Emotiva Airmotiv C1 center channel Initial impressions

[kaptan]

Hello friends,

After a long wait went ahead and upgraded my center channel to Emotiva Airmotiv C1.

I have been actually searching for a best center channel for my system since I felt it to be the most important part of the movie experience after the subwoofer or equally important.

Below are some of the speakers that had in my wishlist,
1. Polk CSI A6
2. Wharfedale 220C / 240C
3. SVS Prime center
4. JBL 225C
5. Dali Vocal

Iam pretty happy with the audition of CSI A6 and it was my top contender for the future center in my system. Though iam equally happy with the performance of Dali and wharfedale. Even though having JBL in my list I was not that much keen to have an audition.

So why not pull the trigger and buy the Polk or SVS. Price was the big concern for me to buy one of them. Polk and SVS cost around 30k and 34k respectively. Even after the discount they are huge for me to spend. So waited to save the budget to get one of them specially my heart towards SVS as it's a 3 way speaker. As the days gone the price got increased like 31k and 38k respectively. Got disappointed and decided to hold the upgrade.

2 weeks ago while going one of the av forums found that Emotiva has launched passive speakers 5 channel system which was derived from their powered studio monitors. On further searching found that they are sold by htstore Bangalore. Contacted them and found out they are in stock.

I was really interested to listen as iam equally happy with the specs with ribbon tweeters, 3" mid range & dual 5.25" woofer( 3 way design) which can be compared with the SVS prime center. As iam in Chennai it was hard for me to go and audition them in Bangalore.

So I decided to pull the trigger just based on the specs and 3 way design and most importantly it comes under my budget. Made the order with htstore. Received the package in just like 2 days:yahoo::yahoo:. The price is 24k mrp and got it for 21k after discount along with shipping.

Really happy with the packing. The speaker weighs around 8-10 kg the build quality is top notch and the design is premium. The speaker even can be biamped.

Connected the center to my denon x3000. Set the speaker level with the same level I had previously as -5db and played some of my fav tracks from movies like skyfall, oblivion, oculus, kungfu panda, Town, Interstellar, Batman begins and split. The dialogues sounded amazing with some airy highs. This center brings the whole frame to live in every scene from the movie. I have watched the movie split 2 weeks ago and after playing with my new center wow :licklips:just amazing, found how much details I have missed from a center. Every bit of breath, tongue smacking, foot steps with more preciseness and a lot. Just immersive as a movie should be. The most important thing is the center avoids the use of subtitles where we find it hard to really hear what the characters in the movie speaks.

If anybody looking for a center channel that is bold, aggressive and throw just on your face with some precise depth in voice clarity then this could be one of them. Emotiva has priced the speakers very well which is a pure value for money. With such rich and precise sound this one is highly recommended.

 

[buxx]

Congrats for the new buy ! I realized it a bit late in my HT journey that the CC is the one that is used for dialogue delivery.

It seems that you have a different brand front LR speakers; while it is usually recommended that the LCR be from the same brand so that they have a similar "sound signature".

Do you or other FMs think that this is a valid belief?

I have a Mission 5 speakers setup and am also contemplating upgrading a CC from US.

Thanks In advance !

 

[kaptan]

Congrats for the new buy ! I realized it a bit late in my HT journey that the CC is the one that is used for dialogue delivery.

It seems that you have a different brand front LR speakers; while it is usually recommended that the LCR be from the same brand so that they have a similar "sound signature".

Do you or other FMs think that this is a valid belief?

I have a Mission 5 speakers setup and am also contemplating upgrading a CC from US.

Thanks In advance !

Having LCR timbre matching us considered as an important thing in producing seem less soundstage. In my case i have a mordant short fronts which I earlier searched for the same center but it was hard for me to find. So decided to go for a different brand of center. May be in future I might upgrade to the T1 fronts. But for now iam really happy with how they match with each other and don't feel like changing anything for now.

Center channel not only deliver the dialogues alone but also major sounds from the frame like foot steps, ice cracking, whatever activities the characters in the movie does is reproduced via them.

If you have mission speakers then you might go with the mission mx c2 center. Currently offered at a great price in hifimart.

