Energy Owners Thread - Page 814

I don't think I seen anyone say the RC-70 lacks bass.

I think you need a better receiver, Pioneer Elite should be fine.


What does this mean? I thought clear was a good thing.

I own an ESW-V10 but I normally listen to music as 2.0 with my RC-70s. While they won't match a sub's bass output they provide enough for my needs. Maybe a Rhythmik would change my mind but currently I prefer 2.0 over 2.1.

What crossover frequency to set with the RC 70's?
I have the BIC PL 200 sub. Currently have my speakers as LARGE in the receiver with the LFE crossover at 80Hz. I guess this would make the speakers small by default in the Denon AVR. May be i will just set it to small. Have turned the knob in the sub for the crossover freq all the way to 120Hz to let the receiver do all the processing.
Is 80Hz good or do i need to go lower to 60Hz? What are you folks using?
Thanks

I read quite a few reviews that state the bass is to clear. I believe alot of modern songs need that boomy or hard hits thump. I wont know untill Friday when they get here..
Ill try to find you one

This conversation is kind-of-blowing my mind... 'bass too clear?' I don't think I could have heard a more complete reassurance that my decision to tough it out until I can afford RC-50s (instead of wussing out and buying RC-30s) was a good one.

I think he is just used to hearing muddy, poorly defined bass with distortion from an old speaker style. Equating the absence of "unnatural boom" from the 70s as lacking somehow. When in actuality, the dual 6.5 inch Kevlar drivers with ribbed eliptical surrounds produce clean bass instead!

ding ding ding ding ding

WOW!

perspective is everything...

To me the rc-50's have bloated and uncontrolled bass.

Again for the price they are nice but when I get my finances better I will be moving on to another speaker... Could be years and I am ok living with the energy's - As I've said they are almost as good as the paradigm studio 60's overall

@mesasone and hernanu

Thanks, I'm sure a new AVR would make a big difference too even if some CD's are already amazing, it's just with my favorite songs that I find it to be too clear so I'll see before getting the sub. I was looking at that VSX-33 exactly, almost half the price on ebay than what we can get here in Canada...No wonder we don't know what to get here in Canada...

@ afrogt

I love the clear sound but without enough bass, I feel like it doesn't fill up the room as much or the mood is just not the same, like the song Riders on the Storm by the Doors, you need the bass! ;-) The rest sounds great but you know what I mean. It just adds more presence.

Some dance music is really weak I find but I had 15" woofers before so that's why I guess.

Nobody told me if I could use these JBL's on a new receiver to make them sound like a sub like my friend told me to do.

I'm not kidding, I got more bass with my pc speakers, Klipsch Pro Media 2.1. ;-(

I'm glad I didn't buy the Klipsch RF-82, I bet they would be even more clear and I didn't want that.

also by too clear I meant , like I was listening to a live show by The Doors again, and the guitar was not sounding as good as it should I feel. You know, you need to feel the different levels like in a live show, maybe natural distortion, I don't know, but on one song, it felt like I lost that feeling that I had before, don't know how to explain it...must be the distorsion but in live shows, you get some of that too...

I have read the word "mechanical" on some other site, maybe that's what I'm hearing too sometimes.

I would say that can be the consensus when 50s are first hooked up, but as the hours build on them, they sound better and better. If you have a good amount of hours on them and they sound that way on 2 channel music using a direct sound mode without a sub, then your room must really be exagerating the low end. And from most people's experiences, using the port plugs takes care of any room induced bass bloat. I am really surprised that they perform that poorly for you.....

My 70s came today! Perfect condition, here are my first impressions.

Really attractive in an understated way. Very impressive build quality. Love the gloss base. The magnetic grills are neat.

They are HEAVY!!

Not burned in, and at playing at medium volumes, but first listen...WOW!

Set up AVR (VSX-1020)on large with Sub off. Played selections off comcast music channels. First few songs were classic rock (Rush, Floyd, Stray Cats). Then some harder selections, Rob Zombie, Foo fighters. Nice bass (again not at high levels yet) in my 16 x 17 room (Carpet and furniture). Do not have bass plugs in.

