The Listening Test and Evaluation
The E5Ci center channel speaker produced very good dialog and vocal presence and blended will with the rest of the system. Good examples of mid-range vocal reproduction was on Norah Jones distinctive rendition of Don't Know Why, the Dave Matthews/Blue Man Group's Sing Along, and Al Stewart's natural sounding vocal on The Immelman Turn.
Audio Performance - ES5i Satellite Bookshelf Speakers
The E5Bi bookshelf speakers, which were used as both left and right mains and surrounds, performed their job well. Although more compact than the center channel speaker, they held their own in projecting sound for both front and surround tasks, and balanced well with both the E5Ci center speaker and the ES10 subwoofer.
The E5Bi's did a great job with surround effects in several notable with movie scenes, such as the first battle scene from Master and Commander, the arrow assault scene in Hero, the echo game scene from House of the Flying Daggers, as well as the surround content from music sources, such as the SACD version of Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon and the DVD-Audio version of Queen's Bohemian Rhapsody (From A Night at the Opera).
Any between-channel sound dips, loss of detail, or the degree of sound fill-in between channels, was affected by what surround sound processing modes were activated and whether the Audyssey (Onkyo TX-SR705) or Trinnov (Sherwood R-972) speaker setup systems were employed. The E5Bi's did their job very well according to what source material and processing they had to work with.
EMP Tek ES10i Powered Subwoofer - Grill Off
Photo (c) Robert Silva - Licensed to About.com
Audio Performance - Powered Subwoofer
I found the ES10i subwoofer to be an excellent match for the rest of the speakers. With its 10-inch front facing driver and downfiring port, the subwoofer provided very good lower frequency response, as well good low frequency transition from the mid-range and high-frequency response of the E5Ci and E5Bi. The bass response was fairly tight and complemented both music and movie tracks appropriately, providing good bass effect, without being too boomy.
On the other hand, the low frequency response output of ES10i dropped off in the extreme low frequencies faster than the Klipsch Sub10, which was one of the subwoofers I used for comparison. This was noticed on the famous sliding bass riff on Heart's Magic Man, which is an example of extreme low frequency bass not typical in most music performances, which is a challenge for even "high-end" subwoofers.
On the other hand, the ES10i faired very well on many other recordings. My overall impression of the bass response of the ES10i, based on its design and power output, is that it did provide a satisfying subwoofer experience with both music and movie content.
PROS
The was a lot to like about the EMP Tek Impression Series 5.1 Channel Bookshelf Home Theater Speaker Package, including:
1. Overall system sound is very good with both movie and music content.
3. The E5Bi satellite bookshelf speakers provide good all-around performance in both main and surround configurations.
4. ES10i Subwoofer provides good, tight, deep bass response. just a slightly fast low frequency roll-off.
5. Very smooth transition between the Subwoofer and rest of system.
6. Speakers can be either bookshelf or stand mounted.
CONS
No product is perfect. A couple items to point out with the EMP Tek Impression Series 5.1 Channel Bookshelf Home Theater Speaker Package are:
1. Although the E5Ci center channel speaker provides good vocal presence and detail, it is a little subdued on some fine details, such as when vocal breathiness is an important element (Example: Norah Jones). Some Center Channel speakers capture this very well, and others don't. The ES5Ci does a good job, but the Klipsch C-2 Center Channel speaker used for comparison seemed to do slightly better.
2. The ES10i Subwoofer rolls off slightly fast at lowest frequencies, but more than holds it own with other subs in its price and size class.
3. When set in Auto/Standby mode, the ES10i didn't always activate quite as fast as my comparison subs with the same input level signal.
Final Take
As mentioned in my review introduction, balancing style, price, and sound quality can be a tough choice, when choosing a home theater speaker package. However, the EMP Tek Impression Series Bookshelf Home Theater Speaker Package satisfies on all three points well.
EMP Tek ES10i Powered Subwoofer - Rear View - Controls and Connections
Photo (c) Robert Silva - Licensed to About.comThe E5Bi satellite bookshelf speakers, which were used as both left and right mains and surrounds, projected sound into the room well.
In addition, I found the ES10i powered subwoofer to be a good match for the rest of the speakers. The one thing to keep in mind, from a design standpoint, is that even though the subwoofer has a stylish appearance, it is large in relation to subs provided with more compact systems.
To put everything into perspective, there is not much to complain about the EMP Tek Impression Series Bookshelf Home Theater Speaker Package. Are there better speaker systems? Yes, of course, if you want to spend a lot more money for just a small degree of improvement. However, EMP Tek has put together the right combination of style, performance, and price to make this package a good deal for those that may not be able to afford a high-end speaker system, but don't want to settle for inferior bargain priced big-box store offerings.
The EMP Tek Impression Series 5.1 Channel Bookshelf Home Theater Speaker Package is definitely worth consideration. I give this speaker package a solid 4 out of 5 Star Rating.
For additional perspective, check out my Short Review and supplementary Photo Gallery.
