Energy Owners Thread - Page 152

Just a word for Energy buyers or potential buyers, I would avoid. So I finally have my new theater finished and i unboxed all my new Energy speakers.

My first issue is that I bought an RC-6W in wall and it has a cracked Crossover the Second issue is I bought the S12.3 Sub and the LED in the front face of the Sub is out.

Not only is there an issue with the items but dealing with Energy's customer service is brutal. They want me to Drive 1.5 hours both ways to there service depot to replace the LED module on the Sub and exchange the speaker. They won't just send a new one to my dealer for a direct exchange.

I bought these items in August and Just unboxed them a week ago. At the time my dealer who had stopped selling energy because of the poor quality of the build coming out of china. Warned me not to buy the Energy brand anymore. I was insistant I wanted to match the tweeters of my older Mains C9's & C-C3.

However in retrospect I should have listened, I'm very pissed off that after months of building I'm set back by these garbage speakers and the poor service to get them fixed/replaced.

I ordered the C-100, C-C100, and the C-500's this morning.

Well the 10.3 is no longer available. Is the 10.2(still available) just as good or are there any better alternatives?

I'm completely bummed. I researched AVS for 2 weeks every night religously, and settled on all this.

Sorry to hear that. I bought a B-stock 10.3 sub and the blue LED went out. But I was getting ready to put tape over it anyway because it was annoying. I called Energy about it just to make sure it didn't affect anything else. I'm fine with the light going out.

How does your sub actually sound?

The 10.2 doesn't look nearly as good. I don't like the open front ports on the bottom. Have no idea how it sounds compared to the 10.3.

Just re-posting my unanswered question... which speaker wall mounts are compatible with the C50? Is the Energy Macromount the only option?

This exact same question was asked in another thread. Omnimount makes a bracket for it too. Any wall mount with a 3/8" screw would work.

The C-50 has a 3/8" 16 thread screw hole, just use the Omnimount Macromount bracket.
The manual has pictures on the last pages. Picture 7 on page 32.
http://www.energy-speakers.com/images/download/339.aspx

white omnimount bracket
http://www.onecall.com/ProductDetails.aspx?id=30628

black omnimount bracket
http://www.wwstereo.com/#/ecommerce/...ount_0_0_0_-1/

ceiling mounts.
http://www.wwstereo.com/#/ecommerce/...ount_0_0_0_-1/
http://www.wwstereo.com/#/ecommerce/...ount_0_0_0_-1/

These all hold up to 20lbs.

afrogt,

The Sub does appear to work fine, However I had an older S12.3 from my old theater, when I moved into my new house I finished the basement and built a custom HT. For this I replaced my Old Energy Surrounds with Some In Cieling & In walls, I also picked up a Second S12.3 Sub.

So the 2 subs sit at the front of the room and it looks silly when you see the old sub with the LED functioning and the New Sub with the light out.

I also have an issue buying any product brand new and not having it work properly as built.

It isn't even so much that there is a problem, things happen nothing is perfect, but the fact 2 of the 5 pieces I bought have been defective and the worst part is the Customer service. If they would just replace the damn things I'd be satisfied.

My previous energy experiance has been great, however the last purchases I made prior to this august were like 8 years ago. I was told to be warry now that production had moved to china and my dealer had dropped the line. He still had access so he got me the new pieces.

Thanks very much for the response

Energy customer service is actually Klispch now. They're in Indiana not Toronto. At least the number I called took me to Klipsch support. Maybe that's the difference.

I had dealt with Energy customer support in Toronto or Buffalo, NY in the past and they were great.


That's an understandable complaint.

I believe the LED going out was a common issue with the SX.3 subs, if you do some searches on this thread there is a lot of dicussion. It shouldn't affect the performance at all...

The S10.2 is the older model, and while probably close in performance to the S10.3 it is way uglier. But there are lots of great sub values for $200-300, we had a similar discussion within the past few pages of this thread and there is a wealth of information on the subwoofer forum.

I detest piano black finishes. It just goes to show how much goes to a matter of taste.

I actually usually prefer black for their unobtrusiveness (is that a word?), but I think the Energy rosenut speakers look fantastic! Too bad klipsch is phasing out the good stuff and seems intent on destroying this company.

I'd actually prefer, if I were forced to have black, to have a flat, matte black finish. Black is OK with me, but I just don't like the rough texture.

Piano black is like a mirror, and I'd see the reflection of my screen off the tops of the speakers (or the sides, if my speakers were there). Each person has their own set of conditions that dictate what they'd like to "see" in a speaker. Having just the one type of black finish, though, is a mistake. You limit your audience far too dramatically.

