I got this set a couple years ago, maybe from woot, maybe elsewhere. I definitely paid more money.

They could be the best available speakers at this price point. A friend had them so I listened before I bought. Now I have an HD projector/Onkyo receiver/blueray player with these speakers (and a big Polk sub woofer) and the surround sound is amazing. Do movie effects take advantage of a bigger range of sound than music? Sure seems so.

I'm not an AV buff (more of a V buff actually), but my feeling is these speakers never get in the way of my other much more expensive equipment.

I have the front three wall mounted behind my screen. They're heavy speakers for the size, like the drivers might usually be used in a bigger box (which I'm glad they aren't). The glossy finish looks great, too.

They definitely had a break in period. I left them on when I went to work. Sound kept getting better...

Any suggestion for the best sub woofer, among the three I have listed ?

- BIC F12
- PSW 505
- PSW 10

I might be interested in buying 2 of them.

I have Bose CineMate II in the living room that is connected directly to my TV. Is it possible to pair Energy 5.0 with Bose Cinemate II. What are the costs of doing so?

In my office I want to have audio system connected to my computer or sometime laptop. The room is not big. What sub-woofer would you recommend? How this system can be connected to the computer/laptop.
Please keep in mind that I also have 42'' TV in the office that is connected to the computer/laptop by HDMI.

Looks like a good set of speakers at a good price, but with no Amp/Reciever I would not call it a "Home Theater System" as it is in the headline as I post this. You can make an argument that for theater system it should have subwoofer as well. In any case, Theater System seems misleading

Anyone have experience w/ the Energy RC-Micro speakers? Trying to decide between this set and the Micros. Help!

I just got these and it got me looking at speaker wire and clips.

Can I use 14awg wire? I heard that 14awg is needed for 50 + ft

Also, Can I use banana plugs? (sorry for the audio elf questions)

I'm not sure if I should be miffed or not. I've been looking at 5.1 speaker systems as a gift for someone and just last night I pulled the trigger on a Definitive Technologies brand set over at that "chicken" site. I might have gotten these instead (and perhaps a Polk 10" sub to go with it) if I'd have seen this offer first. It certainly would have made me think about it a lot harder.

magnat wrote:I might be interested in buying 2 of them.

I have Bose CineMate II in the living room that is connected directly to my TV. Is it possible to pair Energy 5.0 with Bose Cinemate II. What are the costs of doing so?

In my office I want to have audio system connected to my computer or sometime laptop. The room is not big. What sub-woofer would you recommend? How this system can be connected to the computer/laptop.
Please keep in mind that I also have 42'' TV in the office that is connected to the computer/laptop by HDMI.

I highly doubt you would be able to hook these up to the Bose. From my experience Bose only plays nice with Bose equipment. Anyway that's a surround bar and adding speakers would be odd.

Regarding your pc you need a receiver and an audio out from your pc like an optical wire to feed the receiver and your new speakers. A universal remote would come in handy at this point also.

For subwoofers, Polk makes nice ones but if you really want to get fancy my favorite are made by Totem Accoustic.

I just upgraded my receiver from a Sony STR-DE475 to a Yamaha RX-V671. Right now I have it paired to two Pioneer SP-BS41-LR. I am quite happy with the Pioneers; they have excellent sound and look good too.

I'm going to use the Yamaha for my home theater system connected to a pair of (an older model of Sony SS-F6000), same type of Sony center channel, a different pair of Pioneer SP-BS41-LR for surrounds and a KLH? sub.

Sooooo, my question is: Are these Energy Takes going to have presence and sound quality comparable to what I have now?

I'd use these woot speakers with my old Sony receiver hooked up to my computer. Mostly for music listening, but some games or tv shows maybe too.

I'm wary of buying this speaker pack if there is something better that is $500 - $1000ish that I could save up for.

Are these a decent investment? Will I be able to sell them for about $120 if I don't like them or need some quick cash?

wehrd1 wrote:Hmm. first my email says they're $149.

