EMM MTRX2 Monos Home Evaluation

[Audire]

Some last words in what I’m hearing,

EMM products are sleeping giant slayers. They are something very, very special - exceptional. They are well-designed functional pieces of art.

The EMMs drive the Magicos M3s (rated at 500w ea.) with absolutely no effort at all. They reveal everything. They have a smoothness and balance I haven’t heard (yet) in some other high-end amps. Similar to the Pass amps they have a tube-like dimensionality, but they are more detailed and pronounced.

The soundstage is three-dimensional, full and exceptional. A new level of stratospheric enjoyment. The separation of the instruments is quit evident; a halo of energy around each one in the performance. The sound image is densely packed with detail, that’s crisp, pure, clean, and involving. The system conveys the subtlest spatial cues. There’s layer upon layer upon layer of emotionally rich sound.

The sound is natural, real, and genuine. Authentic! A reach out and touch me experience. On female vocals you can hear the subtlest inflections of the notes and lyrics. Ah, the absolute beauty of a delicate but commanding human voice. You can hear the piano keys with a crispness and purity. The upper octaves are tremendous. Violins have never sounded so eloquent; velvety strings, a richness and warmth with phenomenal detail. You haven’t heard Joshua Bell, Nicola Benedetti, Sarah Chang, or Julia Fischer until you have heard them thru MTRX3s and Magico M3s. Stunning!

There’s no coloration. However, there’s beautiful high resolution. This isn’t a clinical sound, but an emotionally involving one. It’s wonderfully analytical - yes detailed, but so very musical. It’s immensely enjoyable. As Berlin sings, ‘Take My Breath Away.”

There’s a more refined grip on the bass that isn’t present with many other amps, including Pass. Don’t get me wrong, the Pass are very good (and their synergy with the Magicos excellent), but the EMMs are just unsurpassed so far to my ear. Magicos have plenty of bass! They aren’t not boomy, but blissful. With the proper amps ( and everything else, the whole chain matters) definite slam when the music requires it.

The midrange detail is absolutely stunning. Shelby Lynn’s “Just A Little Lovin’” is so engaging. WOW!!! On soft rock, the edge of the electric bass guitar is visceral. There are rich timbres thru-out. Drum attacks make me jump at times - surprisingly real and startlingly. Chris Botti on his trumpet playing “Ave Maria” is breathtaking. And Richard Elliot and Paul Taylor on Sax is just “burnin’.”

Overall the EMMs are more neutral and accurate than the Pass. As with EMM’s exceptional DAC, there are just layers and layers and layers of marvelous wondrous musical detail. Warmth, smoothness, and dynamics. There’s no noticeable noise or distortion. Everything is so clear! You get the feeling that there is limitless power reserves. There is a dynamic ease unlike any other amp I’ve heard. There is a definite leap in sound from the Pass to the EMM - a Grand Canyon leap.

These amps need to be heard to be fully appreciated.

Pros:

1. Musical
2. Emotionally Engaging
3. Pure Rich Authoritative Sound
4. Excellent Power (including reserve power)
5. Tube-Like “Perfection”
6. Venue-Like Performance
7. Unforgettable Highs
8. Excellent Mids
9. Exquisite Bass
10. Unbelievable resolution
11. Tremendous Soundstage
12. Beautiful Fit & Finish

Cons:

1. Heavy (180 lbs ea.)
2. Huge
3. Special Electrical Setup - manual says, “For maximum power each MTRX2 should be configured and installed on its own dedicated 230-240VAC circuit.”
4. While you can turn off the blue lights during listening, you can’t turn off the red lights (which means “off”). You can turn them off using the circuit breaker on the back of the amp, but that means they are no longer in stand-by mode. So they will take longer to get their Magic back.

These are some tremendously resolving amps. Their synergy in our system is the best we’ve heard to date. We still have some other amps to try. So we should know something in the next few months. Along with Pass, the EMMs are on our list.

