The Official Energy Speakers Thread

[-DLS-]

Originally Posted by callas01

Im sure you won't find them veiled. Soft Dome tweeters have a little different sound then Metallic tweeters, so there will be some differences there, and maybe you just have to get used to the different sound.

here is a review of Aces shared with me at one point, difference between the Studio 10s and Excite X12s
http://www.goodsound.com/equipment/d...excite_x12.htm

Of course you may like the sound of metal domes more, and that may appeal to you. Youre the first person I have heard say that Dyn speakers sound veiled... lol.

Yeah I noticed the differences after hearing the RX6 and the Totem Sttaf finally. I don't usually like the too laid back type of sound but I really liked the smoothness of the Sttaf's sound probably because of the soft tome tweeter vs the metal on the RX6. I liked how the ribbons were kind of in-between that sound with the detail of a metal dome and smoothness of a soft dome but to me being closer to a metal than soft.

I didn't hear the Excites since the place didn't carry them but that review is pretty close to how I would describe the Studio sound so I'm sure the way he described the Excite is pretty accurate as well.

I'm not sure if veiled is even the right term I would use to describe what I heard. But to describe where I was in the room I think most speakers would sound that way especially a speaker with not so great off-axis performance. The speakers were I would say close to 8 ft apart and I was standing against the right wall near the rear entrance of the room. The speakers were probably 2ft away from the right wall so I'm mostly hearing everything form that side.

I found another personal review or comparison of the 220's to the Studio 60's and this guy thought they sounded like it was all "tweeter and bass" with the mids having a blanket over them. His use was also more HT and probably had a specific preference as well. If I remember right after spending a good amount of time auditioning he ended up with Dali Helicons? As you can see everyone will have a different view of speakers they've heard. My take on the Verita's might be completely different from someone else's.

Here's a link to his post anyway..

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showp...&postcount=541

[callas01]

Aces, here is what I would say. Where the Dyns are using a soft dome tweeter, it may not appear that they extend as high, but the Digms tend to be a little on the brighter side of Neutral, and the Excites on the Laidback side of neutral. Now when you consider that the Dyns have a HF extension of 23K hz and the Studios have a HF extension of 22K hz, I would say that the difference is in the fact that Soft Domes are smoother sounding and Metal Domes have a crispness to their sound, so they might appear to be louder, but I bet if you measured them, they would be up around the same level of HF extension. I can say in my time(which is only 2 auditions) with the Studio line, that the Dyns put a little more air around the instruments and provide a more transparent and deeper mid-range and wider sound stage. I can get a pair of X12s for $1100 tax inc. I can get a pair of Digm 10s for probably about the same price you can. Is that worth $300?? Or in your case $500?? Im sure if you have the extra $$, then it may be. Otherwise, probably not, and youd buy the less expensive speaker, and I would think the casual buyer would do just that.


DLS, I think your right, we will all have a preference differences. Components, Room setup, listening preferences, all color our thoughts of one speaker to the next.

Anyways... I didn't mean to derail your Studio/Veritas thoughts and comparisons.

[Reference_head]

Originally Posted by -DLS-

Yeah I think it's what I would miss most. Hopefully not so bad since I'm usually always in the sweet spot. I did used to have an MTM center on my first setup with the Polk Monitors and it wasn't so bad from the other seats. I also tried 3 RC-LCR's up front a couple of years ago and they were good but as a center channel doesn't even come close to the CC-690.



I would love to hear the RF-7II's. I've heard Klipsch RF's many times and I don't think they are as bad(bright) as many people make it seem. I heard them switched back and forth with ML Motions at Futureshop one time(I know shitty place to listen) and the ML's toop end actually sounded brighter to me.

I think it can really depend on the person’s ears, and the room they are in. In your room I bet they would sound really good (with your room response) I’m excited to see the salks in that room and hear how they sound compared to the retail stuff in the same price range. Salks are mostly directly sold aren’t they?

[comp1demon]

I recently decided to upgrade my system.

I purchased a YAMAHA RX-V867
I also Have 2 CF-70 and CC-10 speakers for my Surround setup.

I have never has speakers with 2 inputs like the cf-70's before.

How do I hook these up to my YAMAHA RX-V867?

I tried googling and found the difference between BI-WIRE, BI-AMP and using a buspar (if I spelled that right).

With the YAMAHA RX-V867 do I need an additional AMP for the cf-70's and CC-10 or will tghe YAMAHA RX-V867 be good enough? ALso how should I hook up the CF-70's

Any help is appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

[BigAl87]

Originally Posted by comp1demon

I recently decided to upgrade my system.

