, especially considering the price point (more on that later). They just made you feel very comfortable without resorting to heroics, at the same time not leaving anything obvious out.  I had much more show still to see, but I simply couldn’t leave the room.  Word seemed to be spreading as more people experienced them, small crowds cycled through continuously, and looks of amazement formed on many faces.  Hmmm… whoever this guy is, he definitely has something here.

Fast forward one month:
Next thing you know Zybar is in the audio business, becomes a dealer on the spot, emails are exchanged, and bang, I have a deposit in.  I never even talked to Clayton after the show.  I’m buying on a lark from a new dealer instead of direct - yikes.  I don’t even need speakers and I’m not made of money either.  How in the world did that happen?  I’ve definitely snapped.

The buying experience:
In general, I am the king of unmet expectations and apparently work hard at choosing poor business partners.  It usually goes something like this –

Expectation:
Hand a big advance check to the smiling person (fill in audio manufacturer/dealer) to get in line.  Goods built on schedule.  Frequent communications.  Friendly and secure feeling.  Exceptional performance.  Follow up questions are fun. 

Reality: 
Check cashed in nanoseconds.  Immediate excuse for why xyz isn’t ready.  Pull teeth to hear that voice say again why it isn’t ready.  Repeat.  Repeat.  Repeat until extreme pain.  Emails ignored.  Phone calls not returned for days.  We’re not responding to emails and calls because we’re working on your stuff.  Idle threats are made.  Imaginary ship date revealed.  Missed imaginary ship date.  Repeat…  If you haven’t experienced this you’re not trying very hard or buying enough stuff, though much smarter than me.

Actual experience with Emerald Physics:
My experience with Zybar was exactly this.  I mailed the deposit and got a likely ship date the next day.  Of course, they’re not stock on the shelf plus they were absolutely swamped with dozens of RMAF orders.  The speakers were built, then shipped on exactly the date quoted, received in perfect condition on 12/7.  Wow.  Never spoke to Clayton or had a need to.  No need to bore me with how hard it was to make them, supplier problems, people calling in sick, blah, blah, blah.  George answered all of my questions within hours, or got me answers when he didn’t know, despite still having a demanding day job.  I’m up and running on a digitally crossed over, active biamped dipole speaker in less than an hour after arrival.  Room placement was easy with the presets provided.  No fuss, tweaking, or incantations needed.  Too cool.  Obviously, George is working hard at it and investing himself heavily.  Well done and would definitely recommend him again.

Continued…

[TomS]

On to the listening:
My benchmark is the Merlin VSM-MX, list priced nearly 4x the CS2’s, with a long history of ongoing development/refinement and well deserved success in the marketplace.  They need make no apologies and are terrific speakers by all accounts, including mine over the past couple years.

Associated Components and setup:
Bolder Squeezebox 2 Statement mod, Ultimate MK II/Nirvana power supply, Summit DC cable
Behringer DCX2496, later with Jan Didden 6-channel output mod (www.linearaudio.nl)
Odyssey Stratos Mono Extreme SE’s (lo)
Bella Extreme 3205 Signature RMAF edition (hi)
Reality Cables IC’s, SC’s
Black Sand Reference MK V power cords
Running Springs Audio Haley power conditioner
RealTraps – Mondo’s, Mini’s, RFZ, Corner traps
Room: 24x13x8 poured basement on a concrete slab w/carpet, speakers on short wall 6-7’ out.

Out of the box, oh the bass
When the speakers arrived, I wasn’t sure what to expect.  After buying too many things without hearing them, this was a very different experience.  I actually spent several hours with these beforehand.  Was it a fluke?  In one short word:  NO, they were amazing right out of the box (with stock DCX), just like I heard at RMAF.  The dipole bass of four 15” OB woofers, which I somehow expected would be enemic in my own room, was rich, full, powerful, blindingly fast, and oh so real and natural sounding.  No bloat, overhang, or other bad behavior in my treated room.  And they played LOUD when asked, yet retained the most delicate textures in some of my familiar reference material (Yellowjackets - Live, Michael Hedges - Aerial Boundaries, Tony Kaltenberg – On the Wings of the Great Spaceship, Turtle Creek Chorale – Psalms, Pat Metheny – Secret Story).  The Merlins do many of these same things in the bass, but they need to be mated to just the right amps and cranked fairly hard to make a meaningful impact you can feel.  The CS2’s do this effortlessly with no coaxing whatsoever. Organ music seemed to have extension where the Merlins deliberately roll off gently, sounding like it was produced in the real space.  Yet, as I said before, no heroics to get there.  It just sounds like the real thing.  If you’ve never heard good dipole bass, find someone who has the CS2’s, Orions, or some of the newer stuff coming out now.  You’ll realize you’ve been missing something all along, and yes, they CAN flap your pants legs and bother the neighbors if you must.