 

[John T]

Joe how did the meeting go with the electrician? My head is ready to explode! I talked with Egui-tech, a lot to absorb. I was thinking the 5WQ? Its a big run from my existing panel to where the 5WQ would go. So then I came up with a brain storm idea, separate meter, to a separate subpanel, to the 5WQ, with a separate grounding system. So essentially completely separate incoming power only for the dedicated audio circuits. I didn't realize the Equi-Tech would be in the house. So it would have to be worked into the decor. The practical nature of this is very short runs to the 5WQ and no other electrical anything in the mix. Insanity!!!

 

[Audire]

Joe how did the meeting go with the electrician? My head is ready to explode! I talked with Egui-tech, a lot to absorb. I was thinking the 5WQ? Its a big run from my existing panel to where the 5WQ would go. So then I came up with a brain storm idea, separate meter, to a separate subpanel, to the 5WQ, with a separate grounding system. So essentially completely separate incoming power only for the dedicated audio circuits. I didn't realize the Equi-Tech would be in the house. So it would have to be worked into the decor. The practical nature of this is very short runs to the 5WQ and no other electrical anything in the mix. Insanity!!!

Hi,

They just left app 20 minutes ago. They haven't given me any pricing yet, however one of the electricians was an audiophile, so he understood what I desired. They are giving me a price on running 6 gauge wire to the panel. They will tie into the 10 gauge in the ceiling above the three present circuits. They said this wouldn’t be a problem …

Initially, they will put in 20 amp breakers and then if I get the EMMs, they will put in some 30A ones.

They’ve only put in three Equi-Techs here in town. They suggested at least a 10WQ, as if we build our new room, I’m having a total of 8 dedicated circuits put in for possible future expansion of the system. He said I may choose to go with a 15 as well … The cost to put one in our garage will be app 7k, not including the cost of the Equi-Tech. The EQs are extremely heavy and so require extra labor, etc. A bracing system has to be put into the wall along with concrete blocks being cemented in below it to hold the weight. At least this is the way they do it. They will give me a complete price on this is a few weeks... He said he’s returning for the install not to work but to listen.

 

[John T]

Thanks Joe, I don't know if 30amp breakers will provide a big advantage with the MTRX2's? Perhaps? I did run each one to a separate 20amp circuit when I played with them. The Equi-Tech is a bit overwhelming. I have the 6 dedicated circuits, don't really need anymore. If I go down this road I will install it as a separate power source. Keep me posted and I will share what ever I come up with. All The Best..

John

 

[Audire]

Thanks Joe, I don't know if 30amp breakers will provide a big advantage with the MTRX2's? Perhaps? I did run each one to a separate 20amp circuit when I played with them. The Equi-Tech is a bit overwhelming. I have the 6 dedicated circuits, don't really need anymore. If I go down this road I will install it as a separate power source. Keep me posted and I will share what ever I come up with. All The Best..

John

Six may be enough for me as well. But I’m desiring another TT. Add a TecDAS AF1P. Also if I build the new Room I will most likely be acquiring some Magico M6s and two Q- Subs.….

 

[John T]

I understand, looking ahead is prudent, and daunting...I also spoke with Lyncole Grounding Systems, that's another important aspect to this. Not so much the resistance number as to consistent number. Many environmental conditions and substrates have a direct influence with this. They do mostly grounding for medical equipment. Siemens and other huge medical equipment applications. Reach out to me if you get further into this. Grounding is seldomly done correctly and is often overlooked.


John

 

[jeromelang]

Any plans to check the directionality of each strand of the 3 conductors (live/neutral/ground) that your electrician is supplying before they lay the power supply cables?

 

[Audire]

Any plans to check the directionality of each strand of the 3 conductors (live/neutral/ground) that your electrician is supplying before they lay the power supply cables?

