Energy Owners Thread - Page 1202

I thought it was the other way... originally designed with 2 ports... but went into production as a single ported speaker...

The V-5.2C I bought from Vann's in Nov has a single rear port...

Hey guys I was pointed this direction to ask some questions about the energy rc 70 system. I plan on getting a denon 3312 and the rc70 set up minus the sub and getting a hsu mk4 sub. I tried the monitor auido rx 8 system in best buy the other day and sounded amazing, but I have no frame of reference to the rc 70 series because no one carries it. My budget is 3000 less or maybe a little more. The monitor auido was way more expensive than the rc eventhough the rc used to cost twice as much a few years ago. With the rc i stay in budget and get 5.1 system with monitor auido i only can get 3.0. Do y'all think the monitor auido are worth the price and sound over the rc 70. I am a audio noob so be gentle .How do these speakers differ from each other? I am a fan of bang for buck but if the sound is worth it Ill go up. Thank you.

Now this is starting to make more sense to me. I am pretty sure that the guy is talking about the voice coil in the midrange woofer. If I'm correct, I wouldn't call it a tweeter issue. I want to be clear though, I have never come across any midrange issues so far...
Your repair guy has hopefully checked the resistance of your midrange woofer, and then carried out his basic "feel" test. Do you have access to the old one now? Many times there will be signs of burning or colour difference along some parts of the coil, when there has been issues with overheating. This is an easy and good (bad) sign, especially when you have been noticing audible concerns.
To replace the diaphragm in a tweeter is quite easy in case you ever have to in the future, assuming our speakers are similar. I am not sure how easy your midrange voice coil (if that is the problem) fix would be though. Good luck

Great to hear you are loving your speakers. At $1000 you got a really good deal. Let us know how that centre channel holds up after you get some use on the RC-70's.

I have never heard Monitor Audio speakers, but are you saying that the RC-70's previously cost twice as much as the Monitor Audio's? Or is it that the RC-70's use to cost twice as much as they cost now?
More money doesn't necessarily equal better or more pleasing sound, but if the RC-70's use to cost double of what the Monitor Audio's cost, and you could get a full 5.0 system instead of a 3.0, I would grab the RC's.

Well I decided on the Sanus SF26 stands. They will still be a couple of inches above ear level but I didn't like the look of a 24" stand in the living room because they seemd a bit low (borrowed a pair of 24" stands from a friend to test out). My current Pangea Audio's are 28 inches high so they will be a bit lower (plus never really had an issue with the sound at 28 inches). If anyone wants a mint like new pair of Pangea Audio DS03 stands, PM me. I am not asking much. They are great stands but simply to bulky for my needs plus I needed something with a rubber foot instead of carpet spikes (I have hardwood floors). I live in Fort Worth, Texas.

On a side note, I am more and more impressed with my RC-10/RC-LCR setup as each day passes. They are a huge improvement compared to my old setup (PSB Alpha's which were really good in my opinion). Now if I could just get my subwoofer situation sorted out, I will be good to go. Here's hoping the second sub comes in new condition and not beat up . They require a signature (tried to delivery yeaserday) but I won't be home until tomorrow. If this one comes messed up, I am switching brands, lol.

Hank, Batpig, afrogt, or anyone else:
Are either of these worth picking up...heading to the city this weekend :
Energy 3.1e - $120
Energy 2.1e - $150
Also: Energy 22 Pro - $250
If required, what should I offer? Also, is there a way to tell if original parts are still there? I think the tweeter is they key on these, no?

What do you think of these?

Energy 10" subwoofer (ESW-C10) - $400
2 Energy 5 1/2" tower speakers (CF-50) - $400 each
2 Energy 5 1/2" bookshelf speakers (CB-10) - $250
Energy 5 1/2" center speakers (CC-10) - $300

Thoughts? Ideas? Is this a good proposal? The room it will go into is 14' x 30' x 10'.

Buying from Best Buy is not required. What would need to be changed in here? I was thinking of upgrading the CF-50s to CF-70s for an additional $100.

