EMP Tek E5Ti Tower reviews?

[Kali157]

I am thinking of upgrading my bookshelf fronts to towers (here we go again ). I ran across the EMP Tek E5Ti for $500/pair. Anyone hear these? Any thoughts? Any other speakers at $500? I swear this is it for upgrades...... for now...

[sterryo]

i demoed them about a month ago, nice sounding and looking. they are somewhat short you might want risers. they recently participated in GTG in Oregon and they impressed the attendees as the best sounding in it's price range and they were up against some pretty good speakers.
emp tec has some of these on clearance (have minor imperfections in the finish) they sell them 20% off.
their new e55ti's are almost available, i am looking for a pair of speakers to upgrade my 2 channel rig, i put off buying the e5's until i demo the e55's. received an email update yesterday to let me know that they are almost ready for distribution, so i'm ready to hear the differences

[Big Daddy]

EMP is a reputable company and the sister company of the high end RBH Sound speakers. Here is a review of EMP E5Ti speakers.

http://www.audioholics.com/reviews/s...-build-quality

EMP recently introduced the new E55Ti tower speakers for $795 a pair.

http://store.audioholics.com/section...nding-speakers
http://store.audioholics.com/section...shelf-speakers

[Kali157]

i did notice they were a lil short, but I can always build risers like for my sub. How do they compare to your current setup (eD right)? How do you think they compare to Polk TSi500? I have a Polk CS20 right now and have no plans of upgrading that yet.

Any other reviews out there? I know audioholics has one... but they also sell them, so....

[sterryo]

Originally Posted by Kali157

i did notice they were a lil short, but I can always build risers like for my sub. How do they compare to your current setup (eD right)? How do you think they compare to Polk TSi500? I have a Polk CS20 right now and have no plans of upgrading that yet.

Any other reviews out there? I know audioholics has one... but they also sell them, so....

i've only heard the polk's in a B&M store and they in no way compared. emptec uses the volume of the enclosure to maximize the speakers sound. i really like the sound of my eD & swan's speakers, however they really shine when partnered with a sub, for my 2 channel setup i don't want a sub so the emptec are to me better suited as a stand alone set of speakers than my stand monitor's
my teenage daughter really loved the sound of the emp tec's and i know she will be begging to go demo emp tecs new e55ti's

[Kali157]

please post when you auditioned them. Thanks for the input.

[sterryo]

Originally Posted by Kali157

please post when you auditioned them. Thanks for the input.

well after listening to both 5's and 55's, i purchased the 55's. they sounded better to me (not that the 5's sounded bad,as they sound great also). I am very happy with the sound in my home also, to me they were keepers from the first couple of notes....

[Kali157]

If possible can you expand on how the 55 is better? I was VERY close to getting the 5... but I would consider the 55 if it is worth the $400 difference.

Also, post pics please! Congrats on the new speaker btw.

[sterryo]

Originally Posted by Kali157

If possible can you expand on how the 55 is better? I was VERY close to getting the 5... but I would consider the 55 if it is worth the $400 difference.

Also, post pics please! Congrats on the new speaker btw.

kali
better is so subjective, first it wasn't $400 more.... so that factors in also. would it be $400 worth more, would really depend on size of room and power amps. the e5ti is an excellent sounding speaker and i would save the $400 difference and by a better amp.
it is very difficult for me to describe the differences, the 55's evoked a more emotional response from me, kinda a know it if you heard it kinda thing. the soundstage is bigger, dynamics are better(more drivers) they can play louder(both play plenty loud for my tastes. the 55's had an airy feel to them( again i'm struggling for words to describe them) Both my daughter and preferred the e5's over my existing eD W6-6tc's but not by much (the w6 still puts out a wider soundstage then either e5/e55's)the e5 has more presence and the shear volume of the e5 cabinets over the smaller stand monitors presented a more forward sound(better mid-range i think) and if you take that and add an extra woofer and mid-woofer the experience gets better still.

i think since my budget is so tight i would have saved the $400, hope this helps.... not ready to post pics yet still cleaning things up a bit.....

[Kali157]

Sterryo, thanks for the review. I know it is hard to describe sound sometimes.

Originally Posted by sterryo

i think since my budget is so tight i would have saved the $400, hope this helps.... not ready to post pics yet still cleaning things up a bit.....

I wanted to clarify. So if the difference is $400, you would have gone with the E5? Thanks

[Kali157]

took the plunge on the E5ti. Will post review when I get them. Is there any software I can run benchmarks on? I only have Polk TSi200 to compare them to.

[abhaskare]

Kali157, thanks for the review.
I have Polk Monitor 70 and wanted to get your opinion about how you find the sound of E5Ti compared to the TSi200. Was the difference substantial in terms of smoothness? Anything you feel that stands out will help.
My Emotiva XP-3 is arriving tomorrow and am seriously thinking of getting the EMP E55ti for pure stereo.

