[erajsri]

Hi,

I need speakers for my HTPC. I mostly watch movies but the speakers and subwoofer must be good enough for music as well.

I have bought the receiver for this setup - a Yamaha RX-V1900 and now looking to find suitable speakers. Problem is I cannot decided between satellites (such as the Energy Take Classic 5.1) or bookshelf speakers (Energy CB-5 and CC-5).

I would like the best audio quality in any case but I need the most compact speakers and therefore favour the satellites (Energy Take Classic).

What are the differences between the Energy Take Classic and the Energy Bookshelves paired with a decent subwoofer ?
Would I be compromising much if I choose the Energy Take Classics over the bookshelves + decent subwoofer ?

thanks.

 

[Gorilla Killa]

Whats your budget? I had the energy takes for a while, good entry level but you can get better for a few more dollars .

 

[Elihawk]

I think your budget is out of whack. You bought a 800 dollar receiver (according to Amazon)...it is often recommend you spend 1/4 or less of your budget on a rec and the rest on speakers/sub!
So lets assume you have a budget of 1200-1500. I would return the rec if I could and find something in the 300 dollar range. That would give 1000-1200 for speakers.
Put it another way, a pretty good rec like the one your bought won't make the Energy take classics speakers sound much better than a way cheaper on...

 

[jaykay0222]

The receiver looks like a 7 year old receiver (date first available on amazon). Did you buy the receiver now; if yes, return it for a better Denon

You did not list which Energy bookshelves you are talking about. If they are RC-10's or CB series, they will blow you compared to Energy classic; but it depends on your room size and what volume level your listening preference

 

[erajsri]

Hi,

This receiver is used and you're right it has 5 years dated technology. But strangely it is like brand new as the previous user has just bought it from a "Yamaha dealer". He hasn't used it much and wanted to upgrade to a better receiver so I bought it. I like that it has analog multi-channel input so that I can plug-in output from the sound card of my htpc without having to rely on HDMI. The sound card is a Creative X-FI Xtreme Music model so I presume the DACs would be great on that card.

My budget is around $1000-1500 for speakers. I am looking for a comparison on Energy Take Classic 5.1 vs the Energy bookshelves ( such as CC-5 , CB-5's ) with a decent subwoofer such as an SVS PB-1000. Has anybody ever used the Energy Take Classic 5.1 and upgraded to the Energy bookshelves ? WHat are your impressions ?

I would also like if you can suggest some other speakers that you can recommend to go ahead with my budget. Basically my requirement is that it has to be near audiophile quality if not exactly so. Also i prefer smaller speakers hence the need for bookshelf speakers.

 

[dsrussell]

^ erajsri: If you live in the U.S., there are many speakers I'd prefer, but since you seem to enjoy the sound of the Energy speakers it might not matter what I recommend. Anyway, since you asked, I'll recommend what I always recommend for budget speakers that sound far better than the price tag would indicate:

$225 / pair (includes shipping) EMP Tek R5Bi bookshelf speaker (formally E5Bi): http://emptek.com/r5bi.php (I own these)
Andrew Robinson's video review:

Also look at speakers from Ascend Acoustics, Hsu Research, NHT and HTD. All are highly regarded here.

 

[zieglj01]

My preference - I am not a big fan of Energy

JBL Studio 530
http://www.amazon.com/JBL-Studio-53...qid=1430586427&sr=8-1&keywords=jbl+studio+530

JBL Studio 520
http://www.amazon.com/JBL-Studio-52...qid=1430586452&sr=8-1&keywords=jbl+studio+520

JBL ES10
http://www.amazon.com/JBL-ES10BK-3-...=UTF8&qid=1430586533&sr=8-1&keywords=jbl+ES10

Rythmik Subwoofer
http://www.rythmikaudio.com/LV12R.html

You can always save and buy the surrounds later

 

[auceny]

Definitely go bookshelf as your budget allows for some really good options. The tiny satellites like the Take Classics just don't provide a good overall sound and lack entire frequency ranges. In no specific order:

SVS Bookshelf OR Satellite systems (these are larger satellites with good reviews)
Ascend CBM-170se for front 3 and HTM-200se for surrounds
The JBL and EmpTek mentioned above
HSU HB-1 MK2 and HC-1 MK2
And several other good options.

Then go with something like the SVS PB-1000, Rythmik LV-12R, HSU ?, and a few others that I'm forgetting.

 

[sdg4vfx]

+1 There are several bookshelf speakers (many already mentioned) that will give you better sound-for-your-dollar.

Satellite speakers are a significant compromise you should typically only accept if absolutely necessitated by space or WAF.

 

[losservatore]

Hi,

This receiver is used and you're right it has 5 years dated technology. But strangely it is like brand new as the previous user has just bought it from a "Yamaha dealer". He hasn't used it much and wanted to upgrade to a better receiver so I bought it. I like that it has analog multi-channel input so that I can plug-in output from the sound card of my htpc without having to rely on HDMI. The sound card is a Creative X-FI Xtreme Music model so I presume the DACs would be great on that card.

My budget is around $1000-1500 for speakers. I am looking for a comparison on Energy Take Classic 5.1 vs the Energy bookshelves ( such as CC-5 , CB-5's ) with a decent subwoofer such as an SVS PB-1000. Has anybody ever used the Energy Take Classic 5.1 and upgraded to the Energy bookshelves ? WHat are your impressions ?

I would also like if you can suggest some other speakers that you can recommend to go ahead with my budget. Basically my requirement is that it has to be near audiophile quality if not exactly so. Also i prefer smaller speakers hence the need for bookshelf speakers.

If you look at my post history you will see that I have own from the budget C series to the Veritas V series full 7.1 setups ,also the V minis and the RC minis,my recommendation is to explore other speaker brands. there are better speakers than the connoisseur series.

Good luck!

 

[steve1106]

Hi,




My budget is around $1000-1500 for speakers. I am looking for a comparison on Energy Take Classic 5.1 vs the Energy bookshelves ( such as CC-5 , CB-5's ) with a decent subwoofer such as an SVS PB-1000. Has anybody ever used the Energy Take Classic 5.1 and upgraded to the Energy bookshelves ? WHat are your impressions ?

I would also like if you can suggest some other speakers that you can recommend to go ahead with my budget. Basically my requirement is that it has to be near audiophile quality if not exactly so. Also i prefer smaller speakers hence the need for bookshelf speakers.

I have the Energy Take Classic speakers and I am not a fan. Maybe in a really small room, but in my basement they equaled wasted money. I jumped to the inexpensive Infinity line and suddenly the room came alive for movies. I started with replacing the center and bought the pieces a few at a time. At the end of the day, they ran a little more than my original $299 Energy purchase.


Small cheap speaker = small sound. And yes I was fooled by all the great reviews. The thing you should see is that the speakers are tiny and even with two subs (a Polk 10inch, BIC F12) something was missing.