Emerald Physics CS-3 speakers Superb Review out-Save $500

See the superb new review in on the Stereotimes.com webpage. They sum up with:
"In sum, I’d say I’ve heard some speakers do some things better than the CS3, but I’ve never heard a speaker do so many things so very well—and for so relatively paltry a sum. That last part’s pretty much unprecedented.

Here we have a high-efficiency dipole with balls to the wall micro and macro dynamics, spooky imaging, fuss free positioning/subwoofer integration and a flat in-room frequency response in YOUR room, which works and plays well with all manner of amplifiers.

What’s that kinda integration worth to you? How ‘bout $2,995.00 for the speakers and crossover ala carte, or $4,995.00 all in for the soup-to-nuts seestem? Done deal."

In the RMAF 2011 show report the editor of Stereotimes said the following about our $5000.00 full system featuring the CS3:

"Perhaps the best deal at the entire show came out of the Emerald Physics room. These DSP controlled loudspeakers (model CS3), are now sold with the whole kit and caboodle with (matching amplifiers and electronic crossover), for only $5k! I've always admired this open-baffle dipole design and can't imagine how the company sells these enormously musical transducers for so little. They remind me of my old Maggies on steroids. Here's a company that remembers the little guys who enjoy music too! Bravo."
See the review at the bottom of the page here:
http://www.stereotimes.com/RMAF2011d.shtml

The Absolute Sound named the CS3 system the Best affordable value system at the same show.

We just received Most Wanted Component for 2011 by Stereotimes.

Sale, For a limited time we are offering our black CS3 open baffle speakers at $500.00 off, for $2495.00 + freight. Plus get the $450.00 Cherry wood option for only $199.00.

OR

Get a new pair of wood CS3's ($3450.00 value) with a $1000.00 REL T7 subwoofer for only $3450.00. This was what we just showed at the Rocky Mountain show. The Absolute Sound said this about that system in their show report:

"The team at Emerald Physics also turned to REL for low frequency support, pairing their 2-way, coaxial driver, open-baffle, controlled dispersion CS3 floorstanders (normally $3000 and up, depending on finish) with a REL T7 subwoofer all at a bundled price of about $3500. The CS3 also comes with a custom-programmed, Behringer-sourced digital EQ/electronic crossover box that simplifies driver and subwoofer integration tasks. The resulting sound is focused, three-dimensional, and explosively dynamic, with the REL contributing potent (but never overblown) deep bass."

This speaker package is superb. I am currently listening to it in my personal system and they are exceptional. This is a superb speaker starting at only $2495.00.

My latest customer email (CS3 + REL sub) said:
"A sound like I have never heard after 20 years of listening at this level. Clean, natural top end, amazing sound stage and image, bone crushing low end that one feels rather than hears, yet pleasing and harmonious at the same time.
Great value for money allowing me to say that nothing comes close to my set up at this early stage for less than three times the money!"
DJ from Japan

We ship worldwide into all countries other than Singapore and India.

You asked for an Emerald Physics speaker for smaller rooms? And one that runs off of one amp? And one that looks great? Well, The Revolution continues.

The first review was in Affordable Audio and they summed up with:
"Overall though, I absolutely love these speakers. They image better than anything I have heard (including floorstander's that retail for $40K), they are relatively easy to drive (95 dB), flexible about placement, and they make most any other speaker sound "lifeless" in comparison."

"I can only conclude this review with a classic audiophile
compliment/criticism that you see in so many classified ads for used Hi-Fi. You know the line...."I liked component X
so much, that I immediately upgraded it to model Y from the same company". I feel the same way about these speakers.
I am so impressed with the CS3, that I now have my sights set on their top-of-the-line CS2.3's."

Read the entire review at:
http://www.affordableaudio.org/aa2010-02.pdf
Download the February 2010 issue and go to page 3

I am very happy to introduce the new Emerald Physics CS3 digitally controlled open baffle point source loudspeaker. The CS-3 continues the revolution in high performance open baffle loudspeakers started by the original CS-2.

The CS-3 is a completely optimized, digitally equalized, open baffle 12 inch two way design with a point source 12 inch coaxial driver (woofer/midrange & separate tweeter) that runs from 48Hz-22Khz. It generates a realistic sonic picture, while operating mostly independent of the room's acoustics.

The CS-3 was designed for listeners in rooms under 2400 cubic feet (without subwoofer) who want a smaller solution than our CS-2.3. With a subwoofer they will fill very large rooms and play super loud.

The CS3 can be run with a single amp versus the need to biamplify the larger and more powerful CS-2.3. It can be placed as close as 2 feet from the rear wall so it can work in very small rooms. The CS-3 is like a mini monitor on steroids without a sub. With a subwoofer it is a superb full range speaker. There is no need to use a monitor any longer when you can now get real open baffle full range performance. By adding a powered subwoofer your system will be actively bi-amplified. This extends the bass performance and the ability of the speaker to fill large rooms.

