Zman, is there a way you can get your friend to order some duct board and ship them to us? Just post several up on AG with your reasonable price and I'm pretty sure there will be folks who buy these from you.

johncdnt April 08, 2010 23:40

Thanks Tom,and yes, the lights are battery operated. LED light are vary efficient so the three AAA bateries will last a very long time. zman

zmanastronomy April 04, 2010 20:36

Its very apparent that you have spent a great deal of time thought and energy in the latest presentation of your room and system. Nicely done! The Emotiva looks very cool I too will have to check this out. No loading tray? The lights under the shelves are they battery operated? Nice touch as well. Tom

theaudiotweak April 04, 2010 17:46

Now I need to hear an Emotiva, price seems too good to be true but sometimes really good things happen in high end audio.

albertporter April 03, 2010 18:29

Hello Albert, thank you for asking.
I posted a review between the Oppo BDP-83 and the Emotiva ERC-1 and it wasn't posted. I guess here is as good a place to post the review as any.
Let me set a base line on what my intentions were. I had the Oppo in my music room since Sept. of 09 and wanted to replace it, so I could put it in the HT room. So the search was on. I stumbled on the Emotiva through my research and read alot of user reviews that seemed to good to be true.
Most reviewers that showed there setup had it in a livingroom with a lot of livingroom stuff between the speakers (TV,TVstands and coffee tables, ect,ect.) I never seen any room treatments at all. So I took the reviews with a grain of salt.
30 day refund policy? What have I got to loose ?
Ordered it on Mon. and it arrived on Wed., WOW.
First impressions where very impessive build quality. 17lbs worth of CDP. It's simply stunning!
Looks don't mean much to me if the sound quality isn't there.
I pulled out the Oppo and put the ERC on the shelf. Stacked the Oppo on top to do some A-B testing.
First thing I noticed was the bass was very strong. Tight, Fast, clean bass. The next thing was how extended the highs where. The mids where recessed quite abit. Lacking would be a better word for it. But I know through experience there's alot of caps and op/amps that need time to break in, so I let it play. Two hours later I went to check on the progress. It was horrible, No depth to the stage, etchy and confusing. I couldn't stand to listen to it. I shut the amp off and let the player keep playing.
9 hours later I went in and it was the biggest transformation I had ever heard.
The stage was deep and wide with a lot of air. The music had much more texture and weight than the Oppo.
The Oppo in comparison was thin and sibulant.
I was just hoping to find a player that was as good as the Oppo, the ERC was much better. It sounds more substantial than the Oppo.
I was very attached to the Oppo, and I was not going to replace it if the new player couldn't compete.
The ERC out performed the Oppo in every way.
I was very reserved about the ERC touting the words "Reference" in it's title, but it is truely a reference qulity player. It's been playing ever since and has bloomed into a beautiful sounding player. It's staying.
Don't be put off by it's price. The thing IS a Reference quality player.
I hope my thoughts were on a professional level, and helped someone make a decision if looking for a new player that will put solidity in there listening experience. Did I mention it's drop dead gorgeous?

zman

zmanastronomy April 03, 2010 17:24

Zman, I've read great things about the Emotiva ERC-1. Didn’t you do a shoot out with the Oppo?

albertporter April 03, 2010 05:22

System edited: I've auditioned the Emotiva ERC-1 and it found a home.

zmanastronomy April 01, 2010 22:14

The bamboo cutting boards where $70. And the rest rounds it up to about $100 for the pair.

zmanastronomy March 30, 2010 12:07

Thanks for letting me know about the speaker stands. How much did it cost you to make the speaker stands? I am not as good with tools as you are. I think you are ready to start your own audio accessories firm :-))

milpai March 30, 2010 01:16

Yes I did make them myself. And thank you for the kind words.
I realized my tweeters were to low so I started looking around Lowes for nice looking stuff that I could use. The top and bottom of the stands are bamboo cutting boards and the sides are 4in x 3/4 in maple planks. I put the bottom and sides together and filled it with quick crete.
I then put the top on. I went to ebay and bought some spikes to go on the bottom and it works great. The tweeter is just above my ear and the mid-driver is just below. You will need to figure out how much lift you need before buying the materials. Thanks zman

zmanastronomy March 29, 2010 17:06

Very nicely setup room. I like the clean looks. Your info on room treatment is precious. It needs a separate thread on audiogon. I am interested on the stands beneath the loudspeakers. I have been researching on getting some stand/plinth beneath my speakers which are 32". Did you make them yourself? Info please.

milpai March 29, 2010 03:44

That's a product known in the air conditioning business as Duct Board. This kind has an anti mold treatment on it that is already a satin black. It comes in 4x10ft sheets and you cut it to size. One sheet cost me $30.

