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Has anybody upgraded from one Energy speaker to another? (1 Viewer)

EdNichols

Second Unit
Joined
Feb 15, 2003
Messages
372
I have the Energy E:xl 26's and have heard great things about the Veritas line from Energy. I just wondered if anyone has upgraded from their lower line Energy's (either E:xl series or Conessiour series) to the Veritas and what was your impression. Or perhaps you have the compared one of these to the Veritas? I don't have the Veritas locally to hear and compare to mine.
 

Andrew Pezzo

Second Unit
Joined
Mar 17, 2003
Messages
483
I had the Take 5.2 and went to the Connoisseur line. One reason I picked Connoisseur's (C-7's, C-C3, C-1's) was that they incorporate some of the Vertias technology. Not excatly what you are looking for but hope it helps.
 

Kirk Gunn

Screenwriter
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Aug 16, 1999
Messages
1,609
I've mixed my e:XL 26's with the Mirage Frx-Rs in the rear. Tremendous timbre match.

I'd go with the Veritas in a heartbeat if I had the $$$$.
 

Jeff Aguilar

Stunt Coordinator
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Jun 30, 1997
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229
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Lacey, WA
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Jeff
I started with the Take 5's, moved to the C-2's and then to the Veritas line.

Going from the Take 5's to the C-2's was a huge improvement. When I first hooked up the Veritas 2.1's from the C-2's, I thought, "What is the difference?" After breaking them in, the difference was astounding! I switched them back in forth to see what the difference was and it was VERY dramatic.

The biggest difference was the clarity. When listening to the C-2's, it sounded like someone was placing them behind a blanket. I then went to good guys and listened to the C-5's compared to the Veritas and it was even more dramatic. The Veritas line is much more transparent than the Conessiour line. Just go to Good Guys and do a comparison. The 2.1's had a much fuller and much more dynamic sound than any of the Conessiour line.

You cannot go wrong with the Veritas speakers. I now have the Veritas 2.1's for mains, the 2.0Center and the 2.0 Di-Poles for rears. What an awesome sounding combination.

Jeff Aguilar
 

EdNichols

Second Unit
Joined
Feb 15, 2003
Messages
372
I'd love to go to Good Guys to compare the two, but it would take me three days to get there.:frowning:
 

Carlo_M

Senior HTF Member
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Oct 31, 1997
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13,385
I've gone from Energy e:XL-16s to Energy C6s (the old Connoisseur line, which was very well-respected in the speaker world) and the difference, especially after break-in, was night and day.

My dealer, when they used to carry Energy, had the Veritas 2.8, which sounded better than my C6s but not worth it to me at the price difference (I was in college then).

However now I'm auditioning MB Quart from them specifically the QLS1030 and I have to say that so far, it impresses me very much! And I don't know what the Veritas 2.8s are going for now, but the QLS1030 is cheaper than what I remember the 2.8s going for back in '98. Now I can't rightly do a comparison between the 1030s and 2.8s since I don't own the 2.8s and my dealer no longer carries Energy, but I can say the 1030s impress me over the C6s (which I've loved for five years) in much the same way I remember the 2.8s impressing me over the C6s.

EDIT!! - Now that I think about it, they used to have a "littler brother" to the 2.8 which I think was the 2.6 and that may have been what I listened to (note how on Energy's site the other Veritas line don't look like the 2.8 - there used to be one that did, but was just a little smaller, and that's the one I listened to).

Bottom line, if you can, listen to the speakers first-hand. It's the only way to tell what you do/don't like about them!
 

Andrew Pezzo

Second Unit
Joined
Mar 17, 2003
Messages
483
The Connoisseur's had a lot more midrange and bass than the take series but that is to be expected. Also, when listening to music I didnt need to use my S8.2 sub like I did with the take 5.2.
 
Joined
Mar 15, 1999
Messages
16
I auditioned the Energy line of speakers last Thursday to decide for myself. I planned on buying either Connoisseur or Veritas floorstanding towers. I brought my wife with me, although she is much less of an audiphile than myself.

We started with the Connoisseur C9. We listened to music only, and used tracks that we have listened to numerous times. They sounded really good to me, although this was before comparison.