 

[elangoas]

Congrats for the new buy ! I realized it a bit late in my HT journey that the CC is the one that is used for dialogue delivery.

It seems that you have a different brand front LR speakers; while it is usually recommended that the LCR be from the same brand so that they have a similar "sound signature".

Do you or other FMs think that this is a valid belief?

I have a Mission 5 speakers setup and am also contemplating upgrading a CC from US.

Thanks In advance !

It is better to have Center channel from the same series as your mains..

But, a 3 - way center speaker like the above picture would be a better choice even-though it is not same as your mains as it has benefits over regular center channel speaker..

Pros & Cons of Various Center Channel Designs | Audioholics

 

[drkrack]

I have a Tannoy revolution Front and huge Heco Center, no issues whatsoever...
They gel well.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[saketb]

First of all congratulations on your new center channel speaker.

The Emotiva surely looks very promising and will do a very good justice to any home theatre setup. Your choice is absolutely good. I've the CSiA6 (top contender in your wishlist) and I really respect the speakers as it makes my experience of watching movies or tv shows, great. I bet, you too would have a similar experience.

 

[kaptan]

First of all congratulations on your new center channel speaker.

The Emotiva surely looks very promising and will do a very good justice to any home theatre setup. Your choice is absolutely good. I've the CSiA6 (top contender in your wishlist) and I really respect the speakers as it makes my experience of watching movies or tv shows, great. I bet, you too would have a similar experience.

Thank you Saketb. During the past 2 years , I demoed the CSI A6 twice during my hunt. I forgot to mention some of the speaker that had demoed during those 2 years for my center.

Monitor Audio Bronze center (Brighter for my taste & Pricier)
Sonodyne Sonus 2501 ( Does not have the wow factor that I was expecting)
Heco Victa ( Can be compared with CSI A4 both are similar in my point of view)

CSI A6 was a stand out from the crowd. There is a big difference between its younger brother CSI A4. But what to do the speaker which I haven't had the demo at all got its place in my HT:lol:.

 

[amit]

Hearty congrats on your latest purchase. The speaker indeed looks really great and read it sounds great too.

The emotive speaker system is making quite a buzz in international reviews and magazines.

BTW, they have appointed Acoustic Arts (Delhi Based AV company) as their main distributor for India. HT store might be sourcing from them only.

Recently, I was looking for a stereo amp and when contacted them, Acoustic arts directed me to Oceanic Sound in Pune. Finally, I got my BasX-300 stereo amp from oceanic sound in Pune:yahoo:

Compared pricing at various points of sale including direct purchase, through amazon US and shipping / customs hassle with new laws etc. This transaction was beneficial of all as they offered 10% discount too, landing price 35K for a quality amp. Yet to unpack and hook up!

Cheers!

 

[RajithKumar]

Hello friends,

After a long wait went ahead and upgraded my center channel to Emotiva Airmotiv C1.

I have been actually searching for a best center channel for my system since I felt it to be the most important part of the movie experience after the subwoofer or equally important.

Below are some of the speakers that had in my wishlist,
1. Polk CSI A6
2. Wharfedale 220C / 240C
3. SVS Prime center
4. JBL 225C
5. Dali Vocal

Iam pretty happy with the audition of CSI A6 and it was my top contender for the future center in my system. Though iam equally happy with the performance of Dali and wharfedale. Even though having JBL in my list I was not that much keen to have an audition.

So why not pull the trigger and buy the Polk or SVS. Price was the big concern for me to buy one of them. Polk and SVS cost around 30k and 34k respectively. Even after the discount they are huge for me to spend. So waited to save the budget to get one of them specially my heart towards SVS as it's a 3 way speaker. As the days gone the price got increased like 31k and 38k respectively. Got disappointed and decided to hold the upgrade.

2 weeks ago while going one of the av forums found that Emotiva has launched passive speakers 5 channel system which was derived from their powered studio monitors. On further searching found that they are sold by htstore Bangalore. Contacted them and found out they are in stock.

