AVS › AVS Forum › Audio › Speakers › Energy Owners Thread
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:

Energy Owners Thread - Page 1361

post #40801 of 47714
8/21/12 at 12:35am
I'm thinking about upgrading a Take 5 system to CB-5s bookshelfs for my second system and so I was wondering if it would be worth it. The take 5 is really good for a small htib set but I'm thinking a cb-5 set would have enough bass to use alone. Then I might get a pair of cr-10s for surrounds but ask energy if they can be mounted sideways. Is it worth it? The CB-10s are a little big for a smaller room.
Reply
Reply

Gear mentioned in this thread:

post #40802 of 47714
8/21/12 at 12:40am
CB-10s really aren't that big, only about 11" tall. I would think it's still better to have a sub with either the cb-5 or 10. I'm sure you have one with your Takes.

either cb-5 or cb-10 would be an upgrade over the take speakers.
Reply
Reply
post #40803 of 47714
8/21/12 at 12:55am
Quote:
Originally Posted by afrogt View Post

CB-10s really aren't that big, only about 11" tall. I would think it's still better to have a sub with either the cb-5 or 10. I'm sure you have one with your Takes.
either cb-5 or cb-10 would be an upgrade over the take speakers.

The thing is I'll only be using an Onkyo a-5vl amplifier instead of a receiver and it doesn't have a sub out.
Reply
Reply
post #40804 of 47714
8/21/12 at 7:02am
CF-30s are $119 each at Newegg (promo code EMCNBHJ35, 48 hour sale)
Reply
Reply
post #40805 of 47714
8/21/12 at 9:20am
Quote:
Originally Posted by cel4145 View Post

CF-30s are $119 each at Newegg (promo code EMCNBHJ35, 48 hour sale)

Are these worth buying to replace my RC-10s?

I am building a HT setup and my room is 14x13
Currently have a pair of RC-10's as mains and will have a sub soon. (Probably an HSU sft-1)

Would the cf-30 be a big upgrade from my rc-10?
Reply
Reply
post #40806 of 47714
8/21/12 at 9:27am
Quote:
Originally Posted by unlearn View Post

Are these worth buying to replace my RC-10s?
I am building a HT setup and my room is 14x13
Currently have a pair of RC-10's as mains and will have a sub soon. (Probably an HSU sft-1)
Would the cf-30 be a big upgrade from my rc-10?

I owned both and sold the CF-30's. You'd be stepping down in sound quality. I'd stay with RC-10's and sub.
Reply
Reply
post #40807 of 47714
8/21/12 at 9:57am
Would you recommend the cf-30s for someone looking to upgrade from a set of take 5 classics? I would use these for fronts. Looking for decent mid & highs as I already have 2 12" subs in my roughly smallish ht room. Looking for value tower speakers.
Also waiting for CF-70s to go on sale but the 30s are on special again at Newegg.
Reply
Reply
post #40808 of 47714
8/21/12 at 10:08am
Quote:
Are these worth buying to replace my RC-10s?

I am building a HT setup and my room is 14x13

No, RC-10's are better and in a small room like that plenty of output.

Quote:
Would you recommend the cf-30s for someone looking to upgrade from a set of take 5 classics?

yes, very much so. The CF-30's would be a huge step forward. Make sure to upgrade the center too, as the Take center will not be able to keep up with the much larger front L/R mains.
Reply
Reply
post #40809 of 47714
8/21/12 at 11:15am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Alec88 View Post

The thing is I'll only be using an Onkyo a-5vl amplifier instead of a receiver and it doesn't have a sub out.

My old Pioneer VSX-D901S had only one line-level subwoofer output, but I have two M&K Sound MX-70 subs. Here is how I connected my subs: I ran a subwoofer cable straight out of the receiver to one of the subs. [Here is what is relevant to your situation] My MX-70 subs have both line-level and speaker-level inputs and outputs. So I ran speaker wire out from the receiver into the speaker-level inputs on the sub marked "From Amplifier"; I then attached speaker wire to the sub's speaker-level output marked "To Speakers" and connected the speaker wire to my front left and right speakers. I set the crossover on the sub to 80hz and the sub passed all of the frequencies above the crossover to my main speakers. I am sure this connection method can work well in your situation as well. Good luck, Alec88!
Edited by erhurd - 8/21/12 at 2:51pm
Reply
Reply
post #40810 of 47714
8/21/12 at 11:17am
So now I'm pretty set on getting Energy in-ceiling speakers for my kitchen / dining room area. Of course living in Canada, everything is complicated; nonetheless I have several options, and I'm not sure which presents the best bang for the buck.