Next, we had the Veritas 2.3 set up for comparison. When the music started, I looked over to my wife and her jaw dropped! I was stunned at the quality of these speakers. I had gone to the dealer with the idea in mind that the C9 was at the top of my price range. I wanted to listen to the Veritas to assure myself that there wasn't a significant difference. I was wrong. The midrange of the Veritas is so incredibly detailed and less chesty than the C9. This wasn't something I even noticed before comparison. The higher frequencies are similar in detail, but slightly more open/airy with the Veritas. Bass appeared slightly reduced on the Veritas.

When the dealer left the room, my wife and I had a talk. She would not let me spend the 1500 or so dollars for a speaker that, to our ears, was just not the equal of the Veritas. We walked out with a pair of 2.3, a 2.0C and a pair of 2.0R speakers. MUCH more than I wanted or had planned to spend, but I have never been happier with an AV purchase! (similar to my CRT FP purchase!) The extra work I'll have to do to pay for these seems well worth it to me.

I am not bashing the C9 in any way. Just saying that, to my ears, the Veritas 2.3 is definitely superior for music. Like any speaker purchase, you should let your ears decide. My 3 hour trip was well justified for this purpose.

Kevin
 

EdNichols

Second Unit
Joined
Feb 15, 2003
Messages
372
Kevin,
Do you remember what they were driving those speakers with? Was it the same amp/receiver for both lines of speakers? BTW,your account on the difference in sound between the two is what I have read before, a BIG difference. I am going to have find a dealer that has both so I can hear!!!!
 

Carlo_M

Senior HTF Member
Joined
Oct 31, 1997
Messages
13,385
Excellent question Ed.

One caveat to my earlier post, my C6 was an earlier line than the current Connoisseurs - apparently the new Connoisseurs have not been as well received as their predecessors...thus why Kevin had his reaction to the C9s.

And yes, I do notice that the speakers at my dealer's place sound better than in my home because I have a Sony receiver, while he uses an NAD receiver (very highly regarded affordable receiver) and a B&K 507 (think MSRP $4K) both of which put my amp to shame. I'm planning on upgrading to an NAD T762 as soon as I know I can get a bug-free one (which all the new ones seem to be). Those things rock!
 

Logan G

Agent
Joined
Jan 13, 2003
Messages
47
I'm an Energy guy! I started with the Takes, moved to the e:XL line, than to the old C's, and now have recently upgraded to the Veritas line. I think the difference between the old Energy C6's and the new Veritas 2.4's is pretty striking. I'm not saying my jaw dropped open from the difference; the change was subtle yet significant in my mind. I think the biggest difference was the Veritas soundstage. I am now experiencing a "wall" of sound when listening to 2 channel music.

I suspect going from the e:XL line to the Veritas line may indeed be jaw dropping!
 

Danny Tse

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Nov 1, 2000
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3,185
When I was looking for speakers about a years ago, I compared the then-new Connoisseur C1 to the then-"about to be discontinued" e:XL16....not a big difference, but enough for me to pay the higher price of the C1. At one point, I was auditioning an open-box pair of the old Connoisseur C2, and those were better than the C1. But again, the difference was not night and day....the C2 was afterall a bigger speaker and retails for quite a lot more than the C1. I would expect anytime time one moves up in price, the quality of the speaker should go up as well.

As for the new Connoisseur line not being as well-received as the old one, here's a review to the C9 and C3, which won Soundstage.com's Reviewer's Choice Award last year. There's also an excellent review of the C1 on ecoustics.com.
 

Carlo_M

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Oct 31, 1997
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Danny,

Most good speakers will have good reviews out there from sources like the one you pointed out. I do not mean to sound like I'm belittling the new C-line.

But back in the mid-90's there was a "buzz" about Energy speakers, especially the C-line at the time, which I find to be absent now. That's more what I meant about being not well received. Could it be because there's more competition now? Maybe. Maybe the newness or novelty of Energy has worn off. Could be a lot of things. But there just isn't that same "ooh, have you heard the C6s? That's about the best bang for your buck out there!" like there was back then.

Come to think of it, Energy may be partly to blame. Their speakers were being sold by official dealers over the web for 20-30% less than MSRP. They cracked down on that and forced sales at or close to MSRP, thus killing the "bang-for-buck" and that may be why Energys aren't so well received by the general public (those who buy $1K speakers anyway). I bought mine for about $800 a pair, but I'm not sure if I would have thought the C6s a bargain at $1199 like Good Guys wanted to sell them to me for.
 