Guitar on a blues selection (live Albert King) was very impressive. Nice sound-field, guitar sounded great (I play a bit). Actually think it handled the blues selection the best. Had one bad moment with a Muddy Waters track...then realized it was from 1955. You could clearly hear this was not exactly a great recording, which I think says a lot about these.

Set AVR to small and turned on sub (BICF12) Change to tone for sure, but not in a bad way at all. Maybe a tad crisper...now a bit of boom noticeable on Stray Cats. Pretty sure that is the sub. Odd, but Melivns "Lizzy" was not as boomy.

Clear mids, nice highs. Sound is articulate with no harshness...I fully get the "relaxed" moniker. And they are not broken in yet. If anyone is on the fence and these come up again, jump on them. Tremendous value.

Really delighted. The comments here helped me decided on these, so thanks all! Now I have to buy a LCR...

Sorry, but this quote makes it clear to me that you have gotten use to clear bass. I mate my RC-50's with a DIY 15" sub in a ported 2x2x2 box in a 15'x10' room and some people that listen to my system think I need more bass. I then break out the SPL meter and explain to them the difference between good bass and bad bass.

Those computer speakers are extremely boomy in the mid-bass region, which has distorted your perception of what good bass is.

I understand.
I don't mean I love that kind of bass from the Pro Media but it fills up the room, but that's in my bedroom and the 70's are in a large living room. I know I'm no expert...but I know that I have lost some of the sounds I used to enjoy and I want to make it sound more live again and not too mechanical...

I know the bass of the 70's is exceptionnal on songs like Empire State of Mind, the beginning is awesome, but I don't know, I feel like a 2.0 setup is not enough with the 70's. Not on all songs for sure.
Damn money, no money for the LCR either. But I do appreciate the songs I was never listening to before, that changed everything and I like many boring songs now.
Thanks, and good night all.

So when pairing with a sub, you'd make the RC-70s or 50s "small" on the receiver?

Correct

I love my RC-50s but it is not because of the low bass; I think that the low bass is the weakest part of the speakers. Where the RC-50s and 30s shine is in there excellent mid range and highs.

If I was able to get a killer deal on the RC-10s I would gladly get 4 of them to use with my HSU VTF 3 MK 3 and RC-LCR instead of the RC-50s / RC-30 combo I have now.

I do know what good bass sounds like. I hooked up the the RC-50s to the McIntosh MC207 amp that I use to power my Focal 1027 be in my main room just to see if the speakers needed more power but the bass just never gave me the clean impact that I was looking for.

All that being said, I LOVE these speakers when hooked up to a good sub.

ThousandThrills, how are your 70's placed in your room? Maybe you could smash them up against the walls to get more boom. Although most people would rather get them away from the walls.

Hi
They're in a corner but they are not against the wall, more than 2 or 3 feet away, there is wood all over the place and on the walls and a fireplace very near.....
Again, some songs sound great or even amazing but my own favorite songs, I don't know. It's ok, I'll never be satisfied anyway...
I need an AVR and maybe a sub no matter what I do I'm pretty sure. But what I was concerned about too was the clear sound on the guitar for classic rock or heavy metal and the soundstage is not that great either on those types of music. I knew the sound was kind of laid back but sometimes it's just too much.

It's starting to get sad but I know the AVR will boost things up. I just didn't expect to spend another K just after the speakers.

Sorry English is not my first language, not always easy to put impressions into words, but I am disappoiinted with the live feeling for my favorite music but I guess I would be much more disappointed with 95% of the other speakers out there.
see ya

No doubt different ears hear things differently. Maybe the 70's will never fulfill your thrist, but I would try messing with placement and room placement to fix some of the imaging issues. Also, time heals everything, sometimes our ears take a while to adjust to new speakers.

Hello Friends,

After auditioning a couple of floorstanders, I have shorlisted Energy RC50/70 and need some advise on AV Receiver.

I have shortlisted Pionner VSX-920K, Marantz SR5005 and Denon 1911. Usage is 60% Music and 40% Movies. Unfortunately could only audition Pioneer at the dealers place. Pioneer with RC's sounded very detailed and very nice but they sounded very warm for classical songs. I am looking for a slightly brighter AVR (not too bright). Dealer suggested Pionner / Marantz as best match with Energy speakers.