I was really interested to listen as iam equally happy with the specs with ribbon tweeters, 3" mid range & dual 5.25" woofer( 3 way design) which can be compared with the SVS prime center. As iam in Chennai it was hard for me to go and audition them in Bangalore.

So I decided to pull the trigger just based on the specs and 3 way design and most importantly it comes under my budget. Made the order with htstore. Received the package in just like 2 days:yahoo::yahoo:. The price is 24k mrp and got it for 21k after discount along with shipping.

Really happy with the packing. The speaker weighs around 8-10 kg the build quality is top notch and the design is premium. The speaker even can be biamped.

Connected the center to my denon x3000. Set the speaker level with the same level I had previously as -5db and played some of my fav tracks from movies like skyfall, oblivion, oculus, kungfu panda, Town, Interstellar, Batman begins and split. The dialogues sounded amazing with some airy highs. This center brings the whole frame to live in every scene from the movie. I have watched the movie split 2 weeks ago and after playing with my new center wow :licklips:just amazing, found how much details I have missed from a center. Every bit of breath, tongue smacking, foot steps with more preciseness and a lot. Just immersive as a movie should be. The most important thing is the center avoids the use of subtitles where we find it hard to really hear what the characters in the movie speaks.

If anybody looking for a center channel that is bold, aggressive and throw just on your face with some precise depth in voice clarity then this could be one of them. Emotiva has priced the speakers very well which is a pure value for money. With such rich and precise sound this one is highly recommended.

Wow that was good review for the people who were looking for center channel. Soon I'll come your home for audition, I m judging that Ribbon tweeters will be good for highs. Being a better spec model than its competitors for the price range, sure our FM who are willing to upgrade for center channel, can have serious look to this model too for audition.

Sent from my ONEPLUS A3003 using Tapatalk

 

[kaptan]

Wow that was good review for the people who were looking for center channel. Soon I'll come your home for audition, I m judging that Ribbon tweeters will be good for highs. Being a better spec model than its competitors for the price range, sure our FM who are willing to upgrade for center channel, can have serious look to this model too for audition.

Sent from my ONEPLUS A3003 using Tapatalk

You are most welcome Rajith. Was really happy that I chose this center for my setup. Will look forward to add the same series Emotiva T1 as mains if everything goes well in the future. For now will stick to my Mordaunt short fronts. Havent done the audyssey yet after adding the center, but did some little tweaks manually. Dont want to change the settings as I am happy with what the current settings reproduce. You can give me suggestions on improving the sound in settings when you come and listen to it.

 

[elangoas]

Will look forward to add the same series Emotiva T1 as mains if everything goes well in the future. For now will stick to my Mordaunt short fronts.

I think better keep the MS fronts and target upgrading AVR.. May be 5.2.4/7.2.4 capable AVR and expand your system, which would be more satisfying than a front upgrade's..

Also you may think of getting your ceiling ready to accommodate 3 pairs of speakers..

 

[kaptan]

I think better keep the MS fronts and target upgrading AVR.. May be 5.2.4/7.2.4 capable AVR and expand your system, which would be more satisfying than a front upgrade's..

Also you may think of getting your ceiling ready to accommodate 3 pairs of speakers..

Yeah, I am not going to replace my warm Morduant shorts for now. They sound really great no doubts. Ceiling is possible in my setup and can try something similar to Rajiths setup for ceiling. My current AVR is serving me very well for the past 1.5 yrs without any issues . So will be sticking to it for now unless and untill it gives problems. Also I am not that keen on the latest Atmos and the DTS x surround formats. I do agree there is quiet an improvement in the surround experience. But I feel like the existing 7.2 is good for me. For the additional height channels I have to spend a lot again on the AVR thats the problem.

If I have to upgrade the avr then I have to look for a 11 channel processing AVR with a atleast a 5 channel power amp to power the main speakers and avr to take care of the rest, so I can go with a 7. 2. 4 config.