First option is trying to go with Crutchfield's offerings, going through Kinek some time in the future. I don't even know if it's possible to order from Crutchfield with a Canadian credit card. They have to models in stock: the EAS-8C and the RC-6C for $120 and $160 for a pair, respectively. They also have in-wall speakers, the EAS-6W and RC-6W, but I guess I might as well go with in-ceilings. Crutchfield seems to be the last online retailer carrying the RC-6C. I like the sound of the RC line (I have the 70s, LCR and 10s) but don't now anything about the current EAS.

Amazon.com also have the EAS-8Cst in stock. This is especially interesting since its a stereo speaker in one single unit. Either I could buy only one, or buy two and have stereo effects in both the kitchen and dining area instead of having one channel in the kitchen and the other in the dining area (which are adjacent / not really separated but cover a rather large area). Amazon asks $100 for a single EAS-8Cst. Another quite surprising find is that they're willing to ship this to Canada! Shipping cost and duty deposit are rather steep ($80 for a pair) but is a really interesting option vs going to a US Kinek point. Anybody heard (about) those?

Finally I may have the option of buying NIB RC-8Cs at a yet undisclosed price. This would be my preferred option, having a great bass reproduction (down to 45Hz), being 3-way and pertaining to the RC family.

I'd be grateful for any opinion as I didn't follow closely the previous discussions about in-ceiling speakers.
Reply
Reply
post #40811 of 47714
8/21/12 at 11:32am
Anyone willing to guesstimate what the going rate could be for:

C-500's
C-C100
C-100's w/ stands (sanus 24" stands)

The c500's have a few small dings on the upper back corners due to shipping errors. They still function 100%, etc. Can't really tell while you're on the couch, etc. Anyways, my place now is about 13'x18' and the new living room space in the new house will be 17'x21' with 10' ceilings. The c-series has been great for me for all those interested. Just wondering what I should ask. If you all were purchasing them, what would you think is reasonable, high or low??

Thanks!
Reply
Reply
post #40812 of 47714
8/21/12 at 11:52am
hmmm... I might post the whole set for $400 and negotiate from there. That's my guesstimate based on $200 for the C-500's, $100 for the center and $100 for the C-100's + stands.

you might be able to get a little more but in my experience, in this weak economy, the used market for entry-level speakers isn't very strong.
Reply
Reply
post #40813 of 47714
8/21/12 at 12:52pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by batpig View Post

No, RC-10's are better and in a small room like that plenty of output.
yes, very much so. The CF-30's would be a huge step forward. Make sure to upgrade the center too, as the Take center will not be able to keep up with the much larger front L/R mains.

much appreciated batpig. keep up the good work on your receiver recommendations and anything audio related. I've certainly learned a lot from this awesome ht community! cheers....
Reply
Reply
post #40814 of 47714
8/21/12 at 1:48pm
So, I mentioned above that my rc-10's werent ideal as surrounds since they are within 2 feet of each side of my couch in my office. Pulled the trigger today thru Amazon prime, on a pair of the VS surrounds. At $179 each, they are hard to pass up. I will receive by Thursday, so will give my impressions this weekend. As for my current rc-10's, was thinking of selling, but may set up as speaker in zone 2, and move to my bedroom. I have a new denon 2112, and could have sworn that Batpig mentioned in the denon thread, that with the ipad app, i could mute zone 1, and just play music thru airplay in this zone 2.
Reply
Reply
post #40815 of 47714
8/21/12 at 2:06pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by bucknuts07 View Post

I have a new denon 2112, and could have sworn that Batpig mentioned in the denon thread, that with the ipad app, i could mute zone 1, and just play music thru airplay in this zone 2.