Reviews and user comments on the CS-2 were superb. Now the bar is raised with improved sonics as well as much upgraded cosmetics. In smaller rooms, even without a sub, the CS-3 will outperform the older CS-2 with its better midrange coherency and superb imaging. Add a sub and it is better than the CS2 in all rooms. The basic CS-3 is like a mini monitor with high efficiency (95Db) and bass extension to 48Hz.

The average audiophile can now listen to a small, full range, open baffle speaker system with performance that they never thought possible at even close to this price.

Design elements are as follows:

1) Eliminating the Room:
Emerald Physics has developed a method to control a speakers dispersion pattern in order to minimize room interactions and thereby eliminate most of the rooms sonic signature. Our unique BDC (Broadband Directivity Control) technology is a turning point in the history of loudspeaker design. Until now, speaker/room interaction has been one of the major problems in home audio systems. Conventional speakers have wide dispersion and an omni-directional pattern in the bass range, sending large amounts of sound energy toward the room boundaries, which are reflected back into the listening space with a time delay. These are known as early reflections, which color the sound of the original signal. The omnidirectional bass pattern also excites room resonances in all three axis which tends to cause the boomy, ill-defined bass commonly experienced in many systems. The solution is to create a speaker with a more narrow dispersion pattern as well as a more consistent dispersion angle across the frequency spectrum. Listening to mainly the loudspeakers direct field eliminates most of your rooms sound, creating a consistent and natural playback performance even in difficult rooms.

2) Eliminating the Box:
Emerald Physics uses a boxless design approach called open-baffle dipole in order to achieve several important improvements over conventional loudspeakers:

Eliminates box sound preserves the pitch and harmonic beauty of instruments.
Eliminates deep bass limits Flat response to 48Hz with 2.75 inch thick baffle.
Eliminates impedance swings Maintains same impedance curve as raw drivers.
Eliminates large expense of box enclosure typically the most expensive component in the speaker.

3) Eliminates the Peaks & Valleys in Frequency Response:
Most loudspeaker systems are rated at plus or minus 3dB. This equates to a 6 dB range at any give area in the frequency response as measured in an anechoic chamber. Once placed in a listening room, it is not uncommon to see 20dB variations. The CS3 exhibits an extremely accurate response of plus or minus ½ dB from 100 Hz to 20,000 Hz. This amazing high level of accuracy is achieved through the use of the included signal processor, which provides equalization via our custom software. Multiple preset files allow configurations to be chosen for specific room placement locations for optimum performance in most any room from 2-4 feet from the rear wall and 1-3 feet or more from the side wall. The design allows the speakers to be very close to side walls with no sonic degradation.

4) Eliminating Dynamic Compression:
In a perfect world, a speaker would be able to play as loud as required with totally accurate tracking of the musical information as it gets louder. Unfortunately, in the quest for low frequency performance, many speaker designs sacrifice dynamics and efficiency for low bass response. This lack of efficiency creates a sound field that does not always reproduce each bit of musical information correctly. It is one of the reasons that many speaker systems sound out of balance when they play loud or the speaker is required to reproduce a large musical peak. By using several techniques including very efficient professional speaker components, a 12" woofer, coaxial midrange/compression tweeters and active digital equalization efficiency is maximized. This not only makes the CS-3 speaker system 95Db efficient, it also allows the speakers to sound great with inexpensive amps and associated electronics.

5) Eliminating the Need for Expensive Electronics & Cables:
The CS3 is a very accurate reproducer of sound. Many speakers, due to their designs, require the need for very expensive electronics to achieve satisfactory performance. Conventional designs have problems with the impedance of the drivers due to mechanical and electrical resonances and the passive crossovers used. As mentioned earlier, passive crossovers are power-robbing components. The CS3 maximizes power transfer. The high frequencies are not harsh or strident and therefore, the need for a softer sounding tube amplifier is not required for the tweeters. The need for expensive cables that filter out high frequency information is also not required. The need for 200 pound amplifiers with huge power transformers is not necessary since the CS3 is very efficient and does not require the large amounts of power that expensive amplifiers offer into low impedance's. In fact, you may find that you will spend hundreds of dollars per channel rather than thousands of dollars per channel to drive the CS3.

The power of the above synergy is evident in the final product. A great looking, nearly full range speaker system, that is a superb answer for smaller rooms for audiophiles who thought they would need a small monitor up until now.

The finished product is a 2.75 inch deep, 41 inch high speaker, that is 16.5 inches wide (see photos). It is flat, in room, from 48Hz-22Khz +.5/-3 db. From 100Hz to 20Khz it is flat plus or minus 1/2 of a Db! And it is 95Db efficient. With the sub option you get full big speaker low bass as well as all the benefits of true active biamplification.

It portrays an open, out of the box sound that you have to hear to believe. Once you listen to open baffle, "boxless", bass, you may never want to listen to a box speaker again. The coincident point source bass/midrange/tweeter is a major upgrade over the CS-2. The CS3 is a single amplified design with asymmetrical crossover at 900Hz from woofer/midrange to tweeter.

In addition, the new cosmetics are a major upgrade from the original CS-2.

Prices
CS-3's are $2995.00 a pair in Black.
The optional wood finish is $450.00 a pair and available in Cherry for only $199.00 for a limited time (shown).
These are only sold Internet Direct and come with a 30 day in home trial at the regular price of $2995.00.

