Energy Owners Thread - Page 1440

Back in my day this was a popular song.... Low rider. Just played this on the RC-70's no sub when listening to 2 channel. on vintage amplifier. Bass sound good, all around good sound. I do use 2 subs with my HT set up but fancy the RC-70's on their own for music. But my days of really cranking the volume are behind me so that may be why I am ok without subs for 2 channel music. I will say vintage amplifiers and recievers have a different sound with the 70's than my newer recievers.

Good speaker for 800.00 a pair at future shop, anyone sitting on the fence you should leap. Not going to find a better pair of speakers for that price range.
Edited by baron2 - 1/7/13 at 5:00pm

Have played around with different set ups with vintage gear and 3 different type of Energy speakers. This what I found sounds the best for what I have.
Sony ( yes Sony, hard to believe ) 1978 Sony STR-V5 reciever, didnt sound good with the RC-70's to boomy, but a perfect match with my CF-70's.
1978 Kenwood KA-5500 amplifier and Kenwood KT-7300 tuner ( nothing special here but nice sound ) this matched up nicely with a pair of V6-2's.
Kenwoods have a nice sound to them. Also have a pair of RC-70's hooked up to a 1978 Pioneer SA-9500II amplifier and a 9500 tuner. This for me
was a good match for the RC-70's. Also Have a 1978 Pioneer SX-1080 very nice reciever, the RC-70's do sound nice with that setup as well but I
keep my old HPM-100's version B speakers hooked up to that reciever. Yes the old HPM 100's, you either like them or hate them, by all means
a cult following with those speakers. If anyone has the chance to hook their Energy speakers up to old amplification you might just find a difefrent
sound that is pleasing.

I should clarify myself as not being a real big audio guy, visual I take more seriously. I have 2 newer recievers in a Pioneer vsx-03 and a Pioneer vsx-33.
I use these for 2 different HT setups. Now maybe I just dont understand how to get the best out of these 2 recievers even after using the built in calibration they
offer. But when I hooked up any of my speakers mentioned above I just found the sound to be lacking something big.





( And the sign says long haired freaky people will be shot on site, so I picked up my sign and said hey what gives you the right )
I must be getting old if I turned up the volume while listening to this. LOL
Edited by baron2 - 1/7/13 at 1:24pm

I'm getting ready to set all my speakers up, I am using my RC10s as front heights, what is the best wall mount for them? I also bought 2 pairs of RCRs, one came with the rubber bumpers and mounting bracket, the other did not, where can
I buy them?

Unfortunately, there are no stores in the province that carry DefTech speakers. Was researching on some diff brand speakers and come across the DefTechs. Specs seem impressive. I need to buy a new sub, center and surrounds. So I wouldn't lose by buying the subs included in the speaker. Im not sure if its just a marketing gimmick, but they point out, if you buy them, you'll have 2 12" subs plus the bass radiators that they speak of. I've never heard of bass radiators before to be honest. And you make a good point, I never thought about the calibration. Could be trouble there.

Having said all that, I'm constantly listening to diff types of music and watching movies to allow the RC-70s to break in. They seem to have a clean, clear sound.

From talking to Def Tech reps, they told me I wouldnt need a seperate sub with their BP8080ST speakers. Apparently they can reach down to 20ish Hz. I am still undecided on which route to go, either Energy RC70s or Def Techs. I am "upgrading" from Mirage Micro Omnis since they cannot fill my new living room with that same immersive sound as they did in my old place. Any thoughts?

I know about nothing about DefTech and those particular speakers so I can't help with whether they would be better or not than the RC-70s. About the subs though, now I know quite a bit after a year digging the topic and spending waaaay more than I should on subwoofage

I just read the 8080ST specs and they're indeed surprising. I was not prepared to see 455W RMS subs embedded in towers. Not sure if it's 455W total or each though [EDIT: it's each!], but it's on par with entry level performance ID subs [EDIT: e.g. the NSD series from SVS]. DefTech specs 18 Hz frequency response and if that's true (i.e. a -3dB point in a semi-anechoic setting), it's very good. However, HomeTheater's review quote a -3 dB point of 35 Hz, so it would be much less impressive. I doubt the small 5.5-in drivers reach 35 Hz alone so that is likely with the subs on.

Another problem of having the subs in the towers is flexibility when bass is managed in the AVR as it should (e.g. setting the crossover point, etc.). However the DefTech seem to have a separate LFE input so it may be possible to treat them as a standalone sub. One advantage is that with two subs bass will be better distributed in the room, and frequency response will be more uniform. Another disadvantage is that you won't be able to move the subs around to get the best sounding bass, which is something you often want to do with standalone subs.

The passive radiators are simply cones that are not driven with a motor. They work in pretty much the same way as ports: they have a natural resonant frequency, given their weighting, at low frequencies, which will enhance the extension of the main driver.

I hope this helped...
Edited by neutro - 1/7/13 at 2:09pm

Well, the DefTechs have good reviews. The RC 70's require a sub to compete properly, while the DefTechs appear not to because of the embedded subs. The DefTechs are also 1500 per speaker, so you would have to compare the RC 70's at their price and then use the differential to add a killer sub (or more) for the RC 70's.

I haven't heard the DefTechs, but I would personally rather be able to place the subs separate from the fronts. Just my opinion, and it relies on the room's characteristics, but sub placement is critical for good sound, and I would think that the optimal placement for a sub (or two) may not necessarily be where the front two speakers (and the center) are.

I'd go with the Def Techs. I like the new series a lot from a sound stand point. I've heard the BP8080 and something must have been wrong because it didn't sound like the BP8060. Maybe they had the bass up to high and the surrounding speakers caused an issue. It would be nice if Def Tech made new towers without the built in subs, but it's nice if you don't have space for a high end sub.

