Very interesting Lon. Thanks for the early impressions. Keep us posted.

Good info Bob. I am looking forward to Lon's continued impressions, and to eventually reporting my own.

Lon, great info, much appreciated. In a way, I am lucky that I am moving back to a high fidelity loudspeaker system, after being away from such for years. All my hi-fi is headphone based, and so I have a very different point of reference. My last hi-fi speaker rig was almost two decades ago. I think my focus will be on detail, and micro-detail. In that regard, the ERRs will be up against tough standards in my Jerry Harvey JH-13 Pro IEMs, and my Audez'e LCD-2 cans running on the Taboo. Detail out of the IEMs is extraordinary, and while soundstage is good, it takes another step up on the Taboo running in Lucid Mode. Soundstage and imaging on headphones is a bit artificial, but Lucid Mode will provide an interesting comparator to the ERRs. In my room, without comparing to headphones, the ERRs are just going to be an entirely new plane in my listening that I haven't lived with in almost 20 years.

Experience, or immersion, sounds good to me.

I agree.

And patience with Decware always pays off. Remember that!

Did a little tube rolling and that helped. The woofers are opening up a smidge. They've been running about fourteen hours.  I love the way this system sounds when it's been going all day.

Mine are on short carpet.I belive that there are threaded holes at the corners of each speaker for spikes (none came with the speaker).  I had experimented with various spikes and footers on the IT Radial/HR-1 and actually found them best sounding just sitting flat on the floor once they were broken in; that was the perfect tweeter height for my sitting position. These ERRs have the tweeter seemingly a little lower than the other speakers, and as the woofers aren't quite loosened up, and the tonal balance is a bit thin, right now rather than sitting on the floor, and rather than spikes I have them sitting on the "balls" that go into Herbie Audio Lab IsoCups, at the moment the two front balls are the Gabon ebony ones, and the two back are the moss green in the back (extra balls on hand that I had from previous purchases; I didn't have eight balls of one kind on hand). The balls stay in place tucked into the threaded holes on the bottom for spikes. I don't really know if they do any isolating good, but they do bring the tweeter up a bit to more of a position that I'm used to for evaluating purposes.

Stonedeaf here uses the Herbie's Audio Lab "Gliders" on the bottom of the speakers. I used those for quite some time but was surprised to find that they added a sharpness to the sound that I didn't prefer compared to the speakers sitting directly on the floor alone; I moved the gliders to the feet of the redwood stand I use for my TV which also houses my DVR and ZDAC-1 and CSP2 on maple platforms. The Gliders work very well for that purpose, I also put them under the legs of the wooden former acquarium stand I have the components in my bedroom situatied on.

I'd recommend listening for some time with the speakers flat on the floor, that may well be the ticket, I'm definitely going to try that when the ERRs are broken in, and when they're in their home in my bedroom system, or their most-likely home.

I've been playing with speaker placement today. I had been keeping the ERRs in about the same areas of floor space that I had been using for the IT Radials/HR-1. I moved outside of that today and moved the speakers further back (and my listening seats further forward) than I'd been using before and that helped the tonal balance a bit.

It's still changing. I can say one thing though:  I had been very happy with my RL2s, and when these ERRs were announced and first available I had the suspicion that these were an improved design. Well, that suspicion is borne out. I haven't yet gotten the RL2s into the system for a direct comparison, but I feel that I'm already getting a certain type of bass response and a depth to the sound that the RL2 design hadn't delivered. . . .

Lon,

Your spikes will come with the grills, We package them with the grills as we haven't figured out a safe place to put them in with the speakers. As you saw the only empty space in the boxes was around the drivers, yeah I can see a spike going through the cone.

Also don't forget the tweeter bracket is bendable, so you can adjust for height to your listening position. Don't just bend it by pushing on the tweeter itself, if you are going back with it, place your two middle fingers behind the bracket while pushing against your fingers with your thumbs just above. Middle finges would be placed right where it screws to the driver. This puts no strain on the screws yet can allow you to bend it quite easily.

