Energy Take Classic 5.1 vs. Polk Amazon Deal

So you already own these speakers? Or is that what you're looking to order from Amazon?

I am a HUGE fan of Amazon and recently contemplated some of the same questions.

I have pretty limited speaker mount options so I needed something small. I had a few requirements, small/compact size, an upgrade in sound quality from my Polk RM6750 from 2005 and a tiny center channel since that was my biggest obstacle.

I finally settled on the Energy RC-Micro's because the center channel was so small and had a keyhole mount on the back. This meant I could mount it flush against the wall (much like the Take Classics.)

I've been a Polk fan for years but decided to switch to Energy because I found the Energy speakers seemed to be much "brighter" and generally added a lot more clarity with movies and a lot of different genres of music. The specs on the Take Classic appeared to be slightly better better than the RC-Micro in that the center/satellite channels go down to 110/115Hz as opposed to the 150Hz on the RC-Micro. However, the RC-Micro has been reported to have better build quality and uses nicer materials (per Energy).

As for Polk's system, the only package I'd consider in the compact range is their new Blackstone series. They have a TL1, TL2 and (soon to be released) TL3. The TL1 isn't quite up to par with the other systems you've mentioned above. The TL2 is going to be right in line with the KEF C series and Energy Take Classic and RC-Micro. The TL3 will be the biggest advancement yet in the small speaker world and uses the same technology their high speakers have (ring radiator.) Unfortunately, the TL3 won't be released until late February and according to the Polk rep, the initial MSRP for a package is going to run about $750 (without a sub.)

I can appreciate what you're going through here as I went through the same thing a few weeks ago. But ultimately, most of the packages mentioned here are VERY close in specs, quality and sound. Ultimately this means only you can make the decision as to which works best for you. If I was choosing between a Polk TL2 and an Energy Take Classic, I'd pick the Energy. The Polk's always have (in my opinion) a nice rich and warm sound which is great for music, but just lack a bit of clarity when it comes to TV, Movies and anything with dialogue. I think the Energy just fits more situations. That being said, Polk is a great brand and I wouldn't think twice about getting a set. It really comes down to your personal preference. Given your room size you may even want to consider the Energy RC-Micro. They are just bigger than a baseball, in a nice piano black finish and look great mounted around the room. A very sleek look with my new Sony 55NX810.

As for the free Polk subwoofer. I wouldn't even let a weak sub be a determining decision. Your AVR has an option for 2 subwoofers and (in my opinion), 2 weak subwoofers that are properly placed at WAY better than one great subwoofer. So regardless of what you choose, I'd think about dropping another $100-$300 and adding another sub placed elsewhere in the room. You will notice a huge improvement in how well blended the sound is in the system.

I'd probably choose the following.

#1: Polk Audio Blackstone TL3 - MSRP $749 w/out sub, Not for sale yet - Not available now and really $ but is the best option in this "range".

Tied for #2: Energy RC-Micro - MSRP - $999, On sale for $399 from Crutchfield.com - Lots of clarity and big sound in a little package.

Tied for #2: Energy Take Classic - MSRP $599, On sale for $399 from Amazon.com - Slightly better specs in the center channel from the RC-Micro's but apparently the build-quality is just below the RC-Micro. I'd call it a dead-heat with these two, both being awesome systems!

#3: Polk Audio TL2 - MSRP $499 w/out sub, On sale for $499 and includes a free PSW111 from Amazon.com. In my opinion, the sound quality is probably better for music (depending on genre) than the Energy's, but Polk's compact speakers tend to get a little "muddy" with dialogue in movies and such.

#4: KEF C Series - MSRP $1,149, On sale for $1,067 from Amazon.com. Although I think these are awesome, that price tag is just too big to make them competitive with these options.

These prices for the whole set or a pair?

entire set...

I'd feel more comfortable recommending this 500 budget system.