Def Tech is notorious for tomfoolery with their low-end specs -- notice they do NOT specify their freq response as +/- 3dB, but simply call it "Overall" Total Frequency Response. If you follow their stuff, basically what they are doing is quoting the lowest point at which the speaker produces anything useful, probably the -10dB point or something like that.

IMO for a real "serious" HT setup, the idea that you wouldn't be better served with a real separate sub system is nonsense. Sure, you don't "need" a separate sub, and for most setups extension to ~30Hz with some good slam in the mid bass (30-80Hz) is fine to make movies sound kick ass -- after all, most decent consumer subs really don't do much below 30Hz either. But it's not a real replacement for what some of the high end subs can do. I would NOT expect extension below 30Hz with a 12" woofer in a slim enclosure like that.

Even much lower than that. Here's a stereophile review of the Mythos STS Super Tower. Def Tech claims 16hz as the low end, but the measurements on that page show it's around 20db down by then.

Not bashing the DefTechs here since I've not heard them but another argument for standalone subs is that you can easily upgrade them. Also considering the current price for RC-70s in Canada, you can afford to add very serious subwoofage for the total price of the DefTechs. Dual SVS Plus-series for example would fit and provide a totally different experience if one can manage the space. Note that the SVS Pluses only got 12" drivers too, but those drivers wouldn't fit in the tower enclosures.

I received my veritas v-5.2 center channel on Friday and really like it. I was thinking of ordering two more for left and right fronts. Would it be ok to set them on top of my energy s10.3 subs or would that be unstable? Thanks.

Not the ultimate placement because you might want them a little higher up to get the tweeter at early level.

But the subwoofer will definitely hold a V5.2 on top of it.

I have a question about speaker stands for the veritas v-5.2. I was looking at a sanus speaker stand that is 30" tall and has a base plate 12"x12" and top plate 5.5"x 5.5". It indicates that it will hold most speakers up to 25 lbs. Would this be adequate for the veritas with a 7.6"x9.2" base? Does the plate holding the speaker have to be larger than the footprint of the speaker?

I use a Sanus 30' stand for RC10 and V-S and they hold up fine. I can share some pics if you want.

Sure I'd like to see how they look. I also might look into buying a new tv stand that is wide enough to fit the speakers on each side of my 50" tv. Is there any issue to having the speakers sit directly beside the tv only separated by an inch or two?

The only issue would be the fact that it means you aren't getting a lot of stereo separation.

It plate does not have to necessarily be larger, no. I went with these Sanus stands on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0010CM0JQ/ref=oh_details_o02_s00_i00

Trying to match tweeter height with RC-70s...these stands make for 39" total height.

Well, I just pulled the trigger on the additional veritas v-5.2's and will figure out how to accomadate them when they arrive. That will give something to think about this week. Any other suggestions would be welcome, thanks.

I know that this is a long shot, but thought I would try:

Does anyone have the grille covers for their CF-70s that they would be willing to sell? Perhaps you are not using them and have them tucked away? I only need 1, but will buy the pair if necessary.

On a related note, has anyone ever replaced the fabric on a CF-70 grille successfully? That may be my only option if I cannot replace it.

Thanks!

Have you tried getting in touch with energy? they may have them for sale.

Not yet. I emailed them about a week ago, asking if they sold replacement connector panels for a damaged speaker I was looking to buy used. They never replied to that email, so I am not sure it is worth emailing about this one...

I just sent another email. In the mean time if anyone is willing to sell one or has a suggestion, please let me know, thanks!
Edited by DustinLH00 - 1/7/13 at 8:15pm

Regarding a Sub to match with the energy Classic take 5.0, I'm looking for something $200 or less. I know it does limit the options, but considering I'm going from my embedded TV speakers, I probably will be impressed with something in that price range.

That being said, my understanding is that I would want something that is able to crossover around 100-110 Hz, is this correct? Also I am in a basement suite, so I do not have need for massive foundation shaking bass, but I would still like it to be reasonably powerful for our room size (about 20' by 12'

I was looking at the Energy EW-100 for $150, but it seems that there are a number of people that feel it is too underpowered and not worth it.

My options I am considering are:

-Energy EW-100
-Polk PSW-505
-BIC America F12
-BIC America V1220
-BIC America V1020

Considering I have found all of these for between $150-200, does anyone have any feedback regarding how these might pair with the classic take system. (Just in general, I realize there are other factors that will influence performance, ie. room size, etc.).

Thanks,
Dave

The BIC F-12 would probably be my first choice. Just to muddy the waters, check out the Dayton SUB-1200 at 129.

I would also cross them over higher, since the Takes drop off at about 115.

I looked back about 8 pages and it appears no where is selling the energy RC-LCR? What about the RC-70s? Sorry, I was out of the loop for awhile while I was saving money... Looks like they finally discontinued yeah?

It looks like everything is discontinued. You can barely find any of the CF or CC stuff either.

FutureShop in Canada just got a fresh batch of RC-70s and are currently selling them at $400 each. Considering the numbers involved and the timing, it would be hard to believe those are simply leftovers from Vann's. Fry's in the US also got RC-70s in store but at $700 each I believe. The rest of the RC series, including in-wall and in-ceiling speakers, seems to be gone for good.

The RC line was "officially" discontinued a few years ago but for a while there were special relationships with certain vendors (mostly Vanns) to continue to produce and carry certain stock. With the bankruptcy of Vanns, that relationship ended and now it's really slim pickings. Fry's still carries RC-70's but the rest of the RC's are basically gone. You have to prowl around the used market or get lucky to find them now.

yeah, unless you're in canada.

Well that is what you get for not being impulsive lol