The Official Energy Speakers Thread

[Monkey]

I keep the grills off my speakers as well for better SQ. I've tested with others blindfolded so I know it isn't just in my head. Children do love to poke and touch things though, be very careful, especially of the tweeters!!

[patwrightjr]

the BIC DV-64 towers have the dual 6.5" passive radiator as well

[patwrightjr]

Originally Posted by Monkey

I keep the grills off my speakers as well for better SQ. I've tested with others blindfolded so I know it isn't just in my head. Children do love to poke and touch things though, be very careful, especially of the tweeters!!

yeah, what a huge differance with the grills off. If you take off the grills to inspect them you can see Energy uses some very stout thick plastic diamond pattern from top to bottom, you can clearly see that there is a lot of blockage going on there for air and sound..I think the sound difference is nothing short of huge..

[patwrightjr]

so if a passive radiator is a speaker without a magnet then does this mean these speakers don't generate any sound or any movement on their own??

[patwrightjr]

man i must be the only one awake tonight....I came across this tonight while surfing, you guys that never heard of BIC, here is one of hundreds of reviews of this super value speaker...the center channel speaker is a monster too
http://www.hometheatersolutionsnow.c...nturi-speakers

p.s. I dissagree about using these for music, they sound great for music, including jazz and classical but these work great for rock!

[Yeha-Noha]

Originally Posted by patwrightjr

yeah, what a huge differance with the grills off. If you take off the grills to inspect them you can see Energy uses some very stout thick plastic diamond pattern from top to bottom, you can clearly see that there is a lot of blockage going on there for air and sound..I think the sound difference is nothing short of huge..

I have never seen Energy speaker grilles designed like that. I have all C-series in my HT setup. I have also inspected the CF series with and without their grilles on. The C-series grilles are well designed and made from 0.5 in. MDF. The cutouts for the woofer sections are large enough to prevent unwanted diffraction effects and certainly without 'a lot of blockage going' that you described in your post.

The midrange and tweeter section cutouts are not only large but also flare out a bit, formed by an angled cut in the MDF so that the mids and highs are freely dispersed.

There is no such thing as a diamond plastic pattern from top to bottom on none of my Energy speakers!

Maybe your Bic speakers have such. But, I am very grateful that Energy, at least the ones I own, don't.

I don't know about vintage Energy series but the current ones all seem to have similar speaker grilles. As far as I can tell, from pictures, the RC series don't seem to have a plastic diamond pattern overlaid with grille cloth, but I have not seen the RC series grilles up close for that matter. I have heard that the higher end Energy speaker grilles fit better than the C-series.

The C-series grilles don't seem to interfere with sound dispersion at all. If they do, it is negligible and quite subtle. I have listened to them with and without their grilles. They still have that warm, laid back sound that I enjoy. I expected to hear a slightly brighter sound and perhaps slightly better sound dispersion with the grilles removed. However, I have yet to hear any difference. They sound outstanding either way. Perhaps a serious audiophile who's very critical and picky about his music, may have a bone to pick, but I sure don't.

[Yeha-Noha]

Originally Posted by patwrightjr

so if a passive radiator is a speaker without a magnet then does this mean these speakers don't generate any sound or any movement on their own??

A passive radiator is just a suspended cone without a voice coil and magnet. It would likely be used in lieu of a port in a bass reflex speaker design especially where the port would be too large (perhaps too long too) to be practical.

In the passive radiator speaker, as the active woofer cone moves back and forth, it generates pressure waves inside the box that will also cause the passive radiator cone to move. Because passive radiators move air, they certainly generate sound, but just not on their own.

[Yeha-Noha]

Originally Posted by patwrightjr

man i must be the only one awake tonight....I came across this tonight while surfing, you guys that never heard of BIC, here is one of hundreds of reviews of this super value speaker...the center channel speaker is a monster too
http://www.hometheatersolutionsnow.c...nturi-speakers

p.s. I disagree about using these for music, they sound great for music, including jazz and classical but these work great for rock!

Bic makes some great budget subwoofers that are big bang for the buck. Circuit City used to have them before they closed the stores in my area. The Bic F12 subwoofer sounded pretty awesome for only $200. However, when I listened to Bic Venturi speakers like the DV62CLR center and DV64 towers, I didn't find them acceptable. The highs were just too much in my face and too forward for my liking. I feel the same way about Polk and Klipsch. I am just very picky about my highs. So, I'm not just singling out Bic Venturi. Some people like that kind of sound. I don't. That's why I prefer Energy Speakers.

[W10]

Hi guys,

I am setting up a 5.1 system in my new home with Energy speakers.

Just wondering if the CB-10s as fronts, and the RC mini center would work well. The CC-10 center is too big for my cabinet. Will mostly be used for movies and games.

Alternatively, how well do the RC-10s and RC mini center perform on movies?

Any other suggestions are welcome.

Thanks!

[BigAl87]

Originally Posted by W10

Hi guys,

I am setting up a 5.1 system in my new home with Energy speakers.

Just wondering if the CB-10s as fronts, and the RC mini center would work well. The CC-10 center is too big for my cabinet. Will mostly be used for movies and games.

Alternatively, how well do the RC-10s and RC mini center perform on movies?

Any other suggestions are welcome.

Thanks!

What about CC-5 best tonal match for the Cb-10 IMHO.

Again RC-10 with the RC-Mini center is not so bad if you don't plan to upgrade but reading through this thread you would find out that the Mini does not extend low enough in my opionion. you can only X-over at 100hz while you can X-over the CC-5 at 80hz.

