Emerald Detail:

• Specifications & Features

• About the Emerald

• Emerald FAQs

• Finish Options

• Emerald Manual PDF

Specifications & Features:

About the Emerald:

ACI's design philosophy has always been to build speakers that bring the music to life. The Emerald is derived from the proven AV1, which was first introduced in 1990. The AV1 was the first audiophile quality video-shielded speaker ever manufactured. Proven by sales and longevity, the AV1 satisfied audiophile needs for many years. In late 1997 the AV1’s tweeter was discontinued and ACI saw an opportunity to revise the AV1 design with an improved soft-dome tweeter. The Emerald is the perfect speaker for high-end home theater, yet is one of very few shielded speakers with the sound quality required for stereo music use. The Emerald makes a terrific improvement in a home theater system. The specially designed drivers allow placement right next to, on or under TV screens without damaging the screen or hurting the video picture.

For several years, our customers had asked for a speaker that would deliver much of the sound quality of our legendary Sapphire series, but at a lower cost. The Emerald is the perfect speaker for those who long for Sapphires but require a smaller speaker of lower cost. The Emerald is about 1/2 the price and size of the Sapphire and is magnetically shielded. Owners of other ACI systems can be assured of great timbre matching. 

Most speakers sold for center channel use are wide and flat with a center-mounted tweeter flanked by woofer-midranges on either side (MTM). This type of speaker has a dispersion pattern, which actually increases floor and ceiling reflections while having poor dispersion to the sides!

The Emerald is a very unique speaker system. Instead of using the non-optimum horizontal approach, the Emerald boldly utilizes a vertical driver arrangement to produce a well-controlled vertical dispersion pattern which minimizes reflections and colorations from the room surfaces while maximizing clarity at the listener’s ears. The Emerald has excellent horizontal dispersion so that listeners seated center, right or left all get the same high quality sound. The unique vertical design and specialized crossover of the Emerald make this possible.

The Emerald is compact enough to fit vertically under or on top of most TVs. If you must position it horizontally you may do so. Even positioned horizontally, the sound quality will be better than most horizontal MTM designs.

The excellent sound quality and dynamic range of the Emeralds make them perfect for stereo listeners requiring "big" sound from small boxes. Videophiles seeking a compact but very high quality system should consider Emeralds for left, right, center and rear channels. For the ultimate bass extension, the Emerald mates beautifully with the Force, Titan, or Maestro powered subwoofers. Add a pair of Atlantis or Sanus speaker stands for best placement and imaging. The Emerald may also be shelf or wall-mounted.

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