The Official Energy Speakers Thread

[Yeha-Noha]

Originally Posted by callas01

15x23 then I would suggest to get the RC-50s, you will like the extra power and better bass, air movement, soundstage....

in a room like mine 13x15 I would say get the RC-30s

I think up to 20' long dimension is still RC-30 territory provided that the shorter dimension is 0.6 to 0.8 times the longer. For my room which is 20' x 15', I'd still get the RC-30s. I have one of the smaller towers Energy used to make, the C-300s. They do fine in that room. I did find that I needed an external power amp (Adcom GFA-545II) to drive the C-300s with good clean power. That's due to the rather poor efficiency rating of the C-300s. The RC-30s are a little bit more efficient, but still I think the same would apply. I will connect the RC-30s to the GFA-545II, should I get them.

[callas01]

Originally Posted by rwojtalewicz

I think up to 20' long dimension is still RC-30 territory provided that the shorter dimension is 0.6 to 0.8 times the longer. For my room which is 20' x 15', I'd still get the RC-30s. I have one of the smaller towers Energy used to make, the C-300s. They do fine in that room. I did find that I needed an external power amp (Adcom GFA-545II) to drive the C-300s with good clean power. That's due to the rather poor efficiency rating of the C-300s. The RC-30s are a little bit more efficient, but still I think the same would apply. I will connect the RC-30s to the GFA-545II, should I get them.

Im not saying the 30s would not work, but perhaps in that space th 50s might work better. my dads room is about the same size and he uses B&W 603 S2s which have dual 7" drivers and it fills his room nicely, the 50s would be really similar IMO.

[BigAl87]

Originally Posted by callas01

Im not saying the 30s would not work, but perhaps in that space th 50s might work better. my dads room is about the same size and he uses B&W 603 S2s which have dual 7" drivers and it fills his room nicely, the 50s would be really similar IMO.

Hehe the RC-30 fill the room with ease they outperform the C-500 just like the RC-10 outperform the C-200, the dual 5.5 is quite impressive and look even the single 5.5 Totem Sttaf will fill the 20x15 room with ease.

Are the RC-50 worth the extra $$$? At 349$ maybe but the RC-30 is 199$ each and if that the budget you are working with and I 'm sure the RC-30 will be impressive. Trust me I heard them in numerous occasions and seriously they are Gooooooood and were filling a 900 sqaure feet quite nicely.

Steve personally with the budget I had to build my system I would have gone with the RC-30 and with 300$ in my pocket I would have put it on the LCR that was not more than 349$ last week at FS in Canada.

[patwrightjr]

just what i was looking for, is the RC-50 worth the extra cash?? Probably it is but i think im going to stay in my buget and grab the 30's, Ive been throwing around the idea in my head for weeks!!

[callas01]

Originally Posted by patwrightjr

just what i was looking for, is the RC-50 worth the extra cash?? Probably it is but i think im going to stay in my buget and grab the 30's, Ive been throwing around the idea in my head for weeks!!

Hey Pat,

are you buying these local? If so, what is the dealers name and location, I want to go hear them myself....

Thanks

[patwrightjr]

Originally Posted by callas01

Hey Pat,

are you buying these local? If so, what is the dealers name and location, I want to go hear them myself....

Thanks

what up man, no dealer that i know of....i went through amazon.com and the speakers come from Audio Advisor

[patwrightjr]

anyone with the RC30's, the specifications say they are 33" tall...which seems pretty short (and the 50's are only 4" taller), is this the height without the spikes or without that plate it come with??? anyone got some pic of theirs all set up?

[BigAl87]

Originally Posted by patwrightjr

anyone with the RC30's, the specifications say they are 33" tall...which seems pretty short (and the 50's are only 4" taller), is this the height without the spikes or without that plate it come with??? anyone got some pic of theirs all set up?

You can add an inch with the spikes as my C-500 are indeed an inch taller then what tyhe specs tells me and they really are 37.5 like specified on Energy weg site so 34.5 inches for the RC-30 with spikes vs 33.5 without.

It's not super tall it's a small tower that sound really big I can tell you that much.

[callas01]

yeah, even though my speakers are about 33" tall, I still find they sound really big in my room. Otherwise I wouldn't be looking at bookshelves.... I would be trying to find a multi-driver tower, however, I know exactly how well a very good 2-way system can be.