I purchased a YAMAHA RX-V867
I also Have 2 CF-70 and CC-10 speakers for my Surround setup.

I have never has speakers with 2 inputs like the cf-70's before.

How do I hook these up to my YAMAHA RX-V867?

I tried googling and found the difference between BI-WIRE, BI-AMP and using a buspar (if I spelled that right).

With the YAMAHA RX-V867 do I need an additional AMP for the cf-70's and CC-10 or will tghe YAMAHA RX-V867 be good enough? ALso how should I hook up the CF-70's

Any help is appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

Ok first of all welcome to this Forum and Thread. Ok I don't want to confuse you so I will go strait, The answer to the receiver question is yes your receiver should be ok to drive the CF-70, the need of an external amp to drive them would just be a plus but for the time being no issue here. Now the way to hookup speaker with 2 sets of binding post depends on your prference but keeping those metal bridges between the binding posts and connecting the wire at the bottom binding post is the most common way of doing it. Bi-Wiring is far from being a must and what we call passive bi-Amping has almost no benifit.

Basically just leave the metal plates between the top and bottom connectors and connect at the bottom. The following pictures shows you how my speakers are connected.

[comp1demon]

Originally Posted by BigAl87

Ok first of all welcome to this Forum and Thread. Ok I don't want to confuse you so I will go strait, The answer to the receiver question is yes your receiver should be ok to drive the CF-70, the need of an external amp to drive them would just be a plus but for the time being no issue here. Now the way to hookup speaker with 2 sets of binding post depends on your prference but keeping those metal bridges between the binding posts and connecting the wire at the bottom binding post is the most common way of doing it. Bi-Wiring is far from being a must and what we call passive bi-Amping has almost no benifit.

Basically just leave the metal plates between the top and bottom connectors and connect at the bottom. The following pictures shows you how my speakers are connected.

Thank you very much.. I will hook them up tomorrow that way as soon as my banana clips get here.

Thank you...

[BigAl87]

Originally Posted by comp1demon

Thank you very much.. I will hook them up tomorrow that way as soon as my banana clips get here.

Thank you...

Well the banana plugs are not a must but you get the idea. Allow them a good 100 hours of break in don't play them at etreme level to start with. Highs should smoothen over time. After 70 hours you should be safe to crank them up pretty loud.

[comp1demon]

Originally Posted by BigAl87

Well the banana plugs are not a must but you get the idea. Allow them a good 100 hours of break in don't play them at etreme level to start with. Highs should smoothen over time. After 70 hours you should be safe to crank them up pretty loud.

Thanks again. I will make sure to do that, Waiting for my Polk RM8 satellites to show up too next week. I got a few 7.1 system going in this week. I will post pics when I am done - especially the energys - they look great!

Now I kind of feel like an IDIOT - I have a popcorn hour C200 that I added a BLU RAY drive to and been using it as a BLU ray player for well over a year. Well the 3d kit finally went on sale and I grabbed it (for my TV). Well I didn't know that the C200 does not support 3d blu ray even with a BLU ray drive. So now I gotta go buy a BR drive. What is a great drive for the buck (trying not to spend more than $150 or so)?

Input appreciated.

[-DLS-]

Originally Posted by Reference_head

I think it can really depend on the person’s ears, and the room they are in. In your room I bet they would sound really good (with your room response) I’m excited to see the salks in that room and hear how they sound compared to the retail stuff in the same price range. Salks are mostly directly sold aren’t they?

I agree and have always said that. Everyones got their own tastes just like with with music itself. And the room plays a Huge factor always. That's why I prefer an in home audition. I would say the room is at least 50% of what you get from a speaker and I have heard cheaper speakers in good rooms that sound much better than much more expensive speakers in crappy rooms. A good example is the KEF iQ9's I heard in a smaller room vs the XQ40 in their big open room. The IQ9's sounded like the better speaker until I asked them to bring the XQ40's into the same room and put them in the same spot. The difference was huge and neither room was treated. Just shaped differently and smaller. The smaller room still did have quite a large opening but it still made a big difference in the XQ40's.

SALKS's are sold directly and are built to order. I got a couple of weeks still from my 45 day estimate. They are doing the final topcoat on the last few speakers and will be ready for final assembly next week. They actually cost a bit less if you consider MSRP but I would put all three in the 3k category. I've read several comparisons to speakers that cost much more but then again that phrase "better than speakers costing twice the price" seems to get used alot by professional reviewers. Most SALK reviews I've read are from actual owners or were auditioned at an owners place though which I take more seriously than most professional reviews and auditions at a store.

