The Official Energy Speakers Thread

[cxr369]

Originally Posted by kayvan79

Hi everyone,

I'm in the process of upgrading my speakers from Polk Monitor to Energy RC series speakers. So far i have an RCLCR (center) and a pair of RC-10's (will be rear surrounds). I'll pick up the RC-70 when Vanns gets them. What do you think I should do about the side surrounds? Right now i have towers so i was thinking the RC-30 or RC-50. Would another set of RC-70's be overkill? I don't think i want to spend that much. Take a look at my gallery to see how i currently have it setup. I'd like to keep the layout the same so that's why i think side towers would be best but i'm open to any suggestions.

I originally went with towers as surrounds because i never heard bookshelves really put out the amount of volume i wanted during movies or music that towers can. It's probably overkill but with them all running i really don't feel the need to turn on the sub. =:O)

Let me know what you think? BTW i decided on Energy RC's after reading this thread and hearing how satisfied everyone was with them. I plugged in the RC-10's as front LR just to see what they can do and i think they put out better sound than the Monitor 60's (in my setup). I was quite shocked seeing they are so small compared to the Polks. I guess build quality really does make a difference. Quite eye opening.

Kayvan

Nice setup, but why do you have the definitive bpx speakers on top of your other towers. Why not place them on the back wall behind the couch and use the other towers as front wides.

[kayvan79]

Originally Posted by cxr369

Nice setup, but why do you have the definitive bpx speakers on top of your other towers. Why not place them on the back wall behind the couch and use the other towers as front wides.

I thought the rear surrounds would be 2 far away if i put them on the wall. They do sound good being on top of the back towers. I'm not sure what front wides means. I'm running a standard 7.1 now.

[cxr369]

Originally Posted by kayvan79

I thought the rear surrounds would be 2 far away if i put them on the wall. They do sound good being on top of the back towers. I'm not sure what front wides means. I'm running a standard 7.1 now.

How far is the back wall? I have mine placed 8 feet behind my listening area and they sound great.

[callas01]

Originally Posted by kayvan79

Hi everyone,

I'm in the process of upgrading my speakers from Polk Monitor to Energy RC series speakers. So far i have an RCLCR (center) and a pair of RC-10's (will be rear surrounds). I'll pick up the RC-70 when Vanns gets them. What do you think I should do about the side surrounds? Right now i have towers so i was thinking the RC-30 or RC-50. Would another set of RC-70's be overkill? I don't think i want to spend that much. Take a look at my gallery to see how i currently have it setup. I'd like to keep the layout the same so that's why i think side towers would be best but i'm open to any suggestions.

I originally went with towers as surrounds because i never heard bookshelves really put out the amount of volume i wanted during movies or music that towers can. It's probably overkill but with them all running i really don't feel the need to turn on the sub. =:O)

Let me know what you think? BTW i decided on Energy RC's after reading this thread and hearing how satisfied everyone was with them. I plugged in the RC-10's as front LR just to see what they can do and i think they put out better sound than the Monitor 60's (in my setup). I was quite shocked seeing they are so small compared to the Polks. I guess build quality really does make a difference. Quite eye opening.

Kayvan

you should just the surrounds and see how it sounds. bi-poles distribute sound very well and Im sure you will be just fine with the sound of the setup.

honestly I dont think you need towers for surrounds. The Energy RCs are much better speakers then the Polk Monitors. Im sure if you set it up as RC-50/70s up front, with RC-Rs as surrounds and rear surrounds the RCLCR center you would be very pleased.

[Clippins]

CR10's came yesterday! Haven't set them up yet, but plan on doing so soon.

[BigAl87]

Originally Posted by Clippins

CR10's came yesterday! Haven't set them up yet, but plan on doing so soon.

That's very good news after waiting this long, I knw the issue was not technically with Vann but more with UPS, I had nothing but trouble with UPS in the past, they seem to lose things a lot .

Let us know how it sounds I suggest you set them as bipole.

[callas01]

Originally Posted by Clippins

CR10's came yesterday! Haven't set them up yet, but plan on doing so soon.

congrats.... now set them up and let us know how they sound in the system.