I was loving the Tom Petty Mojo in multi-channel last night.... just closed my eyes and let it consume me... it was awesome..

[callas01]

hey oliver...

wife told me she wants me to get my gear this coming year and enjoy it.... im getting anxious... I hope I have the money for it all...

[Yeha-Noha]

Originally Posted by callas01

hey wife told me she wants me to get my gear this coming year and enjoy it.... im getting anxious... I hope I have the money for it all...

Cool!

As for me, I always use the plastic card and worry about it later. Or, actually, let her worry about it. I want it right now!

[callas01]

rwo,

we gave up all our CCs.... we just want to get our credit back under control before we get back into that rat race.. actually it has worked out well for us over the past 3 yrs too.

[alphaiii]

Originally Posted by callas01

rwo, I think they all use the same tweeter.... but i think the rc series uses better crossovers and then has the more detailed drivers... I know on the C series they said the tweeter was in its 5 generation, so it should timbre pretty close, but the fiberglass material may not be as ridgid and light as the kevlar, so you may give up some detial and speed there.

I doubt the C series aluminum tweeters are the same as those in the RC series speakers... based on owning both, and on seeing pics of the drivers when Zaph did his review of the C-500.

[BigAl87]

Originally Posted by callas01

hey oliver...

wife told me she wants me to get my gear this coming year and enjoy it.... im getting anxious... I hope I have the money for it all...

Good news for ya bud, on my side looking at my finance I should start in a year or so I will start whith the front sound stage.

[Yeha-Noha]

Originally Posted by alphaiii

I doubt the C series aluminum tweeters are the same as those in the RC series speakers... based on owning both, and on seeing pics of the drivers when Zaph did his review of the C-500.

Well, alpha, Al tweeters are not easy to design. Being metal they tend to ring like a bell. They have to be dampened in some fashion. Once they get over that hurdle, then they are perhaps the best tweeters for mid fi and audiophiles too. Like Callas said, the Al tweeter has evolved at Energy into one of the best sounding available whether it be in the C-series, CF-, or RC-, I think they are same basic tweeter dome too. However, how it is coupled to the cabinet design and integrated with the other drivers on the baffle plate with the woofer(s) and midrange along with the crossover design and circuitry, that's where you may find a difference.

And I have to throw this in too. When someone buys a more expensive speaker, they will normally tend to be biased toward the new speaker sounding better. It's human nature to justify paying more with getting a little more. But, I don't always go along with that.

[callas01]

Originally Posted by BigAl87

Good news for ya bud, on my side looking at my finance I should start in a year or so I will start whith the front sound stage.

like I said, the $ still have to be there and anything that has to be paid or bought has to be done first, but hopefully, between my vacation pay, selling my other gear and tax money, I will have enough to do what I would like to.

[alphaiii]

Originally Posted by rwojtalewicz

Well, alpha, Al tweeters are not easy to design. Being metal they tend to ring like a bell. They have to be dampened in some fashion. Once they get over that hurdle, then they are perhaps the best tweeters for mid fi and audiophiles too. Like Callas said, the Al tweeter has evolved at Energy into one of the best sounding available whether it be in the C-series, CF-, or RC-, I think they are same basic tweeter dome too. However, how it is coupled to the cabinet design and integrated with the other drivers on the baffle plate with the woofer(s) and midrange along with the crossover design and circuitry, that's where you may find a difference.

And I have to throw this in too. When someone buys a more expensive speaker, they will normally tend to be biased toward the new speaker sounding better. It's human nature to justify paying more with getting a little more. But, I don't always go along with that.

I am aware that there is much more involved in the sound of a speaker than just the drivers themselves... so I realize that the difference in highs between the C- and RC-series speakers could be the result of more than, or other than, the tweeter itself.

But just because several Energy lines use Al dome tweeters, it doesn't mean they are using identical tweeters in each. Easiest way to know would be to crack open a speaker from each line and look at the tweeters. I might do just that to satisfy my curiosity.

Or maybe you're right, and the actual aluminum dome itself is the same among Energy speakers (C, RC, CB)... and the housing for the dome is the only difference. I suppose the only way to know that is to ask Energy.

As far as biasing toward the more expensive speaker... I've done comparisons where I've preferred less expensive or less attractive speakers over pricier or nice looking speakers. In this case, I firmly believe, of the particular models I've owned, the RC's outperform the C's...

