The Official Energy Speakers Thread

[94GTStang]

I got the denon 1610 all set up last night and apart from a few tweaks I need to do, it sounds amazing! It is such a huge improvement over what I had. Te difference is night and day like you guys said! Those c500's have so much bass I didn't notice my sub wasn't powering on! I just need to set it to 'on' instead of auto.

Thanks again everyone for all the help and guidance! I can't wait for Blu Ray movie night!

[BigAl87]

Congrats Stang looking forward to see the pics of your new receiver shorthly. Enjoy!

BTW tell us about you movie experience after your bluray night.

[94GTStang]

Originally Posted by BigAl87

Congrats Stang looking forward to see the pics of your new receiver shorthly. Enjoy!

BTW tell us about you movie experience after your bluray night.

Will do. I will probably put some pics up tonight when I get home. The wife didn't beat me over the head when she saw the Denon. It was a lonely night when the C500's came in

I'll be sure to update when I watch a Blu! We picked up Watchmen, but still haven't watched it yet.

I have quite the list of movies to get. Top Gun and Band of Brother's topping the list

[Cpt_Dylan_Hunt]

Sslayer that's awesome, I bet your sound setup kicks ass!

Not that I don't love my c- series. But I notice that to get my c-500s to sound their best off my receiver I need to custom EQ.I find that off my Yamaha HTR 6160 AKA RX Z663, A tiny bump to the 2.5 khz and a bit bigger of a bump at 6 khz does the trick. Both of the receiver settings, natural and flat don't do it for me on the c-500s. Nor does no adjustment at all. Certain details just stay too hidden. Which is probably exactly what Sslayer would say if he compared c-500s to his c8s without any EQ on either. Kind of funny I like these settings because I recently read an article by a guy who took apart c-500s and tested the crap out of them, who came to the conclusion that the c-500s lack lower treble without EQing. Although imo they are just a TINY bit off in the upper mids as well. And I think I'd have to agree although I wish I had a superior means to adjust these settings, but for now they sound great with how I "tuned" them. And I dont' like bright speakers by the way.

Oh, an Energy 10.2 sub recently made it's way through my house mint by the way. I believe it's rated at 150 watts RMS and extends to 23hz +/- 3db. Looks like a very similar build design to the s10.3. Is probably closer in performance to the 10.3 than the 10.3 is the the v10.

Anyway I ran the 10.2 up against both my ESW V8 and ESW v10. The 10.2 performed much better than I though it would and I imagine the 10.3 to be a bit better. The v series subs are without a doubt tighter and more accurate sounding however. I although I kind of liked the switch back and forth between music mode, and movie mode on the 10.2.

Oh, I read a post a while back on this thread where someone was talking about woofer excursion referring to subs, and implying that the more excursion the better, but I've read and heard from some car audio hardcore's and thought myself that, to a reasonable extent, lower excursion subs can be better for punch and accuracy, with a trade off from the "boom boom". Any thoughts?

[Yeha-Noha]

Originally Posted by Cpt_Dylan_Hunt

Sslayer that's awesome, I bet your sound setup kicks ass!

Not that I don't love my c- series. But I notice that to get my c-500s to sound their best off my receiver I need to custom EQ.I find that off my Yamaha HTR 6160 AKA RX Z663, A tiny bump to the 2.5 khz and a bit bigger of a bump at 6 khz does the trick. Both of the receiver settings, natural and flat don't do it for me on the c-500s. Nor does no adjustment at all. Certain details just stay too hidden. Which is probably exactly what Sslayer would say if he compared c-500s to his c8s. Kind of funny I like these settings because I recently read an article by a guy who took apart c-500s and tested the crap out of them, who came to the conclusion that the c-500s lack lower treble without EQing. Although imo they are just a TINY but off in the upper mids as well. And I think I'd have to agree although I wish I had a superior means to adjust these settings, but for now they sound great with how I "tuned" them. And I dont' like bright speakers by the way.

Yes. So true. I have a Yamaha V663 receiver. Even with the flat setting, YPAO applied +6.0 db for all 7 of my speakers in the 6K to 8K range. I didn't fancy that much boost being applied. It sounded way too bright. I ended up setting EQ = OFF. Besides, both YPAO and the graphic equalizer are only correcting for the position where you put the microphone or SPL meter if you use the graphic equalizer. Others seated elsewhere won't be getting the benefit anyway. I A/B'ed PEQ (flat) versus EQ = OFF. The latter sounded better to me.

