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Energy Owners Thread - Page 623

post #18661 of 47770
4/26/10 at 10:16am
Does anyone have any experience with the Energy RC In-wall/In-Ceiling speakers? I just bought a new house with an unfinished basement where my 5.1 setup will eventually go. However the way it will be laid out means the left wall will be further outside of the seating area then the right, so I was thinking that in ceiling for the surrounds might work best.

Are they worth the price tag?

Would i be "ok" to mount RC-R's flush against the ceiling (facing downwards)? I would probably build a box to recess into the ceiling a bit so I could point them on a bit of an angle)
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post #18662 of 47770
4/26/10 at 11:13am
Quote:


Would i be "ok" to mount RC-R's flush against the ceiling (facing downwards)? I would probably build a box to recess into the ceiling a bit so I could point them on a bit of an angle)

I could be wrong, but I wouldn't think you would want them to recess in the ceiling because I think they are designed to have the sound bounce off of adjacent walls, etc. for imaging purposes.
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post #18663 of 47770
4/26/10 at 3:57pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by caper_1 View Post

I have had the Take FPS for just over a month now, L/R/C. See below for a pic. I haven't demo'd much else, so I really can't give you any comparisons, but I can tell you they sound fabulous. I wish I had them in black but I bought used and at $100 Canadian each, I can't complain! I am driving them with a Yamaha RX-V565. If anyone else is reading this, I would like suggestions on Surround/Surround Back with this setup. I am also in Canada. Cheers.


Hi Caper!

Many Thanks for your input! Can you tell me more about the overall sound quality? Are they good with both music & movies? Do they offer a good level of slam & depth when watching movies with a strong body? The only thing with the orbs was that I felt that lacked that bit of slam & depth - they sounded really clear but a little lacking in body & dynamics - how do you find these? What is the bass output like, given they have two 4.5" drivers?

Many Thanks!

Bazzy!
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post #18664 of 47770
4/26/10 at 4:05pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Joseph Clark View Post

I use a 5.1 set of Orb Mod 1s in my computer room. I really like them for this environment. They're very clean, and with the little Orb 8" sub, they sound great for the limited space. I put them in my main home theater as an experiment, just to see how they would sound there. As you have discovered, the little drivers simply don't have the oomph to fill even a moderately sized room - not even close. I have RC-10s in a bedroom system, and I'm madly in love with these little speakers. If you can find them, and they're within your budget, I doubt you'd regret it. I heard the Mythos speakers in a demo some time ago, but I can't remember too much about them.


Hi Joseph!

I have the Orb Mod4's which do make quite a big difference compared to teh Mod1's and the sound is plenty loud and big enough to fill my room (believe me!) but it just lacks that little bit of slam & depth you get from larger speakers if you know what I mean? The rest of it really does sound great to my ears anyway!

Aesthetically, the RC-10's are not what I am looking for but the Take FPS look ideal! May I ask, have you heard them & what were your thoughts if so?

Many Thanks!
Bazzy!
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post #18665 of 47770
4/26/10 at 4:57pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bazzy View Post

Hi Joseph!

I have the Orb Mod4's which do make quite a big difference compared to teh Mod1's and the sound is plenty loud and big enough to fill my room (believe me!) but it just lacks that little bit of slam & depth you get from larger speakers if you know what I mean? The rest of it really does sound great to my ears anyway!

Aesthetically, the RC-10's are not what I am looking for but the Take FPS look ideal! May I ask, have you heard them & what were your thoughts if so?

Many Thanks!
Bazzy!

No, I haven't heard the Take's. I had Mod2's in my main home theater for a couple of days (but it took me about 10 seconds to figure out they would never work for me there). Mod1's and Mod2's (a Mod1 is one Orb globe, Mod2's are two Orb globes on a little stand) sound great, but, IMO, they're seriously deficient in the midrange. I love the little Orb 8" sub, which does a great job of filling in the low end at moderate volume levels. However, the Orbs simply don't hold a candle to the RC-10s. I'd have RC-10's at my computer station if I had the space, but I don't. The Orbs work great there. They may be lacking in the midrange, but the sound they produce is crystal clear. I can't compare the RC-10s to the Takes, but there are comparisons within this thread, so you may find something helpful with a search. Good luck.
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post #18666 of 47770
4/26/10 at 5:29pm
Probably been asked here a thousand times but I cant seem to find specifics. Anyone here with C-100s mounted "in-wall"? Not on brackets but built into a wall cavity? I am using 100s for my 4 surrounds and 300s for fronts but I want to mount my surrounds in wall and not sure if its a good idea or not. Any help??
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post #18667 of 47770
4/26/10 at 5:54pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Iusteve View Post

