# Emotiva Pro airmotiv4 Loudspeakers Review



## SteveGuttenberg

REVIEW: Emotiva Pro airmotiv4
By:  Steve Guttenberg
   
​   
   
   
_Given the increasing popularity and interest in desktop loudspeaker audio here on Head-Fi.org, I asked Steve if he could write reviews of some outstanding desktop speakers for the community here at Head-Fi.  He did, beginning with a review of the PSB Imagine minis, and now these Emotiva Pro airmotiv4 loudspeakers._
   
_Expect to see other articles and coverage from Steve on Head-Fi.org, from time to time!_
   
_--*Jude*--_
  
   
  It doesn't happen that often, but every now and then I come across a speaker that redefines its category. The new Mini Maggies from Magnepan were like that, but those planar magnetic desktop speakers run $1,500 a pair. The tiny Audioengine A2 struck that cord a few years ago, but now it looks like Emotiva Pro's new airmotiv4 ($399/pair with free shipping) has upped the ante.
   
   
 *A different kind of tweeter*   
  First thing, the airmotiv4 is special for what it doesn't have: a dome tweeter. In its place you'll find a Heil air motion transformer. Say what? It looks like a ribbon or planar magnetic tweeter, but the Heil is different. Instead of pushing air to make sound the Heil's pleated diaphragm "squeezes" air. The tweeter uses vapor-deposited, aluminum conductors on a low-mass kapton substrate that sits in a magnetic field. If you were to "unfold" the pleats the tweeter would have six times the area of a 1-inch dome tweeter! That large radiating area requires less movement to produce a given sound pressure level, which dramatically lowers distortion.
   
   
  The airmotiv4's four-and-a-half inch woofer is no slouch, it uses a polypropolene composite cone material. The tweeter and woofer
  are made exclusively for Emotiva, so you won't see them on other brands' speakers. The cross-braced, medium-density 

  fiberboard cabinet feels super solid, and it has a 3 mm mastic internal damping layer to further reduce cabinet "talk" to a minimum. There are no external wall warts or power supplies; the airmotiv4 interior houses a hefty toroidal transformer for its two 25 watt, class AB amps, one for each driver. Connectivity options include single-ended RCA or balanced XLR inputs, and before I forget to mention it, the rear panel also has bass and treble lift/cut filters. The airmotiv4 is 9.4 high x 6.1 wide x 7.3 inches deep; the only available finish is textured black.
   
Sold direct by Emotiva Pro with a 30 day return policy, the airmotiv4 comes with a transferable five-year parts and labor warranty. If I didn't know the retail price I would have guessed $600, but it's actually $399 a pair! The airmotiv4 is, hands down, the best sounding desktop speaker I've heard for this kind of money.​  ​  ​ *Knock your socks off sound!*
   
  What really grabbed me from the get-go was the airmotiv4's finely tuned balance, it does everything well. That said, the Heil tweeter puts the speaker's treble performance well ahead of anything near its price. And in a nearfield speaker design it's hard to ignore treble deficiencies, or to put it another way, when you hear a well-engineered speaker with a great tweeter you'll find out in a hurry what you've been missing. Low distortion speakers like this are easy to listen to for hours on end.
   
  The tweeter is a revelation, especially when you hear it close up in a desktop monitoring environment, listening from 30 to 72 inches away. Cymbals and percussion instruments are clear, pure and effortless, sounding so much more the way they do in real life. Soundstaging abilities are also superb, listen to an audiophile CD like MA Recordings' "Ghatam," by the Antenna Repairmen, and you'll hear a remarkable sense of depth and pinpoint image focus. MA doesn't use artificial reverb or processing of any kind, so the airmotiv4 transported me back to the acoustic space of the original recording venue. The palpability of each strike, slap or rub of the ceramic percussion instruments was eerily realistic.
   
  The speaker's exceptional midrange transparency came to light when I played Neil Young's "Live at Massey Hall, 1971" CD. Young accompanies himself on guitar or piano on all tracks, and I couldn't find fault with the airmotiv4, it was doing everything right.
   
What about bass? I tested the airmotiv4's low frequency prowess with the "French Dub Collection" and the little speaker handled the music's throbbing beats and drones with ease. The texture and palpability of the bass was excellent, and even when I turned ​the volume up nice and loud, the airmotiv4 kept its cool. Highly dynamic recordings couldn't fluster the little speaker, at least at the volume levels I can tolerate in nearfield listening. The little speaker is rated to go down to 54 Hertz (-3 dB), and I never found its oomph wanting. Then again you might, so Emotiva will introduce a matching 10-inch sub early next year. ​   
   
​                       *A game changer*  Emotiva has a real winner with the airmotiv4, but they also offer two larger models, the airmotiv5 ($499) and airmotiv6 ($599/pair). The mind reels thinking about what they will sound like.
   
   
   
​   
   
   
   
*Pros:* Hi-tech tweeter, bi-amped with Class AB amplifiers, superb build quality, wide-open soundstaging, nicely defined bass, free shipping
   
*Cons:* You can only get 'em in black
   
   
 ​ 5/5 stars​ ​


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## Tetsuma

Eyed these off for a while. Decided to go with Dynaudio BM5A MKIIs. But they're 2x the Airmotiv6's price...
I was really hoping someone would review 'em.

When/If an accompanying bass joins the line-up, I'll have to check them out for a nice 5.1 post setup!


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## LizardKing1

Sorry, but I don't think I'm ready to consider Steve an unbiased reviewer just yet. Maybe mid-2012 will allow it.


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## Staal

This might be just what I've been looking for.


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## Dubstep Girl

very nice, i've been looking to get a new computer system to get rid of my promedia 2.1 (which is already amazing but i want even better SQ + hopefully something with a sub for teh epic bass)


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## Rdr. Seraphim

Looks an awful lot like my Adam A5's... Hmm... In fact, the entire line mirrors Adam Audio's Pro line.


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## attilahun

Thanks Steve,
  Great review of a very interesting speaker. 
  I've been using a Genelec 6020/5050 2.1 with my computer and love these studio style monitors on my desktop. 
  I'm thinking of adding more to every TV in the house but the Genelecs are pricey. 
  This line might be the perfect answer!


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## k1n0n3

Where did the pricing in the OP come from, as Emotiva's site shows the 6's for $799/per pair and the 5s for $599 ? And as appealing as these look and may sound, Audiomidi still carries stock of the M-Audio DSM1 and DSM2, at $398/$498 per pair with free ship. I don't think the DSMs can be beat at the current closeout/discontinued prices. As for ribbons, the Samson Rubicon R6A and Prodipe Pro Ribbon 8 can still be had for a lot less, and will come very close if not match the sound quality of the Emotiva's.


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## nick_charles

While we have you here could you, Steve,  explain what you meant by this ?
  Quote: 





> So while lossless audio compression (FLAC or Apple Lossless for example) can be "expanded" to produce an exact digital duplicate of the original audio stream, that's not necessarily the same thing as sounding exactly like an uncompressed WAV file or a CD. To my ears lossless files add a glare or edge to the music and flatten the soundstage.


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## mark2410

im sure they are lovely, cant seem to buy Emotiva out side the US easily, sure as hell cant demo them.


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## LizardKing1

Quote: 





nick_charles said:


> While we have you here could you, Steve,  explain what you meant by this ?


 

 So it's an exact duplicate, yet Steve hears audible differences. I lol'ed.


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## Nom de Plume

I know I'm indulging in semantics here, but no reviewer is unbiased. 
  *I've been replying to many of your comments expressing disagreement recently, so I want to clarify that I hold absolutely no ill will towards you, and this was meant mostly as a joke. 





  Quote: 





lizardking1 said:


> Sorry, but I don't think I'm ready to consider Steve an unbiased reviewer just yet. Maybe mid-2012 will allow it.


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## paconavarro

Too bad they only ship to US


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## Pdaddy

I have had the Airmotiv4's for a few months now and pair with my sub the make for a great listening room experience. One of the best 2.1 systems I have heard, and clearly the best for the money. 
   
  P.S. Call Emotiva on international shipping as I know the have international customers. You may just have to cover some of the shipping cost.


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## HeadphoneAddict

Steve, how would you compare these to something like my Audioengine A5 speakers? (I have A2 as well, but the A5 are noticeably better).


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## BLACKENEDPLAGUE

I got a pair of KRK Rokit5 g2's for $245 shipped, so this isn't gonna apply any buyers remorse at all


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## Tetsuma

paconavarro said:


> Too bad they only ship to US




Plenty of forwarding services available.
http://www.shipito.com/
https://bongous.com/
http://www.usglobalmail.com/
http://www.myus.com/


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## audionewbi

Too bad I just bought the yamaha power speakers  $399 is just a price you dont get to see these days!


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## engtaz

Nice review.  Thanks


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## Currawong

I've had a pair on my desk for a while now. They aren't anywhere near up to my headphone rig for overall ability, but the tweeters are certainly very good. I hope to give them a run in my living room rig to see how they fare as I thought of getting the 6's to replace my old Paradigms. They shipped them to me direct in Japan, which was handy. I imagine they do that where they don't have a local distributor.


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## SteveGuttenberg

Headphone Addict, I will be getting the new Audioengine A5+ soon, and will compare them. As for the A5, it's no contest, the airmotiv4 is way better. That tweeter is tough to beat.


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## mikemercer

I LOVE that you can EQ these in accordance with your room properties using the on-board EQ settings (that's also how I could dial my Genelec 1032A's into a room so fast when I needed to ref a mix, or even do some tracking). A nice touch, I wonder how they are, with regard to timbre, compared to the Audioengine A5+ (a FAR better speaker than the original A5, which I though was outstanding for the money as well)??


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## audionewbi

If you can please have a look at yamaha hs50m. In terms of feature they are the same as airmotiv4, in terms of sound I consider them the ER4S of monitors.


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## mikemercer

WOW, I didn't even see Steve's response about the Audioengine A5+ before I typed mine just now! STRANGE.  I've been LOVING my A5+  - I can rock them w/ my DJ rig (2 1200's and a Pioneer ALL analog DJM-500 mixer) and they won't heat up and cut-out (the original A5's would if we BANGED em all night into the early-morning hours).
   
  Mr. C loves his A5's too - so I can't wait to install the new A5+'s in his place!!  That spot rocks in Echo Park.


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## mikemercer

Quote: 





steveguttenberg said:


> Headphone Addict, I will be getting the new Audioengine A5+ soon, and will compare them. As for the A5, it's no contest, the airmotiv4 is way better. That tweeter is tough to beat.


 


  I bet that tweeter is FAR better, sharper and more prescise than any silk dome - that's for sure.  The transient attack probably has so much more velocity with that tweeter.
  You killed me Steve! Now I gotta hear these, and then convince the wife that I nee them.  Lucky for me, she's a fellow music addict (put in plenty of time with boots on the groun
  at Geffen and Sony/BMG too - so she don't give a F__K what things look like as long as they get the hell out of the way of the music).


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## MorbidToaster

The HS series is beat out by almost every other monitor in their respective price ranges I've heard. I absolutely loathe the whole line... (IMO of course)
  
  Quote: 





audionewbi said:


> If you can please have a look at yamaha hs50m. In terms of feature they are the same as airmotiv4, in terms of sound I consider them the ER4S of monitors.


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## audionewbi

Yes their price range puts them in a bad position but they are very transparent and revealing. I was used KRK and m-audio, to my years their PSU section is clean with no noise, both KRK and m-audio had hissing sound at 50% turned up volume. Right now their price have dropped alot. Right now you can get a pair with $499. But I cant deny I dont want a mackie (and right now this emotiva 4).
  To my eas hm are like the ER4S. They are analytic but in a good way. 
   
  Quote: 





morbidtoaster said:


> The HS series is beat out by almost every other monitor in their respective price ranges I've heard. I absolutely loathe the whole line... (IMO of course)


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## Tetsuma

When I was scouting about for monitors, I read that the yamaha hs50m's have a hi-fi sound to them. Can either of you echo those sentiments?
I'm just curious.


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## cifani090

Good looking speakers! You can never go wrong with the "ribbon" tweeters.


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## MorbidToaster

I guess...They're revealing like most 'hi-fi' gear, but I honestly think they sound like crap. I know people that like them, but most of the actual producers I've talked with dislike them. Granted, I don't know too many production guys either.

 I'm hit up KRK, or Mackie.
   
  Mackies are my personal choice. Though these Emotiva monitors look pretty sweet.
  Quote: 





tetsuma said:


> When I was scouting about for monitors, I read that the yamaha hs50m's have a hi-fi sound to them. Can either of you echo those sentiments?
> I'm just curious.


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## k1n0n3

I've owned a pair of the HSM50's, they're very mid centric, but can sound hi-fi if you need them to by playing with the hi/mid/lo trims on the back. The KRKs (rokit) are more hi fi sounding and have more of a punch and mid bass hump, people usually have those to reference how their mix downs would translate to everyday audio gear vs using them as reference. To me the rokits sounded like the Audioengine A5s when I spent some time with them at a friend's place.
I now own a pair of M-Audio DSM2's (wanted the DSM3, but they were gone very fast with the current closeout prices). And as I have stated before, I don't think anything can compare to them at the current price(s). These are not strictly M-Audio monitors that carry a bad rep amongst studio pro's, instead these were a collab with digidesign and everything about them screams quality, from the aluminum woofer and the ferrofluid cooled tweeters, to the class D bi-amplification, to the optional digital inputs and dsp dip switches for trim. At this point I don't think there is much of a step up until you start looking at Focals, Opals and the like. Also to note, I do not use these in a professional setting, just casual listening. 
Lastly, there are a lot of reviews for the HSM series, a lot of people own them, as they were supposed to replace the NS10s that were so famed and relied upon for production/mixing. I think best bet would be to check out gearlutz for more insight on studio monitors.


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## audionewbi

There is a clip on youtube where the emotiva4 are used, while we cannot get a true sense of the sound of it nevertheless it is a good start. I like how they sound, I would love to try it one day. The price range is spot on. I hope the amp section is quiet.


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## Skywatcher

Quote: 





k1n0n3 said:


> Where did the pricing in the OP come from, as Emotiva's site shows the 6's for $799/per pair and the 5s for $599 ? And as appealing as these look and may sound, Audiomidi still carries stock of the M-Audio DSM1 and DSM2, at $398/$498 per pair with free ship. I don't think the DSMs can be beat at the current closeout/discontinued prices. As for ribbons, the Samson Rubicon R6A and Prodipe Pro Ribbon 8 can still be had for a lot less, and will come very close if not match the sound quality of the Emotiva's.


 


  Steve must have done the review during the time the speakers were on promotional price before the holidays. They are now back to full price 399 / 599 / 799 just like you very well noticed.


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## darkfireblade25

Has anyone compared this to the Swan M200MKIII? they have the same price and I was wondering which to get.


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## warpdriver

Supposedly these are just rebranded qmsaudio pc speakers. Emvotia claims they tweaked the crossover to their specs but they are essentially importing this ODM design and reselling it for North American market (with some markup of course)
   
http://www.qmsaudio.com/


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## Tetsuma

warpdriver said:


> Supposedly these are just rebranded qmsaudio pc speakers. Emvotia claims they tweaked the crossover to their specs but they are essentially importing this ODM design and reselling it for North American market (with some markup of course)
> http://www.qmsaudio.com/




Nice catch.


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## Stan Man

I can't speak for the 4's but have the 5's and have been blown away by them.  I have been going through my whole collection to hear what I have been missing.  See my mini review here: 
  http://www.computeraudiophile.com/content/EmotivaPro-Airmotiv-5


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## Stan Man

@audionewbi...they are quiet.   I have them flanking an iMac so theres some noise from the computer and at my seated position about three feet away I can hear nothing from the Airmotivs. I can just start to hear a faint hiss about a foot or so from them...so really not bad at all.


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## Staal

Quote: 





warpdriver said:


> Supposedly these are just rebranded qmsaudio pc speakers. Emvotia claims they tweaked the crossover to their specs but they are essentially importing this ODM design and reselling it for North American market (with some markup of course)
> 
> http://www.qmsaudio.com/


 


  Nice catch indeed.


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## blockhead

Quote: 





nick_charles said:


> While we have you here could you, Steve,  explain what you meant by this ?


 

 Please do Steve, I'd love to hear it.


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## warpdriver

Quote: 





blockhead said:


> Please do Steve, I'd love to hear it.


 


 Steve's statement that lossless compressed files don't sound as good as uncompressed files is one of the most ridiculous things I've read in a long time. The explanation better make some sense otherwise Steve will cease to have any credibility as a reviewer for me


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## lmswjm

Hey all, just wanted to chime in on the AirMotiv 6's. Skylab reported that these sounded "killer" at RMAF which got my attention. I've had a lot of powered monitors over the years with the best being a Dynaudio 2.1 set-up consisting of first BM5A's and then BM6A's coupled with the BM9S. So we are talking in excess of $2K.
   
  I picked up the AirMotiv6's for the holiday sale of $679. The rep said they wouldn't need a sub, and on paper they don't for what I listen to. That said I was unconvinced.  I was sure I would need my 10" JBL with these because I'm a bit of a bass junkie at heart. Well, ultimately I got rid of the sub. The JBL actually degraded the sound and I had to unplug it during testing because the AirMotiv's bass kept tricking me, making me think that the sub was still on when I had shut it off. The Heil/ribbon tweeters are very impressive as well.
   
  My Dynaudios are gone now, but from memory I can tell you that I don't miss them even though they sounded quite good. As a bonus, it's very liberating to lose the sub as well!
   
  My 2 cents


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## lmswjm

Steve, how do these stack up against the PSB mini's?


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## mtkversion

Quote: 





warpdriver said:


> Supposedly these are just rebranded qmsaudio pc speakers. Emvotia claims they tweaked the crossover to their specs but they are essentially importing this ODM design and reselling it for North American market (with some markup of course)
> 
> http://www.qmsaudio.com/


 


  Anyone have info on QMS Audio?
   
  I was set on getting some new headphones but if these perform as well as reviewed and at that price point I'm interested in trying them out.


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## gelocks

I haven't been looking for new monitors in quite a while (I still use some Tapco's S5 --> http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/feb04/articles/tapcos5.htm  )
  but have heard offerings from KRK and Mackie and thought my Tapco's outperformed all of them.
   
  Emotiva is a company I like.
  I have one of their subwoofers for my 3.1 setup at home and it kicks butt!
   
  If their monitors show the same kind of quality as their subs, I might try these but the rebranding... hmmmm not so sure now...
  Still, they do offer good warranties and service...


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## bootman

A little more than re-branding since you can see that the 4 and 5 have xlr inputs and the power supplies are RoHS compliant.
  Last I check those changes are not "free".


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## Uncle00Jesse

sorry for such a dumb question, but do these speakers need a preamp/amp to operate?


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## sulkoudai

this isn't anything about the speakers that was reviewed but i just needed to ask a question about speakers, i don't think this questions is worth starting a new thread.
   
  on catchoftheday.com.au (daily deals site) here in Australia, they have M-Audio stuff like 3 times a week.
   
  they frequently have the M-Audio AV20s for 40AUD shipped. Is 40 bucks for the AV20s any good or can anyone recommend anything else for under 50 bucks that i should consider as well??
   
  Amazon reviews on those doesn't look very good...
   
  thanks in advance.


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## warpdriver

Quote: 





bootman said:


> A little more than re-branding since you can see that the 4 and 5 have xlr inputs and the power supplies are RoHS compliant.
> Last I check those changes are not "free".


 

  the Q5 has XLR inputs even though their website picture doesn't show it (see their specs)
   
  The point is: these QMS speakers are not a Emotiva design, they were already launched last year in China, and Emotiva is licensing the designs for NA market. They added the XLR (which is not exactly a complicated change) to the smaller A4 model, but QMS can easily do that because the XLR+unbal plate amp design already existed in the Q5 and Q6 models.
   
  I don't have a problem with them marking up the product after certifying it for NA and providing support/warranty (there is approx $100 premium over the Chinese market models).
   
  I find it kind of funny that they are marketed as "PC speakers" in China and "pro" models in NA.


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## mtkversion

Interested in trying these out as a desktop speaker but the inputs seem to limit my connection choices.
   
  I'd be hooking them to a Fiio E10 which has a 3.5mm line and coaxial out. The speakers have a XLR and single RCA input.
   
  I can get a XLR to 1/4" cable then plug in my Grado 1/4" to 1/8" adapter into the E10 but is there any benefit of using the XLR over a RCA to 1/8" cable into the line out?
   
  When connecting to a Squeezebox what is my best option?  Single RCA to RCA-Y adapter to RCA? XLR to RCA to RCA-Y adapter to RCA?
   
  EDIT : Just noticed each speaker is separate so I'd need a single RCA from each speaker into a RCA-Y to 3.5mm directly into the lineout ... is this right?


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## bootman

Quote: 





uncle00jesse said:


> sorry for such a dumb question, but do these speakers need a preamp/amp to operate?


 

 You would need line out levels to operate.


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## bootman

Quote: 





warpdriver said:


> the Q5 has XLR inputs even though their website picture doesn't show it (see their specs)
> 
> The point is: these QMS speakers are not a Emotiva design, they were already launched last year in China, and Emotiva is licensing the designs for NA market. They added the XLR (which is not exactly a complicated change) to the smaller A4 model, but QMS can easily do that because the XLR+unbal plate amp design already existed in the Q5 and Q6 models.
> 
> ...


 

 The $100 pretty much covers the shipping and what ever else is needed to get this over the the US.
  I understand that.
  As far as the marketing terms used in China vs the US.
  they are after all marketing terms.
   
  You can use any "pro" self powered speakers for PC use, no?
  You could in theory do the same the other way around, but speakers marketed here in the US for PC use, do not have XLR or 1/4" inputs that the pro market here in the US needs.
   
  Bottom line, do these speakers sound good?
  The general consensus is that yes apparently they do. (I haven't heard one myself)
  Are they worth the money?
  Funny question considering we here would easily spend 2x that much on an amp to feed cans music from an ipod.


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## warpdriver

Quote: 





bootman said:


> Bottom line, do these speakers sound good?


 


  I agree. It's nice to know what you are getting these days still.
   
  The user reviews seem decent. And certainly Steve likes them (and he can tell the difference between ALAC/FLAC and uncompressed files 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




).


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## lmswjm

bootman said:


> The $100 pretty much covers the shipping and what ever else is needed to get this over the the US.
> I understand that.
> As far as the marketing terms used in China vs the US.
> they are after all marketing terms.
> ...




The AirMotiv 6' s sound ridiculously good independent of price. If I wanted to do better I'd be looking at Focals, and I bet that the Emotivas wouldn't get smoked then. The fact that I don't need a sub is icing on the cake. If you have the room for these, it doesn't make sense to get anything smaller that would add the cost of a sub. 

In a nearfield situation, it's nice having all of the frequencies right in front of you. A sub can break up the continuity. Besides music listening, I also use these to monitor my bass playing, and they have yet to falter.


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## insomniac

Hey Steve, disregarding for a moment that the PSB Imagine Minis are about twice the cost, how would you compare the airmotiv4's to the Imagine Mini's (powered by an appropriate amplifier)?


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## melie

What are the big differences between the airmotiv4 & airmotiv5 sound wise? Just a slightly better bass on the 5 I assume cause of the bigger driver? I'm going to use them as desktop speakers so only nearfield, they won't be needed to fill a whole room.
  These things look really interesting but a 200$ price difference for an only 0,75" bigger driver seems a little much as the ribbon transducer is the same size on both models.
  So is the extra 200$ for the airmotiv5 worth it in a nearfield set-up? I'm guessing probably not?


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## warpdriver

Actually, the Imagine Minis are not twice the cost. My local dealer had the Minis on sale for $500 CAD (the price is always negotiable), whereas the AM4 are $400 USD. For me, by the time I import the Emotivas they are roughly the same.
   
  I notice this all the time in forums, people don't take into account that B&M brands of speakers are often heavily discounted. I've always gotten at least 25% off the retail price of brands like PSB, Paradigm etc. My current dealer actually has a pair of NIB Synchrony Two towers for 33% off at the moment (so tempted, but too bad I just bought tons of stuff recently already)
   
  Quote: 





insomniac said:


> Hey Steve, disregarding for a moment that the PSB Imagine Minis are about twice the cost, how would you compare the airmotiv4's to the Imagine Mini's (powered by an appropriate amplifier)?


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## k1n0n3

Quote: 





melie said:


> What are the big differences between the airmotiv4 & airmotiv5 sound wise? Just a slightly better bass on the 5 I assume cause of the bigger driver? I'm going to use them as desktop speakers so only nearfield, they won't be needed to fill a whole room.
> These things look really interesting but a 200$ price difference for an only 0,75" bigger driver seems a little much as the ribbon transducer is the same size on both models.
> So is the extra 200$ for the airmotiv5 worth it in a nearfield set-up? I'm guessing probably not?


