[johnb4467]

Hi there everyone,


I recently picked up a pair of Energy 5.1e's for $125 (great offer IMO), along with a AC-300 center speaker for $175.

Now I'm going to take a look at another pair of 5.1e's, as well as a pair of C-6's. The asking price for the C-6's are 280, and the 5.1e's $350 -- though I'm fairly confident both pairs can be negotiated down a bit [hopefully].


In the AC-300 manual, it says that the connoisseur line, along with the Veritas and Audissey speakers, are good matches for the center channel.


Any suggestions on which might be a better deal, and what a good asking price might be for either (5.1e's or C-6's)?

Which is considered a "better" speaker? The C-6'a are listed as having dual 6" woofers, while the 5.1e's have dual 7" woofers, and both seem to have a 1" tweeter. But, I know that the numbers don't necessarily mean one is better than the other...

Any thoughts, esp if one set would match "better" with the center channel?


Thanks so much! Looking forward to finishing off my 5.0 set (sub comes next!)!!


John

PS - I couldn't find any documentation on the C-4 through C-8 series speakers; no PDF on Energy's site that I could see. Anywhere I could be pointed to for similar material?

 

[johnb4467]

just refreshing this question, since it's still lingering...

 

[chrischaos]

I do not have a lot of info for you. I purchased c-6's back in 98 as my first speaker pkge. I was very happy with them. My friend had 1 yr old c-8's he wanted to sell so i upgraded. I was very happy with the change. IMO, there is a huge difference between a 6-6.5" driver setup and 8" driver setup. More so for music than HT, where a sub is paramount. I have no info as far as your centre is concerned. Good luck.

 

[batpig]

The "even numbered" Connoisseurs were the replacement for the "e-series" speakers, so the C-6's are basically the heir to the 5.1e's (although maybe the C-8's are a more direct comparo...). The 5.1e's are kinda "in between" as the C-6's have dual 6" woofers, the C-8's have dual 8" woofers.


The AC-300 is intended to match the Connoisseurs (C-2/4/6/8) as they have the same aluminum dome tweeter and woofer design. If you are going for a seemless match the C-6 would be the way to go if you already have the AC-300 center.


The 5.1e for $350 isn't a great deal though.. those speakers are around 15 years old now. the C-6's assumedly will be better, although only your ears can be the ultimate judge of that.

 

[johnb4467]

Thanks to both of you for the replies...they are *extremely* helpful!!


While I am eager to complete a "set" of speakers, you make a good point, batpig, that the C-8's are likely a better comparison that the C-6's when compared to the 5.1e's. I also didn't know that the "even" C's were essentially the next iteration (if you will) of the 5.1e's. So, the above makes me think that, if I was to buy some C's, I'd want to hold out for the C8's...unless I got a nice price for the C-6's.


There is some C-6's, in the rosenut gloss finish, going for $300. If I were to look into/audition these, what would you feel a good price to try and bargain to?


As a sidenote: I don't really mind having "old" speakers...as long as they work fine & aren't going to die on me...and I'm guessing Energy speakers are fairly well made (surrounds are not foam-based, etc).


I had seen a pair of C-8's up a while back, but they were going for $700...just as a future note, what would be a good price for the C-8's? I ask becuase, like chrischaos mentioned...I do think the bigger woofers would make a significant difference -- and I'm not looking to buy a sub in the "immediate" future.


Thank you again for the help; it's very much appreciated.

John

 

[batpig]



Quote:
I also didn't know that the "even" C's were essentially the next iteration (if you will) of the 5.1e's.

I figured this stuff out doing research on older Energy speakers when I was (like you) prowling the used market for bargains. One useful resource is this Audiogon blue book page which lists intro years for models (although you have to pay to access the detailed info, you can still see how old a speaker is):

http://cgim.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/src...l?energy&zzANY


You can see the "e-series" was introduced in 1990 and the "even number" Connoisseurs were introduced in 1996.