May be I can try below few things in future,
1. Upgrade my Projector to a better one
2. Doing few room acoustics like carpeting the whole room, treating the walls

 

[RajithKumar]

Yeah, I am not going to replace my warm Morduant shorts for now. They sound really great no doubts. Ceiling is possible in my setup and can try something similar to Rajiths setup for ceiling. My current AVR is serving me very well for the past 1.5 yrs without any issues . So will be sticking to it for now unless and untill it gives problems. Also I am not that keen on the latest Atmos and the DTS x surround formats. I do agree there is quiet an improvement in the surround experience. But I feel like the existing 7.2 is good for me. For the additional height channels I have to spend a lot again on the AVR thats the problem.

If I have to upgrade the avr then I have to look for a 11 channel processing AVR with a atleast a 5 channel power amp to power the main speakers and avr to take care of the rest, so I can go with a 7. 2. 4 config.

May be I can try below few things in future,
1. Upgrade my Projector to a better one
2. Doing few room acoustics like carpeting the whole room, treating the walls

Yeah the last two options are good. Coz the sound was powerful and good with ur system. It will be also good option to have pre amp with latest decoders & Power amp setup in future if budget available.

Sent from my ONEPLUS A3003 using Tapatalk

 

[MaSh]

Congratulations, that sounds like a good option. Any idea how good or bad the matching with Kef iQ5 fronts would be? Finding it really difficult to get a Kef center in my budget. :sad:

MaSh

 

[kaptan]

Congratulations, that sounds like a good option. Any idea how good or bad the matching with Kef iQ5 fronts would be? Finding it really difficult to get a Kef center in my budget. :sad:

MaSh

Not sure how it would match with the kefs and I am really happy with the mismatched fronts. As far as the build quality the speaker is top notch. Most of the speakers are built with MDF in this price range. But Airmotiv series are built with HDF ( High density Fibrewood ) which makes a solid wood cabinet that can give a better sound tone with some rich sound. Also the most important things about the speaker is they are 3 way along with the ribbon tweeters.

I just literally felt the center channel when I changed from my previous one. I really loved my old center but comparatively this center produces some rich sound that we can expect from a more costlier speaker.

HTstore is having them for demo. you could have a demo over there since you are from bangalore.

I would highly recommend this speaker.

 

[MaSh]

Not sure how it would match with the kefs and I am really happy with the mismatched fronts.

HTstore is having them for demo. you could have a demo over there since you are from bangalore.

I would highly recommend this speaker.

Thank You. Never a believer of matching fronts, the real matching in my opinion would be having 3 same identical speakers for front left, right and center. Maybe one day, I'll try that, so far never had matching front and center and never really got bothered. This time with the Kefs, thought of trying, but after seeing the prices that Kef center comes for, having second thoughts.

Will go hear the C1s, avail some benefit of being in Bangalore:licklips:.

MaSh

 

[elangoas]

Ceiling is possible in my setup and can try something similar to Rajiths setup for ceiling.

Ok..I was referring to in-ceiling speakers.. What Rajith uses is a on-wall speaker mounted on the ceiling..

My current AVR is serving me very well for the past 1.5 yrs without any issues . So will be sticking to it for now unless and untill it gives problems. Also I am not that keen on the latest Atmos and the DTS x surround formats. I do agree there is quiet an improvement in the surround experience. But I feel like the existing 7.2 is good for me. For the additional height channels I have to spend a lot again on the AVR thats the problem.

If I have to upgrade the avr then I have to look for a 11 channel processing AVR with a atleast a 5 channel power amp to power the main speakers and avr to take care of the rest, so I can go with a 7. 2. 4 config.

Got it.. But Denon X 4300/ Marantz SR 6011 can do 9.2 channels with 11.2 pre-outs..

Don't think you will need a 5 channel power amp to power your speakers until & unless it is a very large room & least efficient speaker..

May be I can try below few things in future,
1. Upgrade my Projector to a better one
2. Doing few room acoustics like carpeting the whole room, treating the walls

I thought u would benefit from a up-to-date AVR.. Anwyays cost involved is huge hyeah:

 

[kaptan]

Thank You. Never a believer of matching fronts, the real matching in my opinion would be having 3 same identical speakers for front left, right and center. Maybe one day, I'll try that, so far never had matching front and center and never really got bothered. This time with the Kefs, thought of trying, but after seeing the prices that Kef center comes for, having second thoughts.