 

 The 4s are 50 watts RMS, 58 Hz to 23 kHz +/- 2 dB, the 5s - 100 watts RMS, 52 Hz to 23 kHz +/- 2 dB. Whether 0,75" bigger or more is usually better for the low end extension and mids as well, due to the bigger surface area pushing more air. Going by the prices originally posted in the review, a $100 difference would be justified, $200? I don't think so, as you can get a decent powered sub for $200 for the extra bottom end (if that is what one is after).
  IMHO


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## melie

That's what I thought. I can't really imagine 0,75" (16,66% increase) makes that much of a difference. Anyone who has heard them both for closure on this?
 Also, for nearfield, I don't think I will need anything more then 50watts RMS. I have M-Audio AV40's atm, which are 40watts RMS, and I never go past half way the max volume.


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## Skoobs

damn, cant bring myself to seriously consider such directional speakers. want, but dont want.
   
  though most of my listening is done from sitting at my desk, i still like to bump while walking around sometimes.


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## Skoobs

Quote: 





melie said:


> That's what I thought. I can't really imagine 0,75" (16,66% increase) makes that much of a difference. Anyone who has heard them both for closure on this?
> Also, for nearfield, I don't think I will need anything more then 50watts RMS. I have M-Audio AV40's atm, which are 40watts RMS, and I never go past half way the max volume.


 


  FYI the full frequency response graphs are available on the website.
   
  a6
   

   
  a5
   

   
  however, apparently the a4 speaker is showing the same graph as the a5. even same title. tisk tisk.


----------



## melie

Quote: 





skoobs said:


> FYI the full frequency response graphs are available on the website.
> 
> a6
> 
> ...


 
  Yeah I saw that. Both the a4 and a5 link to the same image. But sound is mostly more than just graphs or technicatlities. For example, I could hear a clear difference between the M-Audio Bx5a and the Bx8a. Both are the exact same technologie only has the one a 5" woofer and the other an 8" one. Now this is a 3" difference so I guess it makes sence to hear a noticable difference. Was just wondering if a 0,75" difference is noticable and, if so, worth the 200$ extra.


----------



## Currawong

I have the A4s on my desk and I quite like them. I have them facing out rather than pointing towards me and amp using my Phoenix as a pre. The first pair they sent me were the wrong voltage, but rather than ask for them back, they let me keep them, so I sent them to a friend in Australia for the cost of shipping. Considering his current speakers were a crappy pair of Sonys, he was very happy with the upgrade.
   
  I figured they were cheap, mass-produced stuff from China, but they are much better built than what such a fact would suggest. They don't have the visceral thump for what I call "club" music at the quieter volumes I listen at (maybe I just need to turn up the volume?), but their more polite presentation is very pleasant with the acoustic varieties because of the tweeter.
   
  I'm thinking of replacing my living room speakers with the A6s now, though unfortunately that would mean the IC to one speaker and its power cable running alongside each other, which isn't ideal.


----------



## DoctaCosmos

Ever since your review Steve (thank you by the way,) i have been obsessing with these for some reason.  I don't even know if i should be but for some reason i can't get them out of my head.  I think i'm going to go with the Airmotiv6's connected to the Emotiva USP-1 stereo preamp via xlr cables. Ont top of that a  DacMagic Plus with xlr's. I think i'm going to have to settle with this set-up for probably 3 more years until i can afford my rotel and B&W CM9's.    I hope i am pleased with this set-up.


----------



## Chuck E Darwin

More than a few words:
   
  I have a pair of Airmotiv 4's hooked directly to a Squeezebox Touch in my living room. The speaker setup is contrary to almost all of Emotiva's recommendations. The speakers sit horizontally within a set of very shallow bookshelves, below ear level, with the rear ports about 3/4 inches from the back wall, with no toe-in, and with an overhanging shelf about a foot above.
   
  Even with these compromises, the speakers sound spectacular. At alternate times, I thought the speakers bright and forward--or warm and reserved. My conclusion is that they are unusually neutral.They are glorious in revealing detail (echoes, the attack and decay of instruments, slight vocal inflections and volume changes, etc.), but they don't exaggerate the defects of a poor recording. They will sound slightly brash with recordings that merit such a sound; sweet and reserved with music that should not sound aggressive. The pace and pitch of the music always sounds spot on. No recording suffers by being played on the Airmotivs.
   
  I think less about Emotiva's mark-up over a pair of ODMs than the fact that they sound much better on vocals and brass than my far more expensive B & W Nautilus 805s.They might not match the 805's in conveying the full body of a recording--I haven't yet tested the speakers with highly complex material. But, in overall tone and character, the Airmotivs sound more like my old Dunlavy SC-IIIs than the somewhat sterile 805s. (My SC-IIIs were great in my old loft apartment; they did not work well as I started to move around.)
   
  For those concerned about ribbon tweeters or the use of a near field monitor in a living room: The speakers do not sound overly directional. There is one place in the center of the room where the speakers sound ideal, but the music does not lose coherence and the high frequencies do not disappear as you move off axis.
   
  My major concern about the Airmotivs is their appearance.  The speakers are not unattractive for most settings, but, even with their small size, they look brutish when set in a minimalist living room, and the constant blue glow around the volume control knobs looks very gee-whiz. As an alternative to returning the speakers, I have wondered if it would be practical for me to transplant their innards to a different set of cabinets. I would void the warranty, but, if the speaker components and I survive the operation, I would be able to keep the speakers.


----------



## tim3320070

This Teeter type has been around since the 70's and I have owned 3 different ESS speakers with the Heil tweeter. Used variants of the ESS can be had used for under $200 if patient with your searching and can provide an amazing sound experience with some modding to the weak woofer section.


----------



## DoctaCosmos

Is the Martin Logan "Folded Motion Tweeter"  that is in some speakers such as the Motion 12's the same design?


----------



## Nepenthe

Yes, the ML FMT uses a similar air-motion-transformer design.
   
  Yesterday I wouldn't have known what you were talking about, but in the past 24 hours I've been researching Adam (pro and home), Emotiva, Elac, and ML Motion series (among others, including the revamped CA-based ESS company) like crazy. I'm pretty heartened to see this design becoming more widely used. It's too bad I didn't discover these new generation AMTs earlier though.
   
  The original ESS AMT-1s are partially responsible for getting me interested in playing music (guitar, keyboards), discovering new music, and being interested in hifi. Truly loved the quality of the sound. I'm also a fan of the RX-7 rotary, which is responsible for getting me interested in autocrossing, following motorsports, and being interested in sports cars. Felix Wankel and Oskar Heil are my heroes. 
	

	
	
		
		

		
			




   
  I'm leaning toward these little airmotiv4s + one STF-1 for my desk system, and the Tensor Deltas + stands + dual STF-2s for my main system.
   
  I always wondered why the AMT was not more widely used, given how great I found them. Now I don't have to wonder. But I still wonder why the AMT has only been used once in a headphone application. It has some great qualities, and a full-range AMT with good bass extension would be incredible.


----------



## StringBoi

I know this isnt the best way to hear speakers, but I thought this little clip was impressive:
   
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kFggYcxYk0g


----------



## DoctaCosmos

So other than nice highs from the folded tweeter, is there anything special about the kevlar woofer?  Are there any good three way active speakers?  I have seen the Adams audio speakers but haven't found a price on them.  They use a 9" woofer for bass and for the highs and mids they each have there own folded motion devices


----------



## DoctaCosmos

wohhhhhh on the price of the Adam's lol.   $10650


----------



## melie

Quote: 





doctacosmos said:


> So other than nice highs from the folded tweeter, is there anything special about the kevlar woofer?  Are there any good three way active speakers?  I have seen the Adams audio speakers but haven't found a price on them.  They use a 9" woofer for bass and for the highs and mids they each have there own folded motion devices


 

 The Adams are in a very different price range. The ones you're talking about, the Adam Audio S3X-V, cost 2.000€ a piece here in Europe..


----------



## DoctaCosmos

I was talking about the Tensor series Delta.
  I was thinking of getting the emotiva usp-1 stereo preamplifier.  I just notied it doesn't have balanced xlr output or input.  Does anyone know of any stereo receivers with these options?  I could run the AM6's with just the dacmagic but i was really wanting to run a sub eventually too.  Can i do that with the dacmagic by using the digital coax out?


----------



## melie

I'm still curious for some comparisons. How do these compare to the Adam AX serie? Or to the Swan M200MKIII? If it is true what some people say and they can combine the analytical precision of the Adams with the musicalness of the Swans, I think these speakers would be pretty perfect...


----------



## Nepenthe

The Tensor Delta is Adam's home audio unit that has the dual AMT (small AMT tweeter, medium AMT midrange) setup. The S3X-V uses a conventional cone midrange driver. The Tensor is pricey too though.
   
  A good comparison (back on the pro side) is the Adam A3X and the Emotiva Airmotiv4. Both are two-ways, both have 25+25 watt amps, both have 4.5 inch LF drivers, both have small AMT tweeters crossed over at the same frequency, they even weigh almost exactly the same. Street price for A3X is $658 free shipping, for Airmotiv4 it's $399 free shipping.
   
  Is the Adam 65% better?
   
  Of course then there's the Martin Logan Motion 4. $500 and smaller, lighter, with a 4.0 inch LF driver but similar in some ways.


----------



## DoctaCosmos

The motion 4's aren't active speakers and newegg has the motion 12's for $600 a pair.  Do they sound as good as the airmotiv's? If they did, that would be nice but then again i'm sure you would have to find an amp that with pairs well with them.  Also i think i read that the martin logans use paper drivers. when i think of paper cones i think of crappy car speakers or 20 year old walmart stereo's lol.


----------



## DoctaCosmos

does anyone know if the airmotivs are magnetically shielded?


----------



## tim3320070

Quote: 





doctacosmos said:


> The motion 4's aren't active speakers and newegg has the motion 12's for $600 a pair.  Do they sound as good as the airmotiv's? If they did, that would be nice but then again i'm sure you would have to find an amp that with pairs well with them.  Also i think i read that the martin logans use paper drivers. when i think of paper cones i think of crappy car speakers or 20 year old walmart stereo's lol.


 


  Paper cones when done right are as good as anything, and many times better.


----------



## songmic

I have some *very" newbie questions in regards to mini desktop speakers, especially this airmotiv4. I'd really appreciate it if someone took the  time to answer any of them. Thanks in advance!
   
  1. From the look of its rear side, it seems that they have only an RCA and an XLR input. And they also have a power on/off switch with a power cord inlet. This seems quite strange - shouldn't speakers have speaker inputs? Does this mean that these speakers have built-in amps? And that I don't need speaker cables when I'm using them in my system?
   
  2. If so, can I simply connect these speakers into my DAC using RCA interconnects? Or would I still need a preamp to drive these properly?
   
  3. If I would at least need a preamp to drive these mini speakers, do you think my Schiit Lyr (a relatively powerful hybrid headphone amp/preamp) can get the job done well?
   
  4. These are mini desktop speakers, like the ones I'd place on top of my desk along my computer, correct? So I suppose these are meant for listening to quite closely?


----------



## gelocks

Quote: 





songmic said:


> I have some *very" newbie questions in regards to mini desktop speakers, especially this airmotiv4. I'd really appreciate it if someone took the  time to answer any of them. Thanks in advance!
> 
> 1. From the look of its rear side, it seems that they have only an RCA and an XLR input. And they also have a power on/off switch with a power cord inlet. This seems quite strange - shouldn't speakers have speaker inputs? Does this mean that these speakers have built-in amps? And that I don't need speaker cables when I'm using them in my system?
> 
> ...


 

 1) These are "active"/"powered" speakers, so yep, they have a built-in amp. And like you said, you don't need speaker cables (those are use for "passive" speakers)
   
  2) Yes you can. I connect my Nuforce Icon HDP to my active speakers that way sometimes.
   
  3) I would believe so.
   
  4) not sure how "mini" they are.. If they are like my recording monitors, then no...


----------



## melie

Quote: 





songmic said:


> I have some *very" newbie questions in regards to mini desktop speakers, especially this airmotiv4. I'd really appreciate it if someone took the  time to answer any of them. Thanks in advance!
> 
> 1. From the look of its rear side, it seems that they have only an RCA and an XLR input. And they also have a power on/off switch with a power cord inlet. This seems quite strange - shouldn't speakers have speaker inputs? Does this mean that these speakers have built-in amps? And that I don't need speaker cables when I'm using them in my system?
> 
> ...


 

 1. They are active so you won't need anything else to drive them. You can even attach them to an iPod if you want. Just need something with an RCA end.
   
  2. No, you don't need a preamp.
   
  3. You don't need it. If you do want to use it, it will work fine.
   
  4. These are not really 'mini'.
  240 mm high x 155 mm wide x 186 mm deep
 (9.4" high x 6.1" wide x 7.3" deep)
  They will function fine on quite levels up close but they still pack some real power. I know sound quality wise this isn't going to say much but this youtube movie does demonstrate their room filling capabilities quite well. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kFggYcxYk0g
   
   
   
  EDIT:: Didn't see gelocks allready posted an answer. Guess my browser didn't refresh or something.


----------



## Nepenthe

I still have questions along the output/preamp/volume control.
   
  My only experience with active speakers has been instrument speakers (guitar amps etc.) and this: http://sonysava.wordpress.com/sava-7/580d_1/
   
  The SAVA 7 system is lackluster, but my point is, it had multiple switchable inputs, a volume control that affected both channels, and a remote control.
   
*1.* If you're feeding these airmotiv speakers (or any of the Adam actives for that matter) a line level input (where you're not attenuating the volume level at the source), and not using a preamp, is your only choice to manually turn the volume knobs on each channel/speaker in concert when you want to adjust the volume?
   
*2.* And is your only choice to switch between sources to manually switch the RCA inputs?
   
*3.* If you did want a preamp that could handle two or three sources and switch between them and attenuate volume across both, what are some good transparent inexpensive choices?
   
*4. *And is attenuating the volume at the input really a good idea given that it's a line level signal (don't you run the risk of sending too boosted or too quiet an input signal)?
   
  Thanks!


----------



## melie

Quote: 





nepenthe said:


> I still have questions along the output/preamp/volume control.
> 
> My only experience with active speakers has been instrument speakers (guitar amps etc.) and this: http://sonysava.wordpress.com/sava-7/580d_1/
> 
> ...


 

 1. Yes
   
  2. Yes
   
  3. Look at something like the Matrix Mini-I as it also has an awesome dac and is balanced. http://www.ebay.com/itm/Matrix-mini-i-24-192-Balanced-DAC-Headphone-Amp-/350235725907. If you allready have a good dac, any kind of pre-amp will do.
   
  4. I would ALWAYS run monitors through a pre-amp for the reasons you give and other practical ones. You don't have to if you really don't want but I think it's very inconvenient.


----------



## DoctaCosmos

The Matrix Mini that you post seems pretty nice.  I like that it has balanced xlr out.  I just need to find someone with impressions on dacmagic plus vs the matrix mini.
  ad1955 d/a chip or wm8740


----------



## melie

Quote: 





doctacosmos said:


> The Matrix Mini that you post seems pretty nice.  I like that it has balanced xlr out.  I just need to find someone with impressions on dacmagic plus vs the matrix mini.
> ad1955 d/a chip or wm8740


 

 Well, if you allready have a Dacmagic I would just buy a simple preamp and save some money.
  If you want to read more about the Matrix Mini-I I would advice you to read this thread => http://www.head-fi.org/t/441960/matrix-mini-i-balanced-dac-hp-amp
  It does have a very good reputation here on HeadFi but I wouldn't trade a Dacmagic for it.


----------



## Nepenthe

What would be an example of a simple inexpensive preamp that has, say, two sets of RCA inputs, one set of RCA output, a switch, and a volume control, that doesn't degrade or color the sound? Don't need a DAC.
   
  And will adjusting volume through line outs really work okay with the gain, (how do you avoid double-amping or over-gaining the input on the airmotiv?) etc.?
   
  I'm likely going to buy these and pair them with a single Hsu STF-1 sub, for desktop video, music enjoyment, occasional gaming, and general usage.
   
  Still haven't decided what I might do with my living room system. Heard the Motion 12s yesterday at BB, and thought they sounded quite good, but I'll probably pass for now (and miss the sale) while I think about it some more.
   
  Thanks again!!


----------



## DoctaCosmos

I was talking about the dacmagic plus. it's newer and they changed the sound i guess.  not many reviews on it but the few that have are good.  I'm looking to spend about $600 on a dac and i need balanced xlr out
  I also would like a coax out so i can hook a sub up too.don't know if that's possible


----------



## Currawong

What I probably should check is if the XLR inputs go into a phase splitter. I don't imagine the internal amping is balanced. It's somewhat of a moot point though as for me at least being able to use long runs of balanced cable to them is important.
   
  What I have noticed is that using different sources with these monitors, the differences are readily apparent.


----------



## moimd

So uh.... I bought these on impulse (shame on me, I know). Do these come with cables? If not, can anyone point in the direction of reliable xlr cables, maybe preferably off amazon?
   
  Also, I am severely lacking in desk space; putting a 10lbs monitor on top of my NFB10, good idea or very very bad idea?


----------



## mtkversion

Quote: 





moimd said:


> So uh.... I bought these on impulse (shame on me, I know). Do these come with cables? If not, can anyone point in the direction of reliable xlr cables, maybe preferably off amazon?
> 
> Also, I am severely lacking in desk space; putting a 10lbs monitor on top of my NFB10, good idea or very very bad idea?


 


 Emotiva customer support is pretty good, I'd email them and ask. They will most likely just come with the power cable though.
   
  I'd get the XLR cables off Monoprice. Cheap but good quality ... I buy all my cables/adapters from them now and haven't had issues with anything yet.
   
  10lbs probably won't affect the DAC/Amp but I wouldn't put anything on top of it personally.


----------



## tim3320070

The nfb10 casing is pretty stout, I doubt it would hurt anything. I second the Monoprice recommendation. If you want sturdier cables, make you own out of mic cable and Neutrik plugs or buy them from Bluejeanscable.com.


----------



## Lenni

Quote: 





moimd said:


> So uh.... I bought these on impulse (shame on me, I know). Do these come with cables? If not, can anyone point in the direction of reliable xlr cables, maybe preferably off amazon?
> 
> Also, I am severely lacking in desk space; putting a 10lbs monitor on top of my NFB10, good idea or very very bad idea?


 

 Emotiva, also sells interconnects.


----------



## DoctaCosmos

i'm thinking i'm going with the bluejean cables but the emotiva one's would probably do just fine too.  They look good too.
  If anyone's reading this, i've been reading and reading and reading.  i want a good DAC for $600 or so.  I should probably make my own post but i've read a bunch of posts that are titled pretty much the same way i would have post mine.  They're all like three years old.  I tried copying and pasting names of just about every dac  that people have mentioned and researched them.  I wanted the dacmagic plus but one thing that throws me off was an article i read said that dac's built with op amps pretty much all sound the same and there is no difference between them audibly.  So what would be the next step and at a good price with balanced xlr output.


----------



## tim3320070

Quote: 





doctacosmos said:


> i'm thinking i'm going with the bluejean cables but the emotiva one's would probably do just fine too.  They look good too.
> If anyone's reading this, i've been reading and reading and reading.  i want a good DAC for $600 or so.  I should probably make my own post but i've read a bunch of posts that are titled pretty much the same way i would have post mine.  They're all like three years old.  I tried copying and pasting names of just about every dac  that people have mentioned and researched them.  I wanted the dacmagic plus but one thing that throws me off was an article i read said that dac's built with op amps pretty much all sound the same and there is no difference between them audibly.  So what would be the next step and at a good price with balanced xlr output.


 
  The Audio-gd NFB10SE is a balanced (XLR output) DAC/Headphone Amp/Preamp that you can use a remote with for $550. If someone can recommend better, please do. I own it and am very impressed with it.


----------



## Nepenthe

Indeed that sounds like a great piece of equipment. XLRs, DAC, headphone, normal preamp, and has a remote is an impressive "do it all" box!
   
  I had a brain fart about preamp output earlier, but now I'm thinking more clearly. I don't really need a DAC or headphone amp, and the remote is nice but I'll be at my desk for this sytem. XLRs are great but the RCA can be less than two feet for the installation I'm doing.
   
  I'm hunting on eBay for a pre:
  Proton AS 2631, Madrigal Proceed, Onkyo P-301, HK seventeen S, Sony TA/4300, Sony ST-JX401, Yamaha C-80, Yamaha C-45, Denon PRA-1200, ADCOM GFP-555 II, ADCOM GTP-500 II, Carver CT-17, Marantz AV600
   
  Employing the risky maneuver of bidding on more than one auction simultaneously, when I only want to ultimately buy one item. Will make the clicks to order and STF-1 and airmotiv4 or airmotiv5 pair soon.


----------



## DoctaCosmos

I've actually heard quite ALOT about the audio-gd products and,..must be my new medication, i completely forgot about them!  Thank you so much for you reply.  It does seam like a pretty good deal.  The 10se uses the wm8741 which is 3 years newer than the wm8740 that the dacmagic plus uses.  Apparently the only difference between the two is that the wm8741 allows a high voltage? but basically is the same chip.   Thank you Tim
  as for eugenius, if he is,... he is (@steve.)   30 day money back guarantee.  I can live with that.


----------



## DoctaCosmos

Defintely going to go with the Audio-gd nfb10se


----------



## eclipes

how about the Yulong d100? Its also a superior all in one box unit for 500$ I think.


----------



## DoctaCosmos

i looked at it and actually a long time ago i wanted it pretty badly along with a d7000 but i have read about a lot of problems that it has


----------



## seslwr

The Airmotiv series looks intriguing.  I picked up a pair of AudioEngine A2's about a year ago, but find they're too small to be a presence in a large room.


----------



## DoctaCosmos

the airmotiv6's will probably be my early birthday present.  they should make up for the past 14 years not getting any lol


----------



## PeterCasta

I bought then, they arrived to Puerto Rico in 3 days. I am impressed by their BASS, the bass is heavy and don't distort, the tweeters are reality-christal-clears (Wow). I am using them in my computer, as for my everyday music hearing is done with the Senns HD800. I think these are the best speakers I have bought in my life.


----------



## ylingf

Has anyone be able to compare it to the Neumann HK 120 or the Adam A3x or Yamaha HS80M or Alesis Monitor 1 MKII?


----------



## Nepenthe

petercasta said:


> I bought then, they arrived to Puerto Rico in 3 days. I am impressed by their BASS, the bass is heavy and don't distort, the tweeters are reality-christal-clears (Wow). I am using them in my computer, as for my everyday music hearing is done with the Senns HD800. I think these are the best speakers I have bought in my life.


 
  Nice! Which ones did you buy? 4s, 5s, or 6s?


----------



## melie

Quote: 





petercasta said:


> I bought then, they arrived to Puerto Rico in 3 days. I am impressed by their BASS, the bass is heavy and don't distort, the tweeters are reality-christal-clears (Wow). I am using them in my computer, as for my everyday music hearing is done with the Senns HD800. I think these are the best speakers I have bought in my life.


 

 Would you say they sound more analytical like studio monitors or more like normal hifi speakers?


----------



## eugenius

I would very much be interested in reading a review comparing Adam A5X's with Airmotiv 6's. 

I had a post here that said my opinion on this review (hint: not good) and it mysteriously disapeared.


----------



## eugenius

this forum is unstable (double post)


----------



## PeterCasta

Quote: 





nepenthe said:


> Nice! Which ones did you buy? 4s, 5s, or 6s?


 


  The 4s


----------



## Scaremonger

Based on one of Steve's reviews from last year, and coupled with an unbeatable eBay price, I picked up a pair of the AktiMate Minis in red:
   
  http://www.aktimate.com.au/mini.html
   
  They retail for $700 a pair and have Creek amplification and Epos speakers, although you can find them for far less if you dig (I couldn't pass them up at $299).  They sound great, better than Audioengine A5s, and come with a built in iPod dock and remote.  40WPC that fills a large room easily, decent bass.
   
  Anyone else try these, or the AktiMate Maxis?


----------



## Nepenthe

I'm interested in knowing about the airmotiv7s or 8s -- 8" woofer. And the matching sub. And the hifi line Emotiva is supposedly launching. And I'd like to know if they will have any three-way speakers with two different size AMTs at any point. The Tensor Delta is a healthy $10,000.


----------



## Super Dave

@Steve also the Airmotiv 4 vs Audioengine P4 for use a computer speaker mainly?

 Thanks!


----------



## mtkversion

Quote: 





nepenthe said:


> I'm interested in knowing about the airmotiv7s or 8s -- 8" woofer. And the matching sub. And the hifi line Emotiva is supposedly launching. And I'd like to know if they will have any three-way speakers with two different size AMTs at any point. The Tensor Delta is a healthy $10,000.


 


  I contacted Emotiva about the matching sub and it's set to be released at the end of Q1.  10" composite woofer, 300 watts, DSP features with a $600 MSRP. That's coming from Emotiva 'Pro' which is the branch working on the airmotiv line.
   