[Reference_head]

Originally Posted by -DLS-

I agree and have always said that. Everyones got their own tastes just like with with music itself. And the room plays a Huge factor always. That's why I prefer an in home audition. I would say the room is at least 50% of what you get from a speaker and I have heard cheaper speakers in good rooms that sound much better than much more expensive speakers in crappy rooms. A good example is the KEF iQ9's I heard in a smaller room vs the XQ40 in their big open room. The IQ9's sounded like the better speaker until I asked them to bring the XQ40's into the same room and put them in the same spot. The difference was huge and neither room was treated. Just shaped differently and smaller. The smaller room still did have quite a large opening but it still made a big difference in the XQ40's.

SALKS's are sold directly and are built to order. I got a couple of weeks still from my 45 day estimate. They are doing the final topcoat on the last few speakers and will be ready for final assembly next week. They actually cost a bit less if you consider MSRP but I would put all three in the 3k category. I've read several comparisons to speakers that cost much more but then again that phrase "better than speakers costing twice the price" seems to get used alot by professional reviewers. Most SALK reviews I've read are from actual owners or were auditioned at an owners place though which I take more seriously than most professional reviews and auditions at a store.

So even though they are custom building them you can still return them?

[-DLS-]

Originally Posted by Reference_head

So even though they are custom building them you can still return them?

Only on standard finishes so I ordered Satin Black which will match the Hsu's anyway

[BigAl87]

Originally Posted by comp1demon

Thanks again. I will make sure to do that, Waiting for my Polk RM8 satellites to show up too next week. I got a few 7.1 system going in this week. I will post pics when I am done - especially the energys - they look great!

Now I kind of feel like an IDIOT - I have a popcorn hour C200 that I added a BLU RAY drive to and been using it as a BLU ray player for well over a year. Well the 3d kit finally went on sale and I grabbed it (for my TV). Well I didn't know that the C200 does not support 3d blu ray even with a BLU ray drive. So now I gotta go buy a BR drive. What is a great drive for the buck (trying not to spend more than $150 or so)?

Input appreciated.

i really don't know what to suggest in that price range that supports 3D, I guss i would look for the entry level samsung with 3D support they have a Refurb at BB for 149$

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olstempl...getype=listing

[MacThreinfir]

Hi all,

This is my first post, and first day as a member. I've been doing some research on Energy's cc-5 and cc-10 speakers and have seen a bit of traffic about them on this thread (page 186+). I have already purchased two pairs of the CB-5 speakers when they were on sale for $79.99/pair and the EW-100 for $119.99. From what I've read now on these forums, the EW-100 may not have been the best choice, but hindsight is always 20/20, and for $120, I probably won't be able to complain too much.

However, I have yet to buy the center channel and the receiver. Looking at the specs, would the cc-10 overpower the CB-5's? Also, would there be any timbre matching issues with the cc-10 having a 1/4 in. larger tweeter and 1 in. larger woofers?

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

As for the receiver, I'm looking at the Denon avr-891, in case that influences any input, but if you think there is a better/less-expensive buy out there I'm all ears!

Sincere thanks

[callas01]

Originally Posted by MacThreinfir

Hi all,

This is my first post, and first day as a member. I've been doing some research on Energy's cc-5 and cc-10 speakers and have seen a bit of traffic about them on this thread (page 186+). I have already purchased two pairs of the CB-5 speakers when they were on sale for $79.99/pair and the EW-100 for $119.99. From what I've read now on these forums, the EW-100 may not have been the best choice, but hindsight is always 20/20, and for $120, I probably won't be able to complain too much.

However, I have yet to buy the center channel and the receiver. Looking at the specs, would the cc-10 overpower the CB-5's? Also, would there be any timbre matching issues with the cc-10 having a 1/4 in. larger tweeter and 1 in. larger woofers?

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

As for the receiver, I'm looking at the Denon avr-891, in case that influences any input, but if you think there is a better/less-expensive buy out there I'm all ears!

Sincere thanks

if you are planning to use the CB5s as your main speakers for a while i would honestly get the CC5 as it is built to pair with those bookshelves. If you want to upgrade later to the CF-30s or up, and you think that will happen in the next year or two, then get the CC10 and future-proof yourself now.

The Denon would be a great choice, as would also be the Onkyo 508, or Yamaha 667.