On the other hand, a little over a year ago I couldn't justify how much I'd spent on Ascend Sierra's, even if I though they were "better" speakers than the RC-10/RC-LCR they were meant to replace... so I sold them and remained very happy with my RC's. In that case the increase in performance I perceived wasn't worth the extra cost to me.

I was actually hoping to do the same with the Mini/Mini CC I use in my bedroom... sell them and be happy with the C-50/C-C50 I got for dirt cheap from a family member... but I just feel the Mini CC so easily outperforms the C-C50 that it was worth the extra cost for me to stick with RC's.

[BigAl87]

Originally Posted by alphaiii

I am aware that there is much more involved in the sound of a speaker than just the drivers themselves... so I realize that the difference in highs between the C- and RC-series speakers could be the result of more than, or other than, the tweeter itself.

But just because several Energy lines use Al dome tweeters, it doesn't mean they are using identical tweeters in each. Easiest way to know would be to crack open a speaker from each line and look at the tweeters. I might do just that to satisfy my curiosity.

Or maybe you're right, and the actual aluminum dome itself is the same among Energy speakers (C, RC, CB)... and the housing for the dome is the only difference. I suppose the only way to know that is to ask Energy.

As far as biasing toward the more expensive speaker... I've done comparisons where I've preferred less expensive or less attractive speakers over pricier or nice looking speakers. In this case, I firmly believe, of the speakers I've owned, the RC's outperform the C's...

On the other hand, a little over a year ago I couldn't justify how much I'd spent on Ascend Sierra's, even if I though they were "better" speakers than the RC-10/RC-LCR they were meant to replace... so I sold them and remained very happy with my RC's.

I was actually hoping to do the same with the Mini/Mini CC... sell them and be happy with the C-50/C-C50 I got for dirt cheap from a family member... but I just feel the Mini CC so easily outperforms the C-C50 that it's worth the extra cost for me.

RC is a clear winner over the Conoisseur s in all of our minds but regardless if it's the same driver or not, they sound different from one model to another which let us think that something somewhere is different wheter it's the housing, X-over or the tweeter itself.

Anyhow I'm glad you love your Reference Conoisseurs as they are a good bang for the buck even at full retail price. And yes it,s possible that a less expansive speaker may sound better to your ears than a more expensive one and this true for me with the Totem Family speaker. Hawk is an awesome speaker and doe not really have true weaknesses I mean they are built with the highest quality standards you can find out there but I just don't like their sound I feel they lack a bit of mids. The Sttaf is to me the perfect balance and is built with the same high quality standards, the speaker is also more versatile and cost 1000$ less than the Hawk.

BTW I think the RC outperforms alot of more expensive speakers, Digm Studio for example, but for sure some people will prefer the Studios, sound is very subjective.

[alphaiii]

Originally Posted by BigAl87

RC is a clear winner over the Conoisseur s in all of our minds but regardless if it's the same driver or not is they sound different from one model to another which let us thisnk that something somewhere is different wheter it's the housing, X-over or the tweeter itself.

Anyhow I'm glad you love your Reference Conoisseurs as they are a good bang for the buck even at full retail price. And yes it,s possible that a less expansive speaker may sound better to your ears than a more expensive one and this true for me with the Totem Family speaker. Hawk is an awesome speaker and doe not really have true weaknesses I mean they are built with the highest quality standards you can find out there but I just don't like their sound I feel they lack a bit of mids. The Sttaf is to me the perfect balance and is built with the same high quality standards, the speaker is also more versatile and cost 1000$ less than the Hawk.

True... My initial assumption was that the tweeter was among the differences, but I might be wrong in assuming that. It's obvious there are other differences between the lines as well.

It's a great thing when a less expensive speaker sounds better to my ears... since there is always a limit to the audio budget.

Even if I feel a pricier speaker is better in some ways... when I can walk away knowing that the less expensive speaker is a better value to me... I'm happy with that too... as in the case of the Sierra's vs RC's.



On a side note... I'm interested in hearing the new CB/CF series speaker in comparison to the RC's.

[statikcat]

Originally Posted by rwojtalewicz

Your equipment signature lists having the RC-50s and the CC-10. Since the CC-10 is from the new Connoisseur series line (CF), I was wondering how well it timbre matches the RC series. I didn't do a search on this, so if you have already commented on it, then just provide a link please.

They sound great together. I do want to upgrade my center when it is more affordable but I am pleased for now with its performance.