2007 State of the CE Union Emotiva Interview

Emotiva surprised everyone by debuting a complete loudspeaker system for an incredible price. They have proven their ability to do a tremendous amount of research into electronics and loudspeaker design to begin with - a new line of speakers was a logical progression. The new LCR speakers ($299 ea.) are built such that the dispersion and polar response are designed identically in either vertical or horizontal positions. This means that the front and center channel speakers are identical and have the same tonality which blends perfectly across the soundstage.

The main speakers feature a 3/4-inch double layer front baffle with billet aluminum plate overtop. The surrounds ($349/pair) are configurable to be either dipole or bipole and the phase can be altered so that the left and right speakers are interchangeable.

A new pair of 12-inch sealed enclosure subwoofers (AND included amplifier) combo is available for $999. Yes, that includes two 12-inch subs and an amp. As Gene interviews Lonnie Vaughn of Emotiva, we find that these subs have no mechanical noise due to exceptional bracing and the same double wall front baffle. The idea with these is that they will blend seamlessly into the room and not be localizable by the listener.

Unless otherwise indicated, this is a preview article for the featured product. A formal review may or may not follow in the future.