They checked the voltage on each dedicated circuit today. They will retest after their installation of the 6 gauge wire. As far as testing the “directionality” of the wiring being installed I’ve never heard of doing that.

 

[jeromelang]

When I was experimenting with grounding my old CD player many years ago, I noticed then that even that short 5cm thin wire i clipped to the iec grounding pin and to the rear chassis had a preferred directionality. One direction gave me much more quieter background and wider dimensionality, while the other direction collasped the soundstaging and bring everything coagulated into the middle, in front of the speakers.

It was the same with grounding the turntable with a separate and detached wire. Many people have trouble accepting this - that a piece of wire that doesn't carry the audio signal can have directionality - but Michael Fremer recently wrote about this in one of his reviews.

So when it came to making some ac distributor about 4 years ago, I experimented with directionality of each individual live, neutral and ground conductor cables feeding the distributor. As expected, every single conductor's directionality was very audible.

That following year, when I was tasked to renovate the showroom I was working with some people, I requested the contractor provide me with the exact same wires that they will be using to lay the electrical lines throughout the whole showroom. I was given some lengths of each individual live/neutral/ground cables. I substituted the 3 cables over my diy distributor (which has detachable middle portion on the power supply cables).

The distributor fed a wireless single speaker system which is one of the products that will sold in that new showroom. The sound source that I used was tidal streaming. Even with that calibre of playback system, I could still hear sonic changes each time one of the individual conductor cables was switched. There was also time laspe between each change of direction, as I had to shut down everything for safety. Even then the sonic changes were still discernible. Once the correct directionality were identified the contractor ran every stage of cable in the direction that I determined including all the short connections inside the wall panel switches.

So I do really recommend that you ask your contractor for some advance supply of the same cables that they are going to use in your room and you check and determine directionality before work starts.

 

[Audire]

When I was experimenting with grounding my old CD player many years ago, I noticed then that even that short 5cm thin wire i clipped to the iec grounding pin and to the rear chassis had a preferred directionality. One direction gave me much more quieter background and wider dimensionality, while the other direction collasped the soundstaging and bring everything coagulated into the middle, in front of the speakers.

It was the same with grounding the turntable with a separate and detached wire. Many people have trouble accepting this - that a piece of wire that doesn't carry the audio signal can have directionality - but Michael Fremer recently wrote about this in one of his reviews.

So when it came to making some ac distributor about 4 years ago, I experimented with directionality of each individual live, neutral and ground conductor cables feeding the distributor. As expected, every single conductor's directionality was very audible.

That following year, when I was tasked to renovate the showroom I was working with some people, I requested the contractor provide me with the exact same wires that they will be using to lay the electrical lines throughout the whole showroom. I was given some lengths of each individual live/neutral/ground cables. I substituted the 3 cables over my diy distributor (which has detachable middle portion on the power supply cables).

The distributor fed a wireless single speaker system which is one of the products that will sold in that new showroom. The sound source that I used was tidal streaming. Even with that calibre of playback system, I could still hear sonic changes each time one of the individual conductor cables was switched. There was also time laspe between each change of direction, as I had to shut down everything for safety. Even then the sonic changes were still discernible. Once the correct directionality were identified the contractor ran every stage of cable in the direction that I determined including all the short connections inside the wall panel switches.

So I do really recommend that you ask your contractor for some advance supply of the same cables that they are going to use in your room and you check and determine directionality before work starts.

Thanks for this information. First that I’ve heard of it. They won’t be able to do my work for app two or so weeks, so I’ll get them to bring the three rolls of wire over here next week sometime and then have a friend of mine test them. I sent him a link to your suggestion this morning. Thanks again.

 

[John T]

Joe, How is your amp journey going? I suspect you are missing MTRX2? Do diligence pays dividends. I see your an analog listener. I cut my teeth with Empire TT along with Phase Linear, and Revox A77 many moons ago! Just ordered Taiko Extreme, won't see it until early June. As they say all good things take time.....