Oh, I read a post a while back on this thread where someone was talking about woofer excursion referring to subs, and implying that the more excursion the better, but I've read and heard from some car audio hardcore's and thought myself that, to a reasonable extent, lower excursion subs can be better for punch and accuracy, with a trade off from the "boom boom". Any thoughts?

That might be true. But the output from the subwoofer depends on the driver size and excursion just to name a couple. What I am trying to say is that a larger driver with a longer excursion is preferable, and it's likely to have a larger voice coil which will dissipate heat better and a larger magnet too. I think if you want a 10 inch driver then perhaps shorter excursion is better. But not so with larger drivers in the 12 to 15 in. range. I wouldn't wouldn't settle for a subwoofer smaller than 12 in. That is of course my preference.

[Cpt_Dylan_Hunt]

Originally Posted by rwojtalewicz

Yes. So true. I have a Yamaha V663 receiver. Even with the flat setting, YPAO applied +6.0 db for all 7 of my speakers in the 6K to 8K range. I didn't fancy that much boost being applied. It sounded way too bright. I ended up setting EQ = OFF. Besides, both YPAO and the graphic equalizer are only correcting for the position where you put the microphone or SPL meter if you use the graphic equalizer. Others seated elsewhere won't be getting the benefit anyway. I A/B'ed PEQ (flat) versus EQ = OFF. The latter sounded better to me.


That might be true. But the output from the subwoofer depends on the driver size and excursion just to name a couple. What I am trying to say is that a larger driver with a longer excursion is preferable, and it's likely to have a larger voice coil which will dissipate heat better and a larger magnet too. I think if you want a 10 inch driver then perhaps shorter excursion is better. But not so with larger drivers in the 12 to 15 in. range. I wouldn't wouldn't settle for a subwoofer smaller than 12 in. That is of course my preference.

A lot of people will disagree with that if the primary use is music. And some 10 inchers can outperform some 12 inchers in every way so I'm not sure what you mean there either. I would rather have a good 10 inch than a crappy 12 inch any day.

I've met a few pretty hardcore car audio guys who swear by 10 inch subs.

[Cpt_Dylan_Hunt]

Oh, and I don't set the EQ to off, I do it manually. Off makes my speakers sound hollow almost. Missing detial for sure.

[Yeha-Noha]

Originally Posted by Cpt_Dylan_Hunt

Oh, and I don't set the EQ to off, I do it manually. Off makes my speakers sound hollow almost. Missing detial for sure.

Sure, it can be useful in some rooms. I haven't have actually tried the graphic equalizer. I can try it to see if it makes a difference. I have an SPL meter and test tones on DVE that I can use to set the equalizer. What did you use to adjust your equalizer's settings?

[Cpt_Dylan_Hunt]

Originally Posted by rwojtalewicz

Sure, it can be useful in some rooms. I haven't have actually tried the graphic equalizer. I can try it to see if it makes a difference. I have an SPL meter and test tones on DVE that I can use to set the equalizer. What did you use to adjust your equalizer's settings?

I used test tones, music and my ears. No SPL meter. But I know without a doubt once so ever my speakers are more true to real life with the manual EQ I did. But I know how the music is supposed to sound on good speakers, and I also know what the common complaints about the c-500s are (lack of upper mids and lower treble with almost any main brand receiver driving them).

[Yeha-Noha]

Originally Posted by Cpt_Dylan_Hunt

I used test tones, music and my ears. No SPL meter. But I know without a doubt once so ever my speakers are more true to real life with the manual EQ I did. But I know how the music is supposed to sound on good speakers, and I also know what the common complaints about the c-500s are (lack of upper mids and lower treble with almost any main brand receiver driving them).

I'd have to rely on using my SPL meter and test tones.

I'm in the tweaking mood today. So what the heck, I might as well give it a shot. I never actually thought about trying that equalizer.

YPAO gave me a hint of what to aim for, the 6 Hz droop in the response of my C-series speakers. But I'll use whatever other frequency bands are available on the graphic equalizer to correct other major nulls and peaks if necessary.

[Cpt_Dylan_Hunt]

Originally Posted by rwojtalewicz

I'd have to rely on using my SPL meter and test tones.

I'm in the tweaking mood today. So what the heck, I might as well give it a shot. I never actually thought about trying that equalizer.

YPAO gave me a hint of what to aim for, the 6 Hz droop in the response of my C-series speakers. But I'll use whatever other frequency bands are available on the graphic equalizer to correct other major nulls and peaks if necessary.