I'm not surprised to hear about the customer service issues now that API is owned by Klipsch. I'm also wondering what the heck Klipsch is doing to do with the brands. Enery's new website looks like they've taken the brand downscale. No news on new Veritas products either. Last time I was in Circuit City they had started selling the Take setup.

I suppose we'll see what happens, but the lower build quality, customer service, and perhaps smaller lineup might be early signs that the API brands won't be taken seriously by Klipsch.

Batpig,

I own the 12.3 so I'm not overly interested in downsizing, plus its not the cost the S12.3 carried a significantly higher price tag than $200-300.

I'll get this all fixed even though its a hassle but THe only reason Energy might see another order is because I bought the In Cieling & In walls, I'll probably at some point replace my C9's & C-C3 with Veritas Mains to keep the tweeters the same.

However I've got a feeling the next upgrade path for me is the Subs & I'll move to the Paradigm Signatures, after seeing those perform recently I'm sold.

When its all running the sound quality is still high and I enjoy it just frustrated that after 8 months of my HT being boxed up, new house, rebuilt & upgraded I'm stalled for a couple weeks again fixing brand new speakers.

Hey eXessive, I understand your frustration. It's too bad you didn't pull the products out and 'test' them right away though.

When I first bought my RC-10's, they didn't sound right at all. Things were missing, so I checked each speaker and a tweeter was not working on one of them (I don't know if it was a broken crossover or a bad tweeter). I took it back and got another pair immediately from my dealer, and they sounded fine.

At my local future shop, the idiots had a pair of RC-70's in their listening room with the exact same problem. I heard it right away and brought it to their attention, but they never did replace it.

This just hammers home the point that if you are going to buy anything for 'future' use, you better unbox it and test it when you get it home, even if it won't be used for months. I don't know of any dealer anywhere that won't take back/exchange a product within 48 hours of purchase (and ususally they give you 30 days).

It's too bad your dealer you bought from won't exchange it for you. I can't understand Klipsch not wanting to do that exchange through the dealer unless he's dropped the entire Klipsch line.

I know what you mean about the LED in a way, but I'd just put a piece of tape over the one that does work and call it a day (my SVS sub does not have a light on the front, works fine and doesn't bother me any ) and I would mail that speaker in with the broken crossover. Klipsch would mail the replacement on their dime and you'd save in gas and more importantly time.

As for things being built in China - there's nothing that isn't nowaday. Even things built in the USA or Canada 99 times out of a 100 contains parts that are 'made in China' (go figure). But don't blame the Chinese - blame the US and Canadian companies who pay the Chinese pennies to build the stuff to begin with. There's actually a lot of very very nice Chinese equipment out there, built as well or even better than products made in North America. They're not cheap though, and they're not rebranded either.

It's amazing how much LEDs bother me. I've gone so far as to banish them altogether from my home theater room. Of course, I have a projector, but even for low light viewing in other rooms, I minimize LED distractions as much as possible. If I never had to tape another LED, I'd consider myself lucky. I understand your concern, though, about getting defective merchandise.

well I just took a look at the new CF series in person today, and was kinda confused about the center channel layouts. It seems that with the grill off it looks like a bookshelf turned on it's side. the energy logo is vertical with the speaker and the right side woofer is in like a bracket with the tweeter. Also the left woofer looks like it sticks out more then the right one prolly due to the bracket setup. Anyone know anything about this and why they would do that? Other then that the speakers look really nice especially with the piano black finishes. I'm going to go have a listen to a set with cf50's, but I think i'll end up getting the 70 set .

WW Stereo's showroom was quite impressive as were their staff. They really went out of their way to accomodate my request to audition BOTH the C-100 fronts and the C-500's with a C-C100 center (knowing they would have to sell one set or the other as an "open box". Both sets were A/B'd through an Integra 5.9 receiver and they just tied them in with a Klipsch 10" sub and rear surrounds for auditioning DVD in 5.1. I was going to buy the S10.2 but think I will go with the PA-120 this weekend.

The store manager had one of his sales reps pick up these speakers and personally bring them to the showroom for me to hear. They DO NOT have any Energy speakers on display nor do they sell them out of their showrooms. Strictly online sales only. I saw lots of Klipsch, B&W, Sunfire speakers and tons of other awesome A/V goodies. Really classy store and staff. They also set up an ebay auction for me so I could get the 25% cashback on top of it all!

I ended up purchasing the C-500's over the C-100's. While it cost about $190more, the sound was so much fuller with a distinctive midrange and sound dispersion. When the C-100's were on, I could "see" the sound coming from them amongst the other bookshelfs they were lined up with. When we switched to the 500's, one would be hard pressed to know which set of towers the sound was coming from. I paired them up with the C-C100 center and the C-R100 wall mounts for a fuller rear sound and will purchase the PA-120 this weekend. This was basically the $599 package they are advertising on their site but I ended up paying a slight premium for the C-R100's.

