The Best Kept Secret In Home Theater
There’s never been a better time to remove your money from the bank, convert it to gold and bury it in your back garden.
I’d like to suggest a second option…
Emotiva is currently selling a pair of T-Zero speakers for the amazing price of $399.00.
Forget paying the mortgage or feeding the children, this is where your money needs to go.
How Do They Sound
In a word, fantastic. The Airmotiv T-Zeros are:
Powerful – You can crank up the volume without creating any distortion. In fact the louder the Zeros get the better they sound.
Clear – They were able to reveal details I had never heard before.
Seperation – Instruments and voice(s) are distinct; one never overpowers the other.
Wide – The imaging is expansive. It’s very hard to believe you’re listening to just two speakers.
Small – These are relatively small measuring 38-1/8” high x 8-9/16” wide x 10-1/2” deep. They’re a lot smaller than they look in the photographs.
If you like a little more bass or are considering home theater, I highly recommend the RSL Speedwoofer 10S.
The speakers are rated at 4 ohms, but you don’t need a very powerful amp. My UPA-700 is rated at 80 watts into 8 ohms and 100 watts into 4 ohms, and I had no problems.
Check out Steve Guttenberg’s review of the T-Zeros on You Tube.
Home Theater
I added an Emotiva Airmotiv C+ center speaker to the T-Zeros to get a perfectly matched front section. I have 4 B&W Solids for the rears.
I listened to 4K blu rays with either Dolby Digital True HD or DTS-HD Master Audio tracks: BlackHawk Down, Saving Private Ryan, Blade Runner – The Original, Blade Runner 2049 , Fury, Max Max Fury Road and many more including the latest streaming trailers for ‘The Batman’ and ‘Dune’.
It helps when you’re projecting on a 120″ screen . . . and I hope to cover that shortly.
The result was pure glee.
Dialogue, clarity, soundstage. . . Everything sounded better than I expected.
Helicopter rotors sliced the air, tank shells whistled past, engines roared as vehicles crushed everything in their path . . . yet I didn’t miss a single line of dialogue.
I am retiring speakers I’ve loved for 30 years to move to the T-Zeroes and I couldn’t be happier. They sound as good as or better than speakers twice the price.
A Small Amount Of Technical Detail
The T-Zero is a ground standing speaker that features:
- A folded ribbon high-frequency tweeter that delivers low distortion, amazing transparency, and uncanny imaging.
- Two 5-1/4” mid-woofer drivers with the same crossover point with the upper driver optimized for critical midrange frequencies and the lower driver optimized for low frequency response.
Final Thoughts
I’ve lived with these speakers for almost a year and I have to say it’s been the happiest relationship I’ve ever been in. No heartache. No disappointments. Everything I hear puts a smile on my face.
At $399, it’s a steal.
I’m in a relatively small home theater space – 20′ X 60′. If your home theater is bigger you may need to consider the T1+ or T2+.
Call Emotiva at (615) 790-6754. They’re happy to spend time making sure you get the right speakers.
A Word About The Review
Emotiva did not sponsor, pay for, or provide any equipment for this review.
I own all the equipment used for testing including the amazing XMC-2 sound processor and the highly capable UPA-700 amplifier.
I hope you get to check them out.
Have a great week.
Would a pair of the C1+s make a good choice for a stereo system? I don’t have space for the floor-standing models, and while I love the B1+ and am looking for more “capacity.”
That’s a good question. I would call Emotiva and talk to their tech guys. 1-877-366-8324. My understanding is that the C1+ is optomized for the role a center channel speaker. If you place it on it’s side… who knows what happens:) If you stacked two C1+’s on top of one another they’d be taller than a T-Zero and the difference in depth is only 2 inches. The T Zeroes look bigger than they actually are. If there’s any way you can get them I’d do it. If you talk to Emotiva, tell them where you read about the speakers. I have no business relationship with them, but it helps the blog. Let me know if you have any other questions. – John
20′ x 60′ is small????? thats a huge home theater… My open concept living/dining/kitchen room is 22’x25′ and I thought that was big. My actual living room is 22’x 15’and if you discount the hallway walk through the 18’x15′. I have vaulted ceiling and am looking at what I can do for a 7.1 or perhaps a 5.2.4. Wife hates the idea but if I could do Emotiva in ceiling/wall speakers for the 0.0.4 and perhaps these T-Zero for ear level 4.0.0 my wife MIGHT accept it…. Anywho great review although still wondering what what my living space would be considered now seeing 20×60 as small
Hi Eric – Actually, I’m obviously terrible at making a rough guess at size. My room is in an apartment, with the living room taking up 3/4 of the length. I measured it and the room is roughly 13′ wide and about 30′ long, with the couch at about the midpoint in the room, about 15′ from the screen and speakers. I’ll email you a photo.