[callas01]

Originally Posted by BigAl87

That's very good news after waiting this long, I knw the issue was not technically with Vann but more with UPS, I had nothing but trouble with UPS in the past, they seem to lose things a lot .

Let us know how it sounds I suggest you set them as bipole.

believe it or not, but UPS will lose less stuff then FedEx...

[kayvan79]

Originally Posted by cxr369

How far is the back wall? I have mine placed 8 feet behind my listening area and they sound great.

The back wall is probably at least 10 feet. The house is a split foyer design that also has vaulted ceilings. It's also hardwood floors, so i'm worried about echoing if i put the rear surrounds on the back wall. Ideally i'd like to put them on speaker stands right behind the couch, keeping the sound really close to the listening position.

[kayvan79]

Originally Posted by callas01

you should just the surrounds and see how it sounds. bi-poles distribute sound very well and Im sure you will be just fine with the sound of the setup.

honestly I dont think you need towers for surrounds. The Energy RCs are much better speakers then the Polk Monitors. Im sure if you set it up as RC-50/70s up front, with RC-Rs as surrounds and rear surrounds the RCLCR center you would be very pleased.

Callas I'm sure you're right that i'll like the setup. When i get the RC-70's i'll have those, an RCLCR, RC-10's, then my Def tech bipoles. My thinking was if i got another set of Energy towers then i'd have a full set of RC's. I didn't want to buy another set of bookshelves because then i'd have to buy or build speaker stands. For the price i might as well spend a little more and get towers. At least that's what i was thinking. I wanted as much feedback as possible and certainly do appreciate everyone's comments. It probably is overkill but i have to say it would look really awesome to have 4 RC towers sitting there. I'd look at them as much as i would listen to them.

That being said it is hard to find the RC-30's or RC-50's new now. So maybe i'll just buy the RC-70's at Vanns, build some speaker stands for my RC-10's, use my bipoles and call it a day.

Thanks again for all the good feedback everyone.

[BigAl87]

Originally Posted by callas01

believe it or not, but UPS will lose less stuff then FedEx...

Then Fedex has to work on that cause I thought UPS was bad!

[skatinkamel]

So today I saw the RC-70s at Vanns and the price is great! I have gotten the urge to upgrade from my RC-30s. What do you guys think? With Dual A2-300s do you think RC-70s would be overkill? Also anyone remember the retail price of the RC-30? If I go for the RC-70s im going to have to sell my 30. Just thinking what i might ask for them.

Thanks!

[jsr]

It's never overkill! That's what level adjustments are for. Just checked...that IS a damn good price on the RC-70s. Ah, the temptation.

[callas01]

Originally Posted by skatinkamel

So today I saw the RC-70s at Vanns and the price is great! I have gotten the urge to upgrade from my RC-30s. What do you guys think? With Dual A2-300s do you think RC-70s would be overkill? Also anyone remember the retail price of the RC-30? If I go for the RC-70s im going to have to sell my 30. Just thinking what i might ask for them.

Thanks!

the only issue I see honestly is that you will feel the need to upgrade that receiver soon by getting the RC70s. But if you have the urge to upgrade and want the best speaker in the line you have, get them, then figure out the amp/receiver situation later.

[darshanjoshi]

I am planinng to buy BIC V1020 for my setup. Reason for shortlisting this sub is that it is around $150 and when i import it, they are Duty Free. Anyhting above $150 will be charged almost 40% extra towards duties.

1. Any experience with said Sub. I have gone through some good reviews for same.
2. Is it 110V or can also be used as 220V?

Thanks for your suggestion.

[michaeljoo]

The Amazon DotD is for Energy CF-30's and ESW-C8 sub for $99 each.

I posted over in the Electronic Deals forum.

Here is the link to Amazon.

I'm currently in the market for sub-$200 speakers (budget, at the moment). How would these CF-30's compare to something like the Polk M70's?

Thanks!