Danny Tse

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Nov 1, 2000
Messages
3,185
Carlo,

I think there's definitely more competition nowadays, even just within the ranks of Canadian speaker brands. Within the last 5 years or so, we've seen the arrival of Paradigm's Reference series, Athena Technolgies, and Axiom. The marketplace is filled with great speakers at great prices....I had a hard time making a decision before deciding on the C1. As for Energy's sales policies, it can also be said for Paradigm speakers as well.

Not meant to hijack the thread....but no one on this forum ever mention Athena Tech's OTHER speaker line, the one with the satellites that are able to interlock with their corresponding powered subs.
 

EdNichols

Second Unit
Joined
Feb 15, 2003
Messages
372
Danny,
I guess I can hi-jack my own thread and since you guys have answered my question, (thanks) what about the Athena Techs other speaker line? I am always open for some speaker education on different brands. The bit about the sats. interlocking with the sub is something I haven't heard before.


OH yeh, I do have one more question, what are guys driving your Energy's with? If I get the Veritas(wish, wish)I need to know what to power them with.
 
Joined
Mar 15, 1999
Messages
16
Hi Ed,

Yes, I listened to the C9 and the Veritas2.3 with the same processor / amp combo. I told the dealer my equipment at home, and we chose equipment that is within the same price range. I use a B&K ref 20 (which he DID have) and a Parasound 1205a 5 channel power amp (140WPC) which he did NOT carry. He chose an amp of similar price and power. We only switched the speakers out once, which was all that was necessary. I've listened to a few speakers in the price range of these speakers. This includes the PSB line, the Paradigm line and the Energy line. In all cases, I've noticed a rather substantial difference between the mid and high level lines. (i.e. Image/Stratus, Monitor/Studio, Connoisseur/Veritas) I truly appreciate the quality of these flagship lines, at least from these companies. I must admit that I don't know a whole lot (yet) about what goes into building a quality speaker, but I wonder if the rock solid build stability of the cabinets of these flagship lines contributes to this quality? At least, that is what it sounds like to me. Well, good luck in your decision.

Kevin
 

Danny Tse

Senior HTF Member
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Nov 1, 2000
Messages
3,185
Ed,

I don't think I have seen anyone mention the SCT series from Athena Technologies. These were Athena's first speakers when the brand was introduced to replace Sound Dynamics. The SCT series is at the top of Athena's product line, and it's not being carried by Best Buy. I believe the top 2 models of the line is still on Stereophile's Recommended Components list, for what it's worth.

The "novelty" of the SCT series is that each of the 3 bookshelf speakers in the line can "dock" with its corresponding powered sub. There are 3 bookshelf speaker models and 3 powered sub in the SCT series. So, for example, you can start with just the bookshelf speakers, then add powered sub to create powered tower speakers as each bookshelf speaker attach to the top of the powered sub. I think Athena's website explains it much better than I can. :D

While I don't remember the exact price, but I believe the top-of-the-line SCT series combination of S3 (the satellites) and P3 (the 2 powered subs) is about the same price as the Energy C9. Check it out.

Edit: Athena/Energy/Mirage (and the now defunct Sound Dynamics) are all brands manufactured by Canadian speaker company API (Audio Products International).
 

Marc H

Second Unit
Joined
Aug 22, 2001
Messages
497
I'm using the Veritas V2.8 in my two channel system driven by an Adcom Gold Badge system and couldn't be happier. The only negatives I can say is the break-in period is agonizingly long and keep them as far from any walls as possible. Oh, and Ed, you may want to be cautious what receiver or amp you would use with them; they are sooo revealing of any flaws upstream.

I use the now discontinued V1.8 floorstanders (replaced by the newer V2.4 at the same price)in my theatre and recently added the V2.0C centre speaker to go with it. Those are being run by one of the larger Yamaha receivers, the RXV3000.

I miss the old C series from Energy. The C2 and the C6 are classics. Wish they still made them.

If anyone is a fan of the old C series, check out the Dahlquist speakers. Ian Brown, formerly of Energy, and Richard Hunter from KEF got together and started Dahlquist here in Canada a couple of years ago. They use the same aluminum dome, cloth suspension tweeters and the aluminum powder/poly blend woofers as the old C series but updated with non-resonant injection mold baskets and Kapton windings. A bit more engineering in the crossover too thanks to Richard.
 

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