[Steiny]

Quote:

Airmotiv 4s in a small bedroom (where I am currently using) provide as much bass as I want for music/games from the PC.  A larger room would probably need the 5 for the extra headroom and larger bass driver.I have mine about a foot from the rear wall, angled up and towards my ears.  HF/LF shelving EQ are both at -2.  Output is from mobo optical to a Fiio D3 -> monoprice beefy single RCA to each Airmotiv.  Just finished listening to Daft Punk and some classical stuff and I don't feel I am missing out on the bottom end.  I listened to some psytrance and didn't feel like much was missing but I am not a basshead so take my comments with a grain of salt. These definitely don't sound like the NHT superzero/one with no sub so I am pretty satisfied with the low frequency extension for their size.The Airmotivs are getting a small rest since I just got a used pair of Grado RS2s and have been trying the phones for a bit.
 
I hope Emotiva releases a sub option because I might want another pair for surround and a sub for movie watching.  I bet an NHT sub would pair nicely with these or something from HSU.  I have never tried the Emotiva subs before but their amps are pretty top notch and my experience with their speakers is great.  HSU is pretty hard to beat for subs and the STF1 is probably a good bargain at $299 to pair with the Airmotivs until Emotiva has an option closer to the price range of the 4s.
 
http://www.hsuresearch.com/products/stf-1.html

Awesome, thanks! That is right in the range that I wanted.

 

[vampirehunterd]

Quote:

Awesome, thanks! That is right in the range that I wanted.

The STF2 is on sale  for $319 and looks like a nice jump over the STF1.  Worth considering...I have heard great things about HSU and my Outlaw sub may actually be a rebranded HSU...it sure looks like the old VTF2-MK? from HSU.
 
http://www.hsuresearch.com/products/stf-2.html
 
I noticed after looking at their website again...I am still happy with the bass on these in a small room but a sub would be awesome.  I was lucky enough to find a used Zero DAC from a very nice head-fi member with the Audio-GD Earth (DAC)/LT1364 (Phones) so now I have that as the preamp and the line out with the Audio-GD Earth to the Airmotivs sounds great.  Non-fatiguing, great instrument separation...overall very smooth sounding to my ears.  I am playing with the op-amps in the phone section and think I might like the combo of the Audio-GD Earth paired with LM4562s in the head-amp section.  I returned the AudioEngine D1 (sounds great but the modded Zero DAC is a jump up) and I originally wanted a Zero anyway.
 
If you are using these on a desk and aren't a carpenter....I just got the AudioEngine DS2 stands and they work very nicely with the Airmotivs.  Sure they are $34 but my speakers are angled perfectly at my ears and very stable on the stands.
 
http://www.crutchfield.com/p_772DS2/Audioengine-DS2.html?search=audioengine_DS2&skipvs=T
 
Pic of the Airmotiv 4 on the Audioengine DS2 stand.  I meant to say these would pair nice with the Airmotiv 4...probably not the larger models.
 

 

[TehJam]

Quote:

Tehjam, 
 
I could spend $300, maybe more or less depending on what is out there. I'd prefer less but I dont know if that's an option.

 
That's not a ton, but it could work. How big is your room (cubic feet please)?
 
Edit:
 
Never mind, vampirehunter beat me to it. The HSU offerings are really good in that price range, the STF-2 would do fine.

 

[preproman]

Quote:

The STF2 is on sale  for $319 and looks like a nice jump over the STF1.  Worth considering...I have heard great things about HSU and my Outlaw sub may actually be a rebranded HSU...it sure looks like the old VTF2-MK? from HSU.
 
http://www.hsuresearch.com/products/stf-2.html
 
I noticed after looking at their website again...I am still happy with the bass on these in a small room but a sub would be awesome.  I was lucky enough to find a used Zero DAC from a very nice head-fi member with the Audio-GD Earth (DAC)/LT1364 (Phones) so now I have that as the preamp and the line out with the Audio-GD Earth to the Airmotivs sounds great.  Non-fatiguing, great instrument separation...overall very smooth sounding to my ears.  I am playing with the op-amps in the phone section and think I might like the combo of the Audio-GD Earth paired with LM4562s in the head-amp section.  I returned the AudioEngine D1 (sounds great but the modded Zero DAC is a jump up) and I originally wanted a Zero anyway.
 