I'd do it that way if I had a good SPL meter. But I know I'm never going to get it "perfect" with that graphic equalizer either, so i let my ears guide me. I first researched common complaints, reviews, and anything I could find regarding specifics in the c-500 sound. Surprisingly, many of the complaints I agreed with and already noticed myself. Knowing what to listen for, I used the test tones only to sort of tune in my ears so I have more accurate idea of what it is I'm adjusting, and then adjusted it to music. Not the most scientific method, but speaker preference is subjective anyway, and this time at lest, I know I impoved realism.

It was actually pretty fun. I wouldn't mind using a good SPL meter. I need to get one. But if it indicated to lower the 6+k range example, I would KNOW it is malfunctioning lol.

I ended up giving a little boost to the 2.5 range, and double that boost to the 6k range. My numbers will be irrelevant for you, but it was a 3db boost at the 6k setting, and either 1 or 1.5 at the 2.5k setting in the graphic equalizer. I cant quite decide on the 1 or 1.5. lol

Oh, and let me know how it goes dude.

[BigAl87]

Capt I think I did suggest for my part comparing the V10 vs the Sunfire for output or SPL persay the that the sunfire would probably put out bigger numbers. For accuracy I wont take that away from the ESW-V10 I find it to be one of the most accurate subs I heard , honestly I'd take that sub over a crap load of 12 inchers.

Man I am myself a car audio fanatic hehe and I enjoy my JL subs and I like 8 inchers for music got 2 of em with a 10 and it's fantastic. Lots of people like kids love the boom boom but does it sound good??? let me doubt that.

I have to agree the V-10 is a better all arround performer than the s10.3 if you ask me too. I did sing the praise of that sub but alot of people state that it does not go low enough but did they have a listen to it?

It's all a matter of taste, I will agree for HT a sub that can hit the low notes is awsome.
S10.3 got some great reviews for HT but to me does not sound half as accurate as the v10. The 12.3 must be a killer in HT setups.

[Yeha-Noha]

Originally Posted by Cpt_Dylan_Hunt

I'd do it that way if I had a good SPL meter. But I know I'm never going to get it "perfect" with that graphic equalizer either, so i let my ears guide me. I first researched common complaints, reviews, and anything I could find regarding specifics in the c-500 sound. Surprisingly, many of the complaints I agreed with and already noticed myself. Knowing what to listen for, I used the test tones only to sort of tune in my ears so I have more accurate idea of what it is I'm adjusting, and then adjusted it to music. Not the most scientific method, but speaker preference is subjective anyway, and this time at lest, I know I impoved realism

It was actually pretty fun. I wouldn't mind using a good SPL meter. I need to get one. But if it indicated to lower the 6+k range example, I would KNOW it is malfunctioning lol.

I ended up giving a little boost to the 2.5 range, and double that boost to the 6k range. My numbers will be irrelevant for you, but it was a 3db boost at the 6k setting, and either 1 or 1.5 at the 2.5k setting in the graphic equalizer. I cant quite decide on the 1 or 1.5. lol

Oh, and let me know how it goes dude.

Yep, that's what I'm anxious to find out, what my SPL meter reads for the 6 KHz tone just for starters. Then I'll deal with other modes and nulls.

After it's complete, I'll post my results here. First, I have to wait until everyone leaves the house. There's too much chatter and running around for me to try it just yet and get reliable results. Or, I suppose, after the women (wife and two daughters) hear 6 K Hz tones at 75 db SPL , they'll go screaming out of the house anyway.

[Cpt_Dylan_Hunt]

Originally Posted by BigAl87

Capt I think I did suggest for my part comparing the V10 vs the Sunfire for output or SPL persay the that the sunfire would probably put out bigger numbers. For accuracy I wont take that away from the ESW-V10 I find it to be one of the most accurate subs I heard , honestly I'd take that sub over a crap load of 12 inchers.

Man I am myself a car audio fanatic hehe and I enjoy my JL subs and I like 8 inchers for music got 2 of em with a 10 and it's fantastic. Lots of people like kids love the boom boom but does it sound good??? let me doubt that.

I have to agree the V-10 is a better all arround performer than the s10.3 if you ask me too. I did sing the praise of that sub but alot of people state that it does not go low enough but did they have a listen to it?

It's all a matter of taste, I will agree for HT a sub that can hit the low notes is awsome.
S10.3 got some great reviews for HT but to me does not sound half as accurate as the v10. The 12.3 must be a killer in HT setups.

Ya man, and you know what, overall, the v10 will outperform the 10.3 for movies as well. that extra 3hz extention, only comes into play during certain scenes, whereas the v10s cirpser bass is constant. And we are only talking about 3 hz here.