Those prices bring you to $1750.......definitely spend the extra $150 and get the RC bundle from Vanns for $1899. That includes:

(2) RC-70's
RC-LCR
(2) RC-10's
VSW10 sub

In most peoples opinion, this is a much better setup for very little more money.

Batpig would be the best one to consult for knowledge on the older Energy speakers.

The 3.1e is a better deal than the 2.1e since it is larger and less expensive.

Are you going with a 2.1 system or slowly building to a 5.1 setup?

When I've purchased used speakers I've never taken them apart to see if they have the OEM drivers. Maybe I'm too trusting? I try to listen to them before purchase if possible.

If it is a great deal, I am buying just for the sake of buying! (future use). I already have 2 energy set-ups.. 7.1 TAKE (Flat panel) setup and a 2.0 (soon 2.1) RC70. I will be moving my Monitor Audio rs-w12 sub with the 70's and adding a DIY sub with the TAKEs, which is almost done

So I got those new RC-70s; the rest of my HT setup is composed of Conoisseur speakers. I have the CC-10 center, and either CB-10 or CB-20 surrounds, plus older bookshelves for surround backs. I'm not sure yet how much I'm prepared to pay this year for upgrades, but since the future of the RC line is uncertain, I think I'll try to procure some of them.

The first would be an RC-LCR; as I'm Canadian, that would be probably either from Overstock.com or from Amazon.com/Vann's through a Kinek point.

Then I'd have to decide what to do with surrounds:

Option 1: Keep CB-10's as they're small enough to fit on actual bookshelves, and sell my CB-20's, possibly as a bundle with my CC-10.

Option 2: Keep CB-20's as they're bigger/better than the CB-10, find a way to make them fit on the shelves, and sell the CB-10, possibly as a bundle with a spare CC-5 that I also have.

Option 3: Try to buy RC-10's as well for surrounds. At $300 at Vann's right now, that would probably mean above $500 after trip, taxes, duties. Lots of money for surrounds... I could finance that by selling all of my C-series as a nice bundle I guess.

Option 4: Local stores here have leftover RC-30s, in clearance. They ask $700/pr, which is rather high. But since they are demonstrators, I may be able to lower that price (didn't have any success with those stores in the past though). How do RC-30s compare to RC-10s? Would they be worth $200 more a pair for surrounds?

Thanks for any advice...


I'm kind in the same position. If the RC line was available for the next years I'd be much less nervous about upgrading my other speakers. But don't you feel some pressure to upgrade your center and surrounds? Do you see yourself with mismatched fronts and centers for years to come? I'm not suggesting or pressuring *you* to upgrade, I'm just really wondering what to do right now so anybody with the same kind of issues is of interest for me.

Any mods to the veritas enclosure could be covered by the "CSM" plate that surrounds the mid/tweeter. My worry would be the crossover working with the new tweeter.


No doubt money is a part of the equation. It could also be that this tweeter was selected for its sound when "voicing" the speaker. If that is the case, then the crossover is probably different too. Several people who have listened to both speakers have preferred the V, so they must have done something right.

How about CF-70 over CF-50 for ~$100 more?

Wasn't that bundle $1599 a few days ago?

You have to actually access the bundle from the sub's product page to get that price.

I would say yes to that......

But going with the RC bundle for $150 more is definitely the best deal. That comes with the RC-70's which are the RC equivalent to the CF-70's..... the RC series are a step up in build quality, driver quality, and in most people's opinion, sound quality.

If you want to stick with the CF/BC series, at least get the VSW10 sub for $349 from Vanns. Its a huge upgrade over the ESW-C10.


I did. It looks like they finally caught that.

edit: I just clicked on the "clearance" tab on the on the VSW10 page, and they have an customer return open box for $279.

Can you tell me (either here or pm) what the breakdown in costs were for doing it that way? I am interested in a RC-LCR. I am in NS

It's worth calling Vanns and mentioning the $1,599 RC bundle that ended last week. You will not get that price again, but I bet they will meet or beat the CF bundle price.

I second this thought to ChAoTiCpInOy. You will likey get the superior bundle for less than the prices you were quoting for the CF/CB series.

