Energy Owners Thread - Page 103

Hey Batpig.
Just had my RC-LCR Delivered...WoooHoo. I'l be doing some listening this weekend for sure and I'll let you know how it compares to the 300. I did read multiple places that the LCR is one speaker that needs some break in time. I'll see how that goes.....b

Just got my pair of RC-10s in rosenut from Audio Advisor (245+ shipping for a pair of demos since I ordered more than one). They are gorgeous and a very beautiful contrast against a mostly black entertainment center. The sound on them is incredible as everyone has already said. Running them with a small 8" Energy ES-8 sub right now. The bass notes on the RC-10s are very nice as is, but the sub adds a little bit more in the low end and puts a thump into the lower notes. Overall they are a very nice fit in my small bedroom (10x10)

A side note on Audio Advisor: My demos are in the same condition as my friend's brand new RC-10s that we ordered together. They were even wrapped back up the exact same way as the brand new pair. Only different I noticed was 2 layers of tape and the sticker that sealed the plastic bag with the port plug was ripped, showing that it has been opened. The customer service at AA was incredible, Corey was able to substitute some backordered items in my order (he didn't think they would ever get them again) with something even better without charging me more and was able to ship them all out within an hour of placing my order. By far the best service i have ever received on any sort of order.

Cool, I'll be very interested to hear the comparison! Probably not going to be making any purchases right now as we've had a few unexpected financial needs come up and my wife is a little annoyed at me anyway for buying something else but I'll be very curious to hear the results a head-to-head matchup.

I'd be interested to see what happens if, after you've listened to the RC-LCR for a while, you then put the AC-300 back up and see how it sounds now. The problem with a lot of speaker comparisons is that there's not a lot direct A-B'ing, and when you disconnect the old stuff and hook up the new stuff for a few weeks you may love it... but there's no telling how much of that is placebo effect and it's hard to remember how the old speakers really sounded, you know?

Hey. Yes a agree ,doing the swap is a good idea. But I gotta tell you, just hooked it up and calibrated the spl, listening to music right now. WOW. I definitely notice how well it blends. The 300 always "stood out" and I had to adjust the volume for the center down for music and depending on the movie adjust the volume up. I'll have some time this weekend to play with it more....but from this mere pittance of time, what a great smooth front end. Nice speaker. later.
PS: Dont get me wrong, the 300 is an awesome speaker, no doubt, I guess matching the drivers with my other RC's may make a noticeable improvement in my system.

Does anyone run their Energy's with one of the new Denon's? I am thinking of switching receivers so that I can get DD-HD and DTS-MA and am wondering how denon's and Energy's sound together.

Denon is a good match with Energy. The good guys, a moment of silence...., always paired them together.I am running Emotiva gear with mine, and when their new line of processors come out, this summer, they will have all the new sound formats.....cant wait.

I think they are a great match -- I've run my Energy speakers through a Denon 2105 and now a Denon 3803, and they sound great together. Definitely better than the older Sony DA555ES I had before. Denon's all seem to have a similar quality to their sound, so I imagine the new ones will sound just as sweet.

WestCoastD is a big fan of the new Yamaha stuff with Energy's also. But let's not get into a whole Denon vs. Yamaha thing

Thanks for the replies. I am presently using an Arcam AVR 350 with my Veritas 2.3i (mains) RC-LCR and RC-R's. The Denon that I am looking at is the 4308ci, do you think that the Denon will be comparable for both HT and 2 ch. music?

Batpig - did you compare the 3803 with the 4308, and if so, what did you think were the differences/why did you go for the 3803?

I think both, Yamaha and Denon, work very well with Energy speakers. I would go for either brand to be honest, in-particular these current models- ie. Yamaha RX-V3800/RX-V1800 or Denon AVR-4308CI/AVR-3808CI.

Wow... the Arcams are supposed to be one hot ticket. Does it not meld with your Energy stuff well? I know they are really supposed to be phenomenal for music.

Bobcel:

The Arcam and the Energy's sound amazing together. The only thing I dislike about the AVR 350 is that it doesn't do audio over HDMI, if it did that then I would not even consider switching.

The problem is that in order to get the new HD audio formats I will have to do it over MCH analogue (which I hear sounds great on the Arcam). This means that despite having a PS3, I will have to buy a high end Blu-ray player like the Denon 3800 (it's one of the few out there that has bass mgmt. over analogue, etc.) or an Arcam whenever they decide to put one out. I don't know if you know this but the Denon is over $2k in Canada and the Arcam will be closer to $3k. Then I will also have to buy a couple more pairs of good interconnects. So basically I'll have to spend $3k -$4k and my PS3 will only be used for playing games.