the xx12 models do not allow independent AirPlay to zone 2 without having main zone doing AirPlay as well. You can of course hit the "mute" button for main zone but that's a bit of a cludge. You might want to think about adding an Apple Airport Express as your dedicated "zone 2 AirPlay" node, which would alleviate that limitation.
Reply
Reply
post #40816 of 47714
8/21/12 at 5:03pm
^batpig^. Please explain further regarding your above post. If I were to use the iPad app, mute my downstairs zone 1, and play thru zone 2 in my bedroom while lounging, why wouldn't this work. I looked at the denon app, and it has a volume for both zone 1 and 2. Also, how does an airport express come into the equation ? I know this is wrong forum, but my denon is wired directly to my router downstairs, I would run speaker wire into my upstairs bedroom, and connect the rc-10s. How would rc10s connect to a airport express ?
Edited by bucknuts07 - 8/21/12 at 5:33pm
Reply
Reply
post #40817 of 47714
8/21/12 at 5:45pm
Sorry for the array of questions. One last one for the night. My new vs surround will be here Thursday. I purchased them for the wall mounting capability. My couch is up against the back wall, if I were to mount the vs surrounds on the back wall towards the corners (5.1) a few feet above my listening area, instead of the side walls, will that be ok ? The side walls are probably within 2 feet of where each speaker would be mounted, but I already had small cheap satellite speakers on this back wall, and if I can avoid messing up my shimmer stone wall custom paint job , that would be ideal. It seems like the vs should be flexible in placement with the bipolar, and dipole settings
Reply
Reply
post #40818 of 47714
8/21/12 at 8:37pm
I wish I had the chance before my black ash rc-70s to buy this ones, but now is too late ,They look beautiful cool.gif



http://www.ebay.com/itm/Energy-RC-70-Cherry-Floor-Speakers-Pair-New-and-Unused?item=271034910570&cmd=ViewItem&_trksid=p5197.m7&_trkparms=algo%3DLVI%26itu%3DUCI%26otn%3D1%26po%3DLVI%26ps%3D63%26clkid%3D1496962588443645579





Edited by losservatore - 8/21/12 at 8:51pm
Reply
Reply
post #40819 of 47714
8/21/12 at 9:04pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by bucknuts07 View Post

Sorry for the array of questions. One last one for the night. My new vs surround will be here Thursday. I purchased them for the wall mounting capability. My couch is up against the back wall, if I were to mount the vs surrounds on the back wall towards the corners (5.1) a few feet above my listening area, instead of the side walls, will that be ok ? The side walls are probably within 2 feet of where each speaker would be mounted, but I already had small cheap satellite speakers on this back wall, and if I can avoid messing up my shimmer stone wall custom paint job , that would be ideal. It seems like the vs should be flexible in placement with the bipolar, and dipole settings


I will recommend to place then a little bit higher than what is recommended because the sound from this speakers are easy to locate, They don't have the null area that others dipole and bipole have because the front speaker is always active.The volume knob and the switch are only to setup the side midranges speakers.
Reply
Reply
post #40820 of 47714
8/21/12 at 10:29pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by erhurd View Post

My old Pioneer VSX-D901S had only one line-level subwoofer output, but I have two M&K Sound MX-70 subs. Here is how I connected my subs: I ran a subwoofer cable straight out of the receiver to one of the subs. [Here is what is relevant to your situation] My MX-70 subs have both line-level and speaker-level inputs and outputs. So I ran speaker wire out from the receiver into the speaker-level inputs on the sub marked "From Amplifier"; I then attached speaker wire to the sub's speaker-level output marked "To Speakers" and connected the speaker wire to my front left and right speakers. I set the crossover on the sub to 80hz and the sub passed all of the frequencies above the crossover to my main speakers. I am sure this connection method can work well in your situation as well. Good luck, Alec88!

Thanks erhurd. The take sub doesn't have outputs though. The a-5vl does have 2 sets of outputs and an a+b speakers selector option on front. But I don't know if that will work with a sub.
Reply
Reply
post #40821 of 47714
8/22/12 at 4:26am
Quote:
Originally Posted by neutro View Post