On to the mid/treble
Voices (Joni Mitchell – Blue, Nils Lofgren, Tuck & Patti) sounded natural and unrestrained.  Great bite and attack when the right singers push those buttons.  I listen to a lot of acoustic guitar and bass, both recorded and live.  The strings’ transient attack/decay and body resonances sound as good as I’ve heard in my room.  With choral and band material (Turtle Creek Chorale, Dallas Wind Symphony), I could visualize everything on a soundstage opening up nicely across the room, with instruments positioned in all the right places.  While the Merlins are the quintessential point sources with a definite sweet spot, I expected the CS2’s to be a bit vague in comparison, again my preconceived notion of OB speakers.  Wrong again.  Pinpoint placement, sounds emanating from exactly where they should be on the stage.  The bonus is I can actually move around, not just my head, but get up and wander around, still enjoying the same sense of a real soundstage - uncanny.

Despite this, my initial feelings about the upper mid/treble left me somewhat concerned.  I think of compression drivers in the same breath as sound reinforcement.  The CS2 waveguide seemed rather pedestrian once you’ve seen an SP Tech work of art waveguide made from a block of mdf or hardwood and lovingly tuned by Bob Smith himself.  The Bella was new to my system, but it sounded very good on the Merlins, with the very demanding Esotar tweeters.  Now, I was hearing a little edge and slight hash that I couldn’t get past in my head.  Percussion taps on cymbals and various small hand toms weren’t as distinct as I’d like it to be, at least in comparison to the Esotars.  I didn’t remember it from RMAF on the Modwright/BEL Cantos.  I wasn’t ready to mod the DCX just yet, so this had me perplexed.  I talked to Bill Baker and swapped the EH 6550’s in the Bella for a set of Shuguang’s.  I also bypassed the thin wiring from the base mounted binding posts to the compression driver by clamping the speaker wires directly to the driver tabs.  Instant gratification on both counts. The hash was greatly reduced and everything seemed to smooth out and relax.  This could also have come from more playing time, but it definitely changed in that week.  Not the last word in refinement yet, but nonetheless very, very good.  After some more listening time, I started to feel like I knew the compromises that had been made.  All very good choices, easily liveable IMHO.

Then finally yesterday…
In came the DCX with Jan Didden’s output modification.  More to come on this (part 3?), as I just finished it, but holy smokes!  You’ve got to be kidding – even more bass slam and extension.  The midrange opened up another notch.  Extreme transparency.  No glare, no grain, no hash – all totally gone now.  The mod makes an already very good speaker a great one… and I’ll remove that phrase “for the money” because they’re that good.  And better yet, there's probably much more to be had, without major investment.

If you love music, these are a no risk proposition and great value, especially…. no I won’t say that anymore 

Tom

[mgalusha]

Nice writeup Tom. Jan's kit for the DCX is pretty amazing. I liked the CS2's with the stock XO but was pretty amazed by how good they sounded with the modified one. 

[TomS]

Nice writeup Tom. Jan's kit for the DCX is pretty amazing. I liked the CS2's with the stock XO but was pretty amazed by how good they sounded with the modified one. 

And thank YOU for being first to take the plunge on the mods!  As always, your guidance is invaluable.  Tom

[nature boy]

Tom,

Very nice write up.  Thanks for taking time to share your listening observations.
I am strongly considering the CS2's for my system.  I drop you a PM for some additional information.

Roger

[Rob S.]

Darn it,  every time I read all this buzz, I realize I'm living under a rock here in WV.  I've got to make it out to some shows to HEAR them.

Tom- Great review- you've got my attention now.   Does anyone have a CS2 ( or the SP Tech's ) within a few hour drive of Charleston, WV?   I'd love to hear them.

Rob S.

[flaneb]

I usually do not post frequently but upon receiving my CS2's and hearing them, I just had to express just how good these speakers are. I
am in my early 60's and have been involved in music my entire life, both professionally and as a way of life. I feel these will be regarded
as a major step forward in speaker design. What you read from the RMAF show is spot on. The CS2's only have about 30 plus hours on them
but for the way they sounding now, I can't wait for additional break in. The bottom line...They sound LIVE...Clayton has accomplished
quite a feat. I have a wide range of equipment in several rooms but right now I have modified Cary 300b mono's on top and a Bryston sst
on the bottom..but will try others..my music is on a server (lossless). My Modwright transporter will arrive Tues and that should be a significant
addition. All I can say is before a purchase of any speaker regardless of price, a listen to the CS2's may save you a significant amount a money.

After I try a few more amps, will give a follow up....
regards
frank

[mr_bill]

Frank,
Please update on us on how you like the Modwright Transporter and if you had a stock Transporter, we would love to hear how the modded unit compares!

