EMPtek E56Ci Center and E55Wi Surround Speaker Preview

[admin]

We've had great experiences with the EMPtek line of speakers, as have many of our forum members. This is a line for those that aren't willing to sacrifice looks OR performance but have a limited budget. While the new E55Wi Surround speaker fills the much needed void of a dedicated on-wall surround in the line, the E56Ci introduces a new, more powerful center channel to keep up with the larger E55Ti towers. The new EMPtek offerings look just as good as the previous ones and we suspect they'll be greeted enthusiastically. And before you ask, yes, we are going to get these in for a full-fledged review.

Discuss "EMPtek E56Ci Center and E55Wi Surround Speaker Preview" here. Read the article.

 

[farrow099]

Heads up, the crossover point listed in the article has a typo... It says 60hz rather than 600hz. (for the center channel)

 

[miggs29]

EMP really makes my life difficult. I have always wanted to upgrade my center channel. However, i could not justify the purchase since my whole set up was new. Now EPK came out with a new center channel that I really want. So, I was really making the case to buy it even though it is only a want and not a need. Then it all came to a dead stop........


The problem....... The speaker is about 1/4 inch to tall to fit in my cabinet. What to do???? New rack? HMMMMMMM

 

[bananfish]

For a setup with EMP Tek's on-wall EW-35 as L/R, is the E56Ci timbre-matched?

 

[bananfish]

I emailed my question re: timbre-matching to EMP Tek, and here's the response I got:

"Unfortunately no, the E56Ci isn't exactly voice-matched to the EW series on-walls. Although the same designer designed the frequency curves for both models, and the trio should work very well together."

 

[Flyinace2000]

New EMP Surrounds received tonight. Will set up when i get them home. They sure do look good though!

 

[raynist]

I have these surrounds and center. Just received them this weekend as I ordered the whole package (e55ti, center, surrounds, 1010i sub) as part of their black friday sale.

They all sound terrific coming from Paradigm Mini Monitors (v3) and cc370 center with v2 Atoms for surrounds. I don't have the surrounds mounted to the wall, they are currently on stands. Not sure if that is ideal.

--Ray

 

[darien87]

Heads up, the crossover point listed in the article has a typo... It says 60hz rather than 600hz. (for the center channel)

Not a typo. The old center went down to 60hz, the new one goes down to 40hz.

 

[eddie]

Not a typo. The old center went down to 60hz, the new one goes down to 40hz.

No, he was talking about the crossover point, not the frequency extension.

 

[gene]

No, he was talking about the crossover point, not the frequency extension.

The article states it as frequency extension not crossover point.

 

[wrunow]

Upgrading to the e56ci from the e5ci is probably the biggest upgrade I have made in my home theater in a long time. At the Black Friday price I am more than pleased.

 

[Warmonger]

I'd love to post a pic of my setup, but not yet allowed. I ordered the 7.1 home theater package 3 with an extra sub. I upgraded the center speaker to the new E56Ci and upgraded both pairs of bookshelves to the E55Wi surrounds. All I can say is wow! The E56Ci center holds its own in perfect balance and is not subdued by the towers (perfect match). The E55Wi surrounds are awesome. Seating is no longer critical to hearing them perform, and perform they do. Optimum listening position in the room is much wider now. But lets get back to the center speaker. The addition of two 6 1/2 inch woofers combined with those of the two towers, gives you a punch that you can feel. I am surprised at how little my two ES10i subs contribute to the overall sound and feel of the bass. However, added together, the bass impact they generate during certain movie scenes is without a doubt, movie theater at home, and they look as good as they sound. I had an $11k budget; but when my wife saw how good they looked, we went shopping that weekend and dropped another $8k for my mancave. Now that was unexpected. I've got a great A/V system and the man-cave to match. Oh, I almost forgot, the crew at emptek are the best. They worked with me as I made more than one change to my order. A great bunch of people.

 

[slammin86]

Anyone have a picture of the back of this speaker? I am debating these or the standard bookshelves.

Do people normally mount this style on the wall behind them or beside them?