Price Paid:  $200.00 from audiogon

Summary:
Overall a nice speaker for the money. I listened to lots of speakers and decided these were the best under $300/pair. However they do have sonic flaws and are certainly not 'giant killers' as the reviews below would have you believe. One guy claims these compete well with anything under $1500, sorry but that's total BS, for $1500 I could get a pair of Onix Rocket RS750 or Monitor Audio Gold GR20 either of those would put the Energy's in the dumpster. And even $600 speakers like the NHT SB3 and Monitor Audio Silver S1 easily cream the Energy. The Energy's are very nice for their price, I found them to stand apart from the competition and beat speakers like the PSB Image 1B, B&W DM303, and Boston CR75, but don't expect miracles at this price. Sonically, they are quite smooth, with a very nice, warm midrange. Bass response is fine considering the size of the driver and cabinet. They did not sound boomy to me. Imaging is OK, I could not get these speakers to 'disappear', no matter what I tried (repositioning speakers, changing electronics) I always felt I was listening to two speakers rather than hearing a wall of sound. Also the high frequencies sound coarse and unrefined to my ears, not harsh or dull, just not as clear or articulated as I would like. At this price I suppose it can be forgiveable though. Overall at this price I am satisfied although they are better speakers out there for not much more. I upgraded to the Monitor Audio Bronze B2 ($400/pair), and these beat the Energy's in terms of bass extension and treble refinement, as well as having an even smoother midrange. The MA's are more transparent and disappear completely in my room. Overall a better speaker and worth the upgrade imo.

Strengths:
Smooth midrange, tight bass, ok imaging

Weaknesses:
Coarse, unrefined highs. Not transparent and don't 'disappear'. Not a giant killer as some folks would have you believe.

Similar Products Used:
Monitor Audio Bronze B2 (upgraded to these), Polk R15, NHT zero, Wharfedale Diamond 7.2, auditioned tons more.

Price Paid:  $0.00 from Audio By Design

Summary:
After my shelf system broke, I looked around for some good speakers and was told to listen to these. When I took a look at the size of the speaker, I didn't think they would compare to the huge monsters they were replacing. I was surprised to find that these totally outperformed my old speakers and all of the mass-marketed speakers being sold at Circuit City, Best Buy, etc. The speakers have very clear mids and highs and produce nice bass. The bass flows very well with the mids and highs instead of producing the standard thumps and booms. With these speakers, the amount of bass produced depends on the recording. If you don't hear a lot of bass coming from these speakers, it's because the bass isn't there. By stepping up to the C-3's, a little more bass can be detected because of the bigger drivers, but the imaging on the C-3's is not as good.

Strengths:
Exceptional sound for the price. The speakers compete very well with other speakers in the less than $1500 range.

Similar Products Used:
Philips, Sony, etc...

Price Paid:  $399.00 from A&B Sound Victoria,

Summary:
These are part of a larger system using Energy Connoissuer C-7, CC1, Encore 8 sub, Marantz SR5200, Toshiba DVD 4700, Linn LP12V/LVII/K18, using Naim 32.5 for phono stage, HHB CDR-850 CD burner. My backgroung in audio has spanned 25 years of professional sales, service, sound engineering, and live performance. This is my first foray into home theater having mostly had a 2 CH turntable based system. My previous speaker system (which I still have) is the Linn Kan II's. I wanted new loudspeakers that would retain the qualities I had come to enjoy and improve upon these; Speed, coeherance, plus detailed, & "boxless sound. This new system has delivered all of that plus brought the tonal nuetrility my previous system had been lacking. The C1's play an important part in this system. I use these with the purpose made energy stands which not only contribute to the great sound of these speakers but have great wife appeal visually. I have tried these all by them selves in two channel applications and they make fine monitors for mixing music as well. They stand apart from many competitors and in my opinion are very much underprice. They could easily sell for $700-800 a pair.

Strengths:
Tonal neutrilty, superb mid to high frequency detail and imaging.

Weaknesses:
Wish they could be Bi-wired

Similar Products Used:
matching C-7 towers, CC1 center, Encore8 sub

Price Paid:  $200.00 from Private Sale

Summary:
Purchased via private sale from a gentleman who went with Paradigm for his main speakers and wanted to match the Paradigms with Paradigms for surround. Paid $200. Retail is $299. I brought them home and unwrapped them as they were never used. My intent is to use them as surrounds when I purchase the C-5 for the mains and C-C1 center but for now I connected them as mains to replace my ridiculously old and flat sounding Bose 301's. My receiver is the 2002 Denon 2802. I played some lighter acoustic Alice In Chains in straight stereo mode and all can say is WOW! The clarity is truly amazing, you can hear the subtle buzz of the guitar strings as if it were playing live in your living room. These speakers do have a very tight and clear base that resonates well throughout the room when you place the speakers near a wall or in a corner but obvisouly since they're bookshelf speakers that go down to 50Hz for base response the thunderous deeps simply cannot be attained without a sub. The overall soundstage these produce is much much bigger than I expected. One could certainly get away with these at mains but I would recommend the C-3 in lieu of these for mains, that is, if you don't have the room for the C-5, C-7 or C-9 floor standing models. The C-3 will give a better base response. In terms of appearance they are gorgeous in the Maple finish and look modern but not pretentious. The magnetic speaker grill is a fanastic feature too.

Strengths:
Everything about them. Clear highs, great midrange and better base then expected in such a small package.

Weaknesses:
None. Just get a sub if you want these as mains.

Price Paid:  $0.00

Summary:
A very fine monitor for the price or really at any price. You would be hard pressed to beat the C1 in its price range. Strengths are its accuracy, sweet highs, focused midrange and lack of any unatural attempts at bass (which allows it to mate well with a sub). The build quality is excellent and the components are top notch. Compared to comprable NHT, Paradigm, B&W, JM Labs, Axiom speakers. For me the Energy's just outshone the competition.

Strengths:
Airy Highs, Excellent midrange, No Bass Hump, Fine soundstaging, detailed without being harsh

Weaknesses:
Lack of deep bass (mates well with a sub), Can seem forward at times (revealing of bad recordings)

Similar Products Used:
AE Aegis One, KEF Cresta 2, PSB MK30II