[BigAl87]

Originally Posted by callas01

if you are planning to use the CB5s as your main speakers for a while i would honestly get the CC5 as it is built to pair with those bookshelves. If you want to upgrade later to the CF-30s or up, and you think that will happen in the next year or two, then get the CC10 and future-proof yourself now.

The Denon would be a great choice, as would also be the Onkyo 508, or Yamaha 667.

+1 on this who knows you might want to turn this thing into 7.1 and use all the CB-5 as surrounds.

On the choice of sub the EW-100 is a new sub from Energy downfiring but still entry level, at the price you paid that sub it hardly gets any better than that.

[MacThreinfir]

Thank you for the quick responses! I called Vanns to see if they had the cc-10 and they are out of stock. So is World Wide Stereo. The Memorial Day Sales must have emptied them out. I heard WWS had the cc-10 for $164 which if I had known about it, I'd have pulled the trigger without hesitating.

The rep at Vanns said they'd send me an e-mail when they get more cc-10s in. After continually reading different sites it sounds like the cc-10 is the better way to go. I don't know that I'll upgrade this system within even five years, but having talked with cc-5 owners some of them think is should just go for the cc-10, as they've had to run the 5 a bit hot to get it to sound how they want.

....Now to find a sale on the Denon 891. I thought about the Yamaha 667, but I've heard the auto EQ works better on the Denon.

This will be my first home theater set up, so if anyone has any advice I will gladly take it!

[Clippins]

I'm still trying to decide on what kind of surrounds to pair with the CF-70's. I know that it's just surrounds and they won't have as much of an impact as the mains and center, but I'd still like to know they were there and not drowned out by the fronts. It would seem like the cr10s would have a hard time being paired with the CF-70s due to their size. They seem dwarfed. At the same price, would the CB20s or even CB10s be a better surround match with the CF-70s?

[lojack1976]

Originally Posted by MacThreinfir

Thank you for the quick responses! I called Vanns to see if they had the cc-10 and they are out of stock. So is World Wide Stereo. The Memorial Day Sales must have emptied them out. I heard WWS had the cc-10 for $164 which if I had known about it, I'd have pulled the trigger without hesitating.

The rep at Vanns said they'd send me an e-mail when they get more cc-10s in. After continually reading different sites it sounds like the cc-10 is the better way to go. I don't know that I'll upgrade this system within even five years, but having talked with cc-5 owners some of them think is should just go for the cc-10, as they've had to run the 5 a bit hot to get it to sound how they want.

....Now to find a sale on the Denon 891. I thought about the Yamaha 667, but I've heard the auto EQ works better on the Denon.

This will be my first home theater set up, so if anyone has any advice I will gladly take it!

As an owner of a Yamaha RX-V867 I can tell you that the Denon will give you better results with its Audyssey calibration vs. the Yamaha's YPAO. The lack of Audyssey is one of the big reasons I went back to Onkyo from my Yamaha. For music the Yamaha was great, but I found it lacking with movies which I mostly attribute to its lack of Audyssey and the ability to adjust crossovers. For home theater I feel that other brands are much better suited.

Denon is a good choice, but I would suggest you do some demoing and explore as many options as possible within your budget. I personally like some of the other brands more than Denon, but its still an individual preference. The biggest thing I would suggest is that whatever receiver you go with be sure it has pre-outs to help future proof yourself better. You never know if you'll need or just simply want more power down the road. Happy hunting!

[cxr369]

Originally Posted by Clippins

I'm still trying to decide on what kind of surrounds to pair with the CF-70's. I know that it's just surrounds and they won't have as much of an impact as the mains and center, but I'd still like to know they were there and not drowned out by the fronts. It would seem like the cr10s would have a hard time being paired with the CF-70s due to their size. They seem dwarfed. At the same price, would the CB20s or even CB10s be a better surround match with the CF-70s?

I have the CF 70's paired with the Definitive Pro 800 as surrounds and the Energy CC10 as the center channel. I also have it hooked up to a Pioneer Elite VSX 33 and a Klipsch SW 450 sub. Here are a couple pics.

[Clippins]

Originally Posted by cxr369

I have the CF 70's paired with the Definitive Pro 800 as surrounds and the Energy CC10 as the center channel. I also have it hooked up to a Pioneer Elite VSX 33 and a Klipsch SW 450 sub. Here are a couple pics.

Looks nice! How do you like 800's as surrounds with the energy's as your mains? It also looks like you have front heights. Are those 800's as well and if so how so you like the heights? I've thought about trying that out once I get everything together.