[jsr]

The CF-30s are about the size of the Polk Monitor 50s. The M70s are pretty big speakers. The Energys are more musical. I have the Polk M70s (as well as the M60s), but use them almost exclusively (90%) for movies, so musicality isn't a big deal for me. They work great for HT, but if you listen to more music, the Energys may be a better choice for you. At $99 each, that's a steal! The M70s will extend lower when running full range...I've found them to have surprisingly good bass production without a sub. But they're big! One thing to keep in mind though is the Energy center channel is 2x+ more expensive than the Polk center.
To throw another option at you, combos for a Jamo S426 HSC 3 full 5.0 system plus an Onkyo TX-NR509 AVR can be found online for between $400 to $500. The Jamo S426 towers are pretty small and attractive (with the grill off, I hate the grill). They sound ok, mids aren't the clearest, but will work fine for HT. The included center and surrounds are small (I think they use 4" drivers), so I'm not sure how they are (I only heard the S426 towers), but online reviews say they're good. I find the Jamo S426 more attractive than the Energy CF-30.

[cxr369]

I'm selling two Energy CF 70s and an Energy CC-10 both are in absolute perfect condition, 10/10 with all original packaging, only a few months old. I have no kids or pets in the house. I'm asking $750 for the set, is anyone interested?

[its phillip]

Unfortunately for you, I think you are shooting a little high considering how often those speakers go on sale. I've seen CF-70s & the CC-10 for $200/each at least twice recently.

[michaeljoo]

Originally Posted by jsr

The CF-30s are about the size of the Polk Monitor 50s. The M70s are pretty big speakers. The Energys are more musical. I have the Polk M70s (as well as the M60s), but use them almost exclusively (90%) for movies, so musicality isn't a big deal for me. They work great for HT, but if you listen to more music, the Energys may be a better choice for you. At $99 each, that's a steal! The M70s will extend lower when running full range...I've found them to have surprisingly good bass production without a sub. But they're big! One thing to keep in mind though is the Energy center channel is 2x+ more expensive than the Polk center.
To throw another option at you, combos for a Jamo S426 HSC 3 full 5.0 system plus an Onkyo TX-NR509 AVR can be found online for between $400 to $500. The Jamo S426 towers are pretty small and attractive (with the grill off, I hate the grill). They sound ok, mids aren't the clearest, but will work fine for HT. The included center and surrounds are small (I think they use 4" drivers), so I'm not sure how they are (I only heard the S426 towers), but online reviews say they're good. I find the Jamo S426 more attractive than the Energy CF-30.

Thanks for the response, jsr.

I would be using these primarily for a dedicated HT. While I would like to say that I would also be using these for music listening, realistically I would probably actually use these for movies 95-100% of the time.

I do get the sense that this is a really good price for these speakers, but don't want to get them primarily because of that. I want to get the best possible speakers for movies in a dedicated HT, preferably for $200 or under per speaker (although I would consider going higher if there was a significant difference in performance or quality for the price), and I have the time to wait for sales.

The cost of the center speakers may not be an issue for me as I am strongly leaning towards getting 3 identical floorstanding speakers for the fronts (based on reading Big Daddy's thread about 3 vertical speakers). A lot of this will hinge on how much I can get an acoustically transparent screen for.

Also, I'll probably have 2 subs in the HT so these speakers wouldn't have to do the lower ranges by themselves.

I just received quotes for an SmX CineWeave screen and, while it is higher than I would have wished (when isn't it?), it isn't necessarily a deal breaker for me.

I'll be posting some questions regarding this either in the projector screen forum or somewhere in the speaker forum to get people's feedback, but that's what I'm currently leaning towards.

Regarding the Energy CF-30's vs. Polk M70's, are the speakers comparable with the difference mainly of tone and they way they sound? Or is it like comparing two different levels of speakers? Are the CF-30's more equivalent to the M50's, not just in terms of size, but also quality and performance? Or are they more equivalent to the M70's, even though they are smaller? Or are the CF-70's more the equivalent of the M70's?

I'll also definitely look into the Jamos as I've seen that name popping up a lot for speakers in this price range.

Thanks.