The bass comments surprise me, we listened to your speakers with Gatto Barbieri's "Straight Into The Sunrise" and they were pretty much spot on with the HR-1's with the 1's able to go lower.

ZYGI

I spent most of the day watching The Tudors Season 2, and not paying attention to the audio as much as when I'm playing cds and reading etc.

This afternoon I put in one of my favorite concert dvds, and it sounds fantastic!



Probably could  be a touch more bass but everything else is just right. The excellent recording is very well served. The acoustics of the church seem to be transported by that one microphone (I think) and right into my living room. I'm very impressed. The beautiful sound of the beautiful guitars on this (especially Ryan Adams' Gibson ES 355 Stereo ("Peanut") and that old Gretsch of Michael Timmons) is just clear as a bell, and the vocals are very well presented.

Oh hell yeah. It comes in a cd/dvd package and it's pretty easy to find cheap usually. I like it better than the original Trinity Sessions cd. The guests (Ryan Adams, Natalie Merchant and Vic Chesnutt) make it special. Really precise slow groove based playing, and killer sound. Interesting visually as well.

Okay, something's happened to the ERRs. They're sounding really full and deep. I first noticed it afther the Prince "New Power Soul" cd was started and when I put this Monk on it made me grab my bass violin and plunk along. I did okay for a few songs, but my stamina isn't there; I have to not neglect this instrument!  I gave up for now after two songs.



Okay, I made two changes. I got a package in from Herbie's Audio Lab and put IsoCup lampblack balls under all four corners of the ERRs. Heck they're only like 59 cents and postage. And I had ordered more baby booties because when I moved my maple platform and CSP2 and ZDAC-1 to the shelf on my redwood tv stand, I didn't have room to put the CSP2 on anything but baby booties, four. I added four more to the CSP2.

Either one or the other or both really brought out the bass response in the room. Not complaining, instead I'm grooving!

After.

I know how to check if it was the balls or the booties. Back in a few.

Thanks Lon. Enjoy dinner. Lampblack balls would have to be the most cost-effective speaker feet ever!

Hard work on a Friday night. That's dedication!

Do the balls stay put on hardwood floors? I have more IsoCups coming for my Toriis, and it might make sense to add a bunch of the balls in to the order, since they are so cheap.

Lucky man. Happy for you.

Gotta take what we can get, man, seize it when it comes around. We have both had reason to learn that.

Well, it's been like six days since I posted. Been doing a lot of listening.

I've decided that just like with the HR1/IT Radial, the ERR works best in my room sitting flat on its bottom, no Herbie Audio Fat Glides, no IsoBalls, just sitting on the carpet. It may have to do with my height seated and tweeter height. Not sure. But that's definitely where I get the tonal balance natural.

The speakers have opened up more and I've played around with moving the components in my system around, moving power cords around, etc. Getting some great sound. I am starting to miss my HR1/IT Radials. . . even as the ERR improve I still feel the other speakers give me just a more refined and full sound, as they should. I'm hanging in with the ERRs. . . they sure do sound great. I'm curious to hear what they sound like with the grilles, and I'm also reticent to move them back into the bedroom without them, it's tight quarters in there and I don't want any accidents!

Yesterday one of my PS Audio Duet power center's MOV unit gave out.  While I wait for another, I moved things around so that my Torii and CSP2 are both plugged directly into the larger of my isolation transformers and the source components are connected to the functioning Duet plugged into the other isolation transformer. A bit wilder and woolier sound as a result, which I'm not warming to. I got weak and ordered something I've wanted for a while, a PS Audio Power Plant Premier. . . . Music Direct had a B Stock for less than half the original list price and that should be here tomorrow. I'm looking forward to seeing what that will do for my setup. As a bonus, my bedroom system will improve with former power components from this system. . . .