  I got an email from another Emotiva rep that said the X-Ref 10 would also pair well and it shares similar specs but costs $500.


----------



## Nepenthe

Good stuff, thank you!


----------



## PeterCasta

I am sorry to say that I like music that sounds very REAL, and these are very real, you have to use your best music to take the full advantage of them. Super clean highs, balanced and a nice BASS, this is what I have to say about them. I bought the smallest ones. I really love them!


----------



## dvzzz

I do not see any good description of the mid-bass that airmotiv 4 plays. Any opinions? To me quality dynamic bass is defined by how well speakers are crossovered and how well they can handle the mid-bass 90Hz-180Hz? Very interested as this is what we hear well in the nearfield at lower volumes, e.g. when listening to Audioengine A2. This is when I enjoy A2 immensely, but I just want a tidbit more upper resolution and that is why I am looking at the airmotiv 4.


----------



## Super Dave

You may want to look at the CNET review;  the Airmotiv 4 bass is said to outdo even the A5+ let alone the A2.  I am now leaning toward Airmotiv my self; will order soon!
   
http://news.cnet.com/8301-13645_3-57367525-47/emotivas-astonishing-desktop-speaker/?tag=txt;title


----------



## Nepenthe

Ordered airmotiv5s. Ordered Elemental Designs A3S-250 sealed subwoofer. Won Denon PRA-1500 preamp. Will buy Monoprice XLRs to connect from pre to airmotivs. Ordered a new corner desk (won't be in the corner though). Shopping for a good chair, probably Allseating Chiroform. Not sure yet how I'll isolate the airmotivs, put them at ear height, and yet damp the early reflection off my LCD screens.


----------



## darkfireblade25

I'm not too sure if this is answered yet, but how do these compare to the Swan M200MKIII? They are the same price and I'm trying to decide which one to get.


----------



## Golden Ears

I was a dealer for Audio Engine. I really can not recommend these speakers. They have a dreadful midbass hump and lack upper octaves. Genelecs are clearly superior and smaller. The only thing appealing about the Audio engines is the USB port and that is no reason to buy a speaker that sounds as poor as these do given current options. In 2009 they were OK compared to what was out at the time..not anymore.


----------



## mtkversion

Quote: 





golden ears said:


> I was a dealer for Audio Engine. I really can not recommend these speakers. They have a dreadful midbass hump and lack upper octaves. Genelecs are clearly superior and smaller. The only thing appealing about the Audio engines is the USB port and that is no reason to buy a speaker that sounds as poor as these do given current options. In 2009 they were OK compared to what was out at the time..not anymore.


 


 Genelecs should be better considering they are probably twice the cost. If you're talking about the 6010A model they are definitely smaller but not necessarily superior when it comes to their bass performance. I've heard them and they are a great sounding speaker but the bass is limited by a 3" woofer.


----------



## Bubo

Behringer has a product that is also very similar near the same price point, also ranked highly on head-fi's Head gear pages.
   
  Sanyo was making and shipping ribbon tweeter speakers 30 years ago if memory serves me correctly.
   
  It would be nice if someone could do a shootout with the four versions of this speakers we have now listed from 4 manufacturers.
   
   
   
http://www.amazon.com/Behringer-B3031A-Reference-Monitor-Speaker/dp/B001F1ZMHY/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1328797505&sr=8-1


----------



## Nepenthe

I'll have my airmotiv5s this Saturday. Fed Ex / Emotiva requiring a direct signature, no way I can provide that (I work 75 hours per week).
   
  The Behringer looks interesting for the price. I see the two high frequency driver technologies as distinct, however. They have very different design parameters, dynamic qualities, dispersion characteristics, and sound production methods.
   
  I owned the original ESS AMT "Great Heil" from the early 70s. Excellent sound.
   
  By the way, I think there are quite a bit more than four. I've got a list at home on a spreadsheet and I think it's more like ten or twelve manufacturers using AMT technology.


----------



## airs

I am positive I want some Airmotivs, but I'm not sure which model to get between the 5 and 6.  I'm going to be using them as PC desktop speakers, connected to a dedicated dac.  I'm worried the 6 will be too large and take up too much space, but the 5 doesn't have as much amp power and doesn't extend nearly as low...
   
  Anyone have pics of the 5 or 6 on their desk?


----------



## Nepenthe

airs said:


> I am positive I want some Airmotivs, but I'm not sure which model to get between the 5 and 6.  I'm going to be using them as PC desktop speakers, connected to a dedicated dac.  I'm worried the 6 will be too large and take up too much space, but the 5 doesn't have as much amp power and doesn't extend nearly as low...
> 
> Anyone have pics of the 5 or 6 on their desk?


 
  I'll have the 5s on my desk tomorrow, will try to take a couple pics. Fed Ex guy delivered them yesterday after all, was going to post a quick hit review but spent so much time listening to them it got too late (and this is with them on the floor!). I'm waiting to set them up, since my brand new desk comes in tomorrow morning from CEVA freight. Also I just picked up my Denon PRA-1500 preamp that I won on eBay, haven't implemented it yet.
   
  I'll put my "on the floor" impressions up a little later. Synopsis: Wow!


----------



## airs

Well I couldn't wait... 
   
   

 *Product Code* *Item* *Qty* *Price* *Grand Total* airmotiv6 airmotiv 6 (pair) 1 $799.00 $799.00 DSC-14 NAMM 2012 1 -$119.85 -$119.85


----------



## dvzzz

How are you, guys, planning to deal with power consumption on these speakers. They have no standby, power save features. I am very interested in them but if they do not sleep (and I know they do not) how do you plan to turn them off for the night? Any ideas on the switcheable power strip?


----------



## Nepenthe

So here are my impressions from Thursday and Friday. I'm still awaiting my desk (not to mention my ED A3S-250 sub, XLR cables, speaker stands, damping materials, rug, new chair, beanbag footrest, etc.).
  ---------------------------------------------------------------------
  Fed Ex guy hooked me up. I had left a note on the door with my signature and sure enough when I got home they were there. I still don't have my preamp, new chair, new desk, subwoofer, rug, XLR cables, etc. but I hooked up them up to an old Sony CD player on the floor to try them out. Played some Menomena, Oceansize, Three Mile Pilot, Beta Band, Cursive, The Autumns, Elbow, Catherine Wheel, Kino, A Perfect Circle, Leaves, Cooper Temple Clause, St. Vincent, and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory soundtrack.
   
*1.*  Okay, they're not ESS AMTs. But those had HUGE air-motion transformers, that went down to 600 or 800 Hz, and which were set up as dipoles. These don't quite have the inimitable "clear as light" sound the ESSs had. Not a big surprise, really.
   
*2.  *The bass. Is this what things have come to? These perform a real magic trick as far as bass production. The bass is extremely tight and has really sensational detail, but it's the presence and authority I wasn't expecting. These rock. Am I regretting ordering the sealed sub? No, but I hope it can blend well enough and contribute. Of course, these impressions are with the speakers sitting on the floor.
   
*3.*  The 3D. Granted I have to contort my body quite a bit to get my ears into a suitable sweet spot (they're on my floor), but the 3D effect, both the spread from left to right and the feeling of layers going back is really astonishing. And addictive. The separation between instruments is everything I could ask for. The ambient detail that gets teased out of the recording is wonderful. These AMTs are pretty directional, especially vertically, but if I can manage to get my desk set up advantageously, that shouldn't be a problem for personal listening.
   
*4.*  There is a definite sense of hearing things in a different way than I have before. Many sounds and passages have already taken me aback. I'm noticing things all over the place that even with detailed headphones I never remember hearing like that. The sound is balanced but *extremely* energetic. Sounds appear to leap out of the transducers. This is also addictive and fun and very musical.
   
  Overall I'm impressed so far and not regretting the purchase at all. I think these will fill the "desktop concert" nearfield concept nicely.


----------



## wiinippongamer

Anyone who has heard this and HD600 OR K701 could give me a comparison in sound qualities between them? I am currently torn between those two headphones with a matching amplifier OR if a good set of speakers for around the same price ( I have $600 to spend) can match or exceed the 'phones, I'd prefer the speakers.
   
  Nepenthe, could you give a comparison between the airmotiv5's and the HE-500? I'd highly appreciate you guys' advice on this.


----------



## Remonster

Not sure on the HD600s, but I have HD650s and the Airmotivs are not even slightly close. They sound very good, I had them for the 30 day audition period but decided to return them. I didn't feel the 6s were really competitive in the $800 price range, but if they were priced as Audioengine competitors (I also own Audioengine A5s) I would have probably kept them.
   
  The bass is very deep for a 6" speaker, though, I even had 8" M-Audio studio monitors at the same time and the Airmotiv6 could get almost as low as the M-Audios (though the bass was boomy and lacked detail compared to the cheaper M-Audios).


----------



## classicalguy

How can you compare headphones and speakers? Totally different. Sure headphones are going to give you less ambient noise and more detail, but no real sense of space and image. And you're wearing an appliance on your ears. A couple hours is all I can take with phones. Speakers can go all day. 

Sent from my Ainol Novo 7 Advanced with Tapatalk


----------



## wiinippongamer

I can go all day on both headphones and speakers


----------



## Nepenthe

wiinippongamer said:


> Nepenthe, could you give a comparison between the airmotiv5's and the HE-500? I'd highly appreciate you guys' advice on this.


 
  That's pretty tough. The HE-500s and I didn't get along that well, sonically. I listen, especially to headphones, at very low volumes, and felt the HE-500s to be missing a bit of the high frequency wetness or sparkle. They also were a little more refined and a little less energetic than I was looking for. In the end I couldn't justify the price and returned them.
   
  Now, the bass is still really tight and nice on these airmotiv5s, but up off the floor they aren't the all-conquering beasts I heard the other night. I'm really glad I have the Elemental Designs sealed subwoofer on the way (it's in production). I think it will complement these guys nicely.
   
  I like the amount of non-fatiguing sparkle these have. I just find them very balanced top to bottom and exceedingly revealing. I'm at home listening to Evil Bee by Menomena at this very moment and just loving the 3D feel, the separation, and the way these seem to bring forth textures and wrinkles in the sonics that I've never had the privilege of noticing before.


----------



## Nepenthe

I have run into some issues with placement and my new Legare desk. These pics are pretty roughed out. I have a beanbag footrest, left and right desk extensions, an office floor rug, etc. on the way.
   
  The first pic shows the airs on my desk. I was not satisfied with how they sit (power cord up against the rear raised edge of the desk), how low they were, how they robbed desk space (but it's tough when your monitors are dual widescreens, used to not have this problem when I had one 19" CRT), and most importantly how the sound was compromised.
   
  The second pic depicts the airs on my tower speakers, which are about 40" high. The desk is out from the wall a couple of feet. This has fixed most of the problems: the power cord isn't squished, the monitors are a little further away and at ear height, I have more desk space, and most importantly the 3D sound and cohesion has returned. I was a bit worried about reflections off the monitors, but if it's there I'm not being bothered by it. The sound is delicious.
   
  Luckily I don't have any WAF to worry about. It's my house and all I really care about is sound and practicality. Where I have my desk is a bit... unconventional. But obviously I can't leave my towers there, so I'm looking to buy a couple of these: http://www.amazon.com/Quiklok-BS300-Monitor-Speaker-Adjustable/dp/B0006Z8FTM/ref=pd_cp_MI_0


----------



## Remonster

Quote: 





classicalguy said:


> How can you compare headphones and speakers? Totally different. Sure headphones are going to give you less ambient noise and more detail, but no real sense of space and image. And you're wearing an appliance on your ears. A couple hours is all I can take with phones. Speakers can go all day.
> Sent from my Ainol Novo 7 Advanced with Tapatalk


 


  Yeah, it's very difficult and I definitely prefer speakers to headphones. I was just trying to give the guy and idea of how they compare in terms of detail, top-to-bottom coherence, neutrality, etc. Obviously I don't have measurement equipment so I just gave him a subjective opinion based on headphones I've owned for 6 months to a year and speakers which I owned for a few weeks and sent back.
   
  As I said, they are impressive speakers but I didn't feel they were worth the price. To me, they sound like Audioengines with deeper bass extension, more of a bass hump, and a (much) better tweeter. If the Airmotiv6s were like $500 I would have kept them, but I like my cheaper Jamo C 803s a lot more.


----------



## wiinippongamer

Quote: 





remonster said:


> Yeah, it's very difficult and I definitely prefer speakers to headphones. I was just trying to give the guy and idea of how they compare in terms of detail, top-to-bottom coherence, neutrality, etc. Obviously I don't have measurement equipment so I just gave him a subjective opinion based on headphones I've owned for 6 months to a year and speakers which I owned for a few weeks and sent back.
> 
> As I said, they are impressive speakers but I didn't feel they were worth the price. To me, they sound like Audioengines with deeper bass extension, more of a bass hump, and a (much) better tweeter. If the Airmotiv6s were like $500 I would have kept them, but I like my cheaper Jamo C 803s a lot more.


 

 And how's the quality of the airmotiv's tweeter compared to the Jamo 803?


----------



## mfrnka

I have a set of Airmotiv4 on the way.  These will be for general PC/desktop use.  I went with the 4s to keep the desktop real estate reasonable.  Debating a HSU STF-1 vs. STF-2.  Nepenthe, thanks for the photos and feedback.  It helped greatly in making my decision.


----------



## airs

I ended up changing my order to the Airmotiv 5 at the last minute, thinking that the 6 would be too large for my desk.  I got them last Friday and am really enjoying them so far - crystal clear with nice tight bass.  They are a big step up from the Audioengine A5+.  Of course, they are $599 (but with the coupon code a bit over $500), versus $399 MSRP for the A5+.
   
  I'll try to get some pics up soon.


----------



## Mr.Sneis

Quote: 





mfrnka said:


> I have a set of Airmotiv4 on the way.  These will be for general PC/desktop use.  I went with the 4s to keep the desktop real estate reasonable.  Debating a HSU STF-1 vs. STF-2.  Nepenthe, thanks for the photos and feedback.  It helped greatly in making my decision.


 


  I really dig my stf-1, if you have a large room though go for the stf-2.


----------



## mfrnka

Airmotiv4s arrived in two days and are GREAT!  I wouldn't want much bigger on the computer/office desk, but for another room... hmm... 
	

	
	
		
		

		
			




   
  Asus Xonar Essence One arrives tomorrow and STF-2 should be here next week.
   
  This setup is replacing a Logitech Z-5500 with onboard PC sound and is, predictably, a big step up.


----------



## borowedarogance

In reference to the "FLACs sounding inferior to un-compressed WAVs" I'm not attempting to stick up for Steve, nor discredit myself for that matter; however I will say that I've recently been introduced to EAC, and can tell a difference between a FLAC properly ripped (there are other equally adept programs out there of course, EAC is just the first one I stumbled upon) versus FLACs that have been ripped using a less accurate method, producing errors.  This of course then raises the fact that they aren't truly compressed, so it may be a moot point, if not a lesson in semantics.
   
   
  Back on subject, I will say that all of you have collectedly convinced this long time lurker to bite the bullet on an Audio-gd NFB10SE to pair up with my asus xonar stx/magnums and either a airmotiv4 or 5, I thank you for saving me the time of doing research myself


----------



## maverickronin

If its not properly ripped then its going to sound the same whether you export the data to wav or flac....


----------



## borowedarogance

Yeah that's why I figured it was a moot point, but it was the only way I could fathom being able to tell a difference (IE having a bad FLAC rip compared to a good WAV rip/or source)


----------



## airs

I know, I need to do cable management...


----------



## maverickronin

Quote: 





borowedarogance said:


> Yeah that's why I figured it was a moot point, but it was the only way I could fathom being able to tell a difference (IE having a bad FLAC rip compared to a good WAV rip/or source)


 
   
  Ok then.  That makes sense.  You were explaining how someone could get the impression wav was better than flac if they didn't understand the theory behind it.  I seem to have missed that.


----------



## melie

Still no comparisons between the Airmotiv4/5 and the Swan [size=x-small]M200MKIII ? Or the Adam A5X?
 I would love to test them for myself but I can't find the Airmotivs and the Swans anywhere in Belgium..[/size]


----------



## Rainbow Randy

Comparison: Airmotiv 4 vs Airmotiv 5
   
  If I had to compare the Airmotiv 5 to the Airmotiv 4, I'd say that the Airmotiv 5 is better because 5 is one more than 4. It's a bigger number. It also cost $200 more. If you tell people you paid $400 for your speakers (Airmotiv 4), they might go, "Ugh, I'm leaving. Goodbye forever." Now tell them your speakers cost $600: "Oh, baby. You play me FLAC; I'll scratch your back."


----------



## melie

Quote: 





rainbow randy said:


> "Oh, baby. You play me FLAC; I'll scratch your back."


 

 Haha, made me laugh out loud


----------



## KimLaroux

Quote: 





rainbow randy said:


> Comparison: Airmotiv 4 vs Airmotiv 5
> 
> If I had to compare the Airmotiv 5 to the Airmotiv 4, I'd say that the Airmotiv 5 is better because 5 is one more than 4. It's a bigger number. It also cost $200 more. If you tell people you paid $400 for your speakers (Airmotiv 4), they might go, "Ugh, I'm leaving. Goodbye forever." Now tell them your speakers cost $600: "Oh, baby. You play me FLAC; I'll scratch your back."


 

  
  hahahaha!!! That sums up everything here on Head-Fi.


----------



## Audiophile1811

Comparisons!!! Has anyone owned the Behringer Truth b3031a's? Or in the case of a cheaper speaker, the Swan M200's?
  Thanks.


----------



## spidey

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G2CutBA4Q2E
   
  Just got mine AM4, just a video shot with my iphone.


----------



## spidey

x
   
  Just finished setting up.


----------



## Rainbow Randy

Good to see, Spidey. Well how is they?


----------



## spidey

Right out of the box, they were not really impressive, they sounded closed in and boomy. But after a week, they sound more airy and natural. The bass has firmed up noticeably as well.
   
  I would say they are really good for vocals, instrumental music, and rock in general, but not so much for electronics. YMMV.


----------



## Rainbow Randy

Ironically, I've read these aren't very good at emoting emotions or artists' motives. How is they with movies? A glorious soundstage!


----------



## Audiophile1811

Quote:


rainbow randy said:


> Ironically, I've read these aren't very good at emoting emotions or artists' motives. How is they with movies? A glorious soundstage!


 
  Really? That's interesting, where did you read that?


----------



## Mauricio

Quote: 





audionewbi said:


> If you can please have a look at yamaha hs50m. In terms of feature they are the same as airmotiv4, in terms of sound I consider them the ER4S of monitors.


 
   
  I owe a pair of Yamaha HS50M (plus the sub).  At $400/pair, they (along with the JBL and KRK competitors) are the active monitors to beat at that price point.  Having said that, I would not recommend them without the sub for their bass extension is not pronounced.


----------



## Audiophile1811

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Mauricio* /img/forum/go_quote.gif
> 
> I owe a pair of Yamaha HS50M (plus the sub).  At $400/pair, they (along with the JBL and KRK competitors) are the active monitors to beat at that price point.  Having said that, I would not recommend them without the sub for their bass extension is not pronounced.


 
  Emotiva claim their Airmotiv 6's reach down to 40Hz. I know they're twice the price of the HS50M's but do you think they'd make up for it with their bass extension or would you still desire a subwoofer? Thanks


----------



## Mauricio

In general, I think that only speakers with at least 8" drivers can begin to plausibly claim that they have sufficient low end extension and obviate the need for a sub.  
   
  For $800, I'd skip the Emotivas altogether and get me a pair of *Yamaha MSP7 Studio *(-3dB point at about 60Hz from its 6.5" driver).  No, they don't look as flashy with a trendy ribbon tweeter or the hyped up specs , but in all likelihood they are the more accurate and well-imaging speaker.  That's what I'd get.
   
   

   
   
  Alternatively for about $700/pair, if you want a little more flash and bass extension, I'd go with the *Yamaha HS80M* (-3dB point roughly at 55Hz) with 8" woofers:
   

   
  Better even, if you are after bass, is the following 2.1 setup which will go down to the upper 30Hz range with honesty:

  JBL and KRK also offer similar set-ups for the same price.


----------



## Jottle

I've owned these speakers for about two weeks now. They really do open up after some use. I'd say the tweeter and bass definition/extension on these are excellent. Compared to my audio engine A5's, I prefer the lushness and beautiful reproduction of guitars and singers' voices of the airmotiv 4's. To my ears these speakers are better for classical, jazz, and acoustic music. They do rock pretty well, but they don't quite have the midrange oomph that the AE A5's have. That being said, their pluses over the A5's really to make them a more refined speaker. As for speaker hiss, some people may have an issue with it. My a5's hissed almost imperceptably when powered up but not connected to a source. Once you connected and activated a source, the hiss would rise to an audible level at near field listening along with an annoying amplifier hum (not a ground loop issue). Unfortunately, the hum was just a part of the A5's earlier (non 5+) design. I lived with it, but didn't like it. The airmotiv 4's have the same amount of almost imperceptable low level hiss upon power up (with no source connected). However, when the source activates, the hiss grows to a level that's slightly higher than the A5's. It's not really noticeable unless you're pretty close to the speakers. I sit 2' away from them (pointed to my ears), so I can pick out the hiss immediate in my low ambient noise room. But take it with a grain of salt as all active speakers hiss. I guess it depends on what level you find acceptable. You can minimize the hiss by turning down the gain on the front of the airmotiv 4's and then turning up the volume on the source. I have no idea if this is not recommended given that you're essentially turning down the amp in the speaker (?) Can someone chime in here and let me know if I shouldn't do that and just deal with the hiss and gain at 100%?
   
  All in all though, I do really think these are a good value. And I'm going to be selling my Audio Engine A5's in the near future. The airmotiv's are definitely voiced differently than them.


----------



## cooltunes

There are some other ways of possibly minimizing the hiss. 1) upgrade the power cables 2) use high quality RCA interconnects ( or XLR cables) 3) Use some form of power conditioning.
   
  I had a similar issue with my KRK Rokit 5's and KRK 10s sub. I bought a Furman linear power conditioner  for about $200 on Ebay. That reduced the hissing/ static by 50%. However, the biggest reduction of hiss/static was accomplished by simply plugging my iMac into a different power outlet.
   
  just a suggestion


----------



## Headzone

Quote: 





cooltunes said:


> There are some other ways of possibly minimizing the hiss. *1) upgrade the power cables* 2) use high quality RCA interconnects ( or XLR cables) 3) Use some form of power conditioning.
> 
> I had a similar issue with my KRK Rokit 5's and KRK 10s sub. I bought a Furman linear power conditioner  for about $200 on Ebay. That reduced the hissing/ static by 50%. However, the biggest reduction of hiss/static was accomplished by simply plugging my iMac into a different power outlet.
> 
> just a suggestion


 
   
   
  1) You kidding, right??
   
  2) As for the RCA cables, any regular shielded cable is good enough to not cause hiss


----------



## Jottle

My house does have awful wiring. So that may be the issue, but I've only really heard bad hiss with active speakers in my setups. I doubt my issue is the cabling as I'm using coaxial cables for interconnects, and they already have higher shielding than regular analog interconnects.
  Quote: 





headzone said:


> 1) You kidding, right??
> 
> 2) As for the RCA cables, any regular shielded cable is good enough to not cause hiss


----------



## cooltunes

Quote: 





headzone said:


> 1)* You kidding, right??*
> 
> 2) As for the RCA cables, any regular shielded cable is good enough to not cause hiss


 

 Not the house wiring !!
   


  Quote: 





jottle said:


> My house does have awful wiring. So that may be the issue, but I've only really heard bad hiss with active speakers in my setups. I doubt my issue is the cabling as I'm using coaxial cables for interconnects, and they already have higher shielding than regular analog interconnects.


 
  I am referring to the power cables plugged into the Airmotiv 4 speakers !! Not the house wiring.


----------



## KimLaroux

In theory, using balanced XLR should eliminate noise picked up my the transport cable. It's the whole point of balanced audio, after all.
   
  But hiss can have many sources. The hiss can even be from the amplifier itself. When this is the case, then the best way of lowering the hiss is to lower the amplifier gain/volume and increase the source's output volume. I believe this will give you the best audio quality, but I might be wrong. My experience with car audio has told me that lower gain on the amplifier just sound cleaner. The only way I can see the opposite being better is if you have a very bad source.


----------



## spidey

I'm lucky that I'm not experiencing any of the hissing even when the computer is turned off.
   
  I am using a 3-pin UK plug. There's a section in the manual under "Avoiding Hum and Noise" which points out several causes for hums and hisses in the system; have a go at them.
   
  Just curious, do you guys leave the speakers ON when powering the computer or just leave the speakers on irregardless?
   
  I emailed EMOTIVA support and they say it's ok to leave te speakers on and they consume very little power on idle.