[flaneb]

will do.....unfortunately I did not have a stock transporter but the SB is direct attached (not wifi)
with a bolder modified ps and used with a wide variety of dacs...also I've used a usb attached
Benchmark and a firewire apogee direct from the mac. Using the apogee with a mac, you can output
a 192 24bit (because of firewire not having usb limitations)....
frank

[flaneb]

received my modwright transporter, after approx 24 hrs burn in, all I can really say is, I find it superior to any digital combination I have
ever heard. This includes Benchmark,Apogee,Cal,Theta etc. There are details that are much clearer, with the combination of the CS2's,
I have never been happier. Currently the set up is Cary 300B monos on top, Bryston on the bottom, George Wright preamp, music on
Mac. I have a pair of Eastern Electric EL156 monos (Bill OConnell)arriving within the month, along with  Steve Deckert (Decware) special pre amp. I'll give feedback.when that occurs.The EE 156 amps are over 160watts which I suspect will sound great on the low spkrs.
 Bottom line is the music is so alive, I feel the need to listen to my entire library, in approx half a century of listening,
this is the best I have owned.

Music lives forever, people don't, listen now.......
regards
frank

[flaneb]

Back to the CS2's......now I have over 100hrs on them....and I was trying to think
of speakers I have owned that remind me of the CS2's. This is because I'm not as good
in describing details compared to others (TomS is awesome). Years ago I owned sound lab
A1's....the CS2's have that speed,bass and open sound with none of the drawbacks.
Because of those, today I would choose the CS2's. Also Clayton loves music and audio
and is great to work with. He has created an incredible speaker.

[TomS]

Frank,

I've had several electrostats too (ML CLS's, Quads, Acoustats), as well as original Dalquist DQ-10's (long ago).  These remind me most of the ESL63's or DQ10's, but with real bass and gusto  

I'll bet that Modwright Transporter really sounds sweet.  I haven't been fortunate enough to hear one at home, just the show.  Maybe one of these days.  Ted_B has a some serious air time with his now and has been tube rolling already, so you might check out his comments.

Tom

[kehut]

Tom,

Where can I get info on the Didden Mod for the DCX..I understand it's a kit..can the dcx be sent away for the mods?

thx,

Ken

[TomS]

www.pilghamaudio.com/index.asp?pgid=51

www.linearaudio.nl

[alotaklipsch]

www.pilghamaudio.com/index.asp?pgid=51

www.linearaudio.nl

TOM

WHICH DO YOU PREFER, THE CLS OPEN BAFFLES, OR THE MERLINS? BWT, I HAVE A PAIR OF BASTANIS BEING DELIVERED ON SAT.  THE CL2 WERE 2ND TO THE BASTANI AT RMAF....REMEMBER US TALKING THERE?

STEVE

[TomS]

www.pilghamaudio.com/index.asp?pgid=51

www.linearaudio.nl

TOM

WHICH DO YOU PREFER, THE CLS OPEN BAFFLES, OR THE MERLINS? BWT, I HAVE A PAIR OF BASTANIS BEING DELIVERED ON SAT.  THE CL2 WERE 2ND TO THE BASTANI AT RMAF....REMEMBER US TALKING THERE?

STEVE

Hey Steve!  Haven't heard from you for awhile.   My comments earlier in the review thread are still pretty much spot on.  These two certainly do things differently, but I'm rather hooked on the four woofer dipole bass now.  It would be very hard to turn back, so now I'm working on improving the crossover and trying different electronics upstream.  The Merlins are still here because I still like them a lot.  There is so much more left to explore with the CS2's, though, that I haven't felt the urge to put the VSM's back in just yet, if ya know what I mean   It's just plain fun and I've been compelled to take more time exploring the nooks and crannies of my music collection.

I'm sure those Bastani's will be nice, but stay tuned to Emerald Physics.  Clayton probably has a few interesting things up his sleeve that are a bit more upmarket 

Tom

[kehut]

 Tom...loved your review..thanks for such a great job... I finally got mine in house...Whoa!! Less than 24 hrs total music logged on my CS-2's now and what a sound. Stock dcx. Kimber XLR cable...I started at 5' from the front wall and 8ft apart...using file #2 or 3 with 3 sounding the best...Then moved them to 6' out, Toe'd about 6" or so in-front of the direct aim point, kept the 8 ft between the speakers, changed to file 4.. WOW!!..you gotta be kidding!!!  If I never changed a thing at this point I could live quite happily forever with this set up!

I had planned to use my Threshold amp, but its single ended design was a problem with a nasty ground loop situation that unfortunately didnt resolve after much troubleshooting the system...Went to plan "B" and bought another amp to run fully balanced. Now Im running the Nuforce 9.02 SE Mono's on the bass and a new Bel Canto S300 (same amp that Clayton used at RMAF to demo) All sounding truly excellent. How can this sound so good right out of the boxes?? Hmmm...Okay with me!

Happy is an understatement!

Ken

[Rocket_Ronny]

Thanks for the great review.

What compression driver is used on the CS2?

It's nice to see a product like this come out.

Rocket_Ronny

[TomS]

The compression driver is a Selenium D220Ti

[Rocket_Ronny]

Thanks Tom:

I hear Clayton may come out with a 3 way as well.

Gotto like it.

Rocket_Ronny