We also have other subwoofer deals that we can discuss over the phone at 770-667-5633.

We also offer full system discounts if you need amps and associated components as well.

For a limited get a FREE $1000 REL T7 with the purchase of a new pair of wood CS3's at only $3450.00. Call to discuss.

This special is without the 30 day in home trial that is still available at the regular price of the speakers without the Free sub.

Call me at 770-667-5633 to discuss these wonderful loudspeakers. Visa and MasterCard accepted.

We will ship worldwide into countries without a local distributor.

Please note that the CS-3's do not come with rear grills. The photo is a rendering and the grills are not available for the rear of the speaker.

As a point of Reference here are some review quotes from the older CS-2. From 60Hz up, in a room under 2400 cubic feet, the CS-3 is clearly a better speaker. And with a subwoofer it is just better overall in all rooms.

I think of how little the Emerald Physics CS2s cost for what they do. This is the world of DSP as it should be. By comparison, the little boxes that people are sometimes paying the Emerald Physics price for or even many times that price seem like toys, unable to offer the power and scale, the dynamics, the top to bottom transparency and the sheer quantity of musical information that the Emerald Physics speakers produce, always with a feeling of complete ease and without demanding much amplifier power. After this, I would find it really hard to go back to little boxes, no matter how good the little box might be nominally. So will you, I think, if you have a vivid memory of concert sound. No speaker is perfect, and perhaps with price-no-object drivers and so on, designer Clayton Shaw could produce even more remarkable sound, albeit at a higher price. But the Emerald Physics CS2 comes remarkably close to putting at your ears the literal sound of the recordings you play on it, via the all-important minimized interaction with your listening room. Good by any standard, at its cost it is quite amazing. A wonderful achievement in speaker design.

The speakers do very well on intimate music. But it is in large-scaled music or in smaller-scaled music played in large spaces that they really distinguish themselves from almost all others.

The results are startling. My wife Paige, who is not an audiophile but has listened to a lot of speakers (how could she avoid it?), commented upon her first listen: Oh, so that is what this stereo imaging stuff is about.And indeed the stereo imaging behavior of the Emerald Physics is surprisingly precise with the blurring arising from room sound largely removed, this is strictly X marks the spot precision.

This is the real soundstage, not some artifact generated by reflections off the walls of your listening room. The speakers sound as if they were in no room at all, nearly, and the original acoustics are nearly all you hear. The large radiating area in the lower frequencies and the dynamically unfettered upper-frequency driver made the whole sound effortless.

The above quotes are from the December 2008 The Absolute Sound review written by Robert E Green (REG)

It's extremely difficult to divide up a budget of $6500 (or less way less) between a single pair of speakers and even a stereo amplifier and find another package that'll combine to outstrip this system under review in most of the criteria that I find important; full extension at the frequency extremes, transparency and immediacy, and dynamic articulation. In fact, I can't think of anything that comes close. So yes, if full-frequency extension, transparency, real-world dynamics and, most of all, truth are what you are looking for in a speaker system, then yeah, you owe it to yourself to hear these giant killers.
All you need to know is that the CS2 sounds great, it plays loudly, it's more dynamic than any speaker I know of around its class and it's got the full frequency extension to keep you happy for years and years.

In the end it may be easier to address the type of listener for whom the CS2 may not be the Holly Grail. This listener will probably be looking for aesthetic beauty, likely in a small artfully finished box. He won't care much about full frequency extension and he's not impressed by powerfully extended bass, no matter how well executed he knows that such considerations are for those lacking in real class and taste. He thinks he's above all that. He's also looking for something with a laid-back presentation because he's not impressed by the realistic dynamics found in live music. He may also be looking for a sweetening through the upper midrange and treble that certainly isn't here. I won't argue with him here because this is one of those areas where I don't find that there's an absolute reference in live music two different seats in the audience will usually provide two very different realities here. But I will warn him that sometimes laid-back speakers can lack the spark and the excitement that the CS2s routinely convey. They're often not as engaging. In short, this guy's looking for a speaker that tailors music to meet his idea of sonic reality; he's not all that interested in hearing exactly what's recorded on his discs.

The above quotes are from the Positive Feedback review by john Potis.
Read the entire review at:
http://www.positive-feedback.com/Issue38/emerald_physics_2.htm

Brands carried:
Acoustic Zen, Audio Space tube electronics, Bob Carver tube amps, Creek, Denon, Emerald Physics, Epos, Furutech ADL, Gallo, Gini Systems, Graham Slee, Jolida, LSA amps and speakers, Marantz Reference, Modwright amps & preamps, Mordaunt Short loudspeakers, Music Hall, Okki Nokki record cleaners, Peachtree Audio, Project, PS Audio, PurePower AVPS power regenerators, Quad, Raysonic, Rolls Bellari, SONOS, Silverline Audio, Spatial Computer, Spread Spectrum Technologies Ampzilla, VMPS Loudspeakers, WADIA, Wireworld, Wyred 4 Sound, Wywires

Sales policies on our website at www.underwoodhifi.com