So now I'm pretty set on getting Energy in-ceiling speakers for my kitchen / dining room area. Of course living in Canada, everything is complicated; nonetheless I have several options, and I'm not sure which presents the best bang for the buck.
First option is trying to go with Crutchfield's offerings, going through Kinek some time in the future. I don't even know if it's possible to order from Crutchfield with a Canadian credit card. They have to models in stock: the EAS-8C and the RC-6C for $120 and $160 for a pair, respectively. They also have in-wall speakers, the EAS-6W and RC-6W, but I guess I might as well go with in-ceilings. Crutchfield seems to be the last online retailer carrying the RC-6C. I like the sound of the RC line (I have the 70s, LCR and 10s) but don't now anything about the current EAS.
Amazon.com also have the EAS-8Cst in stock. This is especially interesting since its a stereo speaker in one single unit. Either I could buy only one, or buy two and have stereo effects in both the kitchen and dining area instead of having one channel in the kitchen and the other in the dining area (which are adjacent / not really separated but cover a rather large area). Amazon asks $100 for a single EAS-8Cst. Another quite surprising find is that they're willing to ship this to Canada! Shipping cost and duty deposit are rather steep ($80 for a pair) but is a really interesting option vs going to a US Kinek point. Anybody heard (about) those?
Finally I may have the option of buying NIB RC-8Cs at a yet undisclosed price. This would be my preferred option, having a great bass reproduction (down to 45Hz), being 3-way and pertaining to the RC family.
I'd be grateful for any opinion as I didn't follow closely the previous discussions about in-ceiling speakers.
Stereo sound ina single speaker?? That might be true but you will never 'hear' it since it is just that: One speaker. For stereo effect you need to (obviously) space them apart like mains (They are called L/R for a reason smile.gif )
Reply
Reply
post #40822 of 47714
8/22/12 at 4:37am
Quote:
Originally Posted by losservatore View Post

I wish I had the chance before my black ash rc-70s to buy this ones, but now is too late ,They look beautiful cool.gif
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Energy-RC-70-Cherry-Floor-Speakers-Pair-New-and-Unused?item=271034910570&cmd=ViewItem&_trksid=p5197.m7&_trkparms=algo%3DLVI%26itu%3DUCI%26otn%3D1%26po%3DLVI%26ps%3D63%26clkid%3D1496962588443645579

Shipping: Not Available to Canada | See all details

As usual... I have my tax return sitting in my account... just burning a hole...
Reply
Reply
post #40823 of 47714
8/22/12 at 6:16am
Quote:
Originally Posted by caper_1 View Post

Stereo sound ina single speaker?? That might be true but you will never 'hear' it since it is just that: One speaker. For stereo effect you need to (obviously) space them apart like mains (They are called L/R for a reason smile.gif )

You're absolutely right. By no means this should be equivalent to L/R mains in a living room. However it should have some benefits, at least in my situation. The goal is to provide music to the kitchen and dining area, which are odd-shaped. In particular the kitchen is kind of elongated, with the living room also rectangular but with the long axis perpendicular to the kitchen. I guess what I'm saying is that the dining area and kitchen form an "L". In this scenario if I buy a pair of standard speakers to deliver sound there, my best bet would probably be to put one in the kitchen and the other in the dining area. This will be a bit awkward though, having say the left channel in the kitchen and the right in the dining area. Only in a small region of that area, and facing the right direction, will a listener have the correct stereo reproduction anyway.

With the Cst, both speaker (if I buy a pair) will reproduce the left and right channel, which from the start should be more pleasing even if stereo effects are minimal. Second, the Cst has two tweeters but one woofer. I'm not sure if the tweeters are adjustable as in the RC-8C, or if not, I guess they're firing in slightly different directions. I guess that they're designed so that when you're standing right under it, with your ears 2-3 feet from the speaker, your ears will perceive the angular separations of the highs. I'm pretty sure you'll hear only "mono" sound if you're far from being directly under it.

However I have yet to read a comprehensive review of those speakers. I only found two "customer comments"; one was quite bad and the other very good, which is not conclusive at all.
Reply
Reply
post #40824 of 47714
8/22/12 at 6:52am
I am pretty sure you are going to hear 'mono' no matter where you are, so consider just getting the best speaker you want, and run MONO to them both?
Reply
Reply
post #40825 of 47714
8/22/12 at 6:59am
After a bit of research it seems that RC-6Cst had a very cool feature. They're basically built like the EAS-6Cst with dual tweeters; but those are adjustable. Also when wired in mono mode, there's a switch to set the dual tweeters to bipole or dipole mode. It seems at first sight that the EAS-6Cst lacks this feature and that its tweeters are not adjustable. But I can't find RC-6Cst's anywhere.

My choice will thus be between the RC-6C, the EAS-8C (both available through Kinek at Crutchfield -- I asked and they accept Canadian credit cards as long as the shipping address is verifiable through Directory Assistance), the EAS-6Cst (through Amazon.com) or, maybe (if I'm lucky) the RC-8C from a third party. I guess I could also put RC-6W on the ceiling but I fail to see any advantage of this.

It seems at first sight that the RC line is more appealing to me than the EAS line.
Reply
Reply
post #40826 of 47714
8/22/12 at 7:03am
Quote:
Originally Posted by caper_1 View Post

I am pretty sure you are going to hear 'mono' no matter where you are, so consider just getting the best speaker you want, and run MONO to them both?