----------



## Jottle

Quote: 





kimlaroux said:


> In theory, using balanced XLR should eliminate noise picked up my the transport cable. It's the whole point of balanced audio, after all.
> 
> But hiss can have many sources. The hiss can even be from the amplifier itself. When this is the case, then the best way of lowering the hiss is to lower the amplifier gain/volume and increase the source's output volume. I believe this will give you the best audio quality, but I might be wrong. My experience with car audio has told me that lower gain on the amplifier just sound cleaner. The only way I can see the opposite being better is if you have a very bad source.


 


  I'm 99% sure the hiss is from the amplifier itself, as you describe. So it sounds like there is no issue with lowering the gain on the amp and raising the source volume? I plan to do just that in the future.


----------



## ittech

I am checking out a pair of the Airmotiv 5's... I also have been using Swan's M200MKIII for a while. I've seen a few questions in this thread about comparing them.
   
  I've only got a few listening hours in on the AIrmotiv 5's but I'd have to say they are definetly "different"
   
  The Swan's sound more musical and laid back to me, the midrange pops out a little more, but the high frequencies not  so much. I suspect they roll off a little sooner than the emotiva's.
   
  The 5's go louder and cleaner. They are also more directional than the Swans. Sitting 9 feet back, the Swans are a little better at imaging, but sitting close the 5's are a little better.
   
  The bass is quite good on the Swan's, and also quite good on the 5's... I'd have to say for the price the Swans are a better choice, but it all depends on what you want out of a speaker.  I think I'm going to keep the Swans in the bedroom setup and move the 5's to the office. IMO the 5's are ugly and the blue light and lack of grills doesn't help.
   
  I may rig up an AB setup so i can properly switch back and forth between the two and compare some more.
   
  Considering everything, I'd probably give the Swans a 4.5/5 and the airmotiv 5's a 4.3/5.  Neither are as good as my 5350SE creek and Epos or Soliloquy bookshelf speakers, but they are really close and I think most people would be satisfied with either. Especially compared to MAudio's stuff.


----------



## melie

Quote: 





ittech said:


> I am checking out a pair of the Airmotiv 5's... I also have been using Swan's M200MKIII for a while. I've seen a few questions in this thread about comparing them.
> 
> I've only got a few listening hours in on the AIrmotiv 5's but I'd have to say they are definetly "different"
> 
> ...


 

 Is the difference in the highs big? If you wouldn't be comparing and you just had the Swans, would you say they sound rolled of or is it just because you compare them with the ribbon tweeter? (which would make sense cause that's what ribbon tweeters do apperently)


----------



## Audiophile1811

Quote:


ittech said:


> The Swan's sound more musical and laid back to me, the midrange pops out a little more, but the high frequencies not  so much. I suspect they roll off a little sooner than the emotiva's.
> 
> The bass is quite good on the Swan's, and also quite good on the 5's... I'd have to say for the price the Swans are a better choice, but it all depends on what you want out of a speaker.


 

 Speaking of bass and roll-off, where do you hear the bass begin to roll-off with the M200's? Is there any particular song that the Swan's just can't handle (bass wise)? Thanks


----------



## donunus

Quote: 





mauricio said:


> In general, I think that only speakers with at least 8" drivers can begin to plausibly claim that they have sufficient low end extension and obviate the need for a sub.
> 
> For $800, I'd skip the Emotivas altogether and get me a pair of *Yamaha MSP7 Studio *(-3dB point at about 60Hz from its 6.5" driver).  No, they don't look as flashy with a trendy ribbon tweeter or the hyped up specs , but in all likelihood they are the more accurate and well-imaging speaker.  That's what I'd get.
> 
> ...


----------



## Nepenthe

melie said:


> ...would you say they sound rolled of or is it just because you compare them with the ribbon tweeter? (which would make sense cause that's what ribbon tweeters do apperently)...


 
  The technology is so different that calling it a ribbon is misleading. It bears more resemblance to a planar, except the movement involves pushing air out pleats instead of moving the whole membrane.
   
  Anyway, I finally at long last received my A3S-250 subwoofer from Elemental Designs. 51 days from order date to front door. It was worth the wait. This sub complements the airmotiv5s wonderfully. I'm still experimenting with the best positioning, damping, and settings for the sub but right out of the box after 1 minute of tweaking it was filling in the bottom octave and a quarter (30 to 75) transparently.
   
  I continue to be enthralled by the airmotivs in near-field.


----------



## meltdown100

Hi Everyone,
   
  I've been hunting for a nice desktop 2.0 system and thought this thread would be a great place to ask about the 'hiss' that I'm hearing on the 2 powered systems I've tried out so far.  My first purchase was the B&W MM-1.  Sounded very nice, I was a bit apprehensive about the 16-bit DAC (vs 24-bit) and bass-enhancing DSP but in the store where I auditioned them they sounded really nice, so I gave them a try.
   
  Fed them from the USB on my Mac Mini, also tried the auxiliary input.  Noticeable white / noise hissing from near-field position, my office room in the house is fairly quiet, and it was quite audible, even when playing music at very low volumes.  Hiss is constant, a clean 'white noise' sound - that did not change with volume adjustments, etc.  So I then went online and found plenty of other people who noticed the same thing.  What actually disappointed me was that not one of the professional reviews picked up on this - or if they did, they omitted mentioning it.  I decided to return the MM-1 speakers and try something else.  While I found the SQ of the MM-1 to be very good, it was expensive at $500 and I did not really need the DAC or the headphone jack, since I have those already.  Besides, the headphone jack was very inconveniently located on the rear of the unit - inconvenient enough to actually discourage me from giving it a good listen.
   
  I then bought the Focal XS Book.  Being fairly new, there aren't too many reviews out on this thing yet.  Much bigger in size than the MM-1, and less features, having no DAC or headphone output or remote - a bit cheaper at $400, but that's still fairly pricey for a 2.0 computer system especially considering the lack of features.  So I was hopeful these would be nice and quiet (no hiss) and maybe even sound a bit better than the MM-1s.
   
  Well, the hiss is there on these also.  Seems to be a little bit less present then it was on the MM-1, also, it seems to come from the tweeters mores than the small woofers.  At the desk, about 2 feet away from the speakers, the hiss is audible when no music is playing or at minimal volume.  More audible, of course, if I turn my head and actually point my ear toward the speakers.  The hiss is there whenever the speakers are powered on (even when nothing else is powered on from the same outlet - and even from other outlets in the house), whether there are no audio input cables connected, or if there are connections, regardless - hiss is always there, constant, doesn't change with volume adjustment.  It is the same type of constant clean 'white noise' sound, same as with the B&Ws.  When music is played through these it sounds excellent, and I find the Focals to be better, more natural sounding and significantly more powerful than the MM-1.  These can fill a good sized room with sound.  Bass is not DSP boosted and goes unbelievably deep for the small ported enclosure drivers this has.
   
  I do not believe this is a power or signal chain noise issue.  I'm feeding the Focals from my Mac Mini through my DAC, the same signal chain when used into my headphone amplifier generates zero audible noise, it is dead quiet.
   
  I've come to the conclusion that this is apparently normal for these types of powered speakers, which is really frustrating, because these are fairly expensive and for near field use the hiss is very hard to just 'live with'.  I'm trying to avoid getting massive monitors for the desk.  At a loss here, I love the way these sound, but two feet from my head the hiss is just impossible to accept.
   
  Any recommendations - should I try the Audioengine 5+ or Airmotiv4?  Will they have the same hiss?  I'm confused by this whole thing, I cannot understand how very prestigious speaker companies like B&W and Focal would both make a product meant for close listening that has such a high noise floor.  Is it possible that I missed something - that these would be quiet somehow if I do something like get a power conditioner?  I'm willing to try but the part that doesn't make sense is how my headphone amps in the same chain are absolutely dead quiet...  Anyone else having the same problem?


----------



## Mauricio

Those Focals are powered, rather than active.  In my view, powered speakers are neither here nor there.  They neither have the dedicated amplifiers of active speakers nor the large outboard amplifier of passive speakers.  They may be convenient, but their system design is inherently compromised.  For $400, I'd go with a biamplified, active monitor from Yamaha, JBL or KRK.  Look to active for the pro market.


----------



## KimLaroux

Could you details the difference between powered and active?


----------



## Mauricio

A powered speaker has a single on-board amplifier for both drivers, and the amplifier comes before the passive crossover.
  An active speaker has an amplifier for each driver, and the active crossover comes before the amplifiers.
   
  The difference between a passive and a powered speaker is the physical location of the amplifier.  In the former, the amplifier is an outboard unit.  In the latter, the amplifier is an on-board unit.


----------



## KimLaroux

Ah! Thanks for the information =)
   
  So the Airmotiv are active, right?


----------



## Mauricio

I think so, yeah.


----------



## meltdown100

Maurico - I appreciate the response.  Problem is size with the bigger monitors you're recommending, the footprint is massive and I have to have room to work on the desk.  The Yamaha HS50M for example is in the same price range for a pair (about $400) but a 9x11" footprint is a bit large.  I'd like something a bit smaller and less powerful that sounds accurate and has no audible hiss from near-field listening.  The KRK RP5G2 is a little smaller in the footprint at 7x9" and seems to get a lot of positive feedback on amazon, that might be one to consider, or the airmotiv4.
   
  The question that remains unanswered is why despite the design difference I am hearing the hiss.  Is it because of the crossover design in the MM-1 and Focals, as I think you are saying?  I'm still baffled at how two legendary speaker companies would sell a fairly expensive set of computer speakers with an inherent design flaw as you are suggesting.
   
  So can you or anybody confirm if the Airmotiv is free of audible hissing / white noise?  Or the KRK I mentioned before?


----------



## Mauricio

The footprint of the Yamaha HS50M is about 9" x 6" (222mm x 165mm).


----------



## Nepenthe

meltdown100 said:


> So can you or anybody confirm if the Airmotiv is free of audible hissing / white noise?  Or the KRK I mentioned before?


 
  Never noticed it, but there is a very very slight hiss. Doesn't matter if I turn the airmotiv volume all the way up or all the way down, or turn the volume on my Denon PRA-1500 preamp all the way up or all the way down, or switch inputs from the PC out to my CD player, or even turn the preamp off. It's always the same.
   
  However, it is EXTREMELY quiet. If I put my ear directly to it the AMT tweeter, it's probably delivering 50-53 dB to my ear at that distance. As I'm sitting here there's fat chance of me ever noticing the hiss.
   
  By the way, I ordered adjustable stands for my airmotivs and they work well and leave desk space unencumbered.


----------



## meltdown100

Thanks - good to know.  I'd expect there to be something if I placed my ears real close to the speaker, and would be fine with that amount of noise / hiss.  No amped speaker is going to be completely quiet when powered up, I just don't want to be able to easily hear it from sitting distance.
   
  I definitely do not want to have to return a third pair of speakers, but I'm kind of undecided about whether to get active monitors like the KRK or Yamaha vs. the Swan M200 MkIII or Airmotiv4.  Considering the pricier Swan T200b also.  Any of those will look pretty funny sandwiching my 23" monitor.
   
  Funny, I realized that I had an old Spherex Xbox 5.1 surround system collecting dust in the basement.  A decent bargain surround system that is no longer made, the satellites are basically the same design as Mirage omnipolars,  Just out of curiosity, I took down the Focals and hooked it up as a 2.1 system for the computer and it actually sounds pretty good.  But it hisses also.....ugh.


----------



## Mauricio

In general I would advise against 2.1 systems with satellites that don't have at least a 5" midrange driver.  Why?  Because the sound quality of a 2.1 system is particularly dependent on the handover between the satellites and the subwoofer.  If the handover is at too high a frequency (due to the satellite's small drivers), the subwoofer is forced to reproduce a frequency range that begins to be directional, meaning that the sound image is smeared.  100Hz, and preferably lower, is as high as you want the sub and the satellites shaking hands.


----------



## Headzone

Quote: 





mauricio said:


> In general I would advise against 2.1 systems with satellites that don't have at least a 5" midrange driver.  Why?  Because the sound quality of a 2.1 system is particularly dependent on the handover between the satellites and the subwoofer.  If the handover is at too high a frequency (due to the satellite's small drivers), the subwoofer is forced to reproduce a frequency range that begins to be directional, meaning that the sound image is smeared.  100Hz, and preferably lower, is as high as you want the sub and the satellites shaking hands.


 

 How is this relevant? Emotiva Airmotiv4's -3dB point is below 60hz (judging by specs, don't know how it's measured etc though). Below 60hz isn't directional I think?
   
  Also the fact that below 5" should be avoided, doesn't make sense. Genelec 6010's have -3dB at 73hz, and they got a 3" woofer.
   
  The only gain from bigger woofer/bigger speaker I know of would be better directivity, so it would work better in an untreated room(?) but I don't know more of that so I'll stop actin smart..


----------



## Mauricio

First of all, I said "in general...".   Obviously an active Genelec studio monitor is different animal from a powered Focal "multi-media" speaker.  Second of all, I was referring to those little Focals, mentioned in the last paragraph of post no. 181, that had been hooked up in a 2.1 system.  To be fair and precise, I used driver size as a proxy for low frequency extension which is, of course, not always valid and accurate.  The greater point is that the satellites should be able to reach down to at least 100Hz.


----------



## donunus

Quote: 





kimlaroux said:


> Could you details the difference between powered and active?


 


  Powered is the same as active. These have an internal amp.
   
  Passive is the regular speakers that need an amp to work


----------



## Headzone

Quote: 





donunus said:


> Powered is the same as active. These have an internal amp.
> 
> Passive is the regular speakers that need an amp to work


 
  Powered is almost* the same 
	

	
	
		
		

		
			




   
  Powered speaker:


Spoiler: Copied%20from%20wikipedia



A powered loudspeaker works the same way as a passive speaker but the power amplifier is built into the loudspeaker enclosure. This design is common in compact personal speakers such as those used to amplify portable digital music devices.


   
   
  Active speaker:


Spoiler: Copied%20from%20wikipedia



In a fully active loudspeaker system each driver has its own dedicated power amplifier. The low-level audio signal is first sent through an active crossover to split the audio signal into the appropriate frequency ranges before being sent to the power amplifiers and then on to the drivers. This design is commonly seen in studio monitors and professional concert audio.[4][


----------



## Mauricio

No, a powered speaker is not the same or almost the same as an active speaker.  There are wide differences in system design between the two.
   
   
 *What is the difference between an active and a powered speaker/monitor?*
 Remember the key characteristics of active designs:

 one separate dedicated amplifier unit for each driver,
 the amplifier is situated after the crossover and is literally hard-wired to the driver, and
 the crossover is an active device consisting of transistor-based electronics.
   
 A powered monitor/speaker, on the other hand, has only one general amplifier for all drivers in each channel.  The amplifier is connected in the first instance to the passive crossover, thereby isolating it from a direct connection with the driver.  Also, the crossover of a powered speaker is passive.  From a systems design standpoint, a powered speaker has more in common with a passive speaker than with an active one.  The only difference between a powered speaker and a passive speaker is the where the amplifier is located.  In the former, the amplifier is inside the speaker cabinet, while in the latter, it is located outside the speaker cabinet.  The only similarities between a powered and an active design is that they both require connection to electricity mains and they both reproduce sound.
  
 This thread helps to dispel the confusion, ignorance and myths about active speakers.


----------



## donunus

Alright but so far as functionality is concerned and the requirements for extra equipment, they are essentially the same. Geeks LOL


----------



## meltdown100

I'm going to jump back in here with my question that has gone unanswered - Mauricio, I read your thread.  What I'd like to know, is if the proper active design gets rid of the latent hiss that I hear when I had the B&W MM-1 and Focal XS Book powered on, even with no audio input connected.  It would be great if you, since you seem to be pretty versed on the differences, could provide your thoughts based on your ownership / experience with the actives you recommended.
   
  Then my next question, is why do a lot of people discourage buying 'studio monitors' like the Yamaha and KRK models that you specifically recommended for the purpose of enjoying music?  I'll make a comparison with headphones I've owned, the K701.  Brilliant headphone on technical merits, but it was not all that enjoyable to listen to music with, in my opinion.  I ended up selling it.  Another thing some folks seem to say quite a bit is that listening to studio monitors becomes fatiguing after a while.  This is obviously a subjective attribute, and I would have to try out a pair of actives to see if I am affected this way, I suppose.  While I do want detail and accuracy, I do not want it at the expense of enjoyment, if that makes sense.  From the debates you have gotten into with others on the topic of pro vs. hifi and powered vs. active I would say (without trying to start another debate) that you might be missing this point - some folks aren't looking for sonic perfection, especially when they have a music collection that is largely comprised of recordings that weren't great (which is a lot of stuff nowadays unfortunately).
   
  I can still return the Focals, but they actually sound very good for what they are (computer speakers) aside from the hiss.  So a hopefully easy question to have answered - will the Yamaha or KRK actives have perceptible hiss from near-field (2-3 feet away)?


----------



## Headzone

Quote: 





donunus said:


> Alright but so far as functionality is concerned and the requirements for extra equipment, they are essentially the same. Geeks LOL


 
  Almost added to my post "well at least similar to the end user", like you meant. Since they both still don't require an (external) amp.


----------



## Mauricio

On the first issue, my experience is that most active monitors will have negligible Signal-to-Noise ratios.  I have not ever noticed objectionable levels of hiss or even audible levels at typical listening distances.  Why don't you go into a place that sells them and check them out yourself?
   
  On the second issue, you'll have to ask those whose ears are fatigued by active monitors.  I, for one, can tell you that fatigue is not the word that I associate with the sound of a competent active monitor.


----------



## meltdown100

Thanks - the only problem with stores like Guitar Center where monitors are sold is that they tend to be very noisy. I'll give it a try though.


----------



## Jottle

Quote: 





meltdown100 said:


> Thanks - good to know.  I'd expect there to be something if I placed my ears real close to the speaker, and would be fine with that amount of noise / hiss.  No amped speaker is going to be completely quiet when powered up, I just don't want to be able to easily hear it from sitting distance.
> 
> I definitely do not want to have to return a third pair of speakers, but I'm kind of undecided about whether to get active monitors like the KRK or Yamaha vs. the Swan M200 MkIII or Airmotiv4.  Considering the pricier Swan T200b also.  Any of those will look pretty funny sandwiching my 23" monitor.
> 
> Funny, I realized that I had an old Spherex Xbox 5.1 surround system collecting dust in the basement.  A decent bargain surround system that is no longer made, the satellites are basically the same design as Mirage omnipolars,  Just out of curiosity, I took down the Focals and hooked it up as a 2.1 system for the computer and it actually sounds pretty good.  But it hisses also.....ugh.


 

 Just wanted to echo that my airmotiv 4's do hiss a bit. If I turn the gain all the way up past 3/4, the hissing gets a bit louder such that you can hear them from 2ft away. However, if I turn up the volume on my mac (source) and turn the airmotiv's gain down to 1/2, I barely hear any hissing at all. This was recommended to me by EmtivaPro directly. My soundcard itself makes the hissing louder than when the airmotivs are just powered on but not receiving any audio.


----------



## creamsoda

with windows volume maxed out and the pot on my dac also maxed, i have the tiniest bit of audible hiss, but if i played music at that volume i would blow my ears out.  i'm using them with the pre out (rca outputs) on my audinst.  got them on mopads, they're real nice!


----------



## KimLaroux

Quote: 





creamsoda said:


> with windows volume maxed out and the pot on my dac also maxed, i have the tiniest bit of audible hiss, but if i played music at that volume i would blow my ears out.  i'm using them with the pre out (rca outputs) on my audinst.  got them on mopads, they're real nice!


 


  But the real question is: With your sources at max volume and the Airmotiv's volume at listening level, do you hear any noise?


----------



## creamsoda

oh crap. looks like there is a very slight bit of noise at any level. maybe i shouldn't be using the stock rca cables that came with the audinst lol.
   
  but for all my uses, it has a black background.  the hiss is barely perceptible until i put my ear to within a few inches of the speaker.


----------



## borowedarogance

Just bit the bullet and ordered the 5s to feed from a g-d NFB 17.2 that's on it's way as well, hoping they'll fill my medium sized living room with enough sound to "feel right" with the optoma HD33 projector...man cave could be complete (but i'm guessing i'll have to get a nice sub eventually)
   
  I'll post my thoughts when they arrive


----------



## TwitchBladE

I'm selling my Emotiva Airmotiv 4 speakers for financial reasons. They are in working condition and have only been used for a couple of months. They're practically like new with the original box, cables, and everything that came with it. There's no scratches on it, or any signs of wear. Price includes shipping and paypal fees. Here's the for-sale thread.
http://www.head-fi.org/t/607770/for-sale-emotiva-airmotiv-4


----------



## throzen0303

most of the time hiss from speakers or tube amps are caused by the power, I was using Musical Paradise MP302 MK2, it was hissing CRAZILY LOUD, but then I unplugged my laptop power supply from the mains of my room, PROBLEM SOLVED.


----------



## Audiophile1811

Price drop!
   
http://shop.emotivapro.com/


----------



## estreeter

Great stuff Steve - got any measurements ?    
	

	
	
		
		

		
			




   
  (relax - I'm only jerking your chain after reading Tyll's May update)


----------



## borowedarogance

Two days after my 5s arrived..._C'est la vie _lol 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	



   
  I must say though they're making wonderful paperweights/decorative boxes as I wait on my NFB 17.2 to arrive


----------



## Nepenthe

borowedarogance said:


> Two days after my 5s arrived..._C'est la vie _lol
> 
> 
> 
> ...


 
  Nice, and great album in your avatar!


----------



## Rainbow Randy

At $350/$450, I'm thinking about upgrading to the 4's or 5's from my Audioengine A5. But is the difference worth it? I'd want a substantial improvement.
   
  And is the only big improvement in bigger woofer size better, lower lows?


----------



## borowedarogance

Quote: 





nepenthe said:


> Nice, and great album in your avatar!


 
  Thanks!  I agree   I actually just ordered some of the vinyl remasters from bloodmusic, meow i just have to work on figuring out what TT to buy xD.


----------



## creamsoda

i had a direct comparison at my house between my pair of airmotiv 4s and my friend's audioengine 5+s. the emotivas blew them away, especially in bass response, the audioengines just roll off the bass wayyy too soon and too steep compared to the airmotivs. strange, considering the audioengines have a half inch bigger woofer on my emotivas.  if you're on a budget like me, go for the 4s. if not and you want deeper bass, the bigger the cone is better (up to a point).


----------



## melie

Still no side to side comparisons with the Adam A5x? I really want to buy new speakers but I can't audition any one of them..


----------



## Nepenthe

Quote:


creamsoda said:


> strange, considering the audioengines have a half inch bigger woofer on my emotivas


 
  Sometimes it's not the inches, it's what you do with them that counts.


----------



## SoupRKnowva

Quote: 





nepenthe said:


> Quote:
> Sometimes it's not the inches, it's what you do with them that counts.


 
   
  i see what you did there...


----------



## Audiophile1811

I was wondering how the Pro 6s compare to KRK's Rokit RP10-3s considering that they make use of a dedicated subwoofer and the Emotivas don't. Aside from the 10Hz bass difference in extension, does anyone think the Emotivas can outperform the KRKs in bass response? Just curious.


----------



## creamsoda

well i can't compare the 6s to the rokit 10-3s, but i did a comparison between my airmotiv 4s vs my friend's rokit 6 g2s.
   
  the airmotivs are definitely more transparent and the tweeter blows away the silk dome on the rokit 6s.
   
  the rokits blow away the airmotivs in sheer bass quantity, with the 6" woofer, there's no comparison there.  the rokits are also more smiley-eq'd, which lead to more treble and bass presence.
   
  the airmotivs definitely won't fill a room with punchy bass where the rokits will. but detail across the range and sound quality is definitely better than the rokits.


