Emotiva Audio Surround Bookshelf Home Speaker Set of 2 Black (B1)

i decided , after 10 days of listening , to post a review of the little known b1 speaker by Emotiva....first off.. this is a very good budget speaker , if you like a neutral/ analytic type sound( if you like wharfedale or budget elac's this sound might be too bright for you)....i currently also own the kef q100 , which is a very similar speaker, but not quite as talented ,imo, as the b1....the b1 provides a VERY detailed and clear sound with it's AMT tweeter and (reportedly) kevlar mid cone... the mids , to me , are the star of the show, they are very natural sounding and almost hyper detailed without being bright...the AMT tweeter while a very nicely detailed tweeter can get a little aggressive if put in a "bright " sounding room (that would be a room with a lot of glass or hard surfaces & little in the way of soft surfaces like couches or stuffed chairs)... i think the b1 does equally well with music or home theater, they handle power pretty easily, but don't have much mid bass , so for music a small subwoofer is a good idea...compared to the kef q100 the b1s are a cleaner , more accurate sound , although not by much.. the q100s are another great budget speaker value..the q100s sound a little metal-ish by comparison especially in the mids, i can't emphasize enough HOW good the b1 mids are... i also own 2 Emotiva basx subs they are also a great value option...my recommendation would be , "if you want an accurate talented set of bookshelf speakers for music / ht front channels or surround speakers try the b1s" you will ,imo, find they compete well with any similarly priced speakers ....i wrote this review , partially , because of the lack of reviews about this fine speaker ... i hope this helps someone save time & effort with speaker shopping... UPDATE: feb 15 2019.. ordered another pair for my 2nd system.. after several months with this speaker a couple things have changed (speakers or my ears), they have mellowed, there is ZERO harshness.. they have a bit of a midrange boost that is hardly audible , but if you listen , can be heard.. there is a treble boost above 10k hz that is not audible..these speakers , in layman's terms ,are very listenable , with a full sound for a small bookshelf speaker.. very nice for most music (especially with a decent sub in 2.1).. good for home theater , even as fronts..imo these are a very safe bet as budget speakers... if you are on the fence as far as what $300 type bookshelf speakers you want , these are nice all around speakers and are a safe pick...

This is currently a "first impressions" review, but I will update in the near future. I'm not a super experienced audiophile, but I lurk a few online communities, have owned a few sets of vintage and contemporary speakers and am an intent listener. I bought these Emotiva speakers as an upgrade to my previous Fluance SX6 bookshelfs. I'd seen the SX6 recommended around various forums as a good low budget speaker, but I soon grew aware of what a complete mess that speaker is. It took days of tweaking EQ to tame their shrill highs and weak lows. I was then left with a muddy bottom end that I couldn't seem to blend with my subwoofer to save my life. So I began searching for a step up and settled on these Emotiva B1 bookshelfs after reading the few reviews I could find and knowing I liked the properties a folded ribbon tweeter provides. I haven't yet truly broken these in, and I suspect they will sound even better in a week or two, but DANG these are what I've been looking for. The high end on the B1s is a treat. Airy and effortless, and it provides that seemingly infinite headroom that really makes instruments come to life. The low end is the unsung hero here. Punchy and tight and low enough to not necessarily require a sub. I still use my sub, but I can now crossover comfortably at 60hz instead of the 90hz I was at with the garbage Fluances. The best part is how well the B1s avoid sounding congested! I can actually here the bass guitar, kick drum, floor toms, etc as individual and complete sounds in space, no longer forced to subconsciously piece together what I'm hearing from context (e.g. hearing the attack of a stick on a floor tom head but not being able to make out the resonance of the same drum clearly enough for the two sounds to become one) Side notes: these came triple boxed (!). Inside the third Russian doll of a box, the speakers are protected with styrofoam and are each sealed in a soft cloth bag. Very well protected. I'll update this review once I've had more time with them. UPDATE: After owning the B1s for a few months, my 5-star rating stands. They are fantastic speakers with a flat yet pleasing sound signature and an understated yet classy aesthetic. I had planned on buying the C1 center to match, but the B1s have performed so adequately in stereo that I haven't felt the need to add the center yet. 2 Year UPDATE: Still love them to death. Best money I've ever spent on electronics.