2 pairs of Polk monitor 30's, Polk cs1 center, bic f12 subwoofer

Crutchfield is offering the same deal with the polk set. You can upgrade to a better sub and get a $300 credit towards another polk sub. I am looking at the tl250 with a dsw440 sub. As started before, the tl lacks clarity for movies but still are a decent speaker set for the price. I heard the paradigm cinema 220 series and enjoyed them both for music and movies but they are three time the price of the polk set up.

How are the polk tl2 compared to the klipsch quintet? I was going to buy the klipsch until I stumble on to this post. I usually watch games and movies.
I play mostly games and watch movies. What would you guys recommend?

Well, after days of research and reading all these forums, I bought the Energy Take Classic 5.0 for $129 from newegg.com I also ordered a new BIC V-80 sub (that's all I could fit in the spot it needs to go in) to go along with Onkyo TX-NR709. Before the Energy speakers came, I tried to plugin my old Sony HTIB leftovers. And they sounded ok, one was broken, so I was working with 4 speakers. So the new Energy's came yesterday, I re-ran the audyssey, just the quick setup for now, and I can't say I'm impressed. Music sounds pretty good in Neo 6 mode, worse in Dolby. But my biggest concern is watching TV Shows and movies from Comcast Cable. Something just doesn't sound right, it's almost worse than the sony's. Doesn't make sense with all the positive reviews for that system. My local TigerDerect (CompUSA) has Energy RC-Micro 5.0 for $129 as well, wonder if those would be any better or if I should have gone with the Polk TL250 or Moartin Logan MLT-2, I haven't heard those in person, just read the reviews. I still can't believe the Energy's didn't impress me at all. I'm going to try to mount them differently tonight and run the advanced Audyssey setup. And I wonder how much difference speaker wire makes, cause the one I ordered ended up being way thinner then I was expecting.

Do you have the subwoofer connected? You said you ordered one but didn't say it arrived.

I can tell you this, the Energy Take Classic will sound like crap w/o a subwoofer in the mix. That's a guarantee. Its got a 3" driver so you can only get so much sound from them. You need to integrate them with the subwoofer.

Yes, the sub actually arrived be for the Energys and I first tried it with my old HTIB sony's and somehow I felt they almost sounded better, which just can't be true. But I've been playing with all the settings and seems setting dynamic volume to light helps a lot, not sure what re-eq does or dolby volume, if I turn that on it turns dynamic volume off. In any case, I'll be mounting them this weekend and hope that after that and after I run the audyssey long setup version it'll sound a lot better. But I got to decide soon whether to keep them or go get the Energy RC-micro for the same price at compusa or to get something totally different like Polk RM or TL series or Martin Logan MLT-2 or something. Wish there was a way to listen to all of them with the same music in the same room

RC Micro is a smaller speaker than the Take Classic. I don't see how it would be a significant improvement when it only goes down to 150hz.

The Polk TL250 were actually recommended to me over the Take Classic setup by Crutchfield. I sent an inquiry a while back and they were a big help in determining what would work better for my setup.

Sorry to revive this thread, but I have a question. I'm in the process of upgrading my home theater setup, the theme of which is definitely "bang for your buck".

Fronts: BIC Dv62si
Center: BIC FH6
Sub: BIC F12 (about to order)
Receiver: Denon AVR-1913 7.1 (about to order)

For the four satellites, I'm debating between using Energy Take Classics or Polk TL2s. Right now, Amazon has the Classics 5.0 set for $198, and lists the TL2s for $95 each. How do these speakers compare in terms of surround satellite usage? Are the TL2s any better? If so, are they worth double the cost of the Classics?

One final question: What speaker wire should I be using for this setup? I am currently using 18 gauge.

Thank you all for your help! I really appreciate it!