The only other option is to wait until Arcam brings out a new receiver that does HDMI over audio and then buy that receiver, which will be about $3k, and at that point my 350 will be worth substantially less than it is now.

However, if I switch now I can trade in my 350 and add a few hundred dollars and use my PS3 for blu-ray (while still getting the new audio formats) for the next few years until the other players become comparable to the PS3 in terms of load times and become a lot cheaper with better performance.

Yes, I did, and I would say the big difference was:

1. Denon 4308 = $2000
2. Denon 3803 = $135 from a guy on craigslist



In all seriousness, the 3803 is a five-year-old model (the "3" at the end means it was a 2003 model, vs. the 4308 = current model). I was trying to maximize sound quality without paying for features I won't use, and I can't afford a nice current model HDMI receiver that will sound as good as a Denon 38xx.

I've compared a 1905, 2105, and 3803 on my current system. The step up as go from 19xx to 21xx to 38xx in the Denon line is added features and added power -- they all have a similar "sound". The higher end models get progressively more robust and controlled, while still sounding "sweeter" with better clarity and separation (due to the better preamp processing of higher end models). The difference in bass on 2105 vs. 3803 with both set to "direct" mode was startling, I had to double check to make sure my subwoofer was off when I first hooked up the 3803 and listened to some hip hop. The difference in power and control is really evident when you crank it -- the 1905 would start to sound harsh and strained at high volumes, whereas the 3803 is still chugging along at the limits of comfort.

From what I've heard, they keep their sound through the years. I imagine a 3808ci doesn't sound that much different than a 3803 -- what you are paying for is all those fancy new things like HDMI, hi-res sound decoding, upscaling, Denon Link, ipod dock control, network access, etc.

Since I have two HDMI inputs on my TV and am only running a 2.1 setup, the 3803 was sufficient for me. I imagine the 4308 sounds even better.

I see your dilemma. Probably trading in would be your best option at this point. Yeah, might be some time before stand alone BR players get up to speed ..performance wise and more affordable , I did hear that the lasers are starting to drop in price... Oppo is working on a player now, thats the one I am watching. good luck with whatever you decide.

Currently I am using a Sony 3disc changer mini system to power the RC Mini`s+sub until I decide on what amp to get.


For using an external amp to power your speakers, does it matter if the amp has the new sound formats, cuz doesn't the receiver decode it and the amp would output it? or do they both need it in order to get the HD audio? I was debating getting a multi-channel amp to power my HT, but if the amp needs to be compatible with HD audio's I may not do it.

I think you may be confusing just a straight amp with a HT receiver (or integrated amp) or separates.

For the computer application, you just need a basic amplifier only, i.e. plug a cable from the 1/8" stereo jack out of the computer to the RCA left/right inputs of the amp, plug the speakers into the amp, you are done. All of the sound control and volume is done in the computer, you just use the amp to power the speakers.

If you are talking about a home theater setup, that's a whole different story. Now you have to decide if you want a receiver that can do everything (amp + preamp/decoding) or if you just want to get a separate preamp and an amp to power the speakers. What Bobcel is referring to is just the preamp processing, which is separate from the amps.

No, just the processor needs to decode it and send it out to the amp..or the receiver with built in decoders. Very impressed with Emotiva's musical and HT abilities. Their new generation stuff will send audio over HDMI, of course this can also be achieved through multichannel out too. I have a Toshiba HDA20, (should have bought the XA2 since it has multichannel out ) so I am anxious to hear how these new processors do with HDMI.
Yeah, what batpig said

No, what I mean, is a multi channel amp. All speakers go into the amp and then run 5 or 7 RCA`s to the receiver. So back to my previous post..does it matter if the amp has TrueHD/DTS-MA or will the receiver just do that and it will still output thru the amp, or do they both need it?

EDIT: Oops, sorry Bobcel, just missed your post. Thanks

Apologies if I misconstrued the question. It came right after the discussion of the Rc minis as computer speakers, with the quote about how you needed an amp, so I thought you were still talking about the computer setup.

For a HT setup, it's still the same deal though. If you buy a separate amp, all it does is amplify the signal, that's it. Amps have ZERO processing. The receiver or the preprocessor (if you have separates) does all the decoding/processing.

So, yes, even with a HT multi-channel amp, no need for built-in processing because that all takes place in the pre-amp section (whether it's a receiver or a dedicated preprocessor). That's sort of the point of separates, in that you separate the jobs among different components to (theoretically) yield either better better performance or greater flexibility (in that you can update components separately).

yeah, I'm using the new Denon DVD-3800BDCI together with a new NAD T175 surround-processor (HDMI v1.3), a Parasound Halo amp (250W X 7), and Monitor Audio GS-Series speakers. The Denon BD player can decode and send new HD audio formats via-HDMI (LPCM) to the NAD, the sound is absolutley spectacular!