----------



## borowedarogance

So word to the un-wise: Check voltages on the rear of your speakers 
	

	
	
		
		

		
			





 I ordered the 230v, but apparently there was a mix up, so I meow have two blown 110v 5s hooked up that I haven't heard yet after a month of waiting on my DAC lol...their customer service (CS) was on point and responded very promptly.  They're even offering me the chance to upgrade to the 6s for the new price diff. (price drop a week after i ordered, i inquired as to whether the pay-the-difference upgrade was an option)
   
  all in all a very classy company to work with, can't speak for the sound yet, but the CS puts them ahead of the pack in my eyes.  Just thought i'd share my experience thus far, in case anyone is on the fence. 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	



   
  (post was edited after receiving the reply from Emotiva's CS)


----------



## Jottle

[size=small]I'm considering pairing my Airmotiv 4's with an Audioengine D1 dac. I use the airmotivs with my macbook pro for lossless audio listening and some 320k mp3 listening. The speakers sit on my desk nearfield (2ft). I know the D1 is highly regarded, but at least one review has described the sound from it as more "fat" and rounded than lean. See link below. Since the airmotivs are already very neutral and lean, I'm wondering if this would be a good pairing or just muddy up the clarity of the airmotivs a bit. Anyone tried this combination out there? I really like the airmotivs, but I do miss some of the midbass from my old audioengine A5's that made guitars sound so nice.[/size]
   
[size=small]http://www.audiostream.com/content/audioengine-d1-24-bit-dac[/size]


----------



## ljsegil

Noob here.
  I am running a computer system from a Mac Pro using Pure Music software via digital optical toslink to a CEntrance DACmini and then directly to either the airmotiv4s or HiFiman HE-400 headphones.  The toslink cable is ~a 6 ft. run, I have shielded but not otherwise out of the ordinary 1 meter unbalanced RCA interconnects from the DAC to the speakers and the stock HiFiman cable for the phones.  Nothing fancy on the power for any of it, other than keeping the DC adapter from the DAC on the floor, thus distancing the AC line power.  The speakers sit on my desk, no stands (they came with little stick-on rubber feet), about 3-4 ft distance to me and angled towards my chair (and head as well, usually).
  As far as my take on some of the questions that have caught my attention, first I do not hear any detectable hiss from the speakers, although the Mac Pro provides a bit of background noise at all times (audible even through the open headphones).  I came to this setup in an evolutionary way, starting with the Audioengine A2s and no DAC, which I found disappointing in most every way.  I added the Audioengine D1 DAC which brought minimal improvement.  As the A2s were still within their return period, and I was reading such good things about the airmotiv 4s, I decided to upgrade.  The improvement was enormous, in just about every aspect of musical reproduction, but particularly so in bass reproduction, openness and sound stage, and clarity of the treble.  Next step was to give the Audioengine DAV to my son as a birthday gift without mentioning that it was to enable me to upgrade the DAC to the CEntrance DACmini.  Rock my world!  The difference made by the DAC was remarkable, both through the speakers and the headphones.  Most improved were the soundstage and separation, clarity of voicing, realism in the treble, and tightening up of the bass.  The airmotivs seemed like a new speaker altogether, their realism paired with the new DAC was impressive.  Finally, I added the Pure Music software, after also experimenting with Decibel, and the incremental improvement was again gratifying.
  I now have a system that (to the dismay of my family) keeps me pretty near glued to my desk, trying to invent excuses to be there so I can listen without pause.  I haven't enjoyed music like this in decades (corresponding to the birth of my children which meant the death of my living room HiFi setup).
  So no, I haven't heard the Adam speakers which also piqued my interest but were too pricey for what seemed to be a similar product to the airmotivs, but I no longer feel the need to change the system any further.  I am deriving such pleasure from this setup; I think my eternal GAS syndrome will be dormant for at least a few weeks (probably a duration record for me).
  Thanks to all forum members who have made my lurking here so pleasurable and educational over the recent past.
  Larry


----------



## Mauricio

Glad to hear it.  If you are happy and content with your system, there's no need to upgrade.  I, too, just recently returned to audiophilia, now that my son is no longer a baby.  I've set up my living room to be a pretty decent listening room, and now everyday I can't wait to sit there and listen to music.  The newly-found space and time for audiophilia, however, has set my off on an upgrade binge.  Within the last four months I've bought three headphones, two headphone amps and two DACs.  The next and final purchase will be to replace the monitors in a couple of weeks.  Enjoy.


----------



## Jottle

The DACmini sounds nice, but it's waaaay out of my price range. From what you're saying, it sounds like I might not get much benefit from the D1. Hard to say at this point. But thanks for your input ljsegil


----------



## ljsegil

I didn't mean to sound negative about the D1, I think that it just maxed out the potential of the A2 speakers.  It really sounded very very good paired with the emotives, but the DACmini did provide incremental improvement over the D1.  I can't have claimed to have listened to that many DACs, but I think the D1 is excellent quality for the price.  It certainly made the headphones sing compared to the headphone output of the Mac Pro.  Jottle, if you're considering the D1, I think it is very much worth a trial, and Audioengine does give you a 30 day return window if you are not satisfied.  I do think it is a fine piece of equipment.
  Larry


----------



## Jottle

Quote: 





ljsegil said:


> I didn't mean to sound negative about the D1, I think that it just maxed out the potential of the A2 speakers.  It really sounded very very good paired with the emotives, but the DACmini did provide incremental improvement over the D1.  I can't have claimed to have listened to that many DACs, but I think the D1 is excellent quality for the price.  It certainly made the headphones sing compared to the headphone output of the Mac Pro.  Jottle, if you're considering the D1, I think it is very much worth a trial, and Audioengine does give you a 30 day return window if you are not satisfied.  I do think it is a fine piece of equipment.
> Larry


 
  Good to hear. I just wasn't sure in your previous pos whether or not you could discern any improvement using the airmotiv's w/out the D1 and with the D1. How would you describe the improvement, if possible?


----------



## ljsegil

I'm afraid I can't help you there.  I never tried the airmotivs without a DAC (I don't have a cable to run them directly from the computer).  The A2s definitely sounded better with the D1 than when driven directly from the computer,, and the airmotivs sounded quite good with the D1 but seem to my ears to be much more alive with the DACmini, particularly the treble end, breadth and placement of the soundstage, and separation of the instruments.  I think they're great sounding speakers with either DAC.
  Larry


----------



## MorbidToaster

Just wanted to say to anyone interested in the big brothers (6s) that once my LCD 2 sells I'll be getting a set. Stay tuned.


----------



## Audiophile1811

Quote: 





morbidtoaster said:


> Just wanted to say to anyone interested in the big brothers (6s) that once my LCD 2 sells I'll be getting a set. Stay tuned.


 
    
  Can't wait!!


----------



## MorbidToaster

They shipped today. 
   
  Quote: 





audiophile1811 said:


>


----------



## TehJam

Quote: 





morbidtoaster said:


> They shipped today.


 
   
  Goodie.
   
  Looking for somewhat small speakers for bedroom set-up. Ditched the massive party speaker idea due to some restrictions.
   
  I wish quality subs didn't cost so much.
   
  Edit:
   
  Has anybody mentioned their performance vs. Emotiva's consumer monitors?


----------



## MorbidToaster

I don't think any of their consumer stuff is powered. That's why these are their 'Pro' models. It does sound like they're trying to move this tweeter to their consumer stuff though which would be pretty cool.
   
  As for subs I agree that we pay a lot for those last 100hz. I'll have to hear the bass on these before deciding if I want one or not. That was the main motivation to buy the 6s was more extension.
   
  Unfortunate you can't get those 450s...You'd be forgetting subs altogether.
   
  Oh, and if they're to my liking I might be looking into doing a fully powered 5.2 system...because...why not?
   
  Quote: 





tehjam said:


> Goodie.
> 
> Looking for somewhat small speakers for bedroom set-up. Ditched the massive party speaker idea due to some restrictions.
> 
> ...


----------



## TehJam

Quote: 





morbidtoaster said:


> Oh, and if they're to my liking I might be looking into doing a fully powered 5.2 system...because...*why not*?


 
   
   
  Oh yes.
   
  For the subs, consider HSU and SVS, two very fine companies with very fine subs. Lusting after a VTF-15 right now. 
   
  If only.


----------



## MorbidToaster

http://www.guitarcenter.com/Mackie-SRM1801-18in-1000W-Powered-Subwoofer-Black-106063407-i1536479.gc
   
  themansub.wav
   
  I kind of want my pair of 450s back...and 2 of these bad boys...but then the police would probably arrest me for having an earthquake machine.
   
  Quote: 





tehjam said:


> Oh yes.
> 
> For the subs, consider HSU and SVS, two very fine companies with very fine subs. Lusting after a VTF-15 right now.
> 
> If only.


----------



## Audiophile1811

Quote: 





morbidtoaster said:


> As for subs I agree that we pay a lot for those last 100hz. I'll have to hear the bass on these before deciding if I want one or not. That was the main motivation to buy the 6s was more extension.


 
  I think you'll like the bass on the 6's. The technical sales director at Emotiva Emailed me in response to a question about the bass extension on these and said that tuning of the drivers and equalizers as well as the cabinet and bass port dimensions contributed to the near sub woofer-like bass performance (i.e. their 41Hz bass extension). He also added that he tested them in a studio and did an A/B comparison with other monitors with sub woofers and noted that there wasn't a need to add a sub to the the 6s since their low end was so responsive and just barely behind every other sub. I should also add that I found a review of a long-time audiophile who fell in love with the bass of the 6s.  
  So hopefully you like them enough to completely burn them in and do a review.


----------



## MorbidToaster

If they're strong to 40hz I probably won't need a sub. Depending on how much rumble I want I suppose...but a nice sub that hits 25hz is always a welcome addition. 
   
  I'd like to try my hand at reviewing again so I do plan on doing a comparison here mainly focusing on headphones vs speakers (done a million times, but always interesting).
   
  Quote: 





audiophile1811 said:


> I think you'll like the bass on the 6's. The technical sales director at Emotiva Emailed me in response to a question about the bass extension on these and said that tuning of the drivers and equalizers as well as the cabinet and bass port dimensions contributed to the near sub woofer-like bass performance (i.e. their 41Hz bass extension). He also added that he tested them in a studio and did an A/B comparison with other monitors with sub woofers and noted that there wasn't a need to add a sub to the the 6s since their low end was so responsive and just barely behind every other sub. I should also add that I found a review of a long-time audiophile who fell in love with the bass of the 6s.
> So hopefully you like them enough to completely burn them in and do a review.


----------



## TehJam

Quote: 





morbidtoaster said:


> If they're strong to 40hz I probably won't need a sub. Depending on how much rumble I want I suppose...but a nice sub that hits 25hz is always a welcome addition.
> 
> I'd like to try my hand at reviewing again so I do plan on doing a comparison here mainly focusing on headphones vs speakers (done a million times, but always interesting).


 
   
  Looking forward to it.
   
  I just want something that goes to 40, that's it. It's also nice that they're powered.


----------



## Audiophile1811

I find it interesting that people are in search of monitors that can extend down to low bass regions to avoid using a sub woofer and nobody seems to have reviewed or tested an active monitor that makes use of a dedicated sub woofer for each channel i.e. KRK's Rokit RP 10-3s. They extend as low as 31Hz and I believe them since each woofer is 10 inches in diameter. Anybody else here wanted to try these?


----------



## Mauricio

Quote: 





audiophile1811 said:


> I find it interesting that people are in search of monitors that can extend down to low bass regions to avoid using a sub woofer and nobody seems to have reviewed or tested an active monitor that makes use of a dedicated sub woofer for each channel i.e. KRK's Rokit RP 10-3s. They extend as low as 31Hz and I believe them since each woofer is 10 inches in diameter. Anybody else here wanted to try these?


 
   
  You mean a three-way speaker.  A subwoofer is a separate, stand-alone (usually) lone bass driver that combines the left and right channel singnals.


----------



## antberg

Quote: 





mauricio said:


> You mean a three-way speaker.  A subwoofer is a separate, stand-alone (usually) lone bass driver that combines the left and right channel singnals.


 
  Coincidentally i was thinking almost the same question,although technically i love music but no way i could call myself an audiophile,cause i have no technical knowledge.
  I decided to make the big step in buying an hi-end bookshelf speaker system but some question about the need of a subwoofer confuse me about the whole thing,i hope some of you more experienced guy could show me the right path in make the good choice,as where i live i have no way to audition any hi-end setup myself.
  i am not a basshead,but many time i like to hear some huge bassy punchy sound via any electronic music genres or via movies,so: 
  I can listen alternatively to a 2.0 (let say rock musik) and then 2.1 (for bass mood) just by turning on the sub without altering negatively any of those two systems, or without the need to setting up the whole system compatibility every time i need to switch between those to setups?
  any answer is welcome
  Salute
Listening to - Draconian - A rose for the apocalipse


----------



## MorbidToaster

I'll be making my own impressions thread for the 6s, but I figured I'd post the first of which here as well. Right out of the box they sound good and the bass is well extended...but it doesn't kick very hard. Not in the lower ends anyway. 
   
  For most it won't be an issue at all, but for people hungry for low end rumble you'll still need a sub.


----------



## TehJam

That's too bad. Gonna have to get a sub then, might as well make a home theater/listening room now that I think about it.


----------



## MorbidToaster

http://www.head-fi.org/t/613467/emotiva-airmotiv-6-continuing-impressions#post_8441532
   
  Further impressions will be posted here as to not muddy up this thread anymore.


----------



## vampirehunterd

I just pulled the trigger on the airmotiv 4s and I am very happy with the result.  Just using them as computer speakers w/out sub and since my previous experience with Emotiva is great I decided on these over AudioEngine or something from Swan.  I am not a basshead so I very happy with the extension down to 60hz and may pair with a sub in the future.  Tweeter is sweet.


----------



## weitn

I have ordered a pair of airmotiv 5 on Monday to be delivered to Hawaii. Received the shipping email but no tracking number included. Login to the website, also no tracking number. Anybody face this issue before?


----------



## weitn

Quote: 





weitn said:


> I have ordered a pair of airmotiv 5 on Monday to be delivered to Hawaii. Received the shipping email but no tracking number included. Login to the website, also no tracking number. Anybody face this issue before?


 
   
  Well... I just cancelled my order for the pair of Airmotiv 5 cause I'll be moving back to continental US in few months time. I don't want to pay extra shipping to Hawaii and then pay another cost to ship it to continental US when I move. Good customer service though.


----------



## Olias of Sunhillow

Nice to see this thread. I ordered my airmotiv4 speakers on Tuesday, 6/19 -- $319 total with their summer promo! -- and received a shipping notice about 8 hours later. They are scheduled to arrive on Monday, 6/25.
   
  I chose the 4s because I've been impressed with the cost-to-performance ratio of Emotiva products, and I'm happy to be able to run a balanced signal out of my Grace m903 into the speakers. I will report my observations next week.


----------



## MorbidToaster

WOAH. How long is that going on? The 6s were too big for me but I was planning on a pair of 4s down the line because I think they'd be perfect.
   
  Quote: 





olias of sunhillow said:


> Nice to see this thread. I ordered my airmotiv4 speakers on Tuesday, 6/19 -- *$319 total with their summer promo!* -- and received a shipping notice about 8 hours later. They are scheduled to arrive on Monday, 6/25.
> 
> I chose the 4s because I've been impressed with the cost-to-performance ratio of Emotiva products, and I'm happy to be able to run a balanced signal out of my Grace m903 into the speakers. I will report my observations next week.


----------



## Olias of Sunhillow

Quote: 





morbidtoaster said:


> WOAH. How long is that going on? The 6s were too big for me but I was planning on a pair of 4s down the line because I think they'd be perfect.


 
   
  Sale prices good through 7/16... but "quantities are limited."
   
  http://emotiva.com/news/index.php/2012/06/15/summer-sale/


----------



## vampirehunterd

I have been listening to the AirMotiv 4s for over a week now and I am very happy with them.  $320 delivered is a great deal for a nice pair of powered speakers...connectivity options aren't geared towards iPods but if you want a smallish speaker with good extension to 60Hz and a very usable max volume in small to medium size rooms I consider them a steal.  It is my first pair of ribbon type speakers and I am loving the highs.  Depending on room placement the shelving EQ on the back makes a significant difference with the sound.  I was skeptical with 25W per driver but this is apparently a true 25W since these play loud and proud with no distortion (computer/small room/gaming/music).  The pics of the internal amp looks pretty stout for a budget powered monitor.
   
  I have their ERM LCR series (front)/ERD1 (surround dipole/bipole) with an Outlaw LFM1 plus sub in the living room hooked up to a Pioneer Elite SC-35 receiver...for a budget home theater system I think it sounds pretty nice.  I picked up the ERDs first when I had NHT across the front then grabbed the ERM 6.2 during the clearance last year.  The Pioneer SC-35 was a half price gamble from Costco since the Emotiva UMC1 has issues and I wanted an upgrade with HDMI switching over an old Onkyo integra receiver.  The Outlaw sub was picked up on sale w/ free shipping.  I am not like some of the members on here with deep pockets so I am usually looking for a bargain and Emotiva is a great company.  I put their ERM series with one of the UPA5 amps in our staff room at work paired with an SVS cylinder sub and it is overkill to say the least but several grand less than what a custom installer wanted for higher end stuff that sounds marginally better.
   
  Long story short...Emotiva is a great company to deal with.  I missed the summer sale by a day and they have a 14 day price protection guarantee...called Emotiva, explained, credit to my CC two days later.


----------



## Steiny

I have a GT40 DAC/Preamp and I just bought a pair of airmotiv 4s. Everyone says the 4s have a lot of sound for their size but are they powerful enough for a whole room? i also want a subwoofer. Does anyone have any suggestions or know anything about the subwoofer that emotiva plans on releasing with for the airmotiv line?


----------



## TehJam

Quote: 





steiny said:


> I have a GT40 DAC/Preamp and I just bought a pair of airmotiv 4s. Everyone says the 4s have a lot of sound for their size but are they powerful enough for a whole room? i also want a subwoofer. Does anyone have any suggestions or know anything about the subwoofer that emotiva plans on releasing with for the airmotiv line?


 
   
  What's your budget? There are lots of good subs on the market, Emotiva already makes some good ones in their X line.


----------



## vampirehunterd

Quote: 





steiny said:


> I have a GT40 DAC/Preamp and I just bought a pair of airmotiv 4s. Everyone says the 4s have a lot of sound for their size but are they powerful enough for a whole room? i also want a subwoofer. Does anyone have any suggestions or know anything about the subwoofer that emotiva plans on releasing with for the airmotiv line?


 

 Airmotiv 4s in a small bedroom (where I am currently using) provide as much bass as I want for music/games from the PC.  A larger room would probably need the 5 for the extra headroom and larger bass driver.I have mine about a foot from the rear wall, angled up and towards my ears.  HF/LF shelving EQ are both at -2.  Output is from mobo optical to a Fiio D3 -> monoprice beefy single RCA to each Airmotiv.  Just finished listening to Daft Punk and some classical stuff and I don't feel I am missing out on the bottom end.  I listened to some psytrance and didn't feel like much was missing but I am not a basshead so take my comments with a grain of salt. These definitely don't sound like the NHT superzero/one with no sub so I am pretty satisfied with the low frequency extension for their size.The Airmotivs are getting a small rest since I just got a used pair of Grado RS2s and have been trying the phones for a bit.
   
  I hope Emotiva releases a sub option because I might want another pair for surround and a sub for movie watching.  I bet an NHT sub would pair nicely with these or something from HSU.  I have never tried the Emotiva subs before but their amps are pretty top notch and my experience with their speakers is great.  HSU is pretty hard to beat for subs and the STF1 is probably a good bargain at $299 to pair with the Airmotivs until Emotiva has an option closer to the price range of the 4s.
   
  http://www.hsuresearch.com/products/stf-1.html


----------



## antberg

thanks for the impression, Hunter, for those who look for a mid-fi (?) 2.0 setup they seem to be a real killers ,or at least from what i have reading about.


----------



## MorbidToaster

I'd say the 4s would shine in a 2.1 system. The 5s and 6s would be better suited for a 2.0 system. At least from the conclusions I can draw from hearing the 6s.
   
  Quote: 





antberg said:


> thanks for the impression, Hunter, for those who look for a mid-fi (?) 2.0 setup they seem to be a real killers ,or at least from what i have reading about.


----------



## vampirehunterd

Quote: 





antberg said:


> thanks for the impression, Hunter, for those who look for a mid-fi (?) 2.0 setup they seem to be a real killers ,or at least from what i have reading about.


 
    This was my perspective.  I am in student loan repayment so my expendable money needs to be spent wisely.  I had considered something from Swan in the ~$300ish range from Audio Insider along with the Audioengine A5 plus.  I didn't want to spend $400 on the A5+ nor could I afford the Swan M200mk3 or whatever is the highest version now.  I had seen the Airmotiv line when they release info went out over a year ago and balked at the price for the 4s which were $399 at the time.  I looked at offerings from KRK and after researching powered monitors for a bit the $399 price for the Airmotiv 4 didn't seem so unreasonable so I started researching and read what little reviews I could find online.  I saw the price had dropped to $350 shipped and decided to take a gamble and I am pleased as punch.  Plus I got $34 back since the summer sale started and they have a 14 day price guarantee.  They don't have convenience inputs, don't power off/on automatically but I am really digging the sound quality.  Highs are revealing and since I am mainly listening to compressed audio or FLAC I dropped the HF a notch to -2 for long term ear happiness in my particular room setup. Bass to my ears is very clean...I don't have a golden ear and cannot discern the difference between rca/power/digital cables so I am not the last word in critiquing sound signatures.  Just to my ears I hear nothing missing nor anything added through the Airmotiv 4s.  The drivers look to be top notch along with the internal amp section. 
   
    I know the Audioengine A5+ is a rocking setup along with more hookup options and I did just plunk down for the Audioengine D1 DAC/Headphone amp to pair with the Airmotiv/Grados/Etymotic.  Once again I needed a sub $200  DAC option to hook up my powered speakers/headphone ampage and since a seller never responded on availability for something along the same lines in the for sale section I just went with the D1 which will arrive Thursday.  I have been pretty impressed with the $27 Fiio D3 via optical for providing signal to the Airmotiv 4s.
   
    I live in Mississippi and used to live in Tennessee relatively close to where Emotiva is located so I figured quick shipping/arrival plus close by if I have a problem.  So $320 sale or $350 regular price for a pair of powered monitors that are at least in the same ballpark as Adam Audios entry line of monitors is nothing to sneeze at especially with the difference in price.  I am looking for bang for my buck regarding dollar spent vs perceived sound quality.  So internet direct companies like SVS, Emotiva, Audio Insider, HSU tend to get my money.  At least I am paying for product instead of rent on a high-end store/sales clerk/advertising etc.
   
    Someone on Amazon is using the small Audioengine angled speaker "stand" for the Airmotiv 4 and I might do the same.  For now I just have the front rubber feet sitting on some leftover wood pieces to angle the drivers closer to ear level.  Willow is one of my favorite film scores and sounds great through the Airmotivs.  Hope this helps...I know I have like 4 posts but I tend to read more than comment and I did join in 2005.


----------



## antberg

you are thinking exactly the way i do , for those who are not rich (nothing against) money is somewhat a problem not a solution 
	

	
	
		
		

		
			





..
  concise post.
  Salute


----------



## preproman

Are you guys using a headphone preamp to drive these or a stereo type of preamp?  
   
  I was thinking about using my Burson 160D as the preamp.  Does anyone have any impressions with this combo?


----------



## ddcpitt

I did see one or two comments about how these compare to the Swan M200MkIII, but was hoping that maybe now more people have experience with both and can comment directly on each of them. I'm considering the Airmotiv 4 or 5, Swan M200MkIII, Equator D5, and Ascend 170. Any input would be great. Thanks!


----------



## vampirehunterd

Quote: 





preproman said:


> Are you guys using a headphone preamp to drive these or a stereo type of preamp?
> 
> I was thinking about using my Burson 160D as the preamp.  Does anyone have any impressions with this combo?


 

 My only experience is with using optical from mobo -> Fiio D3 -> RCAs straight to Airmotivs w/ level at max on speakers using PC as volume control.  I got a little pop at PC boot so I would recommend turning speakers off when booting/rebooting.  Two days ago I got the Audioengine D1 and I am using the lineout from that to the Airmotivs.  It is nice having a little volume control now versus relying on the PC sliders plus the headphone amp pairs well with my low impedance phones.  Sound quality is quite a bit better now versus a 7 year-old Pimeta v1 headphone amp.
   
  I think the Burson would sound great since it has straight line-outs.  I just saw the retail price on the Burson so for $1K+ it should sound like magic IMHO.  I was considering a Zero DAC off Ebay but just went with the D1 since most of the reviews described the sound as warm/non-fatiguing w/ computer audio that would pair well with my brightish phones/Airmotivs.  My rig is strictly budget so my comments are probably not much help but I do dig the Airmotivs.


----------



## preproman

Quote: 





vampirehunterd said:


> My only experience is with using optical from mobo -> Fiio D3 -> RCAs straight to Airmotivs w/ level at max on speakers using PC as volume control.  I got a little pop at PC boot so I would recommend turning speakers off when booting/rebooting.  Two days ago I got the Audioengine D1 and I am using the lineout from that to the Airmotivs.  It is nice having a little volume control now versus relying on the PC sliders plus the headphone amp pairs well with my low impedance phones.  Sound quality is quite a bit better now versus a 7 year-old Pimeta v1 headphone amp.
> 
> I think the Burson would sound great since it has straight line-outs.  I just saw the retail price on the Burson so for $1K+ it should sound like magic IMHO.  I was considering a Zero DAC off Ebay but just went with the D1 since most of the reviews described the sound as warm/non-fatiguing w/ computer audio that would pair well with my brightish phones/Airmotivs.  My rig is strictly budget so my comments are probably not much help but I do dig the Airmotivs.