I would take the CC-5 with CB-10. If you go RC-10 the sound will be far superior in 2 channel music for sure although it will be very good with the CB-10.

Do you plan to upgrade later on?

[W10]

Thanks for the info BigAl87.

I think I'll go with the CC-5 center. The last thing I want is to buy the RC mini center and finding out they don't match well with the CB-10s.

Probably won't be upgrading anytime soon, so looking to buy a decent set up for movies and games.

Thanks!

[BigAl87]

Originally Posted by W10

Thanks for the info BigAl87.

I think I'll go with the CC-5 center. The last thing I want is to buy the RC mini center and finding out they don't match well with the CB-10s.

Probably won't be upgrading anytime soon, so looking to buy a decent set up for movies and games.

Thanks!

I would choose RC-10 over CB-10 for sure but the center is not up to the task in my book you would need an LCR but considering the space constraint yes better off matching CC-5 with the CB-10.

Or get RC-10 run with a phantom center if you think 2 channel would do the work I mean they image really well depending how far you are sitting fromthe TV.

[callas01]

Originally Posted by BigAl87

I would choose RC-10 over CB-10 for sure but the center is not up to the task in my book you would need an LCR but considering the space constraint yes better off matching CC-5 with the CB-10.

Or get RC-10 run with a phantom center if you think 2 channel would do the work I mean they image really well depending how far you are sitting fromthe TV.

yeah, I wouldn't use the RC-mini with anything other then the RC-mini bookshelfs,

get the CB10s and CC5, then for rears you could use the CB5s if you wanted.

however the reason the C-C50 worked with the older larger C-series speakers is because the tweeter was still 1" and matched the rest of the series. The CB5/CC5 have a 3/4" tweeter and the CB10/CC10 have the 1" tweeter. Not 100% sure how they will work in tandem with mix and matching, but you can always go listen to them.

[callas01]

Originally Posted by callas01

yeah, I wouldn't use the RC-mini with anything other then the RC-mini bookshelfs,

get the CB10s and CC5, then for rears you could use the CB5s if you wanted.

however the reason the C-C50 worked with the older larger C-series speakers is because the tweeter was still 1" and matched the rest of the series. The CB5/CC5 have a 3/4" tweeter and the CB10/CC10 have the 1" tweeter. Not 100% sure how they will work in tandem with mix and matching, but you can always go listen to them.

Oliver, my wife had the baby this morning......

[patwrightjr]

Originally Posted by callas01

Oliver, my wife had the baby this morning......

congradulations man!! what did you have???

[patwrightjr]

Originally Posted by rwojtalewicz

I have never seen Energy speaker grilles designed like that. I have all C-series in my HT setup. I have also inspected the CF series with and without their grilles on. The C-series grilles are well designed and made from 0.5 in. MDF. The cutouts for the woofer sections are large enough to prevent unwanted diffraction effects and certainly without 'a lot of blockage going' that you described in your post.

The midrange and tweeter section cutouts are not only large but also flare out a bit, formed by an angled cut in the MDF so that the mids and highs are freely dispersed.

There is no such thing as a diamond plastic pattern from top to bottom on none of my Energy speakers!

Maybe your Bic speakers have such. But, I am very grateful that Energy, at least the ones I own, don't.

I don't know about vintage Energy series but the current ones all seem to have similar speaker grilles. As far as I can tell, from pictures, the RC series don't seem to have a plastic diamond pattern overlaid with grille cloth, but I have not seen the RC series grilles up close for that matter. I have heard that the higher end Energy speaker grilles fit better than the C-series.

The C-series grilles don't seem to interfere with sound dispersion at all. If they do, it is negligible and quite subtle. I have listened to them with and without their grilles. They still have that warm, laid back sound that I enjoy. I expected to hear a slightly brighter sound and perhaps slightly better sound dispersion with the grilles removed. However, I have yet to hear any difference. They sound outstanding either way. Perhaps a serious audiophile who's very critical and picky about his music, may have a bone to pick, but I sure don't.

here you go, now do you think this is good for sound??? this is a great design for rigidaty but a poor choice for sound, my BIC's have complete opening for sound (this diamond shaped plastic is a good 1.5" deep!!!)...and i think since ive always had "warm" recievers that im sure helped with the good sound i get from the BIC's

[28BlusLater]

Originally Posted by Monkey

I keep the grills off my speakers as well for better SQ. I've tested with others blindfolded so I know it isn't just in my head. Children do love to poke and touch things though, be very careful, especially of the tweeters!!

Speakers sound better without their grills? when I took off the grills of my MartinLogans and they were still playing from when they were on, it sounded exactly the same...or is it just with certain grills that may block the sound from traveling?

[BigAl87]

Originally Posted by callas01

Oliver, my wife had the baby this morning......

Congrats Steve and a nice welcome to the new family member.

[BigAl87]

Originally Posted by 28BlusLater

Speakers sound better without their grills? when I took off the grills of my MartinLogans and they were still playing from when they were on, it sounded exactly the same...or is it just with certain grills that may block the sound from traveling?

The plastic diamonds as shown in the picture is a poorly designed grill, IMHO if nothing comes in the way other than the grill fabric it seriously does not cause much interference but this really does not help the high frequencies of the really warm RC-10.

BTW Chief Designer and Owner of Totem Acoustic Vince Bruzzese does not believe il grills which is why grills are optional on his speakers except for the Tribes Wall Speakers.

[Jwilly019]

Originally Posted by callas01

Oliver, my wife had the baby this morning......

Congratulations