Probably been asked here a thousand times but I cant seem to find specifics. Anyone here with C-100s mounted "in-wall"? Not on brackets but built into a wall cavity? I am using 100s for my 4 surrounds and 300s for fronts but I want to mount my surrounds in wall and not sure if its a good idea or not. Any help??

I actually don't remember that question being asked here.

It doesn't sound like a good idea, but I suppose it could work. The problem is that to find out you're going to have to do some cutting into your wall. That's some disfiguring experimenting.

Making good sounding in-wall speakers is hard, or everyone would have been doing it for a long time. It looks better, with the speakers hidden out of sight. But burying them in the wall might create resonances that won't sound very good. You'd have to plug the ports, obviously, and try to provide as much insulation around the speakers as you could, so that the wall cavity itself wouldn't become a big echo chamber. If they're so distasteful to you aesthetically, you might try to figure out a clever way of disguising them on the wall - maybe as faux (or real) lighting sconces or other decorative items. You might think about that before you go tearing into the walls.
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post #18668 of 47770
4/26/10 at 6:07pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Joseph Clark View Post

I actually don't remember that question being asked here.

It doesn't sound like a good idea, but I suppose it could work. The problem is that to find out you're going to have to do some cutting into your wall. That's some disfiguring experimenting.

Making good sounding in-wall speakers is hard, or everyone would have been doing it for a long time. It looks better, with the speakers hidden out of sight. But burying them in the wall might create resonances that won't sound very good. You'd have to plug the ports, obviously, and try to provide as much insulation around the speakers as you could, so that the wall cavity itself wouldn't become a big echo chamber. If they're so distasteful to you aesthetically, you might try to figure out a clever way of disguising them on the wall - maybe as faux (or real) lighting sconces or other decorative items. You might think about that before you go tearing into the walls.

Well I am designing a new theater and wanted to clean up the space a bit so I thought about implementing them into some columns so there will be no cutting.

I was hoping someone would say sure no problem go for it
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post #18669 of 47770
4/26/10 at 7:42pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Iusteve View Post

Well I am designing a new theater and wanted to clean up the space a bit so I thought about implementing them into some columns so there will be no cutting.

I was hoping someone would say sure no problem go for it

Sure, that could work well and look great. Just be careful of the columns creating unwanted resonances. See my comments above. If done right, that idea could work cosmetically without compromising the sound. It could be just like mounting them on a wall. It could be disguised easily.
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post #18670 of 47770
4/26/10 at 7:49pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Iusteve View Post

Probably been asked here a thousand times but I cant seem to find specifics. Anyone here with C-100s mounted "in-wall"? Not on brackets but built into a wall cavity? I am using 100s for my 4 surrounds and 300s for fronts but I want to mount my surrounds in wall and not sure if its a good idea or not. Any help??

While this topic is really beyond my level of understanding - my novice understanding is that mounting a monitor into the wall so that the front baffle and wall are flush is going to greatly effect the sound because you've effectively changed the front baffle size.

Unfortunately that's about as far as my knowledge on the topic goes.

To gain a better understanding, you could looking into the topic of baffle step compensation.
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post #18671 of 47770
4/26/10 at 8:36pm
I feel like if you are going to put a speaker in a wall, you should get an "in wall" speaker which was specifically designed for this task. The C-C100 is a rear-ported bass reflex design, I don't think it would work well built into a wall.
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post #18672 of 47770
4/26/10 at 8:39pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bazzy View Post

Hi Caper!

Many Thanks for your input! Can you tell me more about the overall sound quality? Are they good with both music & movies? Do they offer a good level of slam & depth when watching movies with a strong body? The only thing with the orbs was that I felt that lacked that bit of slam & depth - they sounded really clear but a little lacking in body & dynamics - how do you find these? What is the bass output like, given they have two 4.5" drivers?