 

[Audire]

Joe, How is your amp journey going? I suspect you are missing MTRX2? Do diligence pays dividends. I see your an analog listener. I cut my teeth with Empire TT along with Phase Linear, and Revox A77 many moons ago! Just ordered Taiko Extreme, won't see it until early June. As they say all good things take time.....

Congrats on the incoming Extreme. My wife and I may put one of those in my second system - if we do a second one. And we do love our vinyl. It’s our favorite format.

I definitely miss the MTRX2s. Since that test I went to a friend’s home and listened to his Constellations again. It’s hard to tell listening to a different system and trying to make a decision. But I think I still prefer the EMMs.

I’ve been checking into the electrical upgrades that will be needed with the MTRX2s. That’s going to be a pricey upgrade, but I’m sure well worth it in the end. Tony @ Ellington HiFi is also checking with EMM to see if we can get the amps without the red lights - demon eyes as my wife calls them.

 

[John T]

Demon eyes made me laugh out loud! Excited about Taiko coming, Emile is a pleasure to work with. Also with his customer support, it makes it all less daunting. My computer skills are not that great! Running wires can be a PITA. I live in a log home, so it is actually pretty easy. All though not especially fond of crawling around down there! From the panel, into the crawl space, and up through the pine floor. I have the Furutech Outlets, discretely placed and it works fine in this decor'. If I had a contemporary house, it would be a lot bigger of a project. I ran all my 6 dedicated circuits myself. When the house was built all the wires are run around door jams, over the roofing system, and channeled through the bottom log. So all fixtures, fans etc., had to be well thought out in advance. Very difficult gauging gear outside your space. Good luck with everything.

 

[Colekat]

Demon eyes made me laugh out loud! Excited about Taiko coming, Emile is a pleasure to work with. Also with his customer support, it makes it all less daunting. My computer skills are not that great! Running wires can be a PITA. I live in a log home, so it is actually pretty easy. All though not especially fond of crawling around down there! From the panel, into the crawl space, and up through the pine floor. I have the Furutech Outlets, discretely placed and it works fine in this decor'. If I had a contemporary house, it would be a lot bigger of a project. I ran all my 6 dedicated circuits myself. When the house was built all the wires are run around door jams, over the roofing system, and channeled through the bottom log. So all fixtures, fans etc., had to be well thought out in advance. Very difficult gauging gear outside your space. Good luck with everything.

 

[Colekat]

Hi John T … Im following this thread and just wanted to chime in kinda late … the upgrade for 240Volt/20 Amp circuits shouldnt be such a hassle . Most of us have dedicated circuits to our listening position , and Im assuming all of us with mono blocks have separate circuits feeding them with minimum 12 guage … so this only becomes an issue of freeing two circuit openings in the panel , STAY IN PHASE , replace the breakers with 20 double pole double throw , $40 at Lowes , attach the nuetral to the open pole and swith your recepticle to 20 amp/240volt , plug in the amps and enjoy , total cost $440.00 , mostly due to the cost of the high grade recepticles !

If you need to run new circuits , well thats a different story … AND , we would all benefit using 240 volt circuits to feed mono blocks … more current available !,

 

[Kris]

Hi John T … Im following this thread and just wanted to chime in kinda late … the upgrade for 240Volt/20 Amp circuits shouldnt be such a hassle . Most of us have dedicated circuits to our listening position , and Im assuming all of us with mono blocks have separate circuits feeding them with minimum 12 guage … so this only becomes an issue of freeing two circuit openings in the panel , STAY IN PHASE , replace the breakers with 20 double pole double throw , $40 at Lowes , attach the nuetral to the open pole and swith your recepticle to 20 amp/240volt , plug in the amps and enjoy , total cost $440.00 , mostly due to the cost of the high grade recepticles !