 
   
   
  Cool,
   
  Thanks for the feedback


----------



## Steiny

I could spend around 300, maybe more or less depending on what is out there. Preferably less.


----------



## Steiny

Tehjam, 
   
  I could spend $300, maybe more or less depending on what is out there. I'd prefer less but I dont know if that's an option.


----------



## Steiny

Quote: 





vampirehunterd said:


> Airmotiv 4s in a small bedroom (where I am currently using) provide as much bass as I want for music/games from the PC.  A larger room would probably need the 5 for the extra headroom and larger bass driver.I have mine about a foot from the rear wall, angled up and towards my ears.  HF/LF shelving EQ are both at -2.  Output is from mobo optical to a Fiio D3 -> monoprice beefy single RCA to each Airmotiv.  Just finished listening to Daft Punk and some classical stuff and I don't feel I am missing out on the bottom end.  I listened to some psytrance and didn't feel like much was missing but I am not a basshead so take my comments with a grain of salt. These definitely don't sound like the NHT superzero/one with no sub so I am pretty satisfied with the low frequency extension for their size.The Airmotivs are getting a small rest since I just got a used pair of Grado RS2s and have been trying the phones for a bit.
> 
> I hope Emotiva releases a sub option because I might want another pair for surround and a sub for movie watching.  I bet an NHT sub would pair nicely with these or something from HSU.  I have never tried the Emotiva subs before but their amps are pretty top notch and my experience with their speakers is great.  HSU is pretty hard to beat for subs and the STF1 is probably a good bargain at $299 to pair with the Airmotivs until Emotiva has an option closer to the price range of the 4s.
> 
> http://www.hsuresearch.com/products/stf-1.html


 
  Awesome, thanks! That is right in the range that I wanted.


----------



## vampirehunterd

Quote: 





steiny said:


> Awesome, thanks! That is right in the range that I wanted.


 
  The STF2 is on sale  for $319 and looks like a nice jump over the STF1.  Worth considering...I have heard great things about HSU and my Outlaw sub may actually be a rebranded HSU...it sure looks like the old VTF2-MK? from HSU.
   
  http://www.hsuresearch.com/products/stf-2.html
   
  I noticed after looking at their website again...I am still happy with the bass on these in a small room but a sub would be awesome.  I was lucky enough to find a used Zero DAC from a very nice head-fi member with the Audio-GD Earth (DAC)/LT1364 (Phones) so now I have that as the preamp and the line out with the Audio-GD Earth to the Airmotivs sounds great.  Non-fatiguing, great instrument separation...overall very smooth sounding to my ears.  I am playing with the op-amps in the phone section and think I might like the combo of the Audio-GD Earth paired with LM4562s in the head-amp section.  I returned the AudioEngine D1 (sounds great but the modded Zero DAC is a jump up) and I originally wanted a Zero anyway.
   
  If you are using these on a desk and aren't a carpenter....I just got the AudioEngine DS2 stands and they work very nicely with the Airmotivs.  Sure they are $34 but my speakers are angled perfectly at my ears and very stable on the stands.
   
  http://www.crutchfield.com/p_772DS2/Audioengine-DS2.html?search=audioengine_DS2&skipvs=T
   
  Pic of the Airmotiv 4 on the Audioengine DS2 stand.  I meant to say these would pair nice with the Airmotiv 4...probably not the larger models.


----------



## TehJam

Quote: 





steiny said:


> Tehjam,
> 
> I could spend $300, maybe more or less depending on what is out there. I'd prefer less but I dont know if that's an option.


 
   
  That's not a ton, but it could work. How big is your room (cubic feet please)?
   
  Edit:
   
  Never mind, vampirehunter beat me to it. The HSU offerings are really good in that price range, the STF-2 would do fine.


----------



## preproman

Quote: 





vampirehunterd said:


> The STF2 is on sale  for $319 and looks like a nice jump over the STF1.  Worth considering...I have heard great things about HSU and my Outlaw sub may actually be a rebranded HSU...it sure looks like the old VTF2-MK? from HSU.
> 
> http://www.hsuresearch.com/products/stf-2.html
> 
> ...


 
   
   
  Which Airmotivs are these?  The 4s, 5s or 6s ?


----------



## vampirehunterd

Preproman - they are Airmotiv 4s...


----------



## preproman

Quote: 





vampirehunterd said:


> Preproman - they are Airmotiv 4s...


 
   
  Cool - do you think they will fit all 3 models?


----------



## vampirehunterd

Quote: 





preproman said:


> Cool - do you think they will fit all 3 models?


 

 The 5s are only an inch wider so I think they would be plenty stable on the DS2 and the 5s are about 3lb heavier per speaker compared to the 4...I don't think that would matter much.  The 6s are a lot heavier and wider so the DS2 might not work very well.
   
  I know one guy used the DS1 on the Airmotiv 4 and that stand is sized for the Audioengine A2.  The DS2 is geared towards the Audioengine A5 which is at least in the size ballpark of the Airmotiv 4 so I took a gamble and ordered them.  It really is nothing more than a rubber angled speaker stand but the speakers are stable/sound fine/and it looks better than my haphazard wood chunks used for angling the speakers toward my ears.  I know some of the golden ears crowd will probably scoff at the construction and want to reinforce with $20 blutack instead of $3 poster putty or use something else to increase the perceived SQ by .0001%.  Kidding aside...for desktop use I like the stands and the Airmotivs quite a bit.
   
  The Crutchfield link has pics with dimensions of DS2 so you could compare to Emotiva's published specs to see if they would work well with the 5.  I say yes but I don't have the 5 or 6.  But the 5s are awfully tempting at $449 - 10% shipped.  I will say the 25W per driver on the 4 seems to go a long way in a small room.


----------



## Salingerr

Hi. I'm a raving newb. This is my first time setting up speakers for myself.
  I read the manual, researched online, have read and enjoyed this thread -- but I don't feel confident in my understanding of how to best hook my Sonos Connect to my brand new Airmotiva4s. 
	

	
	
		
		

		
			




   
  I have a sonos bridge connected directly to my home router. My FLAC audio streams from my computer wirelessly to my sonos connect.
  How do I best connect my sonos connect to my Airmotiva 4s? Can I plug the sonos directly into the pair or do I HAVE to have an av receiver?
   
  Pleas help. and THANK YOU GUYS.  I'd really like to go straight into the speakers from the Sonos Connect. THANK YOU GUYS SO MUCH!


----------



## allyl

From the section labeled Analog Audio (out), connect the left (white) RCA out to your left speaker's RCA in (underneath Line Inputs), and the right (red) RCA out to your right speaker.


----------



## Salingerr

PERFECT, ALLYL!
   
  Hooked right up and playing some classic Clash as I type; thank you so much for your timely help! I greatly greatly appreciate it (hug)! 
   
  Man, these Airmotiv4 are the the finest desktop/bookshelf speakers I've ever had. I could not be more thrilled with them. Thanks again, ALLYL!


----------



## vampirehunterd

Quote: 





salingerr said:


> PERFECT, ALLYL!
> 
> Hooked right up and playing some classic Clash as I type; thank you so much for your timely help! I greatly greatly appreciate it (hug)!
> 
> Man, these Airmotiv4 are the the finest desktop/bookshelf speakers I've ever had. I could not be more thrilled with them. Thanks again, ALLYL!


 

 Totally agree.  Too bad there are so few reviews online so some people are a little apprehensive of dropping money on Emotiva products.  I have been very happy with the quality/value and customer service associated with their products.  Excellent bang for your buck.


----------



## allyl

I'm enjoying mine quite a bit as well! The treble and midrange on these is quite to my taste, although the bass is a little unfocused (coming from HD800s as headphones), even with the shelving EQ. Also, these speakers seem to be quite angle dependent, at least vertically. Looks like I'll have to invest in some speaker stands for my desk.
   
  @salingerr, glad I could help!


----------



## Danconia

Very new to active speakers and need a little help from head-fi.  Has anyone heard the Airmotiv4s, 5s, and 6s?  I loved the 4s so much I bought the 5s.   But, for some strange reason, the 4s I have seem to have a better bass response than the 5s I just received.  The 4s sound smaller but with cleaner, somehow deeper sounding bass.  I am trying to listen more to the 5s to see if they loosen up and change.   I'm using an Airport Express and I interchange DACs.  Tried with Audioengine D1 which made them anemic but will be receiving an XDA-1 this week.
   
  Since I still absolutely love the Airmotiv4s, I am now contemplating going for the Airmotiv6s in hopes they will be what I expected the 5s to be.   My main question (specs aside) for anyone who has heard the 4s, 5s and 6s is whether the jump from the 5s to the 6s will be bigger than from the 4s to 5s. 
   
   
  Thoughts?


----------



## buson160man

Quote: 





danconia said:


> Very new to active speakers and need a little help from head-fi.  Has anyone heard the Airmotiv4s, 5s, and 6s?  I loved the 4s so much I bought the 5s.   But, for some strange reason, the 4s I have seem to have a better bass response than the 5s I just received.  The 4s sound smaller but with cleaner, somehow deeper sounding bass.  I am trying to listen more to the 5s to see if they loosen up and change.   I'm using an Airport Express and I interchange DACs.  Tried with Audioengine D1 which made them anemic but will be receiving an XDA-1 this week.
> 
> Since I still absolutely love the Airmotiv4s, I am now contemplating going for the Airmotiv6s in hopes they will be what I expected the 5s to be.   My main question (specs aside) for anyone who has heard the 4s, 5s and 6s is whether the jump from the 5s to the 6s will be bigger than from the 4s to 5s.
> 
> ...


 
   I imagine the jump should be a lot bigger given the speakers size which I might add looks to be way to large for most desktop systems.Looking at the specs the amplifier power on board is over double the power on the 5.I read a blog about the bass on the 4 as opposed to the 5.The blog mentioned that the bass on the 4 was not as flat as the bass on the 5.The blog mentioned that the bass was bumped up on the 4 to compensate and or enhance the perceived bass on that speaker.That might be why you hear more perceived  bass from the 4.From what I read the bass on the 5 was more flat in its response and in effect more accurate sounding than the 4s as well as more neutral in its reponse.Which may account for your perception of less bass from the 5.But the 5 does per the specs extend the bass a bit lower than the 4 which sounds reasonable given the speakers larger size and larger woofer. The amplifier power is also twice that of the 4s which probably extends a tighter grip on the low end with less blought.I imagine the 5 has larger sound and can play louder and more cleanly at higher volumes after all it is a larger speaker though that has proved to false in the past in some cases.As far as the 6 is concened that speaker looks to be more of a stand mount speaker than a desk top speaker. The 6 has again  twice the amp power and actually over twice the amp power of the 5 and a six inch woofer.I imagine this speaker will sound somewhat larger given its larger dimensions and will work better in larger spaces.
   But it may not image at tightly given its larger size which happens when speakers get larger.Case in point speakers like the proac tablette which can image wonderfully and seemingly disappear due to their samll size.
    You seem to like bass so the six should be your go to speaker model in that it extends down to 46 hz plus or minus 1.7db which is pretty flat and accurate bass.The listed bass response on a lot of speakers is plus or minus 3db so the 6s bass should be very accurate with no sense of bloat.


----------



## Skoobs

seriously considering the airmotive 6 but i already feel that my alesis mk2 passives are pretty directional. 
   
  is the 30 degrees off-axis measured above and below, or side to side? 30 degrees is probably pretty far off from a sitting position though.
   
  anyone have directionality problems just from shifting in your chair?


----------



## StringBoi

I've had my Airmotiv 4's for a few months now and could never really figure out how the Shelving EQ settings are supposed to work.  I have them on my desk, with the AudioEngine stands pointing at ear level....they are about 5 or 6 inches from the wall...I have no option but to leave them that close to the wall, there is no room to move my desk out any more.  I've read if you have these on the shelf or on your desk, you should adjust the Shelving EQ...but I'm not exactly sure what I should listen for.  When I change them I hear no difference.  If it matters....I'm also using a sub with them.  Any suggestions on what specifically I'm supposed to listen to when trying these knobs out?


----------



## Skoobs

Quote: 





stringboi said:


> I've had my Airmotiv 4's for a few months now and could never really figure out how the Shelving EQ settings are supposed to work.  I have them on my desk, with the AudioEngine stands pointing at ear level....they are about 5 or 6 inches from the wall...I have no option but to leave them that close to the wall, there is no room to move my desk out any more.  I've read if you have these on the shelf or on your desk, you should adjust the Shelving EQ...but I'm not exactly sure what I should listen for.  When I change them I hear no difference.  If it matters....I'm also using a sub with them.  Any suggestions on what specifically I'm supposed to listen to when trying these knobs out?


 
   
  how is your sub hooked up to them? when using a receiver or sending the signal to the sub before the speakers, the sub will play the bass notes and the speakers will never even know they existed. In such a case, the low frequency shelving adjustment will do little to nothing for the sound, because you will be changing frequencies that the speakers are not seeing. depending on the crossover frequency, you may be alright as you have them set up.


----------



## StringBoi

Quote: 





skoobs said:


> how is your sub hooked up to them? when using a receiver or sending the signal to the sub before the speakers, the sub will play the bass notes and the speakers will never even know they existed. In such a case, the low frequency shelving adjustment will do little to nothing for the sound, because you will be changing frequencies that the speakers are not seeing. depending on the crossover frequency, you may be alright as you have them set up.


 
   


 I have both L/R RCA outputs split from the sound card ....Left RCA out split to L speaker / L sub input, Right RCA out split to R speaker / R sub input....no receiver in between, just split from the card.   I have crossover set to 68Hz on the sound card....I've read to set crossover to 10hz above the lowest Hz the monitors can produce.  If I read correctly, the 4's can go to 58Hz?  I see on their specs though, both 58Hz and 52Hz listed....should I change it to 62Hz?


----------



## buson160man

Quote: 





warpdriver said:


> Supposedly these are just rebranded qmsaudio pc speakers. Emvotia claims they tweaked the crossover to their specs but they are essentially importing this ODM design and reselling it for North American market (with some markup of course)
> 
> http://www.qmsaudio.com/


 
  I checked out their website and it certainly looks the same but the model is designated the q5 gee wizz i wonder why?Unfortunately the english language translator did not work.So everything is in cryptic chinese.But it is interesting .How did you ever find out about the chinese company offering the speakers?


----------



## buson160man

Quote: 





lmswjm said:


> The AirMotiv 6' s sound ridiculously good independent of price. If I wanted to do better I'd be looking at Focals, and I bet that the Emotivas wouldn't get smoked then. The fact that I don't need a sub is icing on the cake. If you have the room for these, it doesn't make sense to get anything smaller that would add the cost of a sub.
> In a nearfield situation, it's nice having all of the frequencies right in front of you. A sub can break up the continuity. Besides music listening, I also use these to monitor my bass playing, and they have yet to falter.


 
  Personally I like the dynaudio models a lot better than the focus models.At least for my tastes.I have heard their small wireless model but they go for over two thousand with the wireless transmitter.
  They do sound very good and are able to fill a pretty good sized space with good sound.I have seen the lower end pro models and they go for about a thousand dollars a pair.Dynaudio also has introduced a powered desk top speaker with a slanted front so the sound is optimized for a desk top placing.That model also goes for a thousand dollars a pair but it uses a 7 and a half inch woofer and is rated down to 46 hz from what I remember looking at the speakers spec sheet.But It is a bit larger than the 5 and closer in size to the emotiva 6.But the 6s diimensions appear to be way to large for optimal desk top positioning.The dynaudios are sized so they would work in a desk top setting with tha cabinet beeing a little wider as opposed to beeing taller.I have not heard any of the pro models but I am sure they are excellent.The dynaudios have a stellar reputation for producing excellent loudspeakers.But they are more expensive than the emotiva.
   But I am confident enough from what I have read about the emotiva models and I ordered a pair of airmotiv5s for use as a computer monitor.I received them yesterday and  hooked them up.I have listened to them for about twelve hours and they are sounding a bit more open now than they did when I first hooked them up.I think they will make excellent computer monitors once they have fleshed in.They work well when listened to in a home theater invironment which is how I am using them now run out of the preamp output of a denon 3806 avr receiver.


----------



## Skoobs

Quote: 





stringboi said:


> I have both L/R RCA outputs split from the sound card ....Left RCA out split to L speaker / L sub input, Right RCA out split to R speaker / R sub input....no receiver in between, just split from the card.   I have crossover set to 68Hz on the sound card....I've read to set crossover to 10hz above the lowest Hz the monitors can produce.  If I read correctly, the 4's can go to 58Hz?  I see on their specs though, both 58Hz and 52Hz listed....should I change it to 62Hz?


 
   
   
  what sub are you using? and what sound card?
   
  if you are just splitting the RCA output to go to the sub and the speakers, they both will get the full spectrum of sound. if possible, use RCA output on the sound card to the sub, then the rca output on the sub to the speakers. this way, you can set the crossover on the sub and the speakers shouldnt get any of those frequencies. setting the low end shelf to a different level wont make much of a difference when you have a sub playing the frequencies you are lowering on the speakers.
   
  usually, unless your sound card has an optical LFE out, setting the crossover on the sound card software will not do anything. that is usually meant for digital formats such as optical and SPDIF.


----------



## Super Dave

I recall reading that the QM speakers are virtually the same; Emotiva had them tweeked to their specs a bit that's all.


----------



## StringBoi

Quote: 





skoobs said:


> what sub are you using? and what sound card?
> 
> if you are just splitting the RCA output to go to the sub and the speakers, they both will get the full spectrum of sound. if possible, use RCA output on the sound card to the sub, then the rca output on the sub to the speakers. this way, you can set the crossover on the sub and the speakers shouldnt get any of those frequencies. setting the low end shelf to a different level wont make much of a difference when you have a sub playing the frequencies you are lowering on the speakers.
> 
> usually, unless your sound card has an optical LFE out, setting the crossover on the sound card software will not do anything. that is usually meant for digital formats such as optical and SPDIF.


 

 I'm using a Harman Kardon sub at the moment, from my home theater system...it only has RCA inputs, thats why I had to split the RCA from the sound card.  I am using an Asus Xonar Essence ST card...it has RCA L/R outputs.  I had asked the reps at Emotiva how to connect a sub using what I have, they suggested doing what I did and it seems to be working very well.   It has a "phase" setting set to normal, and "Filter" is on.  I just never messed with the Shelving EQ on the back on the speakers though.  Thats why I was wondering what I was supposed to be listening for...I cant hear a difference.


----------



## Skoobs

Quote: 





stringboi said:


> I'm using a Harman Kardon sub at the moment, from my home theater system...it only has RCA inputs, thats why I had to split the RCA from the sound card.  I am using an Asus Xonar Essence ST card...it has RCA L/R outputs.  I had asked the reps at Emotiva how to connect a sub using what I have, they suggested doing what I did and it seems to be working very well.   It has a "phase" setting set to normal, and "Filter" is on.  I just never messed with the Shelving EQ on the back on the speakers though.  Thats why I was wondering what I was supposed to be listening for...I cant hear a difference.


 
  basically it increases or decreases the response in the frequency range that you are messing with. it is supposed to be used to account for room imperfections. if you unplug the sub, you may hear a difference when you change the low end one. 
   
  the only HK subs i am seeing are part of a kit, so they probably dont have filters like i was talking about earlier. like you said, only RCA inputs. no outputs.


----------



## Chuck E Darwin

My experience with different incarnations of the AMT: I heard the AMT in the GoldenEar SuperSats at an audio store that might not have had the speakers properly broken in, and I had purchased a pair of the Martin Logan Motion 4s. Both of those speakers had high frequency characteristics similar to the Airmotiv 4s, but both sounded hollow through the midrange where I suspect there are problems with the transition from the AMT to the woofer. Both speakers were short on bass extension compared with the Airmotiv 4s and, while otherwise well made, the Motion 4s have awful binding posts. 
   
  With a subwoofer, the shy bass on the Motion 4s became moot, but the speakers still didn't sound as live as the Airmotiv 4s. I returned the Motion 4s, kept the Airmotiv 4s, and just ordered a pair of Airmotiv 6s to use in my basement. I still find their appearance problematic, but I am looking into the possibility of applying a veneer to the cabinets.
   
  I need to sample more music to come to a conclusion about this, but, if the Airmotiv 4 has one deficiency, it might be that it can sound slightly overwhelmed on orchestral music.
   
  The internal amplification of the Airmotivs is definitely a bonus over the above speakers, but integrating active and passive speakers into a multi-room system can be somewhat complicated.


----------



## songmic

I just received my pair of airmotiv4 speakers as a part of my Mac-based desktop headphone system, driven by a Burson Soloist as a preamplifier. I can't believe the only damage done to my wallet was $315 (10% discount of $350) for these terrific speakers with in-built power amps.


----------



## ssbkk

Dear Songmic,
   
  I wonder when did you order your Airmotiv 4 as their website did not show any more 10% promotion discount. I am on the fence now, but the 10% discount would make me jump the fence. How do you like the Airmotive4 sound compare to the ones you had.
   
  Thanks for sharing your thought.


----------



## bbhl

BTW I did try to dig through the taobao auction in China:
   
  http://translate.googleusercontent.com/translate_c?spm=a1z10.3.0.130.69d86&depth=1&hl=en&prev=/search%3Fq%3Dqmsaudio%26hl%3Den%26client%3Dfirefox-a%26hs%3Di6G%26rls%3Dorg.mozilla:en-USfficial%26prmd%3Dimvns&rurl=translate.google.com&sl=zh-CN&twu=1&u=http://item.taobao.com/item.htm%3Fid%3D13482164207%26&usg=ALkJrhils4nDNJSeSc2pWXjSwrS5b7MqJQ
   
  3800 yuan = about 600$ for Q6, which seems to be the Airmotiv 6... 99$ on top for delivery with 5 years of warranty - I guess it will be much more expensive to get it anywhere outside the China.
   
  http://translate.googleusercontent.com/translate_c?spm=a1z10.3.0.184.69d86&depth=1&hl=en&prev=/search%3Fq%3Dqmsaudio%26hl%3Den%26client%3Dfirefox-a%26hs%3Di6G%26rls%3Dorg.mozilla:en-USfficial%26prmd%3Dimvns&rurl=translate.google.com&sl=zh-CN&twu=1&u=http://item.taobao.com/item.htm%3Fid%3D12817918203%26&usg=ALkJrhiMIAKIk49I7ocVBkIHscJ9BTALTA
   
  1880 yuan = about 300$ for Q4/Airmotiv 4... So we have 50$ on top of the taobao price... No way to get it cheaper from QMS I believe. 
   
  Specs at QMS:
   
  http://translate.googleusercontent.com/translate_c?depth=1&hl=en&prev=/search%3Fq%3Dqmsaudio%26hl%3Den%26client%3Dfirefox-a%26hs%3Di6G%26rls%3Dorg.mozilla:en-USfficial%26prmd%3Dimvns&rurl=translate.google.com&sl=zh-CN&twu=1&u=http://www.qmsaudio.com/productshow.asp%3Fid%3D192&usg=ALkJrhjDWR2TndTBWEnOJfOkMWnFBIqhtA


----------



## MorbidToaster

I heard significant differences with the trim controls when I had my 6s. Especially on the low end.


----------



## dlwilladsen

I tried out the AirMotiv 5's for a bit and found them more pleasing to my ear than the AudioEngine 5+'s (and my current Klipsch 5.1 Promedia).  However, in my near field setup, they were a bit "too  much" for me.  Even had to turn down the bass a bit.  If I were to spend the money to upgrade, I think I would probably opt for the AirMotiv 4's, which might be plenty good for near field listening.  Also - wait for their annual sale if you can ... I think it's in the spring.


----------



## crzycuyler

Here's a question: If I am looking for a desktop speaker setup to place at most an inch away from the wall, should I even be considering these? I am currently looking at the AudioEngine P4 for the front port and the N22, and I can get them at a great price. Does anyone know how the P4 & N22 combination compares to the Airmotiv?


----------



## Kawai_man

Speakers with back bass ports need at least a foot of space to sound best, it will still sound good if you put them  ext to the wall but not the best theycould be.


----------



## apexten

Update:  the airmotiv 5 and 6 are on sale  http://shop.emotiva.com/collections/speakers?page=2  Party on


----------



## apexten

Well,  I ordered a pair of the Airmotiv 6 Studio monitors. They will be used in a fairly large room. (A bit of a gamble I know) I will post a review in about 10 days.   I hope they are up to the challenge.


----------



## Audiophile1811

Quote: 





apexten said:


> Well,  I ordered a pair of the Airmotiv 6 Studio monitors. They will be used in a fairly large room. (A bit of a gamble I know) I will post a review in about 10 days.   I hope they are up to the challenge.


 
  I'm really interested in a review like this since I also plan to use a pair in a large room. Good luck.


----------



## Currawong

If you're like me and are using them too close to a back wall, plug the rear ports with some foam. My desk has a gap from the back wall, which was turning the whole set-up into a huge bass port -- very far from ideal. The foam fixed that.


