[c-mills]


I have a set of Energy 5.1e towers and an AC300 center. I'm remodeling the HT. The speakers are big for the new room and ideally should be far smaller, BUT I doubt they're worth much to sell and I COULD make them work.

 

Anyone one know how these vintage models stack up to todays? The 5.1e is a 23 year old design, so we're talking pre-computers as we know them today. A few years later the AC300 came out and was the closest match (back when ProLogic came out). It was considered a stellar center... but again, that is when gas was just over $1/gal. 

 

Work with what I have or time to overhaul?

 

[gondey99]

That can be a loaded question, I gave up last summer on my Energy Reference 22's.

. To me they were remarkable speakers for two way speakers however once I had new wood floors put in they no longer passed the WAF and upgraded to a 5,0 Energy speakers and an Emotiva subwoofer paiired with the Onkyo 717 receiver. I think at this point, it all depends on your budget and what sounds good to your ear. For me it was a well needed upgrade anyway. Good Luck!!!

 

[FMW]

The answer is impossible for us and easy for you. Go listen to some speakers. If you prefer some to the sound of what you have then a change would be good. If not, then it would be silly.

 

[c-mills]



Quote:
Originally Posted by FMW  /t/1522933/keep-vintage-energy-speakers-or-upgrade-to-modern-day#post_24492975


The answer is impossible for us and easy for you. Go listen to some speakers. If you prefer some to the sound of what you have then a change would be good. If not, then it would be silly.

That may seem simple, but unless I take my speakers (about 50lbs each) to the store to A/B them, then isolate each speaker from the display where drivers will interact and wire them up in a 3.1 mode, its really not possible to compare what I hear THERE to what I have here. Pretty sure Best Buy won't like me trying this. All the big box stores have taken over. So looking to you guys for advice.

 

[c-mills]



Quote:
Originally Posted by gondey99  /t/1522933/keep-vintage-energy-speakers-or-upgrade-to-modern-day#post_24492942

I gave up last summer on my Energy Reference 22's.... and upgraded to a 5,0 Energy speakers and an Emotiva subwoofer paiired with the Onkyo 717 receiver. 

 

The Ref 22 is the grandfather to my 5.1e. Did you use them for movies and if so how do your new 5.0s compare?

 

Back in the day my towers set me back $1500 and the center another $500. I don't have that kind of money to spend, but my set up is less than ideal — the speakers I have were for designed for stereo use (just after CDs came out), not highly digitally compressed dialog. It has a similar full uncolored sound (like Cantons) — great for music, but is it best for HT use? The AC300, while the best match for the my towers at the time, has all different drivers and one of the first Energy centers.

 

I don't want to spend $600-800 on 3 new speakers only to have them not fill my space, but today's speakers are quite different from 20 years ago. A $600 set may sound worlds better than what I have. Curious what your experience has been.

 

[cel4145]



Quote:
Originally Posted by c-mills  /t/1522933/keep-vintage-energy-speakers-or-upgrade-to-modern-day#post_24493134


That may seem simple, but unless I take my speakers (about 50lbs each) to the store to A/B them, then isolate each speaker from the display where drivers will interact and wire them up in a 3.1 mode, its really not possible to compare what I hear THERE to what I have here. Pretty sure Best Buy won't like me trying this. All the big box stores have taken over. So looking to you guys for advice.

Have you consulted the Energy owners thread?
http://www.avsforum.com/t/630450/energy-owners-thread

 

[gondey99]



Quote:
Originally Posted by c-mills  /t/1522933/keep-vintage-energy-speakers-or-upgrade-to-modern-day#post_24493282


The Ref 22 is the grandfather to my 5.1e. Did you use them for movies and if so how do your new 5.0s compare?


Back in the day my towers set me back $1500 and the center another $500. I don't have that kind of money to spend, but my set up is less than ideal — the speakers I have were for designed for stereo use (just after CDs came out), not highly digitally compressed dialog. It has a similar full uncolored sound (like Cantons) — great for music, but is it best for HT use? The AC300, while the best match for the my towers at the time, has all different drivers and one of the first Energy centers.


I don't want to spend $600-800 on 3 new speakers only to have them not fill my space, but today's speakers are quite different from 20 years ago. A $600 set may sound worlds better than what I have. Curious what your experience has been.

I initially used them as a 4.0 solution back in the day. I was using my Carver CT-17 and TFM-25 amp and luxman 4 channel amp for surround. I was a big audio enthusiast then and enjoyed music listening to cd's and albums. Today I am using the Energy micro speakers, and does not come even close to my 22's., but then again i no longer have separate components. I am using them 90% for movies and very little music I went home theater on the cheap and for what it is, it is enjoyable, It beats using the sound from the TV only and wife is totally against big speakers. (Happy wife is happy life). I am not the best example with comparing my little speakers to what I had then not exactly apples to apples. Remember it is also what sounds good to your ear.



As the other person mentions, check out the Energy owners thread.

 

[afrogt]



Quote:
Originally Posted by c-mills  /t/1522933/keep-vintage-energy-speakers-or-upgrade-to-modern-day#post_24493134


That may seem simple, but unless I take my speakers (about 50lbs each) to the store to A/B them, then isolate each speaker from the display where drivers will interact and wire them up in a 3.1 mode, its really not possible to compare what I hear THERE to what I have here. Pretty sure Best Buy won't like me trying this. All the big box stores have taken over. So looking to you guys for advice.

Why don't you bring the other speakers to YOUR home? That's the best way to test them anyway, in your own environment. Best Buy has a return policy.

 

[c-mills]


Thanks. I'm new here and didn't know there was an Energy thread. Funny, I too had separates back in the 90s, Adcom and Luxman. And I ran giant cables to the speakers because they looked cool, like the high end shops) and never put the grills on. Now I like the speakers to blend. Its hard to hide a 3' high 50lb speaker with missing speaker grills.