Many Thanks!

Bazzy!

the "slam" and "depth" is going to come from the subwoofer with any smallish speaker. The Take FPS will definitely play deeper than the tiny Orbs so you can use a lower crossover (e.g. 90-100Hz) which will help, but in this respect they can't compare to the dynamics of a full-sized tower speaker.

For the price, they are pretty unbeatable if you require a "flat panel speaker" which is wall mountable. "There is no replacement for displacement" as they say, and while they are still a small enclosure they are signficantly larger than the Orbs and will probably have better extension and dynamics, so in that respect they will be an upgrade. They have the typical Energy sound, fairly neutral, clear and balanced, not going to give you "sparkly" highs but will sound good with most anything you can through at it.... as long as your expectations are realistic regarding the capability of a flat panel type speaker.
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post #18673 of 47770
4/26/10 at 9:02pm
He was talking about C-100s, not C-C100s, and if he builds them into "columns" carefully, they could end up sounding like any other wall mounted speakers. That is, you could design a "column" that would have the appearance of a standard column without "smothering" the sound. If he builds a standard column and simply encloses the speaker in it, all the caveats would apply.
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post #18674 of 47770
4/27/10 at 3:22am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Joseph Clark View Post

He was talking about C-100s, not C-C100s, and if he builds them into "columns" carefully, they could end up sounding like any other wall mounted speakers. That is, you could design a "column" that would have the appearance of a standard column without "smothering" the sound. If he builds a standard column and simply encloses the speaker in it, all the caveats would apply.

Ty yes I was referring to the C-100s, Now what is the "proper" way to go about this?
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post #18675 of 47770
4/27/10 at 5:48am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bazzy View Post

Hi Caper!

Many Thanks for your input! Can you tell me more about the overall sound quality? Are they good with both music & movies? Do they offer a good level of slam & depth when watching movies with a strong body? The only thing with the orbs was that I felt that lacked that bit of slam & depth - they sounded really clear but a little lacking in body & dynamics - how do you find these? What is the bass output like, given they have two 4.5" drivers?

Many Thanks!

Bazzy!

Watching movies or listening to music are both phenomenal, but I am also using a fantastic sub (Monitor Audio RS-W12). The speakers have great mids and high end, but the low end is a little lacking I believe, as they are a flat panel speaker and not a bookshelf, but that's where the sub comes in. Really though, unless you have huge towers, most times a sub is required to supplement your setup anyway. The music I listen to is rock/metal (Metallica, AC-DC, KISS, etc) and the movies I watch are Action/Sci-Fi (New Star Trek, Law Abiding Citizen, etc...). I have no complaints, trust me. Too bad you couldn't audition somewhere.
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post #18676 of 47770
4/27/10 at 5:49am
Guys I know this is a general speaker question but specifically for Energy speakers (2 RC-Mini's) how will the sound differ once it's broken in?
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post #18677 of 47770
4/27/10 at 6:56am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Drew_V View Post

One of the corners of my RC-50's came from Vann's like that. It was brand new, damaged in shipping.

The problem is that the wimpy foam supports they use for the corners aren't strong enough to handle the weight, especially if the box is dropped on its corner from any higher than 6 inches or so.

I had the same problem with one of my RC-70's where it was busted on one of the corners. Do I blame the shipping company... a little but the packing by Energy is just lousy. Every single foam support in all of my larger speaker packing was broken at every corner even though the box itself was intact. They sure would save some money on returns if they would learn to package better. Fortunately the speakers sound good.
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post #18678 of 47770
4/27/10 at 7:30am
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Originally Posted by Bravo1 View Post

I had the same problem with one of my RC-70's where it was busted on one of the corners. Do I blame the shipping company... a little but the packing by Energy is just lousy. Every single foam support in all of my larger speaker packing was broken at every corner even though the box itself was intact. They sure would save some money on returns if they would learn to package better. Fortunately the speakers sound good.

Keep in mind that Energy used to be sold only in stores, and not online. They didn't design the packaging with shipping individual boxes in mind. They're closing out many of these products, so they certainly aren't going to invest in redesigned packaging now.