Bought these as an upgrade to my pair of Fluance SX6 bookshelf speakers that I've had for a while now. Despite the amount of hate the SX6 gets from the audiophile community I actually enjoyed the sound signature of them but always felt like there was a little missing from them. So, I upped my budget from $200 to $300 and spent a few weeks searching for a replacement and ended up settling on these Emotivas. The experience so far has been (mostly) a complete joy; they were packed very well and sounded astonishing right out of the box. They sound much more "full" than the SX6 and have way more bass despite their smaller size. There were times I actually had to get up to check that my subwoofer wasn't on, but there were also times when they just couldn't get the extension low enough for certain tracks which I was expecting with these considering their size and specs. The high end is also a complete dream, very accurate and has great presence without being even slightly fatiguing; all while having very impressive imaging. Furthermore the mid range is exceptionally balanced which is something a lot of the more pedestrian speakers don't emphasize in their design. So, why the three stars then? This is the sad part of the experience. After a day of listening, one of them developed (or perhaps always had and I just didn't notice) a strange noise that came from the bottom of the woofer. I can't tell for the life of me what it is, I thought it was something rattling inside the cabinet but it's a sort of airier "chuffing" like noise that really becomes apparent at high volumes with bass heavy tracks. After disassembling everything, tightening all the screws, playing the driver outside the cabinet, and looking over the crossover I still haven't determined where the noise is coming from but never heard anything strange while running the driver in open air. I'm assuming it's air leaking around the screw holes but I can't be certain and I've emailed Emotiva about this issue. Depending on how this is handled I'll gladly be bumping up the review to 5 stars since I was genuinely blown away by the sound of the speakers, but it was more than a bit disappointing to run into an issue like this so early on. Update - Got the old pair replaced and haven't had an issue since, still wondering exactly what was wrong with the last pair though.

These were purchased with the matching C1 center for home theater use and they have worked out great! I replaced a pair of Elac B6 speakers and they are working our much better for me than the Elacs did. I thought the Elacs were great with music but they definitely fell flat with home theater use for me. These are a great replacement, less bass than the Elac but a lot more topend clarity and more topend in general actually. For HT use they are perfect, though I'd not use them without a sub personally but I used a sub with the Elacs too so that's not saying much. These are easier to drive than the Elacs for me, and the sound signature for HT with the center is exactly what I was going for. If I was 100% music I might have kept the B6 speakers and been happy, but I'm 90% HT and these Emotivas are a much better option in that realm in my opinion. Side note - These are much smaller than I expected, very compact really compared to the B6. Not quite half the size but it has to close to that! The looks of these being slightly angular and such ends up looking fine on this smaller size speaker for me anyway.

I ordered these for surround in a 5.2 system in my man cave. Before I placed them on the wall I hooked these up to my secondary stereo with a tube headphone preamp and an A-100 Emotiva amp and They knocked my socks off. Wonderful sound that punches well above their price point. Two of these plus a sub would be all you ever need for stereo listening. Was almost a shame to use them for surround. Good bass for their size.

The sound fantastic within the expected sound level. Very tight and clear bass with excellent highs. They do get a bit congested in the midrange at higher levels which are, frankly, not very high, so if you are looking for high volumes these are not a good choice but if you keep them to a reasonable level they sound fantastic.

Stunning. I was blown away by the ribbon tweeter. These are my rear surround, but they would also make a nice 2 channel with sub. For $300 how can you complain? I have put 150 hours on these to break them in and now JAMMING with them (Emotiva XPA-5 driving them.) I sit here with a smile on my face listening to them. Shipped with plenty of padding to protect speakers and they are covers with felt. Love the product. Love the company. Love all my Emotiva gear.

These speakers are living up to my expectations. Don't let the naysayers fool you though, these are very capable in the bass department. In fact, I was startled at how much these things thumped. Reading the reviews I did not expect this pleasant surprise. Very full sounding. And this is coming from a bass-head. You won't be disappointed.