Can anyone help me in giving their inputs and personal experience.

Thanks in advance.

I like the Marantz because you can connect an external amp later if you need more power. The Marantz and the Denon 1911 both use Audyssey MultiEQ room calibration software which I like.

Your also comparing a receiver than list for $799 (Marantz) vs $599 (Denon) vs $399 (Pioneer). Not really a fair comparison.

i have owned rc10's and 30's at the same time for comparison.i kept the rc10.the rc10 are a better balanced speaker in my opinion and sound better run fullrange. the 30 is a bit clearer in the midrange but from the midbass down they lack the detail and separation the 10 provides.they sound muddy in that range.the 30 and 50 have the same cabinet structure and crossover point so i would expect they would sound very similar.i think the 10 crossed over around 60-80 hz to a good well placed sub would provide better sound than the 30 or 50 ran full range.if more output is needed for a large room the 30 or 50 could be the better choice if blended properly with a sub.i hope that helps

My using RC-Rs for wides is only because that is what I have for now. I would use RC-30s if I could use floor standing speakers, but I can't. I think they'll be adequate as wides, but not as good as the RC-LCRs I hope to get.

As far as I can tell from the specs, the RC-R has the same front firing speaker configuration as the RC-10, plus the side firing mid-ranges, but those can be turned off. That makes them a step up from the RC-Minis in that configuration, and so probably quite good as heights, plus there are 2 mid-ranges to play with.

Thanks for the Input. I am from India and pricing here is very different. Pioneer and Denon are sold here at same price. In fact Pioneer sold expensive with bill/warranty compared to Denon. Marantz sold slightly expensive than other two.

Secondly, all three have more or less

Thanks

The RC-R will work as wides and heights, they just aren't necessarily ideal. Definitely a step up from the RC-minis, but falling short of the RC-10 due to the fact that they have a cabinet, so they won't have the extension of the RC-10s. For heights you're probably going want to want to be able to aim them towards the LP, so you're looking at buying a pair of macromounts.

Just my opinion.

For breaking in the RC 70's, what us the recommended max volume? Is reference level (0db) too much for breaking in? I am currently afraid to go beyond -15dB till I get around 50hrs in. Is that a fair volume or I could go higher?

here's the thing: power demands increase exponentially. A 10dB increase requires TEN TIMES as much power.

So (arbitrary numbers) you may be cruising along at -10dB using 25 watts/channel but if you crank it up to reference you are now using 250 watts per channel. Which could cause your amp to start clipping.

Now, in all likelihood you probably won't approach that wattage with the RC-70's because they are pretty efficient. But my point is that I think the danger is less about physically overdriving the speakers (any mechanical "break in" is probably done within the first few hours of use), but more a question of whether your receiver/amp can handle that much current? What you really don't want to do is have your receiver start clipping/distorting, which is the thing that really damages speakers. So in my mind the "recommended max volume" is sort of meaningless, I can't give you a specific number as it will depend on your room, amp, etc.

So if you want to crank it, go SLOWLY. Inch it up and listen carefully for signs of strain or distortion. If things sound clean and easy, you are safe. You will not hurt the speakers by using them for what they were built to do. But don't push them to the point that you start hearing harshness / distortion.... which is actually really a general rule, not one limited to "break in".

The RC-70s require less than 32 watts to reach 105 dB, so running them at reference shouldn't present much of an issue for most receivers.

But I don't see any reason to push them that high to "break" them in. Play some music at normal volumes, better yet - just listen to them like normal!

Thanks Batpig and mesasone for the insight. My room is 14*11 and I am currently using a Denon 3311 as my receiver. Don't have a dedicated amp.
I pushed it slowly upto -5dB and it is still very clear and loud enough for my room. Will use them as normal as suggested. I don't think I need to go all the way to reference now as they are plenty loud at -5dB. The exponential nature of volume to power is what I was worried about too initially. But since they sound good at -5 I will use that for my normal use.