If you are using these on a desk and aren't a carpenter....I just got the AudioEngine DS2 stands and they work very nicely with the Airmotivs.  Sure they are $34 but my speakers are angled perfectly at my ears and very stable on the stands.
 
http://www.crutchfield.com/p_772DS2/Audioengine-DS2.html?search=audioengine_DS2&skipvs=T
 

 
 
Which Airmotivs are these?  The 4s, 5s or 6s ?

 

[vampirehunterd]

Preproman - they are Airmotiv 4s...
 

 

[preproman]

Quote:

Preproman - they are Airmotiv 4s...
 

 
Cool - do you think they will fit all 3 models?

 

[vampirehunterd]

Quote:

 
Cool - do you think they will fit all 3 models?

The 5s are only an inch wider so I think they would be plenty stable on the DS2 and the 5s are about 3lb heavier per speaker compared to the 4...I don't think that would matter much.  The 6s are a lot heavier and wider so the DS2 might not work very well.
 
I know one guy used the DS1 on the Airmotiv 4 and that stand is sized for the Audioengine A2.  The DS2 is geared towards the Audioengine A5 which is at least in the size ballpark of the Airmotiv 4 so I took a gamble and ordered them.  It really is nothing more than a rubber angled speaker stand but the speakers are stable/sound fine/and it looks better than my haphazard wood chunks used for angling the speakers toward my ears.  I know some of the golden ears crowd will probably scoff at the construction and want to reinforce with $20 blutack instead of $3 poster putty or use something else to increase the perceived SQ by .0001%.  Kidding aside...for desktop use I like the stands and the Airmotivs quite a bit.
 
The Crutchfield link has pics with dimensions of DS2 so you could compare to Emotiva's published specs to see if they would work well with the 5.  I say yes but I don't have the 5 or 6.  But the 5s are awfully tempting at $449 - 10% shipped.  I will say the 25W per driver on the 4 seems to go a long way in a small room.

 

[Salingerr]

Hi. I'm a raving newb. This is my first time setting up speakers for myself.
I read the manual, researched online, have read and enjoyed this thread -- but I don't feel confident in my understanding of how to best hook my Sonos Connect to my brand new Airmotiva4s. 

 
I have a sonos bridge connected directly to my home router. My FLAC audio streams from my computer wirelessly to my sonos connect.
How do I best connect my sonos connect to my Airmotiva 4s? Can I plug the sonos directly into the pair or do I HAVE to have an av receiver?
 
Pleas help. and THANK YOU GUYS.  I'd really like to go straight into the speakers from the Sonos Connect. THANK YOU GUYS SO MUCH!
 

 

 

[allyl]

From the section labeled Analog Audio (out), connect the left (white) RCA out to your left speaker's RCA in (underneath Line Inputs), and the right (red) RCA out to your right speaker.

 

[Salingerr]

PERFECT, ALLYL!
 
Hooked right up and playing some classic Clash as I type; thank you so much for your timely help! I greatly greatly appreciate it (hug)! 
 
Man, these Airmotiv4 are the the finest desktop/bookshelf speakers I've ever had. I could not be more thrilled with them. Thanks again, ALLYL!  

 

[vampirehunterd]

Quote:

PERFECT, ALLYL!
 
Hooked right up and playing some classic Clash as I type; thank you so much for your timely help! I greatly greatly appreciate it (hug)! 
 
Man, these Airmotiv4 are the the finest desktop/bookshelf speakers I've ever had. I could not be more thrilled with them. Thanks again, ALLYL!  

Totally agree.  Too bad there are so few reviews online so some people are a little apprehensive of dropping money on Emotiva products.  I have been very happy with the quality/value and customer service associated with their products.  Excellent bang for your buck.