But I have a s10.2 in my house right now, can take pictures for those who want to see it, and man, the tightness just doesnt come close. I like the sub overall though.

besides, 23 hz bottom end is actually really good for a 10 inch sub that does everything else so well. Ive seen many 12s that barely break through the 30s.

For HT, id say a good 12 that hits 18hz +-3db would be signifantly better for HT than the v10.

But in my HT, my v10 is seriously overkill. Like if i put on an opening scene of most star wars movies, when a ship is flying over, the coffee table is rumbling, windows rumbling, door frame sounds like itès gonna fall off. The sub is surprisngly good for HT, WHEN YOU HAVE IT CALIBRATED AND POSITIONED WELL.

I bet that Sunfire blows away my v10 for most things after looking at the specs man.

[Cpt_Dylan_Hunt]

Originally Posted by rwojtalewicz

Yep, that's what I'm anxious to find out, what my SPL meter reads for the 6 KHz tone just for starters. Then I'll deal with other modes and nulls.

After it's complete, I'll post my results here. First, I have to wait until everyone leaves the house. There's too much chatter and running around for me to try it just yet and get reliable results. Or, I suppose, after the women (wife and two daughters) hear 6 K Hz tones at 75 db SPL , they'll go screaming out of the house anyway.

I guess its kind of like tuning a guitar by ear vs using a guitar tuner. Only difference is, in the guitar world, its actually encouraged to use your ears. lol

[BigAl87]

Yup it sure will outperform my 10.3 it's not even 3 hz it's 2 hz lol. 23 vs 21 and as you said 23 hz is pretty darn low as you mentionned some 12 don't even break th 30hz barrier which is a shame.

[Cpt_Dylan_Hunt]

Originally Posted by BigAl87

Yup it sure will outperform my 10.3 it's not even 3 hz it's 2 hz lol. 23 vs 21 and as you said 23 hz is pretty darn low as you mentionned some 12 don't even break th 30hz barrier which is a shame.

haha ya your right, I was thinking about the SVS pb10nsds response.

Does the 10.3 have the music vs movies switch like the 10.2 does .. curious what you think of it and if you know what frequencies it boosts.

[BigAl87]

Originally Posted by Cpt_Dylan_Hunt

haha ya your right, I was thinking about the SVS pb10nsds response.

Does the 10.3 have the music vs movies switch like the 10.2 does .. curious what you think of it and if you know what frequencies it boosts.

Nope does not have the movie switch but it's surely made in Canada. Here's a pic of the back panel.



Well if you can find on this thread I think Callas describes it well. Look not sure how accurate the s10.2 is but the 10.3 is pretty good but obviously not as good as the V10 since I heard both. one thing I can say is when I heard this thing for the first time at FS I think top Gun was playing. I walked in the room to see what sub was playing since it was the biggest listening room in the store and I was shocked to find a single 10 produce all that bass.

I have it setup half gain and the pictures on the wall are shaking like there is no tomorow. It does hit low but unfotunately I cannot measure the SPL so it's hard to compare the numbers with the 10.2.
You know damn well you gotta hear it to beleive it when it comes to audio. Numbers don't tell all.

[Cpt_Dylan_Hunt]

Originally Posted by BigAl87

Nope does not have the movie switch but it's surely made in Canada. Here's a pic of the back panel.



Well if you can find on this thread I think Callas describes it well. Look not sure how accurate the s10.2 is but the 10.3 is pretty good but obviously not as good as the V10 since I heard both. one thing I can say is when I heard this thing for the first time at FS I think top Gun was playing. I walked in the room to see what sub was playing since it was the biggest listening room in the store and I was shocked to find a single 10 produce all that bass.

I have it setup half gain and the pictures on the wall are shaking like there is no tomorow. It does hit low but unfotunately I cannot measure the SPL so it's hard to compare the numbers with the 10.2.
You know damn well you gotta hear it to beleive it when it comes to audio. Numbers don't tell all.

You sure do. That's why it's called audio lol!

And I know the 10.3 is a good sub. the 10.2 even impressed me. The 10.2 looks very similar in appearance. And I have no doubt the 10.3 is better. The V series is just tighter, and like easier to pick out the different parts of bass if that makes any sense.

And like I said before, for the price of a SVS pb10nsd, which is probably the 10.3s and the v10s closest bang for the buck equivalent, you can have 2 10.3s over one pb10. I'd choose 2 10.3s any day!

And made in Canada rules!

[Cpt_Dylan_Hunt]

Oh, here is that Energy c-500 autopsy I mentioned earlier on, it's on this page:

http://www.zaphaudio.com/blog.html