Quote:
As a sidenote: I don't really mind having "old" speakers...as long as they work fine & aren't going to die on me...and I'm guessing Energy speakers are fairly well made (surrounds are not foam-based, etc).

Yes, Energy has used rubber surrounds for a long time.

Quote:
So, the above makes me think that, if I was to buy some C's, I'd want to hold out for the C8's...unless I got a nice price for the C-6's.

I wouldn't necessarily say that -- the C-6's are still mighty fine speakers by all accounts and, if you are using a subwoofer for an HT setup, I doubt you will hear much difference between them (as chrischaos says above, the biggest difference will be with 2ch music).


Plus, the C-6's will match your center channel perfectly, and in my experience the C-8's are quite rare on the used market.


I would get the C-6's as there isn't much to lose, you can always resell them. Since you got such a great deal on your 5.1e's, you can then A/B test them against each other and sell the "loser"!


I would say $300 is a pretty fair price for used C-6's, that's pretty normal from what I've seen. I would try to get him down closer to $250, but that's actually pretty fair market value.


C-8's are usually more like $400-500 used, $700 is excessively high.



FYI -- I see that Energy has for some reason removed the Connoisseur brochure from their downloads website, although I see the e-series brochure.


I happen to have the old spec page for the even-number C's printed out (I used to own C-2's) and the 5.1e actually is more comparable to the C-6 if you look at the specs.


5.1e = 32" x 9" x 16" , 89dB, rated down to 35Hz with two 7" woofers

C-6 = 36" x 9" 15", 89dB, rated down to 30Hz with two 6.5" woofers


The C-8 is much bigger than either, 39 inches tall with dual 8" woofers and rated down to 28Hz.

 

[johnb4467]

Hi, and thank you again for the feedback!

At work (on iPhone), so this will be short,

but if have found a pair of c-8's, which were listed for 700. He is willing to sell for 500. Is the bump up worth the price difference, in your opinion? If icanget by, I may not buy a sub for the time being. Of concern, would 100 watts power be ample to power the dual 8" sufficiently? My receiver is an onkyo 797 (tx-ds I think is the precursor to the numbering).

As reference, the c-6's are $300, without any bargaining.


Thanks a bunch!

 

[batpig]

Well... It's your money! I think (as noted above) the C8 will defintely be a step up and especially so for 2ch music.


If this will be primarily for HT I would prob rather have C6 plus a sub... But them again it's your budget so I don't know how far u can stretch. If you are building a system for the long term and are willing to build slowly, I don't think u will regret starting with the better speakers.


That receiver has plenty of juice. The C8 is pretty efficient at 90dB. Although the C8 can take a lot of juice so u can always upgrade later if you want.

 

[chrischaos]

Go with the C-8's. You'll be happy and it will further delay "upgradeitis". Your amp should be adequate just do not push them too hard. Drunk friends are hard on tweeters (Why are you on 4?... this thing goes to 10!). I started out with a cheap sony 5X100 then went to Marantz 5X125 and noticed a significant difference (just as much sony vs. marantz, as power). For HT you still need a sub.

 

[johnb4467]

Hey there,


Just wanted to thank you, chrischaos & batpig, for the much-appreciated feedback & thoughts. I did indeed end up picking up the C-8's, and ended up getting them for $425. They're in a dark cherry-esque finish, and I'm quite pleased with them. I'm listening to them right now, and I'm really pleased with them. They sound great, match the AC-300 perfectly, and the 5.1e's seem quite happy on surround detail (which are great for all channel stereo, too!).

Overall, I can't say I could be anymore pleased; I honestly would never have imagined I'd be owning a relatively mid-to-high-end speaker system (albeit, a bit "old") for well under $1k ($725 total, actually!).

Well, I COULD be in a house & absolutely ROCKING them out right now...but that's a whole other story/situation aside from the speakers themselves.

