Some people love their speakers big while others want to hear their sound, but not see it. While this seems to be the two types of consumer in the marketplace, there is another: the consumer who wants exceptional sound with an aesthetic flair that isn't going to dominate the living area. He or she realizes that a loudspeaker must have some volume in order to produce truly excellent audio. This type of consumer looks for something similar to the EF50T tower 5.1 system from EMP.

The EMP EF50T is a tower speaker that sounds as good as it looks. The system provides two four-inch aluminized fiberglass woofers that deliver rich, detailed midrange not possible on systems that do everything off of a single mid-bass driver. The 1-inch nano-silk dome tweeter has a gentle sound that reaches into high frequencies without sounding harsh or compressed. We really liked the interchangeable faceplates, though most will likely stick to the included gray removable panels which looked elegant, in our opinion. The speakers stand about 40 inches tall and weigh just over 28 pounds each. The base is a rounded, beveled plate that isn't quite as fancy as the rest of the speaker, and the edges are tight 90-degree bends which extend all the way up until they round out across the top of the tower.

The surround speakers are miniature single-driver versions of the tower, and can be easily mounted to a ceiling or wall with any universal mounting bracket. The center features dual four-inch drivers and the same soft dome tweeter, which ensures that all speakers blend together visually. With this system, it's hard to justify keeping the cloth grills on--they actually look quite good with them off (the tweeters even have an almost translucent look to them.) As for the colored grill bevels, those really set apart the speaker and keep them from looking too boxy. Speaking of boxes, the cabinets passed our "knuckle rap" test with flying colors, letting us know that the cabinets were quite inert and would not contribute any audible resonance to the signal.

We played a lot of material through these speakers, and they really excelled in music reproduction--the most difficult test of any surround sound system. High-end was crystal clear, and midrange clarity was pristine and uncompressed. The depth provided in the soundstage felt so deep, it was almost uncanny. The EF50T speakers never once seemed to struggle with the program material or exceed their design limits. This is a system you can play loud.

As for the subwoofer, the sound was nice and tight. The E10s play low and strong, and when a frequency hits it that it isn't rated to reproduce, it failed to corrupt the rest of the signal. The blend between the main speakers and the sub seemed flawless in two-channel, but for those with discrete crossover capability, you may want to set the surrounds and center a tad higher if possible. We ran ours at a consistent 100Hz, though some may feel that 120Hz is a better fit. This is one system that integrates well.

Overall, the EF50T 5.1 speaker system is a serious contender for your hard-earned dollars. If you're in the market for a solid home theater system, this one will cause you to rethink grabbing those satellite speakers and reconsider how much you value your movie time.

Pros: Detailed sound, beautiful aesthetics, excellent bass response
Cons: Potentially difficult crossover setting

Warranty
1 year, amplifier; 5 years, all other parts