Now the site itself states $119.

regardless, doesn't have a subwoofer

Newegg just had the energy sub that matches for sale for 100 bucks. not a bad price for the sound quality they put out.

jenks1539 wrote:Anyone have experience w/ the Energy RC-Micro speakers? Trying to decide between this set and the Micros. Help!

Bought them in October when they were on woot for 150ish... just installed them in my basement. Picked up the matching 100 watt sub on Newegg (caught a cyber monday sale and got it for 100) They are matched with a Denon receiver with a 120 watt output per channel... They sound absolutely fantastic. I highly recommend this set up. I purchased a set of energy speakers 15 years ago, that I still use for my tv room upstairs, matched with a 100 watt per channel sony receiver with DTS. You just need to make sure they are matched to a good sub to pick up the lows. That is crucial. Very crisp clean sound, and they put out the power when you need it. Good for surround sound movies, not bad for music, but mainly meant for a theater set up. Don't get me wrong. They still do pretty well for music, but if you are REALLY picky about the sound you get with music. I'd recommend picking up these, a 7.1 surround sound receiver instead of the 5.1, then pick up the more expensive tall stacks for the front R and L channels. That's just my two cents though.

may be a dumb question.... BUT do i need an amp to power these?

gnmurthy wrote:Any suggestion for the best sub woofer, among the three I have listed ?

- BIC F12
- PSW 505
- PSW 10

While the BIC F12 is a pretty good sub, I personally prefer the Polk PSW 505. I have owned the 505 for almost 2 years and am still amazed at the sound quality.

I bought these speakers with the matching subwoofer last summer for 400, so this is a great deal if you can find a matching sub! I paired it with an Onkyo TX-NR609. Also bought a set of Sanus HTB3 Tear Drop Home Theater/Box Speaker Stands for the front pair - perfect fit for the mounts. Two are wall mounted in the rear. My Room is 19 X 14. Sound is excellent at high and low volumes. The are powerful for the size. Do it ...

For those who don't have an amp/receiver- the Yamahas are probably the best bang for the buck out there right now. Onkyo is solid as well. Harmon Kardon if you find it on sale is a safe bet as well.
I got the Energy TakeSat series- the newer version with metal cabinets. Running three of the LCR center channel versions up front and four of the smaller ones for the side/rear. Paired with two Polk subs.
I've been running them hard trying to break them in- they still sound pretty average at best. A little unhappy after all the awesome reviews- but then again they are not the same as this set. Just not "sold" on Energy speakers- but since Klipsch jumped the shark and went Chinese I maybe should have known.

nihar15 wrote:This is a very highly rated system. http://reviews.cnet.com/surround-speaker-systems/energy-take-classic-5/4505-7868_7-33310963.html

I've owned these for around 8 months now and absolutely love them

gnmurthy wrote:Any suggestion for the best sub woofer, among the three I have listed ?

- BIC F12
- PSW 505
- PSW 10

Do not get the PSW10. It's crap. I have one, and it's bad. For a decent cheap sub, look at Dayton.

ehrdavr wrote:Bought them in October when they were on woot for 150ish... just installed them in my basement. Picked up the matching 100 watt sub on Newegg (caught a cyber monday sale and got it for 100) They are matched with a Denon receiver with a 120 watt output per channel... They sound absolutely fantastic. I highly recommend this set up. I purchased a set of energy speakers 15 years ago, that I still use for my tv room upstairs, matched with a 100 watt per channel sony receiver with DTS. You just need to make sure they are matched to a good sub to pick up the lows. That is crucial. Very crisp clean sound, and they put out the power when you need it. Good for surround sound movies, not bad for music, but mainly meant for a theater set up. Don't get me wrong. They still do pretty well for music, but if you are REALLY picky about the sound you get with music. I'd recommend picking up these, a 7.1 surround sound receiver instead of the 5.1, then pick up the more expensive tall stacks for the front R and L channels. That's just my two cents though.

The Takes are very good entry level speakers. The problem is that since they're so small, they only go down to 115Hz or so. 80Hz is the frequency where you can't tell where the sound is coming from for bass, so there will be a gap. Either way, at $120 these are a steal, and are easily the best for the price point. For subs, look at Dayton. Not the best, but a good match for the Takes. For receivers, go to accessories4less.com, and get a Denon receiver for $200 or so.

wehrd1 wrote:Hmm. first my email says they're $149.