That's an idea. What is required to mix stereo speaker-level outputs into mono?

Yet having two channels, be it to two separate speakers or to "stereo" speakers such as the Cst's might still provide a bit of stereo effects.

Also if I go with a pair of "stereo" Cst speakers, or two pairs of standard speakers, how should the stereo speaker-level output be split? Is a separate amp required or is it OK to just connect two pairs of speakers into my AVR outputs or somehow split them?
Reply
Reply
post #40827 of 47714
8/22/12 at 7:14am
Quote:
Originally Posted by neutro View Post

After a bit of research it seems that RC-6Cst had a very cool feature. They're basically built like the EAS-6Cst with dual tweeters; but those are adjustable. Also when wired in mono mode, there's a switch to set the dual tweeters to bipole or dipole mode. It seems at first sight that the EAS-6Cst lacks this feature and that its tweeters are not adjustable. But I can't find RC-6Cst's anywhere.
My choice will thus be between the RC-6C, the EAS-8C (both available through Kinek at Crutchfield -- I asked and they accept Canadian credit cards as long as the shipping address is verifiable through Directory Assistance), the EAS-6Cst (through Amazon.com) or, maybe (if I'm lucky) the RC-8C from a third party. I guess I could also put RC-6W on the ceiling but I fail to see any advantage of this.
It seems at first sight that the RC line is more appealing to me than the EAS line.

I think its a no brainer that if you can get the RC-8C, thats your best bet. The only thing that would worry me with ceiling speakers though is that they will sound very different if you are standing right under the speaker vs. away from the speaker. As you walk around, you will be walking in and out of the sound field. Putting them in the walls would be optimal, however they are 5 7/8" deep, which will not fit in most walls.

That being said, I think I might go with the RC-6W, 2 in each room. They claim they play down to 44hz which is pretty respectable.
Reply
Reply
post #40828 of 47714
8/22/12 at 7:14am
what I am arguing is that you will NOT have stereo effect at all from one speaker, thus wasting any $$ for this feature is just that, IMHO of course. Don't receivers come with a "Mono" DSP or button, or something?
Reply
Reply
post #40829 of 47714
8/22/12 at 7:34am
Quote:
Originally Posted by kgallerie View Post

I think its a no brainer that if you can get the RC-8C, thats your best bet.

I'd say so too, but not too loud, as the seller may be lurking here and take advantage of this tongue.gif
Quote:
The only thing that would worry me with ceiling speakers though is that they will sound very different if you are standing right under the speaker vs. away from the speaker. As you walk around, you will be walking in and out of the sound field.

You're right. The RC line though has pivoting tweeters (and mids in the case of the 8C) that should at least alleviate part of the problem by making it possible to aim at the most frequent listening location. It is also to be noted that most in-ceiling speakers are designed to provide extra-wide dispersion for that reason.
Quote:
Putting them in the walls would be optimal, however they are 5 7/8" deep, which will not fit in most walls.
That being said, I think I might go with the RC-6W, 2 in each room. They claim they play down to 44hz which is pretty respectable.

Yeah, you can but in-wall speakers in the ceiling, but I doubt there's any advantage of putting in-ceiling speakers in the walls. For some reason it seems that for the same woofer diameter, the in-wall speakers go lower. But since my kitchen is completely covered by cabinets I would have to put two speakers in the dining area only, and this would give me placement headaches. I think in my case in-ceiling would be better and less conspicuous, as the walls are painted and I don't want to paint the grilles each time my wall color changes.
Quote:
Originally Posted by caper_1 View Post

what I am arguing is that you will NOT have stereo effect at all from one speaker, thus wasting any $$ for this feature is just that, IMHO of course. Don't receivers come with a "Mono" DSP or button, or something?

Duh. Yeah I guess you're right. I imagine I can simply set Zone 2 to Mono, case closed. There's still the question of splitting the output if I want to put more than two speakers up here.
Reply
Reply
post #40830 of 47714
8/22/12 at 9:11am
I got word from Vann's selling RC-10's in black ash for $219.88 per pair. That's way less than I paid for them at the beginning of this year. ($279.00 per pair)
Reply
Reply
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:
  Return Home
  Back to Forum: Speakers

Gear mentioned in this thread:

AVS › AVS Forum › Audio › Speakers › Energy Owners Thread