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ENERGY 5.2 OR PARADIGM Cinema Series? (1 Viewer)

Joined
Jan 16, 2002
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22
Hi,

I just bought a Denon 1802 receiver and am currently using it to run some old Aiwa bookshelf speakers. I have been looking for a decent set of speakers that perform well with Home Theater and Music settings (not state of the art or purist audiophile level...I cannot afford that ) I have been hearing several reccomendations from HT shops and one friend that the ENERGY Take 5.2 system is excellent for it's cost. I have not seen any recent discussion on this system. What do you think? Would the PARADIGM Cinema Series be a better choice? What are your opinions?

Sonny

p.s. I already have the ENERGY ES-8 Subwoofer.
 

Mark Hobbs

Stunt Coordinator
Joined
Mar 3, 2002
Messages
142
The Paradigm Titans, at $200 a pair, are great speakers. We have Titan mains and Cinema rears, and the Titans give a MUCH fuller sound than the Cinemas ($150 for the pair). I have done A/B comparisons using them both as mains and the Titans blow the Cinemas away.

We went with the Cinemas as rears instead of another pair of Titans because my wife loved the Cinemas' size and color (white). They easily mount on the wall and aren't very noticable. And they do the job nicely for rears. But for only $50 more, the Titans are amazing.

Your sub will work fine with any speaker setup. You don't have to worry about matching brands.

I haven't heard the Energy 5.2. But we are very happy with this setup, both for music and HT:

Denon 1802 Receiver

Paradigm Titan mains

Paradigm CC-170 center

Paradigm Cinema rears

Sony SA-WM40 sub

It isn't audiophile quality, but for $1100 (for all of the above), we are really enjoying HT for the first time.
 

James Bergeron

Supporting Actor
Joined
Oct 9, 2001
Messages
831
The energy speakers are great, The titans are also a good suggestion or even the Atoms.

The cinema are a very small setup, your almost into the HTIB setup at that point.
 

John_E

Stunt Coordinator
Joined
Oct 4, 2001
Messages
90
I have 4 Atoms, a CC-170, and a PDR-10 sub. I also listened to both the Cinema series and the Take 5.2 setup, and I chose the Atoms. The CC-170 is a great center. I didn't notice much difference between the Atoms and Titans when paired with a sub. The Titans do have better bass response when standing alone. I will always have a sub running, so I went with the Atom in my family room. Also---They look great in Light Cherry.
 

Mark Hobbs

Stunt Coordinator
Joined
Mar 3, 2002
Messages
142
I have also done A/B comparisons with the Titans and Atoms. It is a noticeable difference (especially without a sub), but not nearly as noticeable as the difference between the Cinemas and the Atoms. If the budget is really tight, the Atoms are your choice at about $175/pair. If you can afford $200, I'd go with the Titans. Titan mains, Atom rears, and the CC-170 center would be a very nice starter HT.
 

Evan H

Stunt Coordinator
Joined
Apr 10, 2000
Messages
95
I haven't heard the cinema speakers, but yesterday I was out demoing w/my roomate, and we heard the Energy Take 5.2 paired with the SB8 and the Paradigm Atoms paired with the PDR-10. The demos unfortunately were in separate stores, so the room probably affected the results. That being said, I felt that the Take 5.2 system had a clarity of sound that blew away the Atoms. However, in low bass, the paradigm setup blew away the Energy setup.

Here are the Unknowns...

The energy setup was done in a soundproofed demo room with sonic barriers setup in the room to reduce reflections. Also I don't know if the sub was setup neutral, hot, or cold. Additionally I'm not sure if the SB-10 from Energy would have made a difference here, although the salesman said that the 8 was the sub that is a better mate to the Take 5 system. The receiver used in the demo was an Integra 6.3.

The paradigm setup was in a rather poor listening room that also included projection TV's, so i'd imagine that the room's shape and proximity of the speakers negatively affected the demo. Also, I suspect that the sub was tuned hot, but again, without any way to verify this I can't say for sure if my impression of the bass was tainted by the salesman. My suspicion of the sub's setting comes from the fact that the salesman at this store pushed demoing with rock music (weezer) over the jazz that i had my roomate bring to the store.

As for my bias coming into the demo. I own Studio/20's from Paradigm, and love them. When I go to upgrade, I plan to purchase Studio/40's as my new fronts, and move my 20's to the rear. I'm also a bit of a basshead, but i prefer to have clarity in the mids and highs, although not at the expense of having the sound become harsh.

I'd like to go back with an SPL meter to re-test the Energy setup after I've had a chance to verify where all the settings have been placed, but my feelings after this demo are that the Take 5 system is amazing, and far superior to the Atom setup from paradigm.

Sonny, I realize that this isn't the exact comparison that you were looking for, but I hope that I have at least given you some information that you will find valuable in your search for a great, inexpensive setup.
 

felix_suwarno

Screenwriter
Joined
Dec 2, 2001
Messages
1,523
i have heard take5.2, and paradigm cinema cc with pdr10.

i have forgotten how take5.2 sounds, but i am not dissapointed with the cinemas. it sounds big. but i believe take5.2 is cheaper.
 

BrianWoerndle

Supporting Actor
Joined
Feb 19, 2002
Messages
794
Both are excellent systems. You won't go wrong with either.

I suggest that you audition the next speakers up for each manufacturer like the Paradigm Monitor series or the Energy Encore series. See which of those you like better, that way when you go to upgrade, you can replace your fronts and move the old ones to the rear. (Because no matter what you think, upgradeitis will hit). I have Mini Monitors up front and Titans for the rears because that is all I could afford at the time, but my plan is to upgrade to Monitor 7's and move the Minis to the back. So consider all the speakers you might want down the line, and figure out an upgrade plan that will leave you with the best results all the way.
 

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