Now the site itself states $119.

regardless, doesn't have a subwoofer

Neither does the set on Newegg for $75.00 more (including shipping)?!? What is your point?

atozzi wrote:I was going to buy them at $149 anyway because I missed the sale the last time they were on.

Just got my speakers and the box is soaking wet!! It's sunny out here, but the inner (Take) box is soggy, i was able to push a finger through it easily.. I will be testing the speakers tomorrow when my new receiver arrives. Anyone else get a soggy box?

The speakers 'look' fine inside the individual baggies and the styrofoam shell, fingers crossed..

johnnyflet wrote:Just got my speakers and the box is soaking wet!! It's sunny out here, but the inner (Take) box is soggy, i was able to push a finger through it easily.. I will be testing the speakers tomorrow when my new receiver arrives. Anyone else get a soggy box?

The speakers 'look' fine inside the individual baggies and the styrofoam shell, fingers crossed..

You keep us posted, okay? We want to make sure everything's working for you.

johnnyflet wrote:Just got my speakers and the box is soaking wet!! It's sunny out here, but the inner (Take) box is soggy, i was able to push a finger through it easily.. I will be testing the speakers tomorrow when my new receiver arrives. Anyone else get a soggy box?

The speakers 'look' fine inside the individual baggies and the styrofoam shell, fingers crossed..

Missed my delivery the other day and your post got me worried. Finally got it today and I'm glad to report my box is dry and the speakers are in great shape. Maybe something spilled in the delivery truck yours was in?

Initial Review:

Fit and finish was top notch. Looks great with the glossy finish. A bit of a fingerprint magnet though. Fabric grille can be removed, but i prefer it on. Size is small but with heft.

I connected these to my Marantz NR1402 AVR (50watts per channel) and the initial sound was amazing. Definitely an improvement from the KHL speakers that was handed down to me. The crisp highs was what stood out for me in a good way.

I have a Pioneer SW8 to cover the bottom end. While not the largest or the strongest, it does a great job for the price I paid.

I set up the auto configuration program from the AVR and with the Audyssey Dynamic Volume on, the sound was great.

Can't wait for these speakers to open up once the break-in period is finished. Definitely worth the price offered a few weeks ago, but at the price offered the other day, it's a steal!

Inky, thanks for the quick response. My receiver arrives today, I'll check it out and post back regardless. It was really weird, the outer box looked just fine, just the retail box was mushy. I took some pics, just in case we need to revisit.

I'll post as soon as I hear sweet music, or soggy rhythms.

inkycatz wrote:You keep us posted, okay? We want to make sure everything's working for you.

johnnyflet wrote:Inky, thanks for the quick response. My receiver arrives today, I'll check it out and post back regardless. It was really weird, the outer box looked just fine, just the retail box was mushy. I took some pics, just in case we need to revisit.

I'll post as soon as I hear sweet music, or soggy rhythms.

We've had them the weekend, all set up and everything works fine. I think the plastic baggies each speaker is wrapped in protected them, as the retail box was a wet noodle!

Inky, one other question - each of the speakers has a 'energy' logo glued onto it (on the removable covers). The center speaker's label on our set is crooked. Is there a way to adjust it? I didn't wiggle it too much but it does appear to be glued on vs just a post that can be adjusted.

Thanks again.

johnnyflet wrote:We've had them the weekend, all set up and everything works fine. I think the plastic baggies each speaker is wrapped in protected them, as the retail box was a wet noodle!

So happy to hear this. Not sure about the logo thing, but we can ask about it. I can quip that the crookedness is only in the logo and not the product, though! ;)

inkycatz wrote:So happy to hear this. Not sure about the logo thing, but we can ask about it. I can quip that the crookedness is only in the logo and not the product, though! ;)

ha, yes, the speaker itself is perfect, its just the little 'energy' logo that is tilted on the cloth cover. only issue is that it's front and center on the system, above the tv