WWStereo has been around for over 30 years and are a class act. Do NOT be afraid to deal with these people!

It is really hard to believe that I went from seriously considering purchasing the Def Tech 600 package from BB to getting what I got for the same price! Thanks to all who lent their advice. Now I will move over to the AVR thread to see what I will buy to power these baby's.

Okay, saw some recent posts on port plugs and bi-amping, and thought what the heck let's give it a try. My speakers are in a 3 foot deep alcove, and I have them about 18" from both the rear and side walls. Moving them away did help with some of the bass bloat, as I had them closer to the rear wall originally.

I put the plugs in and listened to a couple of CD's in "direct" mode on my receiver. The plugs tightened up the sound, but seemed to take away something too. I thought give it a chance and let my ears adjust, and eventually thought I can live with this. I flipped over to "stereo" mode so the sub would engage, and it did improve the sound by bringing some low end presence back.

I then went out and bought some speaker wire and thought, let's see if there is a difference in sound quality vs what the skeptics say when bi-amping. Threw some CD's in on "direct" mode again, and all I can say is wow. I've read before about "the veil being lifted" and it was true. Was it a 100% improvement? No. I'd say more around 15% improvement. I would recommend bi-amping if your amp/receiver allows to get that bit of increased performance. I think I was surprised there was a change as my expectations were low that there wouldn't be. I think the 30's like power even though they're easy to drive. I tried the plugs in and, took them out after a few songs. The bass was tighter, and the highs were clearer. I'd really like to see what would happen if I hooked up a real amplifier to these guys. I'm very impressed.

So I am now considering getting the package from ww stereo but the only difference now is that the center is c-c50 instead of the c-c100, will it make that much of a difference? Also what sub do you feel should I pair to this? I will be looking at the sub forum but just food for though?

I noticed that too. It almost seems to take some of the midrange or something. I scooted mine out from the wall (20-22 inches) and cut the bass down on my amp. To me, that seems to work better than using the plugs. I have a NAD c325bee amp and it sounds very nice with the RC30's.

They are pretty laid back which was exactly what I was looking for in my smaller room. They aren't as full as my Monitor Audio RS6's in my living room. I put the RC30's in that room and they couldn't fill up the room like the RS6's. In all fairness, I'd say the RC-50's or 70's would be a fair comparison to the RS6's.

let's hear some more RS6 v. RC30 comparison details! bass, midrange, treble, imaging, etc. do you find that the stereotype of the RS6's being more "forward" and having an "airy treble" are accurate relative to the RC30?

Agreed!

I've said this before, in my listening comparisons I preferred the 30's to the RS6's. I found the RS6's that bit too bright. I do prefer the GS series over both though, but price is wayyyyy out of my league. The 30's were half the price of the RS6's so it was a done deal. However.....if the situation was reversed.... and the RS6's were half the price of the 30's, I would have bought the RS6's instead and would have been just as happy with them. I found both to be very detailed, and I was very surprised at how good the 30's did sound when I listened to them. That's my two cents!

Yes the RS6's are pretty forward and I have an untreated room with lots of hardwood floors etc. They do have that airy treble and sometimes can be a bit much on brighter recordings. They do have a fuller range imo. The bass goes down deep whereas the RC30's seems not to go down as far. Keep in mind the RC30's I have still need to be broken in. The guy I bought them from said they only had 10 hours on them. Also, they suffered some minor damage in shipping.

Aesthetically, The Rosenut on the RC30's is gorgeous but I do prefer the design of the RS6's overall. I'd say finish quality is probably right down the middle between the two. The RS6's have rounded corners on the cabinets. The posts on the the RS6's are up higher for easy accessibility and have front and back ports. The RS6 cabinet isn't as deep as the RC30 which I do like. I also prefer Monitor Audio's plinth and leveling foot design. To me, the RS6 seems more upscale but I really do like the RC30's in my smaller room.

Also wanted to point out the the RC30's are great for Jazz. Saxophone and piano sounds wonderful on these speakers. They aren't fatiguing at all whereas sometimes the RS6's can rattle your eardrums.

I'll have $300 plus shipping in them after the Live cashback deal whereas I bought the RS6's new for $850.

I still have lots of comparing to do so I'll report back!

Hey all.
Well just got a good deal on some NHT towers and given my room and setup situation I am planning on keeping them. They are a bit more forward than my Energys, but in a good way. Plus adding the height ( about a foot over my 50's ) brings the mid and tweeters closer to ear level. Soooo gonna let my beloved 50's go if anyone is interested. Rosenut finish to boot. Also have an RC-LCR in black ash. just sayin.....prefer local......
hmmmm, hope i dont get my hand slapped here..but want to offer to fellow Energy lovers
b

So is the C-500, C-C50, C-100...Energy's entry level stuff? I hear its pretty laid back on the top end (warm) and that kinda scares me b/c i want to hear detail but i dont like harsh one bit. No way I could every listen to these so I was hoping for some opinions. Thanks guys

Man, given Energy's pedigree, I wouldn't let it scare me. They have a long, long track record of designing for flat frequency response. Not that they are able to hit perfection every time they go out, but this company is not known for 1) turning out trash or 2) manipulating the frequency response to get a certain 'rolled off' sound.