----------



## apexten

Thanks for the tip. I'm still waiting on my preamp/dac to arrive.


----------



## ljsegil

Just added the new SVS SB-1000 Subwoofer to my Emotiva 4s.  I'm in love.  Great sounding combination, highly recommended. 
  LJS


----------



## twylight

I added this sub to my Salk SBAO1s - nice sub


----------



## buson160man

Quote: 





crzycuyler said:


> Here's a question: If I am looking for a desktop speaker setup to place at most an inch away from the wall, should I even be considering these? I am currently looking at the AudioEngine P4 for the front port and the N22, and I can get them at a great price. Does anyone know how the P4 & N22 combination compares to the Airmotiv?


 
   I bought a pair of emotiva 5s over the summer.I am for the most part very satisfied with them and I am using them in a desktop siting and they are about 11 inches off the back wall and they sound pretty good though I did have to ramp the bass back to its mininum -4 db setting
  because the bass was just to prominent at the higher settings in my situation.Of course an inch away I do not think it would work very well with its bass slot beeing situated in the rear.
    I did try the 5s with my living room setup and they performed quite impressively on my two foot sound anchor 4 post stands.They did work somewhat better on video sound than they did on cds in my setting.The room is of medium dimensions and I think the 6 would have worked much better in the living room because of its larger dimensions and its advantage having twice the on board power rating of 201 wats rms per speaker.But the six is much too large for my desktop setting to be considered in that capacity.
    But I am very happy with the 5s in my computer set up.I have made one tweak on them I am using a emotiva iec power cord from their cable listing and it works very well with my fives.The 5s sound much better with the upgraded power cable.The cord is very reasonably priced just check out the emotiva website.I am using two meter long power cables in my setup.


----------



## C-WL87

ljsegil, the svs sb-1000 seems like it would make a good combo with the airmotivs. I'm curious how you set up a 2.1 system with powered speakers such as the airmotiv 4s though. Do you have a preamp or are you running RCA or XLR to the speakers/sub directly from a DAC?


----------



## ljsegil

I'm going from a DAC directly to the sub that has stereo RCA inputs and outputs, then going from the outputs of the sub back to the Emotivas.  The sub has a 80 Hz high pass filter on the outputs (not adjustable or switchable) so I set the crossover on the sub to match that.  I'm very pleased with the results.  I was worried that the bass would get flabby with the sub carrying most of the sound up to 80 Hz, but it seems to be doing surprisingly well, and the stereo separation is not diminished to my ears.  And I guess I should mention that the bass does sound good as well.
  Larry


----------



## C-WL87

Thanks for the reply. The base is very good on my Airmotiv 5s, especially considering their diminutive size, but I plan to add a powered sub in the near future for a little extra oomph on the low end. That seems like a simple, effective and relatively inexpensive way of setting up a nice 2.1 system.


----------



## Katun

Wow, these look quite interesting. I've been enjoying sound from speakers more lately than from my headphone adventures, thus, have been considering upgrading my desktop speakers.
   
  These would be fine to use for games, right? I've been using the Creative T40 II for awhile now and really love them for all my uses. Came from a Logitech Z623. Glad I got rid of the sub.
   
  Searched the thread for any KRKs. I wonder how the Rokit 5's compare, as I'm torn between the two. The front bass port on the R5 may do the trick, because I'm backed up in a corner.


----------



## ljsegil

changed my setup a bit.  Got a pair of split RCA outputs coming from the DAC and directly to the Airmotivs and the SVS sub, so the Airmotivs are no longer getting their input through the sub.  This allows me better control of the system by adjusting the crossover on the sub and allowing the Airmotivs to extend to their natural 50 or so Hz lower limit without being cut off by the high pass filtering of the sub outputs.  Better sound than the setup I described above, though I find that I am adjusting the volume on the sub according to the type of music and particular recording to get the sound where I like it, but the result is certainly an improvement.
  Larry


----------



## auee

For a computer based desktop system, I am torn between these speakers and the Adam A3Xs, which are more expensive and not magnetically shielded but have front ports. I expect that the farthest I can place the speakers from the back wall is 6". Will this be enough considering that the Emotiva speakers have a rear port? Also, I cannot place the speakers more than about 6" from one of my hard drives. Is this far enough to avoid any adverse effects on the hard drive, such as de-magnetization resulting in data loss and vibration? Thanks.


----------



## john57

I have a desktop system with the CPU on the floor. You should not have a problem whatever if a speaker or monitor is shielded. Shielded speakers were at one time important when speakers were placed next to a CRT monitor that can affect color purity but since CRT monitors are no longer used it is no longer relevant if the speaker is shielded or not.  You should not have any concerns if an unshielded speaker happens to be next to the CPU it will not de-magnetize your hard drives and I have five drives running at the same time in my setup.  Heavy vibration can be more of issue to the hard drives but if you use isolation pads on the bottom of the speakers on the desk I do not think you will have a problem.  
There are some disadvantages to front ports that can you can sometimes hear some boxy coloration sounds coming out from the ports directly to your ear.  A lot depends on the kinds of music playing. I just received my Airmotiv6 not quite a week ago and I am not much farther from the wall than yours and the back wave is not causing me any issues. I had a few tricks that I use to reduce any negative issue that could arise from using speakers that have back ports. You  can use  the Low-frequency Equalization control if you are getting too much bass reinforcement from the back wall. You will still see many active monitors still using back ports. In any rate you should buy speakers from a seller that has a good return policy if the speakers will not work well in your room.


----------



## auee

John, thanks for great response.


----------



## auee

Purchased the Airmotiv 4s based on price and magnetic shielding. Will post impressions following delivery.


----------



## buson160man

I upgraded the fuses in my airmotiv 5s about a month ago and I went with the hifi-tuning supreme fuses.I am also using emotivas iec power cables instead of the stock cable supplied with the airmotiv 5s.I have run the fuses in for at least a couple of weeks of good use and things are sounding much better.The sound is becoming way more relaxed and the tonality and soundstage has expanded a great deal.The speaker now disappears in even my desktop setting.The sound is way more spacious and very natural sounding. You will be amazed at the change in the sound when you replace the stock fuse.The potential of this speaker is not realized till you upgrade the fuses.I am not kidding this speaker becomes a real world beater for close monitoring for computer sound.The sound becomes much larger more like a much larger speaker.
    I implore anyone using the emotiva powered monitors to explore the avenue of fuse upgrades the journey is definitely worth the effort. i am sure you will be ecstatic with the change just like I am.The fuse value for the emotiva five is a small slow blow 1 amp fuse and of course you need two of them one for each speaker.I also previous replaced the stock fuse on my airmotiv 6s with similar improvements in the sixes performance.The fuse value for that speaker is a small 2 amp slow blow fuse.
    I had tried the synergetic quantum fuses and sent them back prefering the sound of the hifi tuning supreme fuses I had been using.


----------



## auee

Quote: 





buson160man said:


> I upgraded the fuses in my airmotiv 5s about a month ago and I went with the hifi-tuning supreme fuses.I am also using emotivas iec power cables instead of the stock cable supplied with the airmotiv 5s.I have run the fuses in for at least a couple of weeks of good use and things are sounding much better.The sound is becoming way more relaxed and the tonality and soundstage has expanded a great deal.The speaker now disappears in even my desktop setting.The sound is way more spacious and very natural sounding. You will be amazed at the change in the sound when you replace the stock fuse.The potential of this speaker is not realized till you upgrade the fuses.I am not kidding this speaker becomes a real world beater for close monitoring for computer sound.The sound becomes much larger more like a much larger speaker.
> I implore anyone using the emotiva powered monitors to explore the avenue of fuse upgrades the journey is definitely worth the effort. i am sure you will be ecstatic with the change just like I am.The fuse value for the emotiva five is a small slow blow 1 amp fuse and of course you need two of them one for each speaker.I also previous replaced the stock fuse on my airmotiv 6s with similar improvements in the sixes performance.The fuse value for that speaker is a small 2 amp slow blow fuse.
> I had tried the synergetic quantum fuses and sent them back prefering the sound of the hifi tuning supreme fuses I had been using.


 
  Would you be kind enough to identify the specific  hi-fi tuning supreme fuse needed for a pair of Emotiva Airmotiv 4, how many and where I can find instructions for changing out the fuses?


----------



## auee

I have had the Airmotiv 4s up and running for less than a week so not yet broken in. I have not yet gotten a quality 2 meter interconnect RCA cable  I also do not have a frame of reference for comparing them to other similarly sized powered monitors. With that said, I do not have any regrets about my purchase. They are attractive in an industrial way and fit perfectly on my smallish desktop on the stands sold by Audioengine. The sound is coherent and well balanced, the resolution, imaging and sound-staging even in the very near field is very good. I am just enjoying the music and notice my foot tapping; that is the best recommendation I can give.
   
  It is nice to be able to free my head from headphones periodically. Now all I need to do is avoid the urge to purchase for comparison purposes the Adam A3Xs.
   
  By the way, they need to be used with a pre-amp or a DAC with volume control because the volume control on each monitor is independent and a flimsy plastic knob to boot and I can foresee problems balancing the volume and breaking the knob with frequent use.


----------



## Chuck E Darwin

I recently "up-graded" from Airmotiv4s to Airmotiv5s for use in my small living room. The difference in bass extension is greater than I expected, and the 5s do play louder, but, even at a low to moderate volume, the 5s have significantly more body and presence than the 4s. The 5s project better into the room and sound more at ease with the signal they are being fed.
   
  That said, if the speakers were on my desktop or were a few meters from my ears, I would definitely opt for the Airmotiv4s.
   
  BTW: I have no choice but to locate the speakers on a bookshelf with just about an inch between the rear port and the wall. I use the bass cut on the back panel of the Airmotivs. I usually prefer acoustic suspension over bass reflex speakers because I frequently find the latter to sound slow or boomy. I don't find this to be a problem with the Airmotivs, despite their far less than optimal placement.  (I admit that there are now so many good bass reflex speakers--and so few acoustic suspension speakers currently in production--that the exception is becoming the rule. My point remains: Don't fear the Airmotivs if you have to place them close to a rear wall.)


----------



## blitzxgene

Running the airmotiv 4's off the rca out of the reference 10 until I get some xlr in the next week or so. After much trial and error I believe I've found an ideal position with the tweeters at ear level (thanks to a stack of books), slightly angled upwards and oriented to play music to my ears/just by them (not done experimenting just yet). While they sound great without going through the trouble of getting them to ear level, they disappear on some material as I have them set. They are only 8 inchs off the wall and the bass is turned down to -2 (-4 was anemic on drum hits), but they sound superb. I'll probably upgrade to better cords and swap the fuse if that's easy enough to do. Very full sounding and as transparent as the LCD-2s I owned for 2 weeks. Soundstage is decent but I could see how it could be better. The lightness/ease of the treble is intoxicating as I've never heard a speaker or headphone that could compare (yet). Bass is controlled and powerful yet doesn't travel very far (which is great as I'm living with others) and I'm not sure how someone could call it lacking, as it passes with flying colors on material ranging from Mezzanine to the Dark Knight Rises to Brahms 1st. Sitting 3 - 4 feet away based on sitting posture while the airmotivs are about 3 feet apart. They sound very good at lower volume levels and better louder, but I haven't had a chance to truly test how well they can play loudly. The dynamic range is very good as well but I've not been paying nearly as much attention to it as to other aspects. Detail retrieval is not as good as my denons, but is by no means a slouch (compression is very noticeable, as well as a thinness on certain recordings that are no fault of the aimotivs). They are very smooth but can still bite when the need arises. 
   
  Key thing I've noticed that I want to make a point of emphasizing is that positioning is very important to get the most out of these speakers. While they sound very nice when listening from further away, they become something special when you find their sweet spot. The heil tweeter and woofer blend together into what I find to be a fantastic and involving experience. Also, Amnesia becomes scary as ****. Nope.
   
  (edit: Listening to Inertia Creeps from Mezzanine album, midway through (2:15) the song sounds like it is playing to the left and almost behind my head. Made me stop what I was doing and turn. 
	

	
	
		
		

		
			





)


----------



## john57

[size=medium][size=medium]I agree that the heil tweeter and woofer blend very well together. I believe the ESS company that started to use the heil tweeter many years ago stated it was a challenge to get a good sound blend with the drivers. I have the Airmotiv6 and I am not far from the wall with the back ports. I have a secondary wall three inches from the primary wall that just goes up to and below the rear ports. This means that I get much less bass reflections from the primary wall since the second wall which is part of the upper desk blocks the refection to a great degree. The Airmotiv6 is raised to a level that the bottom of the tweeter and the top of woofer is more in line with my ears.   This also helps to block more of the remaining rear reflections from the ports.  I am happy with the results and the tweeter has plenty of horizontal dispersion capability to make this work and I do not use toe in with the Airmotiv6. Knock on wood! 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	


[/size][/size]


----------



## anoxy

Are these still considered a good buy at $315?

I'm trying to find the best <$500 bookshelf speakers for my desktop station.

edit: nevermind i am way too impatient. just ordered them


----------



## john57

Good for you!


----------



## bdr529

I called Emotiva and got some factory refurbed 5s for 399 a couple weeks ago. These sound really nice, I am still finding new music just to listen on them . The tweeters definitely have a sweet spot, but its not hard to find. My PC jack was kind of harsh and the adapter I had caused some buzzing noise so I got a Modi DAC which has straight RCA output. 
   
  Question for the group, do you leave them on all the time or turn them off at night? The back plate always feels a little warm so i figure turning them off wills save money on the electric bill at least.


----------



## john57

The key is not to turn them off and on too many times during the same day. I would always turn them off at night however. Some of my tube amps needs a cooling down period if left on too long. My airmotiv6 has a extra large heat sink that almost never gets warm at the end of the day.


----------



## anoxy

Well I've listened to mine for a few hours now running out of my Audio gd NFB12. Not really blown away coming from Klipsch 2.1. Maybe my room sucks or I need stands for them.


----------



## StringBoi

Quote: 





anoxy said:


> Well I've listened to mine for a few hours now running out of my Audio gd NFB12. Not really blown away coming from Klipsch 2.1. Maybe my room sucks or I need stands for them.


 
   


 I bought the Audioengine DS2 stands for my 4's, they would work well for the 5's as well.  They really help with having the correct angle, same goes for turning the speakers in and having the tweeters pretty much angled to your ears.  You can hear a difference when they are not angled correctly while being used as near field monitors.


----------



## Menasor

I had to downsize to a smaller desk so I sold my Logitech z5500. I purchased the Audioengine A2 due to their tiny footprint, but while they are pretty good, I wanted a little more umph out of my desktop setup. I ordered the Airmotiv 4's and they will be here this Friday. I can't wait!


----------



## Menasor

I just got my Airmotiv 4's today and wow they are awesome. Very crisp highs, great detail across the entire range and very tight bass. I was worried that the 4.5" drivers wouldn't have enough bass, but it is more than plenty for a desktop setup. I have X Series interconnects on the way as well as the ASM base, so I'm sure they'll sound even better. Right now I have them temporarily on the Audioengine DS1 stands, so the tilt angle is right, but the stand is far too small heh. I highly recommend these to anyone looking for a $300 desktop 2.0 setup. The sound quality compares well to the Energy RC70 setup I have in the living room (of course they lack the raw output power and bass of the RC70's, but I'm really loving treble of the AMT tweeter).


----------



## anoxy

Yeah, I won't be DJing any raging house parties with these, but the bass is definitely capable enough for my desktop set-up.


----------



## Menasor

Here they are on my desk. Temporarily on DS1 stands for now. I have ASM stands on the way, with X Series Interconnects as well!


----------



## roubaixpro

Hi Menasor,
   
  Who makes the stands and interconnects?
  Can you provide a link to both the DS1 stands and X Series Interconnects, so I can check them out?
   
  Also, can the airmotiv4 speakers be plugged directly into a computer sound card or do you really need to buy a separate DAC for volume control?


----------



## Menasor

Quote: 





roubaixpro said:


> Hi Menasor,
> 
> Who makes the stands and interconnects?
> Can you provide a link to both the DS1 stands and X Series Interconnects, so I can check them out?
> ...


 
  Sure! The DS1 stand is from audioengine but it doesn't really fit the Airmotiv 4. Should get the ASM stand instead: http://www.emotivapro.com/products/asm-base
   
  As for the interconnects, these are the ones: http://shop.emotiva.com/collections/interconnects/products/xrca
   
  You can just plug the airmotiv 4 directly to your sound card. If you sound card only has a 3.5mm jack, then you need a 3.5mm to RCA adapter: http://www.monoprice.com/products/product.asp?c_id=104&cp_id=10429&cs_id=1042902&p_id=7189&seq=1&format=4#feedback
   
  If your card already has RCA connectors like the Xonar Essence STX or the X-Fi Titanium HD, then you are good to go


----------



## Draygonn

menasor said:


> I just got my Airmotiv 4's today and wow they are awesome.


Congrats Menasor.

Got my Airmotiv 4s with the asm base today. First foray into decent speakers for my computer. Enjoying what I'm hearing so far. Bass is just enough to have fun but won't annoy the neighbors. The rear adjustments are useful for dialing in the sound. I can see keeping these for a long time. 


Spoiler


----------



## elwappo99

Purchased a pair today. I'll try to post a few impressions and compare them to my Swan M200MKII when they arrive.


----------



## anoxy

What wizardry will allow me to play music directly from my iPod to these speakers?

Should I get something like this?


----------



## blitzxgene

Quote: 





anoxy said:


> What wizardry will allow me to play music directly from my iPod to these speakers?
> 
> Should I get something like this?


 
   
  http://www.amazon.com/Belkin-Audio-Cable-Splitter-1-Mini/dp/B00004Z5CP/ref=pd_cp_e_2
   
  This would work if you wanted to save money. Only concern would be the maximum loudness that would be achievable.


----------



## Menasor

Quote: 





anoxy said:


> What wizardry will allow me to play music directly from my iPod to these speakers?
> 
> Should I get something like this?


 
   
  http://www.monoprice.com/products/product.asp?c_id=102&cp_id=10218&cs_id=1021815&p_id=5598&seq=1&format=2
   
  That's all you need! 
   
  Quote: 





elwappo99 said:


> Purchased a pair today. I'll try to post a few impressions and compare them to my Swan M200MKII when they arrive.


 
   
  Yes please post a comparison when you get them 
   
  Quote: 





draygonn said:


> Congrats Menasor.
> 
> Got my Airmotiv 4s with the asm base today. First foray into decent speakers for my computer. Enjoying what I'm hearing so far. Bass is just enough to have fun but won't annoy the neighbors. The rear adjustments are useful for dialing in the sound. I can see keeping these for a long time.
> 
> ...


 
   
  Thanks! Congrats to you too


----------



## roubaixpro

I am thinking of getting the airmotiv4, but am interested if it is possible to connect it to my computer using a Micromega MyDac?
  Are use supposed to use a USB cable to connect the computer to the DAC then two RCA cables from the DAC to the airmotiv4's?
  I am assuming that you will get a better sound quality by using a DAC.


----------



## Menasor

I got my ASM base today as well as the X Series Interconnects. Very happy with both!


----------



## anoxy

Quote: 





roubaixpro said:


> I am thinking of getting the airmotiv4, but am interested if it is possible to connect it to my computer using a Micromega MyDac?
> Are use supposed to use a USB cable to connect the computer to the DAC then two RCA cables from the DAC to the airmotiv4's?
> I am assuming that you will get a better sound quality by using a DAC.


 
  Yes to all.


----------



## GMF2010

If anyone is on the cuff about buying these, I have a pair I'm looking to sell. They're just out of the box a few days and are brand new. I'm willing to let them go at a fair price.


----------



## Menasor

For those who bought them recently, what are your thoughts?


----------



## hifimiami

Superb, I have been an audiophile for 30 + years and the performance of these speakers reminds me of the first B&W speakers I heard.  Liquid smooth high frequency, engaging midrange adequate tight bass (not for bass heads). Recommend Emotiva Stand for desktop installation and performance will benefit from good quality interconnects.
   
Highly recommended Emotiva customer service is excellent.


----------



## elwappo99

I wasn't impressed with these speakers at all. For the first few days. I think they might have burned in a bit, as much as I would hate to admit such a thing.
   
  So far, I'm shocked how much less I'm wearing headphones.


----------



## anoxy

I sold my headphones....
   
  Only have these for my desktop now, and CIEMs for on the go.


----------



## Gil Schwartzman

Can anyone chime on how these (or the 5's) are for movies from a few feet away? I'd want them primarily for music and gaming while sitting at my PC, but I've got a couch 4-5 ft. away and I'd like something that will still sound impressive for movies at that distance.


----------



## blitzxgene

Quote: 





gil schwartzman said:


> Can anyone chime on how these (or the 5's) are for movies from a few feet away? I'd want them primarily for music and gaming while sitting at my PC, but I've got a couch 4-5 ft. away and I'd like something that will still sound impressive for movies at that distance.


 
   
  I watch stuff from about 6-7 feet away and they sound very good when it comes to movies, even when you aren't in the sweet spot.


----------



## Menasor

6-7 feet for my 4's are not a problem in a small room. If you're going to watch movies and want more bass, I would go with the 5's.


----------



## Gil Schwartzman

menasor said:


> 6-7 feet for my 4's are not a problem in a small room. If you're going to watch movies and want more bass, I would go with the 5's.




I am leaning towards the 5. Space is a bit of a concern but they don't look that much larger than the 4 so I should be able to work it out.


----------



## bdr529

I have been enjoying my 5s for a few months now. They have pretty good bass but I have been hankering to buy a sub for some more wubwub. Depending on the size of your room you will probably be satisfied. They are certainly not short on bass for their size, but they don't come close to the impact i get with my 12" sub in my HT of course. They are great for watching a movie on my computer and I don't feel like I am missing too much.  If you like to save money I would call Emotiva before you buy and see if they have any refurb/B-stock etc. I was able to save 50 bucks when I got mine.


----------



## bdr529

Also, anyone have any experience pairing these with a sub? I have been eyeing is the SVS PB-1000 because it has line level inputs and outputs with a crossover @80hz.. Seems made for studio monitors...


----------



## cel4145

bdr529 said:


> Also, anyone have any experience pairing these with a sub? I have been eyeing is the SVS PB-1000 because it has line level inputs and outputs with a crossover @80hz.. Seems made for studio monitors...




Either the PB-1000 or the SB-1000 would be a great sub for $500 to use with the Airmotivs. The advantage of the PB-1000 would be the lower 19hz bass extension and the greater output. The SB-1000 might have an edge on SQ, and of course is very small


----------



## bdr529

Someone else had that idea too. I just saw this thread on audioholics. http://forums.audioholics.com/forums/subwoofers/84015-dracullus-svs-sb-1000-review.html. Looks like a good match.


----------



## Currawong

They definitely need a sub for movies and some kinds of music. They mate well with DAC/pre amps such as the Audio-gd NFB-10 or Anedio D2.


----------



## elwappo99

Finally got around to building little stands for mine. I'm running mine via preamp on the matrix M-stage. With the stands I was definitely able to create the sweet spot. These little guys really change my opinion of small speakers for a desktop.


----------



## pdcinc

Do you still have these speakers 4 sale


----------



## ljsegil

I have been listening to the 4s teamed with an SB1000 sub both through a C'Entrance DAC as a desk computer setup for several months and am very happy with the resulting sound on any music, ranging from though not exclusively orchestral, chamber, as well as classic rock (Jack Casady never had it so good in my home) and (new)bluegrass.  The combination has great range, both dynamic and frequency reproduction, with a very lifelike sound, more pleasant than my HiFi man 400 headphones.  I sit about 3-4 feet from the speakers and the sub is under the desk.  Happily, necessary to avoid spousal approbation, the combination does not require high volumes to sound good, but when I am alone at home....
 The only downside is that I am spending even more of my already excessive time at my desk thinking of excuses to use the computer rather than venturing out of the room to take on the rest of life.
 Larry


----------



## elwappo99

Emotiva is running a warehouse sale if you guys are interested in some Airmotivs 
  
http://emotivalounge.proboards.com/thread/33171/secret-warehouse-sale-happening-23?page=1&scrollTo=568450


----------



## Murder Mike

I picked these up on the warehouse sale and am excited to try them. I need some cheap interconnects for the time being. Should I pick up some cheap RCA to XLR plugs off Monoprice? Something like this. If I wanted to go cheaper, I assume these would work just fine if I separated the cables?


----------



## elwappo99

murder mike said:


> I picked these up on the warehouse sale and am excited to try them. I need some cheap interconnects for the time being. Should I pick up some cheap RCA to XLR plugs off Monoprice? Something like this. If I wanted to go cheaper, I assume these would work just fine if I separated the cables?


 
  
 yes those will work. I'd stick with the RCA to RCA. Without testing beforehand you might a ground hum off the XLR. Doubtfutl, but it does happen on some designs.