That is REALLY cool info, this should be posted for everyone to see.

I have so many originals and don't have a turntable.

Maybe that will change in the future, it's as much a shame that you have that wonderful music you can't spin as it is for me to have a table without the original pressing.

albertporter March 19, 2010 05:04

Thanks Timrhu, That's a product known in the air conditioning buisness as Duct Board. This kind has an anti mold treatment on it that is already a satin black. It comes in 4x10ft sheets and you cut it to size. One sheet cost me $30. It took 5 sheets to completely do the room, and do 6in bass traps in each corner. Hope this helps. zman
ps It's 1 1/2in thick.

zmanastronomy March 19, 2010 02:54

Hello Zman,

Well that is one beautiful room there! Got me curious about the room treatments. What exactly are they?

timrhu March 19, 2010 00:43

Bigshutterbug, come on down.
Always looking forward to offering a sacrifice on the Audio Altar. I offered Dianna Krall as a sacrificial treet to the Audio Gods just a few minutes ago. See you tomorrow. zman

zmanastronomy March 16, 2010 03:23

Hi again John! The "ultimate budget system" is really looking fantastic since my last long journey over to your place to hear it. The new rack and lighting really set things off in the room. I am looking forward to hearing it again since the addition of the battery power supply for your amp, and the cryoed "Porter Port" AC wall socket for your cd player. All these affordable and effective tweaks add up, and make you enjoy your music collection even more.... That's what its all about!

bigshutterbug March 16, 2010 01:46

Albert, your taste far exceeds my expectations. I have so many originals and don't have a turntable. I cherish the artwork that they add to my music room. I feel honored that you took the time to corespond with me. You're kind of a legend on AG. The port was a beautiful upgrade, very audible. I looked at your beautiful music room and mine pales to compare. It's really all about the music though isn't it. Nice chatting with you and I hope our path cross again real soon. zman

zmanastronomy March 15, 2010 22:24

OK John, I'm officially jealous now after hearing about the rare vinyl.

Our musical enjoyment is only as fun as the software on hand and you have some great originals. All but one of my Hank Williams is a reissue and only reissue of Little Richard.

I did score a open reel studio copy of Little Richard. The quality suggests it was for a reissue album or 45. I wish it were better quality but it's material I would not otherwise have.

albertporter March 15, 2010 20:55

System edited: Made some changes here lately and this is an update with new photos and info. Please enjoy and comment with input. Thanks. zman

zmanastronomy March 15, 2010 15:31

Hellow Albert, yes, thats an original. My Mother bought that back in the fiftys. Those albums on the wall between the treatments are all 78's. I also have Little Richards very first album, Here's Little Richard. My Mother past away and I use her old albums as art. By the way, I picked up one of your Ports the other day. Should be in today. Looking forward to using it. Thank you for commenting on my system. Have a great day. John

zmanastronomy March 15, 2010 11:49

Beautiful room and system. Congratulations on a job well done.

Do I see a copy of "The Legend of Hank Williams" on the left side of your photo? :^).

albertporter March 15, 2010 05:01

That's an excellent looking room. Really like what you've done with the space. Bet it sounds nice, too.

afc March 15, 2010 02:17

Jtsnead, Thanks for intrest. I bought my batteries at bateries asap. $16 each. Two 12v 8amp pr hr and I bought the charger on ebay. Razor 24v 1.6 amp charger ($15 shipped).
I have a friend thats an AC and Heating guy and I bought the room treatments through him. The stuffs called Ductboard. It's already black on one side and I painted the edges after I cut them to size. The stuff comes in a 4ftX10ft sheet but it's real easy to cut. I just hung them. They look nice and it kept the cost and labor down.

zmanastronomy March 14, 2010 18:54

Hi,
saw your post on AC, came here to look at your equipment, posted a question at AC about what batterries you are using, I just got a Virtue one.2 w/ 30v/130w supply and am very impressed w/ the sound, was wondering about the improvements w/ battery. Also checked the corning panels out online, did you buy them at Home Depot or somewhere like that, did you just hang them up or frame them also?
Thanks,
JT

jtsnead March 14, 2010 17:26

By the way Bhodge, The rack I'm using was only $89 and split the shipping from right here on AG. Here's the item number; 1272388030
If you have tube amps I wouldn't buy it, But if you have solid state it's ok. They look real nice and they are solid but, the mdf is not rock steady. I guess you get what you pay for. Thats why I'm in the budget minded virtual systems. zman

zmanastronomy March 14, 2010 15:19