I think I read somewhere that they also changed the magnet from ferrite to neodymium, and that is a big reason for the smaller size.

And, yes, I think it's very likely, almost certain even, that the crossover is different

What makes it better than the CF/CB series? Vanns, reputable place?

Better build quality, better drivers, and most prefer the laid back but detailed sound of the RC's especially for music. Some argue however, that the CB/CF series is better for home theater because of its brighter, more forward sound.

Do some reading in this thread......i know its 1200 pages, but this discussion comes up quite frequently.

And yes.....Vanns is very reputable. Some people lately have been receiving some damaged speakers from them, but they are just about always a stand up hassle-free company.

RC 50's are back in stock at Vanns http://www.vanns.com/shop/servlet/it...19/energy-rc50

Anybody looking for great sounding speakers at an affordable price this is your chance!! I have a feeling they may lower the price at some point but I'm not sure

I highly recommend them,I love mine!!

And yes.....Vanns is very reputable. Some people lately have been receiving some damaged speakers from them, but they are just about always a stand up hassle-free company.[/quote]
+1 Excellent company!!

That is a pretty mediocre deal, as others have pointed out. There have been online sales recently where you could have gotten that setup for like 1/2 the price.

The C-series speakers are fine but not at Best Buy pricing. Whatever you do, do NOT pay 400 bucks for the C10 subwoofer, that is a horrible value.

Can anyone please comment on Energy Veritas VS surround speakers ? I was thinking of getting a pair but was little hesitant as I never heard them personally or saw any expert reviews on them.

I confess to never having heard either the e-series or the older 22's, but they get nothing but great reviews.

The one you have to be concerned with is the tweeter on the Pro 22, which goes bad after a while.

In terms of market value:

- $120 for the 3.1e is a very good deal
- $150 for the 2.1e is overpriced.... if you could get them for $100 for the pair along with the 3.1e's, that would be the start of a very nice budget 5.1 setup
- $250 for the Pro 22's is too high, even with original tweeter (or a factory replacement). I would say $175-200 is more in line. If it doesn't have original tweeter than it's not worth even that much.

The e-series is one that I definitely want to hear, a lot of the technologies that went into the subsequent "even number" Connoisseurs.

One poster I believe has both the flagship 5.1e and the C-8 from the follow up Connoisseurs, and thought they were very similar in overall sound quality.

I'm really interested in your final verdict as well. Did it go smoothly with Kinek? How much did they charge you for a speaker (pricing is not clear); what about duty, etc.

caper_1, I'm in the same boat. Depending on how far the drive is to the Kinek point nearest to you, it may or may not be the best option. The other option is to go through overstock.com. They have the RC-LCR for 360-ish CAD (price adjusted dayly because of change rate). They quote around 34 CAD for shipping in Quebec (really cheap IMHO as they are based in California); plus 78$ for canadian taxes and duty, supposed to be guaranteed that no other fee will appear upon delivery. That makes around 480 CAD, which may be interesting if you'd be driving a long trip to a Kinek point. Also they offer 60 days of guarantee (vs none if you go the Amazon.com/Vann's + Kinek route).


The speakers are not bad in themselves, they're actually great for HT. And the jump to CF-70s would probably be a good idea. However, yeah those prices are not good at all. Even as a canadian I paid less than that for my CB-10 and CC-10; and the CF are at MSRP prices, you can get equivalent RC's for the same price now.

I havent seen any reviews either, but I would assume the "improvements" from the RC to the V series should be pretty uniform across the board.

I would think it would be reasonable to take the comparisons of the RC-10 vs V5.1, the RC-LCR vs. the V5.2C, etc. and apply them to the RC-R vs. VS surrounds.

I haven't heard the RX-8 specifically but I have listened to the prior model RS6 tower and RS1 bookshelf.

The RC's and MA's are similar in build quality and refinement, but the RC's will have a smoother, warmer overall character. They are "laid back" speakers whereas the Monitor Audios are more "transparent" and "airy" in the treble.

So, if you loved the MA's and are OK with a slightly mellower version for a lot less money, then go with the RC setup.