[Kali157]

Originally Posted by abhaskare

Kali157, thanks for the review.
I have Polk Monitor 70 and wanted to get your opinion about how you find the sound of E5Ti compared to the TSi200. Was the difference substantial in terms of smoothness? Anything you feel that stands out will help.
My Emotiva XP-3 is arriving tomorrow and am seriously thinking of getting the EMP E55ti for pure stereo.

Abhaskare, I am unsure what it means for a speaker to be smooth. First off, I want to qualify my review with the fact that I am not an expert. At best, I am an "enthusiastic amateur," so the terms I use may not be correct and my preferences are purely mine and my wife's, not some industry standard. But I am also very critical. I view any purchase as something I will return if the product doesn't meet my high expectations.

In terms of comparison, I have not heard the Monitor 70, but I actually bought (and returned) a pair of TSi500, and, as previously mentioned, I have a pair of TSi200. I did not have the TSi500 at the same time as the E5Ti b/c it was returned before the Emptek arrived. But by memory (only a few days) the E5Ti sounds noticeably more "natural" to us compare to the Tsi line. In music, the Polks sound warmer to us. The E5Ti sounded like we were in the room with the musician... the sound was more "believable." I made an observation on my wife while listening to the Emptek: she closed her eyes more. She said she got into the music more with the speakers. We used Shakira blu (only blu music we had) and various CDs.

In movies, I think the Tsi500 and the E5Ti are closer. When we auditioned both, we used our full surround as well as switching to 2.1 for direct comparison. The TSi500 is stronger in the lower end. But the E5Ti just sounds more "real" to us... like how real life is supposed to sound like (how funny is that comment). Imaging was slightly narrower on the E5Ti in 2.1 mode but was solved w/ a little toe-in of the speakers.

Now the negatives. The E5Ti does not have the low end of the TSi500. For 2 channel listening, we actually run 2.1. My PL200 is pretty quick and can keep up. We turn the sub to about 35% on the dial and set the high pass to 70Hz. Second negative is that one of the tower's feet leveling was slightly uneven. This was easily solved by extending (ie unscrewing) the spike on that corner a little. As a caveat to that negative, I did by B-Stock (I'll take $100 off for a little leveling "problem"). Third, though not really a negative on the towers, we liked the Polk CS20 center over the Emptek center. The Polk sounded "fuller," and dialogue had more depth. Though it is still a little warmer than the towers, the CS20 and E5Ti pair nicely.

In the end, the Emptek towers just sounded better to us than the Polks (and klipsch, definitive, and kef). Once we got our Emotiva amp, low volume listening became clearer and as defined as higher volume listening. Reference level, or higher volume, listening does not get "tiring" or the sound feeling strained. Finally, I also cannot forget the looks: best looking speakers of all those I auditioned. And remember, I bought B-stock w/ a few blemishes.

We actually borrowed a friend's Oppo 80 this past weekend and listened to our Norah Jones Hybrid CD... I didn't want to give the Oppo back... SACD even at 2.1 sounds wonderful.

[abhaskare]

Got my Emotiva XPA-3 last week and spent a good amount of time connecting it to my existing setup. Now I know what good sound means. All my music collection has come to a new life not to mention the home theater experience - it has become suddenly more enjoyable.

The Polk Monitor 70s taht I have are almost identical to TSi500 - even the drives look similar. I like the low end of Polk and the Emotiva XPA-3 has done woders to these speakers.

I feel some of the bright speakers like Def Tech I owned are a bit harsh if the source is not of good quality (old songs). By smooth I meant more lower end and not bright.

Your feedback is excellent. I will at some point get the E5Ti since there is a straight $400 saving there. I do however miss the 8" woofer speakers since nowadays anything more than 6" has been shifted to subwoofer. I owned JBL MR series speakers (3 way with 8" woofer) 15 yrs back and have yet to find anything as good as them.

BTW - what are risers and what is their purpose? I am new to this so any link or info will help!

[Kali157]

Originally Posted by abhaskare

Got my Emotiva XPA-3 last week and spent a good amount of time connecting it to my existing setup. Now I know what good sound means. All my music collection has come to a new life not to mention the home theater experience - it has become suddenly more enjoyable.

The Polk Monitor 70s taht I have are almost identical to TSi500 - even the drives look similar. I like the low end of Polk and the Emotiva XPA-3 has done woders to these speakers.

I feel some of the bright speakers like Def Tech I owned are a bit harsh if the source is not of good quality (old songs). By smooth I meant more lower end and not bright.

Your feedback is excellent. I will at some point get the E5Ti since there is a straight $400 saving there. I do however miss the 8" woofer speakers since nowadays anything more than 6" has been shifted to subwoofer. I owned JBL MR series speakers (3 way with 8" woofer) 15 yrs back and have yet to find anything as good as them.

BTW - what are risers and what is their purpose? I am new to this so any link or info will help!

Risers decouple speakers and subs as well as tightening the low end sound. Decoupling keeps the speaker/sub from shaking all the furniture in your house allowing low end sound to be tighter or less muddled. The risers on my towers also raise the Emptek's tweeters to the ear level of my listening positions. There is a good sticky in the subwoofer thread about DIY risers. In my gallery, I explained what I used to build mine.

Congrats on the amp btw.