Emotiva is a Web-based audio company that makes well-built, highly regarded electronics and speakers at friendly prices. They recently started a pro line. Their initial offering is a series of three powered monitors ranging from $399 to $799/pair. WIth the caveat that I haven't heard them yet, they look promising, and they have a 30-day evaluation/return period to take some of the anxiety out of an online purchase. They are, from left to right, the Airmotiv.4, 5, and 6, so designated by the diameter of their woofers. As you can see, the ribbon tweeters and cabinets grow in size with each model. As you can't see, so does the power of the internal amplifiers, from 50 to 100 to 210 watts per cabinet. Each driver gets its own amplifiers. For example, there are two 50w amplifiers inside each Airmotiv.5, which I consider the value leader at $599/pair.
The tweeter is a modern implementation of the Heil Air Motion Transformer of the 1970's. It's a membrane folded like an accordion. Instead of batting the air like a piston, it squeezes it, transforming a little motion into a larger soundwave. They're fast, clear, transparent, and can handle a lot of power. Similar tweeters are showing up in the new GoldenEar products and the Motion series from Martin Logan.
Each speaker has both an XLR and an RCA line level input, two knobs to contour the treble and bass, and a volume knob. With the right cable adapter you can run them directly from a computer or iPod headphone jack, from a mixing console, from a preamp, from a USB DAC. There are lots of configuration possibilities here. I can tell you that if I were putting together a budget home studio, a pair of these Airmotiv's would be on my short list of monitor candidates.
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JohnnyB
Emotiva is a Web-based audio company that makes well-built, highly regarded electronics and speakers at friendly prices. They recently started a pro line. Their initial offering is a series of three powered monitors ranging from $399 to $799/pair. WIth the caveat that I haven't heard them yet, they look promising, and they have a 30-day evaluation/return period to take some of the anxiety out of an online purchase. They are, from left to right, the Airmotiv.4, 5, and 6, so designated by the diameter of their woofers. As you can see, the ribbon tweeters and cabinets grow in size with each model. As you can't see, so does the power of the internal amplifiers, from 50 to 100 to 210 watts per cabinet. Each driver gets its own amplifiers. For example, there are two 50w amplifiers inside each Airmotiv.5, which I consider the value leader at $599/pair.
The tweeter is a modern implementation of the Heil Air Motion Transformer of the 1970's. It's a membrane folded like an accordion. Instead of batting the air like a piston, it squeezes it, transforming a little motion into a larger soundwave. They're fast, clear, transparent, and can handle a lot of power. Similar tweeters are showing up in the new GoldenEar products and the Motion series from Martin Logan.
Each speaker has both an XLR and an RCA line level input, two knobs to contour the treble and bass, and a volume knob. With the right cable adapter you can run them directly from a computer or iPod headphone jack, from a mixing console, from a preamp, from a USB DAC. There are lots of configuration possibilities here. I can tell you that if I were putting together a budget home studio, a pair of these Airmotiv's would be on my short list of monitor candidates.
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