My one beef so far with the ERR is that though the bass is tight and sweet. . . there just doesn't seem to be the impact and depth to it that I get from the HR1/IT Radials, and I miss that. . . .

Lon, I think you're a bad influence on me. I just ordered that same B stock PS Audio Power Plant Premier.

Over at Head-Fi, they have a standard greeting:
Quote:

All in, from preamps through speakers, including cables, I am coming in slightly hot on the budget. And only from a timing perspective. I had originally expected that, over time, I might have to spend way more to get the sound I wanted. Until I heard the Taboo.

I really hate the buy and sell merry-go-round. I love trying out gear, but the endless "quest state," that has an underlying tone of dissatisfaction, even unhappiness, detracts from the music. All hobbies suffer from this problem, but I think audio is even worse because the goal of reproduction of music is a quest for incorporeal perfection. Right now, it seems technology still has a horizon on its ability to recreate a live performance. So, we pursue this goal of the most perfect facsimile.

Living for 15 years in mid-fi land, and then returning to critical listening first through headphones, afforded me the luxury of deciding what facsimile to "settle for." ironically, despite all the technological change over the last couple of decades, the facsimile "types" haven't changed much. Although the value of simplicity seems to have had a renaissance, e.g., SET amps and full-range drivers, and the technological execution of everything is better than ever, the types of "reanimating life" are still recognizable. I expect the ERRs to remind me of my Ohm Walsh speakers. Just better, I hope. Do I expect them to sound like the $40,000 Orgasmatron? Meh, prolly not. But if they get me 90-95% of the way there, I will be a happy camper for a long time.

Looking forward to your impressions. Do you have any pics of your HR1/IT Radials?

Lon's pair is the one on the left....I hope this works

Slick and sweet. Very, very nice. Very nice work Bob. The speakers and axes make a nice collection there, Lon.

Donnie, I thought about you when I saw that red one. In the right room, that could be something stunning. Fit and finish on both look superb.

Okay, later today I think I'm going to put the IT Radials/HR-1s back in the system. I feel that the ERRs are broken in and showing themselves to be a fantastic room-filling speaker. Man, I've rarely had the quality sound I've enjoyed this week. Kudos to Bob and Steve, and don't hesitate to buy a pair.

The bass has filled in and it's quick and full and the detail on bass guitar and bass violin and bass drum skins and heads is just luscious. The treble had been pretty much right THERE from the start because they had been broken in by Bob.

I had a long wait for these speakers, and they're worth the wait. I'll soon find out what they do in the bedroom. I think they'll be even better suited for that room than the RL2s or the IT/HR-1s. We'll soon find out.

The other thing that has been a component in this thread and this review is. . . the PS Audio Power Plant Premier. Wow. What a product. I am sorry I didn't address my Power Plant issues before. Yes, I was getting great sound with the Tripplite isolation transformers and the PS Audio Duet power centers. But. . . the Premier has taken every thing clearly to the next level. I now really know what my system is capable of.

In my case it may be that my house power is particularly dirty. The Premier has readouts which show input voltage and input THD in the power. I show fluctuations throughout the day and week of between 118 and 125 volts coming in. I also show THD of these volts of between 4.1 and 6.0 THD. According to what I see others posting this is HIGH. So perhaps that is why there is such a profound transformation of my system. But there is, regardless. Everything is better. There is a quieter background which allows a clearer and more dynamic sound. I can't tell you how transformed some recordings are. There's bass drums in Prince recordings that have become more vivid and pronounced. The gap between "live" and "recorded" has been a bit narrowed. I am very very pleased with this product. It's even more profound than placing a CSP2 in front of one of the Decware amps, which I am here to tell you is a marked improvement every time I've done it.  I regret spending the money on the Premier. . . I regret that I hadn't done it before, instead of now. I think this is worth a try in any system. I'm as excited about this as I am about all my Decware components because it shows me yet again just how fabulous each and every one of them are.