 

[allyl]

I'm enjoying mine quite a bit as well! The treble and midrange on these is quite to my taste, although the bass is a little unfocused (coming from HD800s as headphones), even with the shelving EQ. Also, these speakers seem to be quite angle dependent, at least vertically. Looks like I'll have to invest in some speaker stands for my desk.
 
@salingerr, glad I could help!

 

[Danconia]

Very new to active speakers and need a little help from head-fi.  Has anyone heard the Airmotiv4s, 5s, and 6s?  I loved the 4s so much I bought the 5s.   But, for some strange reason, the 4s I have seem to have a better bass response than the 5s I just received.  The 4s sound smaller but with cleaner, somehow deeper sounding bass.  I am trying to listen more to the 5s to see if they loosen up and change.   I'm using an Airport Express and I interchange DACs.  Tried with Audioengine D1 which made them anemic but will be receiving an XDA-1 this week.
 
Since I still absolutely love the Airmotiv4s, I am now contemplating going for the Airmotiv6s in hopes they will be what I expected the 5s to be.   My main question (specs aside) for anyone who has heard the 4s, 5s and 6s is whether the jump from the 5s to the 6s will be bigger than from the 4s to 5s. 
 
 
Thoughts? 

 

[buson160man]

Quote:

Very new to active speakers and need a little help from head-fi.  Has anyone heard the Airmotiv4s, 5s, and 6s?  I loved the 4s so much I bought the 5s.   But, for some strange reason, the 4s I have seem to have a better bass response than the 5s I just received.  The 4s sound smaller but with cleaner, somehow deeper sounding bass.  I am trying to listen more to the 5s to see if they loosen up and change.   I'm using an Airport Express and I interchange DACs.  Tried with Audioengine D1 which made them anemic but will be receiving an XDA-1 this week.
 
Since I still absolutely love the Airmotiv4s, I am now contemplating going for the Airmotiv6s in hopes they will be what I expected the 5s to be.   My main question (specs aside) for anyone who has heard the 4s, 5s and 6s is whether the jump from the 5s to the 6s will be bigger than from the 4s to 5s. 
 
 
Thoughts? 

 I imagine the jump should be a lot bigger given the speakers size which I might add looks to be way to large for most desktop systems.Looking at the specs the amplifier power on board is over double the power on the 5.I read a blog about the bass on the 4 as opposed to the 5.The blog mentioned that the bass on the 4 was not as flat as the bass on the 5.The blog mentioned that the bass was bumped up on the 4 to compensate and or enhance the perceived bass on that speaker.That might be why you hear more perceived  bass from the 4.From what I read the bass on the 5 was more flat in its response and in effect more accurate sounding than the 4s as well as more neutral in its reponse.Which may account for your perception of less bass from the 5.But the 5 does per the specs extend the bass a bit lower than the 4 which sounds reasonable given the speakers larger size and larger woofer. The amplifier power is also twice that of the 4s which probably extends a tighter grip on the low end with less blought.I imagine the 5 has larger sound and can play louder and more cleanly at higher volumes after all it is a larger speaker though that has proved to false in the past in some cases.As far as the 6 is concened that speaker looks to be more of a stand mount speaker than a desk top speaker. The 6 has again  twice the amp power and actually over twice the amp power of the 5 and a six inch woofer.I imagine this speaker will sound somewhat larger given its larger dimensions and will work better in larger spaces.
 But it may not image at tightly given its larger size which happens when speakers get larger.Case in point speakers like the proac tablette which can image wonderfully and seemingly disappear due to their samll size.
  You seem to like bass so the six should be your go to speaker model in that it extends down to 46 hz plus or minus 1.7db which is pretty flat and accurate bass.The listed bass response on a lot of speakers is plus or minus 3db so the 6s bass should be very accurate with no sense of bloat.

 

[Skoobs]

seriously considering the airmotive 6 but i already feel that my alesis mk2 passives are pretty directional. 
 
is the 30 degrees off-axis measured above and below, or side to side? 30 degrees is probably pretty far off from a sitting position though.
 
anyone have directionality problems just from shifting in your chair?