Your front's and center don't match. The center uses a horn tweeter and the fronts use a dome tweeter.

either get the DV62CLRS to match your fronts or the FH65B to match your current center

http://www.amazon.com/BIC-America-DV-62CLRS-Channel-Speaker/dp/B00009WBYL/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1360898799&sr=8-1&keywords=bic+center+channel+speaker

http://www.amazon.com/America-FH-65B-Bookshelf-Speakers-6-5IN/dp/B002ISTP8K/ref=pd_sim_e_3

Should have also mentioned that I'm a n00b...

Unfortunately, I already own the fronts and center...what kind of difference does having a tweeter vs a horn make--or having them mismatched? Again, thanks for your help.

Edit: Just found a "Horn vs Dome" thread on AVS. Makes sense now. I'll replace the center with an FH65B to match the fronts. Thanks for pointing that out. What do you think for the surround satellites? I also read some good reviews on here about NHT SuperZeroes. Any thoughts on those, TL250s or Energy Take Classics?
Edited by jazzedmurf - 2/14/13 at 7:49pm

I might be able to help a little. I wonder the same thing so i bought a set of Polk TL250's (5.0) with a Polk PSW111 for a sub and the Energy Take Classic 5.1 speaker system to see which sounded better to me. I liked the style of the Polk TL250's over the Take Classic's so i was hoping they sounded better. I won't get into the whole comparison thing since you are not using the fronts, center or sub but as for the rear surround postion's the Polk's did sound better then the Take Classic's. The Polks were warmer and disperse the sound up and more around the room. I am sure the design factor into the Polk TL250 satellite speaker has alot to do with that compared to the simple box shape of the Energy Take Classic satellite which fires the sound straight forward with a sweet spot. However, I was only able to listen and play around with the Polks for about a hour or 2 before one of the Polk TL250 blew and started making a HORRENDOUS noise! To me it sounded like the tweeter gave up and blew out. So i packed them back up and sent them back for a new replacement set. In the mean time i mounted up the Energy Take Classic's speakers and starting using them. At first i wasn't impressed with them but i must say after playing them for 30 to 40 hours they are starting to sound really nice. I was looking forward in getting the 2nd set of Polks back so i could put some real time on them but when the 2nd set arrived they were all busted up from "shipping damage." I couldn't believe it! Because UPS was paying for these i was not able to get a 3rd set, just my money back. Just for reference i had my rear surround speakers mounted on the wall about 5 feet high angled inward torwards the sitting positions about 10 feet apart. Hope that helps.

Thank you for your input--your comparison is exactly what I was looking for! I pulled the trigger a few days ago on the Energy Take Classics, and from your account it seems that the difference between the Classics and TL250s wouldn't have been worth the cost. I just received my Denon 1913 receiver and BIC 62CLRS center (thanks, afrogt!). I'm still waiting on the sub, speaker wire and connectors. I think the Classics will work really well as my four surround speakers, and I'll update once I have everything set up--hopefully the end of next week.

Question: What should I set the crossover frequency to for the sub, since I am not using the Classics as the fronts or center in my setup?

Thanks again for your input!

Since you've got a Denon 1913 plug in the microphone and run Audyssey again. you need to calibrate your room with the new speakers.

It'll probably set your front 3 to 60hz or 80hz. Set them at 80hz.

Satellites probably need to be set at 100hz or 120hz.

All speakers should be set to small if you have a subwoofer.

Thanks! I'm still waiting on the speaker wire, connectors, classics, and the sub. All should be in and set up by next week. I've never used the Audyssey setup method before--this is my first nice receiver--and I'm looking forward to giving it a go. I will definitely try your recommendations--thanks again!

Your right, I like Polk speakers but the sound difference doesn't justify buying the Polk TL250's. The Energy Take Classic speakers are hard to beat for the price they sell for. Remember to get about 30 or 40 hours on them before really cranking them up according to Energy. I run a Yamaha RX-V673 receiver and after running the YPAO on the speakers i set the crossover at 115hz.
Edited by RKSKYDANCER - 2/23/13 at 6:01pm