I can symapthize with being nervous about committing, though. It's a real hassle getting rid of speakers you don't like.

Good luck!

Here are some basic observations.
1. The s550 seems to boot up quicker and load faster.
2. The s550 has IMO a better user menu interface and just easier to use IMHO(not that the Panny was difficult).
3. The s550 retails for slightly less.
4. The panny is DIVX compatable for those of intrest.
5. I prefer the look of the panny(but thats just me)

I watched Transformers today to compare the upconversion qualities of these two players via HDMI for video and audio directly on my TV simultaneously swiching back and forth and there was very little to decern between the two, again this is JMO.
I watched I, Robot in BR last night using my S550 via analog and I did the same today with the BD55. For me this was harder to figure out because having only the ability of one set of analog m/c to work with. If I where to pick a winner I'd prefer the Panny because it seemed to have(please don't laugh)better bass response and thats if my memory served me correctly. Heh.. lets face it, I wasn't about to switch my cables in and out or something as crazy as that. I'll make a decision on one of these player over this weekend, but either one would serve me well untill I get my new receiver.

Ps: Here are some pic's of the two players in my living room and I tried taken shots of the movies from each player(I know I suck at taking pictures) but their really was little difference. And if you look real close you'll see that my kids are getting ready for X-mas. lol

BTW the one on the top is S550 and the underneath is the BD55, just in case some of you where considering buying a BR player.
Regards, Bill oh.. and I took the grills off so you can see the amazing black ash finish along with silver baffles don't they just look beautiful







Avr-Denon 3805, Front Speakers-Energy RC30 & LCR, Surrounds-Athena As-b2's, Display-LG 44"dlp, DVD-DMPBD-55 *on the way*, Sub-Svs pb10, Cables & Interconnects-BJC or Monoprice

^^^^ Am I missing something here or are you in the wrong place?

Dorothy I don't think you're in Kansas anymore.

Hello, new Energy owner here. For the past 5 years my 5.1 setup has been the Athena Point 5 MKII system with a 12" Infinity sub. I have now upgraded to...
Fronts: 2 x C-200
Center: 1 x C-C100
Rears: 2 x C-100

I ordered my center and rears from World Wide Stereo but they did not carry the C-200's so I got them from Beach Audio. I had questions about the mounting options on the back of the C-100's and the folks at WWS went to the warehouse, opened a package and discussed my options with me. They were very knowledgeable, patient, and professional. They emailed my tracking number the very next morning. Next time I'm in the market for home theater, I'll check their website first; great prices and great service = very happy customer.
I just placed my Beach Audio order on-line. After a couple days my order status hadn't changed so I called them to see why it had not yet shipped. The guy was very polite and provided me with a tracking number. He wasn't sure why their website wasn't keeping me updated. It looks like Beach Audio was a day slower to ship but that might be because I ordered on-line vs. over the phone. I wouldn't hesitate to order from these guys again either.

Keep in mind that I also upgraded my A/V Receiver from a Pioneer VSX-1014TX to a VSX-1018AH at the same time I started swapping speakers. As I sit today I have the center hooked up and the rears are being used as my fronts. I have to wait until tomorrow to get my C-200's. First impressions of the C-C100 & C-100's coupled with my new 1018 (still using Athenas as rears) - AWESOME! I heard things in songs on VHI that I've never heard before. We watched Journey To The Center Of The Earth on BluRay and that was amazing as well. I can hear detail I never knew existed and I don't even have my fronts yet! I post more once I get my whole system setup.

I do have a question and I'm guessing I'll get a bunch of different opinions on this, but should I run with or without port plugs. Here's how I'm set up...
My fronts and center sit on top of my entertainment center. The woofer on my fronts sits about 5' high. My ceiling is 10'. The fronts and center are approx 12' away from the main listening positions. The fronts are about 7' apart with the center directly in the middle but raised 6 inches.
Left Front: There is a wall about 2' behind it and has about 5' of clearance to the left.
Center: There is a wall about 2' behind it.
Right Front: There is a wall about 2' behind it and has about 6 inches of clearance to the right.
Rears: They sit in a corner. The back is only a few inches from the wall (omnimount bracket) and one side is about 6 inches from the wall.
So...

TO PLUG OR NOT TO PLUG????????????????