But you're correct, single box with lightweight Styrofoam is not the proper packaging for shipping such heavy speakers. There is where the retailer needs to be good about adding additional packaging for protection. Although I'm sure it isn't easy to find larger boxes to double box the RC-70...
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post #18679 of 47770
4/27/10 at 8:04am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Iusteve View Post

Ty yes I was referring to the C-100s, Now what is the "proper" way to go about this?

I don't know that there's a "proper" way of doing this, but I have an idea for fake columns that might give you the aesthetic look you seem to be going for without compromising the sound.

I'll post later today with more details. I'll be gone for several hours.
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post #18680 of 47770
4/27/10 at 11:15am
Quote:
Originally Posted by batpig View Post

I feel like if you are going to put a speaker in a wall, you should get an "in wall" speaker which was specifically designed for this task. The C-C100 is a rear-ported bass reflex design, I don't think it would work well built into a wall.

I agree..... I wouldn't mess around with trying to create an in-wall mount for a speaker that is not designed to be one. Sell the C-100's and put the money toward some Energy in-wall designed speakers.. they will look better, sound better and mount easier...

You can get a pair of Energy EAS 6W's for $249 on Ebay....
http://cgi.ebay.com/NEW-ENERGY-EAS-6...item27b03e85f9
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post #18681 of 47770
4/27/10 at 11:28am
Hey Guys, Could you please tell me how the Energy CF-30 Floor-standers Compare with the Polk Audio Monitor 70 Floor-standers?

Thanx
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post #18682 of 47770
4/27/10 at 11:51am
The CF-30s are smaller than the Polk 70s (36" tall as opposed to 42") with smaller woofers (5.5" as opposed to 6.5"). Expectedly, this results in the CF-30s not going quite as low as the Polk 70s (43Hz as opposed to 30Hz... though you should always take frequency response specifications with a grain of salt). This doesn't matter much if you're going to be pairing them with a subwoofer.

You can find the Polk 70s at Newegg for $220 each shipped. You can find the CF-30s for $160 each shipped at Electronics Expo (using a certain coupon code).

Polks, reportedly, have a brighter sound while Energy is knowing for having more neutral or balanced sound.

For $160, I'd go with the CF-30s myself, but I'm predisposed towards Energy.
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post #18683 of 47770
4/27/10 at 2:33pm
On the topic of placing C-100s in columns in a wall, for home theater use:

Placing speakers in walls, or cabinets, if they're not specifically designed to fit there, can create some nasty side effects. Many people, though, mount speakers on walls or put them on the tops of bookcases or other furniture. What I was suggesting earlier was that, if you wanted to hide the speakers for aesthetic purposes, you could build fake columns along the walls of your home theater space. Imagine, instead of a column, a smallish bookcase of the same size. You could, in effect, build a column that would have a "top," like a bookcase (for the speaker), but cosmetically you could extend it so that it appeared to go all the way from the floor to the ceiling. The speaker would appear to be inside a fully enclosed column, but it would in fact be mostly open to the room - eliminating, or minimizing, the nasty sounds you get when you enclose a speaker that wasn't designed to fit inside a wall. You could use acoustically transparent speaker fabric to cover the column's exterior, hiding the fact that the speaker was there at all. For all intents and purposes, it would function pretty much like any wall mounted speaker, but the WAF would likely be much better. If you wanted to be even more clever, you could build some DVD/Blu-ray storage shelves into the columns, too.
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post #18684 of 47770
4/27/10 at 5:32pm
Looking to buy surround & surround back speakers in Canada. Anyone know where and what speaker I should get to compliment Take FPS mains/center? I would prefer a smaller speaker
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post #18685 of 47770
4/27/10 at 5:48pm
Some please reassure me that this deal from Future Shop is a good deal, or should I wait for it to drop... the guy at Future Shop will sell me RC-70's at $749 each. That's $1500 out of my pocket...
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post #18686 of 47770
4/27/10 at 6:13pm
Eh, not the worst deal in the world, but it's not a "can't-turn-it-down" type of deal, either.

I've seen RC-70s go for between $850 and $1200 on eBay and through sellers here on AVS. The $1200 pair was brand new, too. The $850 was lightly used with no visible marks on the cabinets.

Bottom line is that better deals can be had. But with the inventory clearing out like it has been, maybe $1500 isn't so bad. Only time will tell.

