Emotiva Airmotiv E2 On-Wall Surround Speaker Is Here

In need of a relatively affordable high-end audio system for your home theater? The Emotiva Airmotiv E2 on-wall surround speaker that has just been unveiled merits a look.

This latest arrival features a 2-way, bass-reflex ported design, with a forward-facing 5.25” woven-fiber woofer and two 32mm Airmotiv folded-ribbon tweeters — one on each side of the woofer placed at an angle.

It is this variation that makes the Airmotiv E2 much more flexible than most such speakers.

And that’s because you can configure it as a direct-radiating bipole that places tweeters in phase with each other, or as a dipole that places tweeters out of phase with each other. Better yet, it is possible to select which tweeter is wired with the same polarity as the front speakers, in dipole mode.

Dan Laufman, President and CEO of Emotiva Audio Corp does the explaining:

“Most modern surround-sound standards recommend using direct-radiating surround speakers for the most precise localization of objects and most accurate soundstage, but in some cases, such as in small rooms or when the surrounds are located very close to listeners, bipole speakers can make a better presentation. The E2 offers both options, including the choice of forward- or rearward-oriented dipole or inverted bipole, where both tweeters are out of phase with the mid-woofer, ensuring that the listener will find the perfect setting in any surround system.

The E2 was developed for universal appeal, not only to home-theater enthusiasts, but to custom-installation professionals who need maximum flexibility and reliability when designing a system of any size or budget.”

It is easy to mount the twin ports of the speaker that are on the front of the cabinet on a wall.

Speaking of which, the cabinet itself is a scaled-down version of the company’s Minimum Acoustic Signature design with removable, magnetically attached grills. Emotiva ships with it a heavy-duty steel mounting bracket.

Retailing for $459 per pair, this is about as good as it gets.

Take a look at the Emotiva Airmotiv E2 over here on the official website, where the speaker is listed in stock if you want to place an order.