Price Paid:  $0.00

Summary:
I purchased this center, along with two pair of C-2 bookshelf speakers, in 1999 while working at goodguys!. Well, that company may be gone, but these speakers still sound great! I have always loved the sound from the center, and wished that I had taken the advice of a co-worker who told me to buy 5 AC-300's for my surround setup. I paid about $240 at discount, we charged $399 to regular customers. What strikes me about these is how clear and efficient they are, without sounding over the top, like some of the klipsch speakers we carried. Not a tremendous amount of bass, but considering the size it's pretty good. Dialogue leaps off the screen, and sound effects sound transparent. The woofers are paper thin, and every now and then sound a little unnatural, kind of 'boxy', but still I am completely satisfied with them .I remember when I first got them ten years ago and first hooked up the system, how clear the shell casing's falling to the ground in move 'the matrix' were. In fact I have been scouring ebay trying to find a few more .The C-2's are good match, but are a bit lifeless and restrained sounding in comparison. The drivers are similar, but not quite the same. I found some A5+2's which I now have setup with it, and it just rocks! I believe those have identical tweeters, to the AC-300, so its a better match. If I can find a couple AC-300's for the rears, my 5 speaker system will be complete.

Price Paid:  $0.00

Summary:
nothing can beat these..like it more then infinity.have infinity 50ils front .bose 201 back.play it loud and they handle it better and claerer. wish i had five of them.they are loud and clearrrrrr. had them three years still cranks for me

Strengths:
sounds great

Weaknesses:
sock sucks

Price Paid:  $205.00 from Audio Advisor

Summary:
These speakers are awesome. I have 5 of them for Surround Sound. I bought 3 of these and loved them so much I ordered the other 2.

The sound from these speakers will astound you. Very clear, crisp, and detailed. Your source will have something to do with that as well, but these speakers are a real kockout.

I got them on closeout and they were a real steal. I upgraded from entry level Energy to these. I also run a couple hundred feet of biwired Kimber to all speakers for a great sound.

Strengths:
Clarity, Crispness, and Imaging. A very robust sound from a moderately priced speaker

Weaknesses:
none at all

Similar Products Used:
Energy eXL:25
Energy eXL:C
Energy exl:15

Price Paid:  $298.00 from audio advisor

Summary:
Magnificent speakers. I bought two for two channel use only. Stereophile class A rating well deserved. A steal

Price Paid:  $275.00 from Used

Summary:
I bought three of these "sight unheard", as well as a set of matching RVSS surrounds. I made this decision based on the reviews here and SGHT's solid recommendation in the latest "recommended components" issue (I think they were A rated, and they said the AC/300s were "borderline AA"). I know that's one of the most pathetic ways to buy speakers, but I figured, I could always sell them for what I paid, plus, I can't listen to AC-300s anywhere around here. Also, I was so dissatisfied with the sound of my B&W DM602 system (2pr 602s and one CC center speaker), that I figured these MUST be at least a little better based on what I've read, and the surround effects should be a LOT better due to the bipole design of the RVSS.

As it turns out, I am MUCH MUCH happier with the overall sound. The surround effects are wonderful out of the RVSS, the of course, the AC-300 have a matching timbre. Also, the AC-300s put out a suprising amount of BASS themselves. While I have an incredible Bag End 18" sub, the bass out of the AC-300s really adds to the punch.

The AC-300s are extremely detailed speakers, especially in the high-end. I am hearing things in material I never heard with my B&W 602s. This may be a blessing or curse, depending on the quality of your source material.

What I'm not so impressed by is the imaging of the AC-300s. I feel they throw a big soundstage, but imaging is not as "pinpoint" as I'd like. This may be a function of my amplifier though, which is simply a H-K AVR510 receiver. My next upgrade will be to a Carver 705 or Rotel 985 dedicated amp.

Well, that's about all. I'm much happier with this speaker than the B&W DM602s, which by comparison, sounded "flat" and lifeless to my ears. Please bear in mind I do 90% movies and only 10% music.

Oh, one other thing, and this may seem trivial-- but in a home theater environment (with LCD projector, etc), the wraparound black acoustic grill is invaluable-- as it absorbs excess light from your projector, especially when the center speaker is right below your screen. The finished veneers of most speakers cause annoying reflections in front projection systems.

Strengths:
Bass & midbass quality, soundstage.

Weaknesses:
Imaging

Similar Products Used:
B&W DM602