----------



## cfcubed

elwappo99 said:


> Emotiva is running a warehouse sale if you guys are interested in some Airmotivs


 
 Tossing a "Thank you!" your way for the heads-up.  Wanted Airmotiv 4s but didn't want to pay for them  Snagged a sale pair at a nice price (w/free shipping <<< oops - shipping charge embedded in item price, USA only).
 Will see what factory renewed (and/or possibly scratch-n-dent) means but was told they'll perform like new & come w/warranty so that's good enough for me.


----------



## elwappo99

cfcubed said:


> elwappo99 said:
> 
> 
> > Emotiva is running a warehouse sale if you guys are interested in some Airmotivs
> ...


 
  
 Np, glad to help.
  
 I'm terribly impatient and nabbed a pair of Airmotiv4s a few months ago. Totally floored by these speakers. Great little units. 
  
 Everyone says good things about the condition of these units on the emotiva forums, so


----------



## Kamakahah

Looking for a cheap preamp to use on these. Really just a budget option for easy volume control.
 Ideally I'd like to find one with a remote but I'm not holding my breath. 
 Seen a few options from China that I could throw into a project box, but not sure about the quality of those. 
  
 Any ideas?
  
 ***by cheap, I mean something under $50.


----------



## cfcubed

Heh, same thing that occurred  to me after realizing they're a bit much for my intended use as computer speakers/monitors, would rather them replace what's in my living room.  With that comes the need to control volume remotely AND drive longer line-level cables.  Additionally my remote vol/preamp would need to be as small as possible.
  
 Let's see what others may post here.   But think you might want to consider going > "cheap"/$50 here, the speakers deserve it & think there are issues with those all-in-one preamp kits you are looking at.  For one thing we don't need much if any gain here, std 2V line-outs should have enough.  In fact if it weren't for the remote volume/mute & long line-level cable drive requirements I'd consider (making) a passive pre (a pot in a box).  Instead, as a DIYer, I've ordered a motorized pot + remote (ebay:"remote motor alps"), dual rail PS + 5V PS boards and are re-purposing a pair of JISBOS to build something like this: http://www.diamondstar.de/jisbos/jisbos_gallery.html  If/when I get anywhere with it I'll post something in the DIY subforum.
  
*Edit:* Oops!  Went straight to this thread from my Subscribed thread updates BUT the preamp topic belongs in more general "*Passive Preamp/ level control with Remote?*" thread here.  And further DIY stuff in the DIY subforum I guess.


----------



## Kamakahah

I'm using them as desktop monitors. I agree with your points. While using the computer to adjust the volume doesn't bother me that much, I'd prefer a simple "pot in a box" option. 

If there was something near my range with a remote or something worth adding the additional money, I'd consider it. I'm a DIYer as well, but my skills and knowledge on boards is average. 

But I'm not looking to spend the same amount as I payed for the speakers for a glorified volume control.


----------



## younglee200

There's a thread around here with the raspberry fi that gives you the option of using your phone as a remote.  
  
 I bought one, but haven't tried it yet.  I also have the emotiva 4s and I'm loving them.
  
 They don't fall behind too much in comparison to my Senn 650s w/ the crack amp, and that's saying a lot.


----------



## Ryukun

I'm considering of buying these, but a friend also recommended the airmotiv 5's. Is there a big difference between the two?


----------



## thegunner100

Emotiva has a holiday sale going on right now. The airmotiv 4 is $299 but there's still no stock on the 5's


----------



## blitzxgene

Just reporting in that speaker stands do really help ground these and improve their characteristics. I bought stands to both properly position them and to tighten up the bass, and to have a place for larger monitors whenever I get around to upgrading. The bass is extremely tight, the soundstage somehow expanded, there is more midbass detail, the resonant characteristics are largely diminished so that I'm just hearing the room mess with the sound now instead of the cabinet vibrating. It's also only projecting the sibilance already present in the recordings and adding next to none of it's own. Imaging improved quite a bit as well, including separation in the mix. I'm amazed how well they scale with each minor (and major) improvement I make to my system.
  
  
 tldr: these are really awesome monitors for the money.
  

 (apologies for the quality, my wealth is currently invested in the contents of picture and not the camera...)


----------



## ed45

What amp/dac would work well with airmotiv 4s? I have a pair on order, and I'm looking for a compact dac/headphone-amp/preamp either as one unit or as two (amp/preamp + dac).  I was going to order an Audio-gd 15.32, but evidently that hasn't been verified to work with USB 3.0 ports on a Mac.  I realize that one option is the Audioengine d1, but my budget goes up to $400, and I was hoping to get something with an asynchronous dac and an amp that can handle a wider variety of headphones than the d1. I also wouldn't mind just starting with a good headphone-amp/preamp.  Any suggestions would be appreciated as I'm a  newbie when it comes to headphones and computer audio.


----------



## cel4145

I use an ODAC and Schiit Asgard 2 with my setup. The ODAC with the 3.5mm audio output is very tiny, so doesn't take up an appreciable amount of space to have both in your setup.


----------



## younglee200

The airmotivs are active and sound perfectly good enough on its own without a separate amp (or a pre-amp).
  
 I run it out of the Audio-GD 3.3 (their lower-end dedicated DAC) through USB to coaxial converter by using Nuforce U192S and it sounds very good.  The combo should fit right around the 400 dollar budget, lot cheaper if bought used.


----------



## ed45

Thanks for the suggestions.  I've added the Asgaard + (Odac or Modi) to my list, which was Audiengine D1, the Maverick D1+, GF Tubedac-11, and Yulong D100 (although the D100 does not have volume control coupled to the preamp output). I've also added the Nuforce U1925 as a possible consideration.
  
 Just to clarify, I'm looking for a device with a built in headphone jack and headphone amp, not a speaker amp. My working environment requires that I be able to switch between speakers and headphones quickly and easily.  I'm also looking for a device with line out volume control (like a preamp) because a rep at Emotiva told me I need one, and it's also in the manual. The volume controls on the front of the Airmotivs are normally left on maximum, or adjusted once for room acoustics. They aren't intended to be used for continuous adjustment while listening. You can try it, but it will be hard to maintain a balanced volume since they operate independently of each other.
  
 Because I need a dac, headphone jack and headphone amp, volume control and means of switching between speakers and headphones in the device(s), adding a USB to SPDIF convertor wouldn't leave much funds for the other functions, so the Nuforce U1925 is probably not a practical investment at my price point.  I appreciate the pointer though.


----------



## Murder Mike

> Because I need a dac, headphone jack and headphone amp, volume control and means of switching between speakers and headphones in the device(s), adding a USB to SPDIF convertor wouldn't leave much funds for the other functions, so the Nuforce U1925 is probably not a practical investment at my price point.  I appreciate the pointer though.


 
  
 You should check out the Audio-GD NFB 11.32. I have one with these speakers and set of K702 65ths and I couldn't be happier. It also fits nicely into your price point. The NFB 15.32 is also another option.


----------



## ed45

The NFB 15.32 was actually my first choice. I was in the process of ordering one with the TXCO upgrade when the good people at Audio-GD told me that it wasn't guaranteed to work with the USB 3.0 ports on my late 2012 iMac.  I was also told that the SPDIF port should work fine, but since that port max-es out at 96/24 on my iMac, and with the added issue of computer noise (since mine is not a dedicated music server), I didn't want to go in that direction.  But yeah, Audio-GD is a good suggestion.


----------



## cel4145

ed45 said:


> The NFB 15.32 was actually my first choice. I was in the process of ordering one with the TXCO upgrade when the good people at Audio-GD told me that it wasn't guaranteed to work with the USB 3.0 ports on my late 2012 iMac.  I was also told that the SPDIF port should work fine, but since that port max-es out at 96/24 on my iMac, and with the added issue of computer noise (since mine is not a dedicated music server), I didn't want to go in that direction.  But yeah, Audio-GD is a good suggestion.




You are the 2nd person I saw today post about problems with a USB DAC having compatibility problems with USB 3.0 ports, only the other was a Windows Surface Pro tablet. I'm surprised that this is a problem. 

Since you just bought Emotiva, did you know that the Emotiva XDA-2 is on sale for $299? It's a DAC/headphone amp/pre-amp with what you need. Might see if it it will do what you want.


----------



## ed45

I've been trying to figure out why USB3 ports would cause problems for DACs.  USB 3.0 provides for an additional bus next to the USB 2.0 bus, but it should be invisible to a device plugged into the port using a USB2 cord, so ... beats me.  However, I have seen more than a few reports of DACs crapping out on USB3 ports, going back a few years.  FWIW, I emailed Schiit and Audioengine.  AE said that that their D1 should work with USB3 because of backwards compatibility, and Nick from Schiit said that they commonly connect their DACs to USB3 ports, including those on Macs, and there are no compatibility issues.
  
 Regarding the Emotiva XDA-2, that's a great suggestion, but its footprint (17” W x 2.25” H x 14” D) is far too large for the space available on my desk. I guess its size isn't surprising when you consider that it's pro audio gear designed to go on a rack.


----------



## cel4145

The other post I saw, the manufacturer said it was a firmware issue with the DAC. I'm wondering if some of the DACs took shortcuts with the USB spec that is now a problem with 3.0. 

And yeah, the XDA-2 footprint is not great unless you have a shelf nearby. It does have a remote control, but there's still that inconvenience of plugging and unplugging headphones.


----------



## buson160man

auee said:


> Would you be kind enough to identify the specific  hi-fi tuning supreme fuse needed for a pair of Emotiva Airmotiv 4, how many and where I can find instructions for changing out the fuses?


 
  I was looking at some old unread posts and I came across your old post. Sorry it took so long to read the post. I am not sure about the fuse size for the airmotiv 4s. I suggest you send emotive a email inquiring about the fuse size for the airmotiv 4s. They promptly answered my requests for the fuse size for my airmotiv 5s. If you have not changed the fuses yet I definitely recommend you do so. The improvement in sound quality from the change is very noticeable for the better. You need two fuses one for each speaker. The fuse holder is on the rear panel right under the power cord inlet. There is a narrow slot on the holder you just insert the blade from a small screwdriver in the the slot and pry it up gently and the fuse holder pops up. Just slide the fuse holder out and the fuse is contained in the plastic holder. The hifi tuning fuses are directional. The correct orientation is when the lettering for the hifi tuning fuse is below the symbol on the fuse.Just pop in the fuse into the holder and reinsert the fuse holder back into its slot. The fuse holder should snap in place and the job is done.


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## younglee200

The fuse should be 1A slow.  I'm sure it's an 1A, but not sure whether it is fast or slow.  I have the hifi-tuning fuse installed on mine (bought mine used with it installed).
  
 Can't tell if there's any improvements because I've never tried the generic fuse and the speakers sound plenty good as it is already.


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## PurpleAngel

ed45 said:


> The NFB 15.32 was actually my first choice. I was in the process of ordering one with the TXCO upgrade when the good people at Audio-GD told me that it wasn't guaranteed to work with the USB 3.0 ports on my late 2012 iMac.  I was also told that the SPDIF port should work fine, but since that port max-es out at 96/24 on my iMac, and with the added issue of computer noise (since mine is not a dedicated music server), I didn't want to go in that direction.  But yeah, Audio-GD is a good suggestion.


 

 I've been using my new 15.32 for almost 3 weeks, no regrets.
 Feel no need to going back to using the headphone amplifier on my Essence STX (AD797BR).


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## cel4145

purpleangel said:


> I've been using my new 15.32 for almost 3 weeks, no regrets.
> Feel no need to going back to using the headphone amplifier on my Essence STX (AD797BR).




What! You've abandoned your STX for another dac/amp now? I knew you got the 15.32, but your STX must be upset


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## PurpleAngel

cel4145 said:


> What! You've abandoned your STX for another dac/amp now? I knew you got the 15.32, but your STX must be upset


 

 Yea, my STX just sits there and cries.


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## ed45

Thanks to all who responded to my questions - much appreciated!  I did receive my Airmotiv 4s (2nd pair, one of the 1st pair was defective with a sputtering tweeter) and I'm still auditioning them, but so far so good. They're very revealing and the bass response seems more than adequate for me. I think they'll end up being a keeper.
  
 So I waffled on the DAC - a lot.  (Thus the double edit.) For anyone who cares, I ended up going for a fully loaded Geek Pulse X by Light Harmonic with every available upgrade.  Well beyond my original budget, but it presented a chance to get a DAC at a level of quality and with features (384K, Femto clock, etc.) that I otherwise couldn't afford. The downside is I have to wait until June, but it provides an upgrade path that should last for years. The Pulse X comes with both balanced and unbalanced outputs (and headphone jacks) so I can try connecting the Airmotivs with XLR and RCA cables, and see which mode I like best.


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## buson160man

auee said:


> Would you be kind enough to identify the specific  hi-fi tuning supreme fuse needed for a pair of Emotiva Airmotiv 4, how many and where I can find instructions for changing out the fuses?


 
 I am not sure about the fuse rating for the airmotiv 4 because I have the airmotv 5s. If you are not sure email emotiva and inquire about the fuse size for the airmotiv 4. They were very helpful when I inquired about the fuse size on all the emotiva powered speakers that I have owned. I have had three the airmotiv 5, the airmotiv 6(sold off replaced by the stealth 8) and the stealth 8.Each speaker has one fuse in it. The fuse is easily accessed from the rear panel. They are directly under the the iec power inlet. If you look there is a symbol of a fuse on the removable fuse holder. There is a small slot located just under the iec power inlet. Just place the blade from a small screwdriver in the slot and pry the fuse holder out do not do it forcefully just a little pry and the fuse holder will pop out. The fuse are directional so put the fuse in the holder with the hifi tuning fuse name on the bottom and reading left to right. Just slide trhe fuse holder back into the speaker and it will snap back in place. If it does not flip the fuse holder over and try it again.
   These type of fuse holder are becoming more common on equipment. They make changing fuses much easier and makes it unnecessary to open up the unit.


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## daxiaotongs

I don't think the DSMs can be beat at the current closeout/discontinued prices. As for ribbons, the Samson Rubicon R6A and Prodipe Pro Ribbon 8 can still be had for a lot less, and will come very close if not match the sound quality of the Emotiva's.


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## wntrsnowg

Are these considered the best sub $400 monitor?  I saw the emotiva website has them going for $250 right now.  I was considering the audioengine A5+ at first, but came upon these.  I am looking to use them as speakers for my desktop computer.


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## Kamakahah

I own the 4s and compared them to the A5s. Obviously you can tell what my preference is. At $250 they are a fantastic buy.


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## saer

Anyone know where I can purchase these ? their website doesn't have them available.


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## cel4145

Emotiva is a direct Internet vendor. They are the only seller. You should contact them to find out when they will have more in stock.


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## anoxy

Can somebody explain to me what the shelving EQ knobs on the back of each speaker do?


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## ed45

anoxy said:


> Can somebody explain to me what the shelving EQ knobs on the back of each speaker do?


 


 They allow you to adjust the low and high frequency gain to account for speaker placement and room acoustics.  I tried lowering the HF gain by 2 decibels, but ended up keeping both settings at zero.  Here's a link to the owners manual in PDF format: http://emotiva.com/resources/manuals/airmotiv4_manual.pdf  Look at the section titled "Adjustments" on page 21.


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## domes

Has anyone found the Airmotiv too resolving for mainly music listening via services such as Spotify or Mog?  Or do these speakers really excel at FLAC file due to sounding more monitor like?  Currently have the AE A2 and listen to probably 75% streaming vs local files and thinking of upgrading.


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## GaryWA

domes said:


> Has anyone found the Airmotiv too resolving for mainly music listening via services such as Spotify or Mog?  Or do these speakers really excel at FLAC file due to sounding more monitor like?  Currently have the AE A2 and listen to probably 75% streaming vs local files and thinking of upgrading.


 

 Good thing Emotiva has a generous no questions asked return policy huh?
  
 As for streaming, you should be streaming with Spotify Premium anyways eh?


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## domes

The airmotivs are currently out of stock with no current ETA.  I use MOG and not spotify as it has higher quality streaming.  Though the free option for it will be gone soon with Beats replacing it.


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## elwappo99

Schiit has come out with a cheap little preamp that looks to be perfect for the airmotivs
  
 http://www.head-fi.org/t/711775/schiit-sys-passive-preamp


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## Kamakahah

I noticed that the other day. A few months ago I would have jumped on it but my needs have changed: I need to accommodate for a new sub now making it 2.1 and need a setup with 2-3 inputs with a switch, and must fit on the desk.

Looks like my only option is to DIY something. 
Still is a nice little passive volume control. Might have to get it as a partial solution for the time being.


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## Koukol

Does anyone know of a good subwoofer to add to the Airmotiv 4's?
  
 I'm using them with my widescreen tv and would like a little more bass at times.


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## Murder Mike

What's your budget? Room size?


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## cel4145

murder mike said:


> What's your budget? Room size?




Agreed. There are definitely better subs as you go up in budget. And then your room size determines how much sub you would need to have good bass. 

Also, do you have the Airmotivs directly plugged up to your TV? Or are they connected to something else?


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## Koukol

Thanks for the reply, guys.
  
 I have the Air 4's connected directly from my Opp 95.
  
 I live in a small apartment so I can't rattle the walls but I don't watch blockbuster movies anyways.
  
 Unfortunately, my budget is only around $200.00 so I'm considering the Monoprice 12's.
  
 But if there's a more musical sub out there for around $200.00 I'd like to know.
  
 Cheers


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## cel4145

$200 is a tough price range for something that is "musical," and certainly wouldn't get you a sub the same quality as the Airmotivs. Probably one of the Dayton subs might be your best bet. I'd stay away from the Monoprice.


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## Koukol

I've read that the Dayton subs are not as good as they use to be since the company was taken over.
  
 This...
 http://www.soundandvision.com/content/review-monoprice-msub-a122-subwoofer
  
 is why I'm considering the Monoprice.


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## cel4145

Since Dayton was taken over by what? They are the Parts Express house brand, unless that has changed. 

See this recent review: http://www.hometheatershack.com/forums/speaker-subwoofer-reviews/71766-dayton-audio-sub-1200-subwoofer-review.html


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## Kamakahah

I picked up the Dayton sub-1200 a few weeks ago on Amazon for $109. Felt like it was a steal for a hundred bucks. I use it with my airmotiv 4s for certain games and movies. 

I don't really use it for music. I feel that the 4s sound good without it. There are some tracks I just want to feel the earth shake, those bring the exception. It can quickly overwhelm the 4s if not dialed in. Not what I would consider musical but still great to have around, especially for the price I got it.


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## Koukol

cel4145 said:


> Since Dayton was taken over by what? They are the Parts Express house brand, unless that has changed.
> 
> See this recent review: http://www.hometheatershack.com/forums/speaker-subwoofer-reviews/71766-dayton-audio-sub-1200-subwoofer-review.html


 

 This is where I read the Dayton's are not what they use to be.
 http://hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1761741
  
 Posts 6 18 20 24 26 & especially 39 talk about the Daytons.


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## cel4145

koukol said:


> This is where I read the Dayton's are not what they use to be.
> http://hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1761741
> 
> Posts 6 18 20 24 26 & especially 39 talk about the Daytons.




I hang out on the AVS subwoofer forum all the time (for years). Haven't heard about any problems with the Dayton subs, and people keep buying them and reporting that they work well. There was a problem awhile back with their Dayton speakers, and I imagine that turned into some bad Internet hype.


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## Koukol

OK...
 Thanks CE
  
 I'll have to see if they ship to Canada and whether I'll get soaked.


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## cel4145

They do ship to Canada, but shipping a sub is expensive because of the size and weight. 

Got any woodworking skills? You could get a driver and amp and build your own


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## Koukol

Unfortunately, no skills.


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## Koukol

How about the BIC America Acoustech H-100?
 Any thoughts?


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## cel4145

I can't remember how closely it is related, but I believe it's very similar to the BIC F12, which is a great sub for the ~$200 range here in the US.


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## Koukol

OK...reality has hit! 
  
 How about a musical sub for under $500.00?
  
 Outlaw 8" or 10"?
  
 I'm looking for something that hits above it's weight like the Airmotivs.


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## cel4145

If you mean Outlaw Audio? They no longer make a 10". Their M8 is nice for a small room for music. I have one of their 12" subs. They definitely make nice stuff 

If you want to step up to more of a sub enthusiast class of subs, the SVS SB-1000 is a great small, compact 12". And you can buy it in Canada for only a little more from their Canadian distributor. I've seen a few people get one to pair with the Airmotivs, and I have one in my desktop setup. Nice thing is that it has an 80hz high pass filter on the RCA line outs. So you can run your audio source to the sub, then connect the speakers to the sub, and then set the sub low pass filter to 80hz for good sub integration. The SB-1000 can definitely produce better bass from 80hz on down than the Airmotiv 4s.


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## Koukol

cel4145 said:


> If you mean Outlaw Audio? They no longer make a 10". Their M8 is nice for a small room for music. I have one of their 12" subs. They definitely make nice stuff
> 
> 
> 
> ...


 

 Thank you VERY much for your ongoing input, CE.
  
 Since many have said to me that a cheap sub is not the way to go I did a little rethinking and now I'm wondering if a Preamp might be the way to go.
  
 The reason why I think this is today I did some experimenting with different BDs and found some are gorgeous and rich coming from my Oppo to the Airmotivs.
 It was the last BD I watched last week that was so week I decided on a sub.
  
 Anyways I'm concerned about a sub over 10" because I just want to hear it and not feel it as I'm in an apartment.
  
 The Outlaw 8's are affordable to me (the SVS are a little too expensive) so do you think they would improve the Airmotiv 4's or should I consider a Preamp to adjust the bass when needed?
  
 BTW~My Oppo 95 can send a LFE signal.
  
  
 Edit~ Damn...Canadians get soaked Importing Outlaws.


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## cel4145

The Outlaw M8 would sound pretty good. The problem is integrating the sub. If you buy a sub without a line out filter like the SB-1000 has, the typical configuration for you is to set the sub low pass crossover dial to the low frequency roll off of the speakers so that it fills in where the speakers stop producing much bass. Most home audio setups use AVRs with bass management that allows for choosing a higher crossover point because the AVR will run a high pass filter on the signal sent to the speakers. I would be surprised if your Oppo has bass management built in (it might). And if it's an LFE out, it might just be the LFE signal, which is the .1 in 5.1 multichannel audio. The subwoofer out on an AVR includes the .1 channel and whatever bass is sent to the sub from the other speakers due to the crossover settings in the bass management. 

So do you want a sub just to add onto the bottom end? Or would you like to improve on some of the midbass that the Airmotiv is producing? I thought the midbass on the Airmotivs was a touch muddy, compared to what I'm used to (not bad for a little 4", though). 

The SB-1000 is not really bigger than the M8. It's an ultra compact 12" sealed sub, a 13" cube. But you will feel either sub some if you turn it up and your room is not too large, with the SB-1000 with the potential to get louder without losing composure. And the SB-1000 is just a better SQ sub.

As for blu-rays, a sub would make a difference. 

As for pre-amps, I use an Schiit Asgard 2 headphone amp that has pre-amp outs. Awesome headphone amp, and works great as a pre-amp, too


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## Koukol

So do you want a sub just to add onto the bottom end? Or would you like to improve on some of the midbass that the Airmotiv is producing? I thought the midbass on the Airmotivs was a touch muddy, compared to what I'm used to (not bad for a little 4", though).
  
  
 If a sub can add low bass AND improve the the midbass then...great!
  
 I contacted Oppo and they said I can switch the Audio to 2.1 and have LFE information sent through the RCA outputs while my Airmotivs are connected through the XLRs.
 I can set the crossover frequencies from 40Hz to 250hz.
  
  
 About the Preamp...I would need a Preamp that can adjust bass


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## cel4145

If you get a good quality sub and cross it over a little higher. Yeah. You can improve on some of the midbass. 

So if you go with a sub with that Oppo setup with the crossover, why do you need a pre-amp, too? Or do you not have volume control with the Oppo?


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## Koukol

I was thinking of a Preamp instead of a Subwoofer.
 I realized earlier today that I do like the sound of the Airmotivs but for only some BluRays.
  
 However others need a little bass boosting


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## Mark K

Didn't expect QMS speakers can be found here. I auditioned Q5 which was the very first pair of active speakers which touched my heart. Too bad local market cannot accommodate one more band so... I did not get mine.


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## thewatcher101

The airmotiv4 can really benefit from a preamp, and with headphone amp they can do double duty. I find all monitors from genelecs down to these guys to be pretty harsh and adding a preamp of your flavor really helps them sound more musical.
  
 Most monitors are made for tune for professional use or an average buyers and it would be best to tune it flat.


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## canali

Anyone ever compare the airmotiv 4s against the focal cms40?


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## No Disc

I'm thinking of pulling the trigger on a the QMS version of this speaker.  Just wondering since this is now going on 4 years if there is any other powered speakers to consider that be any better?


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