My father always used to tell me, "If YOU think it's a good deal, then go for it. It doesn't matter what other people think."
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post #18687 of 47770
4/27/10 at 6:21pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Joseph Clark View Post

On the topic of placing C-100s in columns in a wall, for home theater use:

Placing speakers in walls, or cabinets, if they're not specifically designed to fit there, can create some nasty side effects. Many people, though, mount speakers on walls or put them on the tops of bookcases or other furniture. What I was suggesting earlier was that, if you wanted to hide the speakers for aesthetic purposes, you could build fake columns along the walls of your home theater space. Imagine, instead of a column, a smallish bookcase of the same size. You could, in effect, build a column that would have a "top," like a bookcase (for the speaker), but cosmetically you could extend it so that it appeared to go all the way from the floor to the ceiling. The speaker would appear to be inside a fully enclosed column, but it would in fact be mostly open to the room - eliminating, or minimizing, the nasty sounds you get when you enclose a speaker that wasn't designed to fit inside a wall. You could use acoustically transparent speaker fabric to cover the column's exterior, hiding the fact that the speaker was there at all. For all intents and purposes, it would function pretty much like any wall mounted speaker, but the WAF would likely be much better. If you wanted to be even more clever, you could build some DVD/Blu-ray storage shelves into the columns, too.

This is exactly what I was thinking. Build a sort of pedestal to my desired height (not sure what that is yet) with a platform on it, set the C-100 on it then have the pedestal go up from there to the ceiling. The key I assume is to leave the speakers space on all sides?? (tell me if I am wrong) Then I would make a frame for in front of the speakers and wrap it with speaker fabric or whatever and friction fit it in place as if it were a speaker grille? Correct?? I assume this same setup would be ok for the C-C100 center as well as the C-300 fronts I have??
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post #18688 of 47770
4/27/10 at 8:36pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Iusteve View Post

This is exactly what I was thinking. Build a sort of pedestal to my desired height (not sure what that is yet) with a platform on it, set the C-100 on it then have the pedestal go up from there to the ceiling. The key I assume is to leave the speakers space on all sides?? (tell me if I am wrong) Then I would make a frame for in front of the speakers and wrap it with speaker fabric or whatever and friction fit it in place as if it were a speaker grille? Correct?? I assume this same setup would be ok for the C-C100 center as well as the C-300 fronts I have??

I'm not sure it's such a good idea for the front sound stage. They are going to sound a lot better if you give them room to "breathe." They'll give a broader and deeper sound stage if you don't confine them. It's much more important for the front than for the surrounds. That said, we have to do what we have to do. I don't have enough room in my home theater to give my RC-70s the space they really need. It's not an ideal arrangement. I did bring them out into the room as much as I possibly could, though. Audyssey helped to compensate for the less than ideal placement I had to settle for.

Yes, you interpreted my suggestions for the faux columns correctly. I think you could make that work.
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post #18689 of 47770
4/28/10 at 7:36am
Hey guys, I thought I wanted to throw together an Energy HT system, but after reading the last 30 pages or so I keep seeing "discontinued" pop up.

I've tried contacting Energy about exactly what has been or will be cut from the line, but I have not received a response yet.

Does anybody have information about the scope of this? I don't know if I want to buy into a line that will be gone from the market even if the speakers are on sale.

What has been your experience with finding parts or having service on these units? Does anybody think this will be a problem in 2 years / 5 years from now?

ANY information on the future of Energy products and the company would be appreciated.

J
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post #18690 of 47770
4/28/10 at 8:31am
I wouldn't worry about buying discontinued models. Actually all my current speakers are discontinued models and I'm not worried at all. I have Energy RC speakers, Jamo E680/E660s and some Advent speakers I got on clearance.

I don't blast or abuse my speakers so I have no concerns. I've had one speaker go out on me in over 30 years of owning equipment and it was because some knucklehead turned the volume all the way up on my receiver 10 years ago when I had little satellites attached. Don't have parties like that any more.

I think Energy will be around so parts should be available but I have no concrete evidence.

I highly doubt you'll get some inside info on Energy's plans because when I talked to the sales people at Vanns, they didn't know the full story of the RC line except that certain colors were discontinued.

If you're are truly worried then don't make the purchase but it wouldn't bother me and hasn't.
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