As far as a sub, you're right chrischaos...there's not replacement for one, especially in HT. But, being in an apartment, and knowing that I love to gradually "nudge" up the volume...getting a high-end sub would be putting me in dangerous "eviction territory"!! The dual 8"'s on the C-8's, I think, will get me by fine enough for now...and then when a house comes into the picture [hopefully] within the next year or two, then a sub will definitely be purchased. Thankfully I've never owned a really high-end sub, so I'm sure I don't know quite all I'm missing out on right now.

The only alternative I could think of, that wouldn't get me evicted...would be a buttkicker unit...but those aren't exactly "cheap" themselves...though does anyone have experience with them & how adequate a solution they'd provide?


Thank you again for all your help -- it was invaluable!!!


John

 

[batpig]

Congrats John

that's an awesome setup for the price. There is such great value on the used market. You would have to spend at least twice the price to get a comparable 5.0 setup buying new.


I'm very intrerested to hear your thoughts on:


1. C-8 vs 5.1e ... Or more generally e-series vs connoisseur? I've heard the connoisseurs plenty but never the older series so I'm curious how they compare.


2. How the two blend tonally (since you are mixing in the 5.1e for surround duty)? For the connoisseurs, energy switched to an aluminum dome tweeter right? And the e-series used a silk dome? Do they speak with the same "voice"?

 

[johnb4467]

Hey there, and thank you for the congrats; I am indeed a happy camper.

I completely agree about the value/deals that can be had on the used market. I've bought my projector & receiver 'used' in the past, and I've always been extremely pleased. Craigslist, however, is a whole new level of awesome, since the prices are even lower than, say, ebay...has no shipping, and you can inspect the item before purchase/pickup.

As far as comparisons, you know...it was more about "integration" than the quality difference. Obviously the C-8's can go lower than the 5.1e's, since the woofers are bigger...but the biggest "plus" for me was that the C-8's match the AC-300 center better. I wouldn't say that the 5.1e's aren't as "good", but I could tell a difference in sound matching when I was using the 5.1e's as the fronts alongside the AC-300.


However...if I could have gotten another set of 5.1e's for $125 like my first, I would have definitely jumped on that opportunity.

The C-8 does seem to get lower (for obvious reasons), and seem to do so with "less effort", but that's more to physical specifications than actual build quality between the E-series and Connoisseur speakers. And, like chrischaos mentioned, if I had a dedicated sub in my system, you might not even notice the difference in one set going "lower" than the other.


The C-8's, oddly enough, seem to be driven easier than the 5.1e's, despite being bigger & having larger drivers. I had one 5.1e hooked up to the L channel, and one C-8 hooked up the the R channel, and the perceivable volume on the C-8 was higher. I did have the C-8 on a stand with spikes on the bottom, whereas the 5.1e didn't, so that might have made a difference? This isn't a bad thing for the 5.1e's by any means...just an odd finding, as I would have expected the opposite.


The tweeters on the Connoisseur & E-series -- I wouldn't say one is better than the other. Like I mentioned, I could tell a difference in sound matching when having the silk-domed tweeter E's next to the AC-300's aluminum dome, whereas that noticeable difference was gone with the C-8's aluminum dome was matched with the aluminum dome of the AC-300...BUT I wouldn't at all say one tweeter sounds better than the other.


Overall it seems like you can get the e-series much cheaper, since they're older. And while they're older, I wouldn't at all say that the difference is "major" in sound quality. I'd pick up nicely-priced, good condition 5.1e's without hesitation if I found them; it's not like it's a night and day difference between the two.


It was quite a fun adventure, finding the right speakers, and discussing them with you on here. And, thankfully, I'm absolutely thrilled with the results.


You guys on this forum rock.

 

[johnb4467]

One last question!

I can pick up a single c-6 for 20 bucks, but it's with a tweeter cone (so says the owner). Can those be found, and are they overly expensive?

How about installation...something I can do on my own, or a costly replacement?

Thanks so much! Sorry for the short message; writing from phone & need to know!

 

[batpig]

john -- you may want to call up Energy and ask for the "parts" department and see if they carry the old Connoisseur tweeter. I don't know of any other place you could get one...