Will go hear the C1s, avail some benefit of being in Bangalore:licklips:.

MaSh

Cool. Do post your thoughts after listening to it. Hope u will be happy with its sound

 

[kaptan]

Ok..I was referring to in-ceiling speakers.. What Rajith uses is a on-wall speaker mounted on the ceiling..



Got it.. But Denon X 4300/ Marantz SR 6011 can do 9.2 channels with 11.2 pre-outs..

Don't think you will need a 5 channel power amp to power your speakers until & unless it is a very large room & least efficient speaker..



I thought u would benefit from a up-to-date AVR.. Anwyays cost involved is huge hyeah:

In ceiling would kind of hard for me since I have already done some ceilings lights. Don't want to drill it and mess the electrical wiring. So would prefer mounting. looks like the object based sound format becoming basic config.

You are right elango, denon 4300 would do the job without any issues and don't need additional amplification. But I would have spend a huge amount for just the height channels. Also there is not much of difference in power out when compared to 3000 and 4000 series. Still I have a lot of headroom with my existing avr which handles all my 7 speakers without any issues. I do agree there will be some refinement in the sound but it wont bother me much. If it does then it will lead to the dangerous upgrade bug. So I have to control myself:licklips:.

 

[Sugsoms]

Hello friends,

After a long wait went ahead and upgraded my center channel to Emotiva Airmotiv C1.

I have been actually searching for a best center channel for my system since I felt it to be the most important part of the movie experience after the subwoofer or equally important.

Below are some of the speakers that had in my wishlist,
1. Polk CSI A6
2. Wharfedale 220C / 240C
3. SVS Prime center
4. JBL 225C
5. Dali Vocal

Iam pretty happy with the audition of CSI A6 and it was my top contender for the future center in my system. Though iam equally happy with the performance of Dali and wharfedale. Even though having JBL in my list I was not that much keen to have an audition.

So why not pull the trigger and buy the Polk or SVS. Price was the big concern for me to buy one of them. Polk and SVS cost around 30k and 34k respectively. Even after the discount they are huge for me to spend. So waited to save the budget to get one of them specially my heart towards SVS as it's a 3 way speaker. As the days gone the price got increased like 31k and 38k respectively. Got disappointed and decided to hold the upgrade.

2 weeks ago while going one of the av forums found that Emotiva has launched passive speakers 5 channel system which was derived from their powered studio monitors. On further searching found that they are sold by htstore Bangalore. Contacted them and found out they are in stock.

I was really interested to listen as iam equally happy with the specs with ribbon tweeters, 3" mid range & dual 5.25" woofer( 3 way design) which can be compared with the SVS prime center. As iam in Chennai it was hard for me to go and audition them in Bangalore.

So I decided to pull the trigger just based on the specs and 3 way design and most importantly it comes under my budget. Made the order with htstore. Received the package in just like 2 days:yahoo::yahoo:. The price is 24k mrp and got it for 21k after discount along with shipping.

Really happy with the packing. The speaker weighs around 8-10 kg the build quality is top notch and the design is premium. The speaker even can be biamped.

Connected the center to my denon x3000. Set the speaker level with the same level I had previously as -5db and played some of my fav tracks from movies like skyfall, oblivion, oculus, kungfu panda, Town, Interstellar, Batman begins and split. The dialogues sounded amazing with some airy highs. This center brings the whole frame to live in every scene from the movie. I have watched the movie split 2 weeks ago and after playing with my new center wow :licklips:just amazing, found how much details I have missed from a center. Every bit of breath, tongue smacking, foot steps with more preciseness and a lot. Just immersive as a movie should be. The most important thing is the center avoids the use of subtitles where we find it hard to really hear what the characters in the movie speaks.

If anybody looking for a center channel that is bold, aggressive and throw just on your face with some precise depth in voice clarity then this could be one of them. Emotiva has priced the speakers very well which is a pure value for money. With such rich and precise sound this one is highly recommended.

Hi i recently joined the forum. I had been using Elac cc 51.2 as the centre and looking to upgrade to emotiva. I live in annanagar. Would it be possible to audition - somu