I would consider getting a good separate amp (200W X 5 minimum), then you can play around using various receiver/pre-pro sources.

Westcoast:

Have you had any problems with the Denon BR player. I was looking in the thread re that player and a lot of the posters seemed really ticked off with it.

I thought about getting a separate amp (in fact I was looking at the parasound halo), but I've decided against it for a while because I don't think the sound improvement on my Veritas 2.3i's will be significant enough to justify that kind of cash.

I really love the sound of my Arcam, but I also want to get the new HD codecs.

yeah, there have been some issues, which are being addressed by Denon, as I speak. Bottom-line, it is a first-rate BD player, probably some of the best picture-quality available. HD audio performance is stunning. While it is pricey ($1999.95) I'm glad I went for it. At this point I don't see any [major] reasons to not want to buy one. Moreover all the BD players have one issue or another, we are still in the beginning of this technology. The DVD-3800BDCI is, essentially, Denon's first-generation BD product, I think they did a hell of a job now that I've used it for a few weeks. Watching Bluray titles is a complete new experience, especially on this machine. The only other player I would consider is the up-coming Pioneer Elite BDP-05FD.


having a quality (separate) amp with good power will provide you more versatility, allowing you to drive a wide array of different speakers as well as the ability to use various receivers or (separate) surround-processor's. You'll always have a good power-base. The Veritas love more power (200W to 300W per/chan).


yeah, this is becoming a popular scenario these days- wanting the high-quality audio, combined with HDMI and HD format decoding capability. That's why I went for the NAD T175 to attain good audio quality for music as well as HDMI (v1.3).

But I hear nothing but really good things about Arcam's sound-quality. Hopefully they will have solid HDMI products coming soon. All these companies are rassling with integrating HDMI.

Energy C-Series should arrive tomorrow, will be intresting i hope
Went with:
C-200s R/L
C-C100 Center
C-50s SR
Mostly for movies but i hope its not to bad for music also.

I bought a pair of RC10' s and they have great detail, but need a little bass help. I still can't get used to hearing sounds on cd's that I didn't even know were there before. On one cd I have what I thought was dstortion was actually the sound of the musician blowing into his trumpet.

BTW. Does anyone use a RC Mini Center with their RC 10's as mains? Do they blend OK? The RC LCR Center is just too large. I don't have the space for it.

I listend to these last week and have to say to ME, they did not blend to well, i would go with the RC-LCR. Wish the Rc-10s had been within my buget !!!

Just to let you guys know, the cherry finish of the C Series has officially been discontinued (black will remain). There are limited quantities left on most models, but the C50 is out of stock with no backorders being filled.

Hello, can you guys suggest a decent spade lug at a reasonable price. Are these things best bought online ? I kinda like to see things before i buy lol. The selection at the box stores is limited. I did find a decent one at a local HT installer but theyare still $10 a piece and i need 24 of them. What do you guys use ?

Here in Canada Futureshop stopped selling the black c-50 and c-c50 a couple months ago. (Thats when I picked mine up for %50 off)

Its a shame, because the c-c50 was one of the only centers that I could find that wasn't full size. It fits nicely in front of my TV, where as the c-c100 would have been to high.


I don't have the most refined ear, but I love my c-50's for music. I know speakers this small don't have enough bass for a lot of people, but when I set them to large, and set my receiver to straight, they rattle the windows just fine.

I am looking forward to adding the c-300's, and moving my c-50's to the rear. They come on sale up here every few months for $199. I am patiently biding my time.

I would actually suggest that you skip the center instead of trying to mismatch the RC10 with the Mini Center. Try it first without a center (you'll have to change the settings on the receiver to "No Center") and see if you still like the sound.

I have purchased a Yamaha M-35 to power my RC-Mini`s and S8.2 for computer system, it will arrive next week. It doesn't have a ton of power (40wpc), but should be more than enough for my comp. Besides, if I ever need to crank it, I'll just go into my other room and use the HT. I have my computer linked to it to play music/games sometimes.


MuaySteve,

A/B Sound still carries these if you can find a store. They are slowly going out of business, but have better retail prices than FS, and Energy will still value the 5yr warranty as long as you have a receipt. I got C100's from them 1 year ago for $230 after tax and FS sells the C50s for $250+, its a no brainer. Of course I later turned around and sold them as I have upgraditis, but thats not the point.

Also, I picked up a pair of C-300s for my dad on boxing day for $199. For that price you can't go wrong. They do sound pretty nice.

knight_40k, how much did you sell your C-100 for?