If you need to run new circuits , well thats a different story … AND , we would all benefit using 240 volt circuits to feed mono blocks … more current available !,

Hi Colekat
I was reviewing your system and was wondering what you think about the speakers you have .
Are you thinking to upgrate them or you are still fully happy with Altair II ?

How the Rockport is performing with MTRX ? Not to much of a good thing ?

 

[Kris]

Also what is a must to do when deciding to go for MTRX2 ?
It sounds that this monoblocks benefit a lot from a separate power lines.
Are there any other recommendations for improved performance ?

 

[Colekat]

Hey Kris … The MTRX 2 be ordered with 110 Voltage power supply … and with close to 1800 watts available at 120 volts , the amps could draw 15 amps … at most listening levels , thats plenty of power . These amps are capable of stable output down to 1 ohm … thats close to 4000 watts … so to maximize the output of these or any amps capable of stable operation at 1 ohm , 20 amps at 220 volts is necessary …

I have the MTRX 1s … and I have dedicated 30 amp / 220 volt circuits to each amp … again , its not really a big deal IF you have dedicated circuits to your amps already , you can very easily convert those circuits to 220volt/20 amp circuits . Available power assures we are able drive the amps at output power levels they are designed to sound best at . Although we listen to music mostly at low output power levels , the idea of big solid state amps is to drive speakers that suck up power to control drivers at higher listening levels … it can only materialize with available power input from our home panel . I had Salon 2s for years , they sounded like completely different speakers when I changed to the big EMM mono blocks … the bass went from good to stunning … sharp , defined , powerful … real … these amps will put life into any big speaker . The Altairs are power hungry too , although they sound better with lesser amps then my Salons , the EMMs give them life like bass … great foundation for all .

Also , I use Furetech Shucko Rhodium receptacles … the power cords are heavy and the shucko receptacles are excellent by design to hold the plug stable in the wall … its recessed 1/2 inch and the plug inserts into the receptacle holding it in place .

You and order the power cords with Shucko ends …

… hope all this helps

 

[Kris]

Hey Kris … The MTRX 2 be ordered with 110 Voltage power supply … and with close to 1800 watts available at 120 volts , the amps could draw 15 amps … at most listening levels , thats plenty of power . These amps are capable of stable output down to 1 ohm … thats close to 4000 watts … so to maximize the output of these or any amps capable of stable operation at 1 ohm , 20 amps at 220 volts is necessary …

I have the MTRX 1s … and I have dedicated 30 amp / 220 volt circuits to each amp … again , its not really a big deal IF you have dedicated circuits to your amps already , you can very easily convert those circuits to 220volt/20 amp circuits . Available power assures we are able drive the amps at output power levels they are designed to sound best at . Although we listen to music mostly at low output power levels , the idea of big solid state amps is to drive speakers that suck up power to control drivers at higher listening levels … it can only materialize with available power input from our home panel . I had Salon 2s for years , they sounded like completely different speakers when I changed to the big EMM mono blocks … the bass went from good to stunning … sharp , defined , powerful … real … these amps will put life into any big speaker . The Altairs are power hungry too , although they sound better with lesser amps then my Salons , the EMMs give them life like bass … great foundation for all .

Also , I use Furetech Shucko Rhodium receptacles … the power cords are heavy and the shucko receptacles are excellent by design to hold the plug stable in the wall … its recessed 1/2 inch and the plug inserts into the receptacle holding it in place .

You and order the power cords with Shucko ends …

… hope all this helps

Thank you.
This is extremely helpful.
I am in 240v area so already a good start.
Got 2 separate lines 5 mm2 ( 2,6mm D) that is 10G.
Thinking to add 2 more so every component runs on its own direct line.
Need serious DC blocker ( 20 A rating) as it is humming without it.
Currently running on 12 A DC blockers Per rail.
I also have all Rhodium Furutech Shucko plugs and receptacles.

 

[Site7000]

Colekat

Just curious. Does Furutech have 30A versions of that outlet? Their product page rates them at 16A.