Excellent treble matched with very good midrange and surprisingly deep bass (no subwoofer necessary!!!!). Great image depth and transparency.

I'm not really inclined to nitpick, but if i had to come up with a weakness I'd say that imaging on these speakers is a little vague. In other words, the Energy's favor transparency and tonality over imaging accuracy. Not a problem in my book...

Ok, I've owned these speakers for about 2 months now and I think I'm ready to write a review. I think you have to live with a product for a while before you can make any judgements since first impressions can often be misleading. Personally speaking, it takes some time for me to really zero in on a products strengths and weaknesses...

Let me just say right off the bat that the Energy C2's are excellent loudspeakers! At first the midrange sounds a little recessed, at least when compared to my Paradigm Studio 40 speakers. However, this has the benefit of presenting a sense of depth to recordings, something the Paradigms struggle to do. Transparency is similar with both speakers, though the Paradigms seem just a tad more "see through" especially with vocals. Bass quality is also similar, despite the Paradigms having a dedicated driver for low frequencies. The main difference between these two excellent pairs of speakers is in their treble quality.

The treble of the Paradigm 40's has always struck me as these speakers' single biggest flaw. The 40's never sound bright per se, ie, you can listen to them for long stretches without suffering listening fatique. But the treble isn't exactly subtle and the tweeters lack the refinement and delicacy of the best. Certainly not a fatal flaw, especially considering the Paradigm's world-class midrange, but there it is. (As an aside, I've always felt that the mid-level and higher end B&W speakers suffer the opposite problem... a world-class treble matched with an unsubtle, shouty midrange. Frankly, I've never understood why these speakers are so popular...)

The Energy C2's are far better than the Paradigms at reproducing the upper frequencies in music. In fact the treble reponse of these speakers is among the best I've heard (and I've owned and listened to a lot of speakers!) On good recordings, strings have a lovely liquidity that sounds wonderful. Cymbals sound like actual cymbals when struck with natual decay. The overall sonic picture is one of delicacy and refinement.

Summing up, these speakers are a steal for what they're selling for on the used market. If you happen to see a pair, don't hesitate!

Similar Products Used:

Paradigm Studio 40 v.2, Soliloquy 6.0, Dahlquist DQ-20, and numerous others...

Durability, good price and excellent sound quality

Mids could be better but a sub will give you better control of all ranges

I bought the Energy C-2 back when I started my first job. I was only 18 at the time but was, and always have been, into sound and clarity. I wanted the C-4's at the time (mainly because they were bigger) but couldn't afford them. Let me tell you that I am more than glad that I bought the C-2's as they have been an excellent performer for me. Everyone who hears them at my house is quite impressed with the range which these speakers can produce. I have since added Energy rears and a subwoofer which have only improved on their already great sound quality at both soft and loud volume levels. When it comes down to buying new fronts, which I am looking into, Energy will be my first choice. And the old C-2's will probably get used somewhere in my house where I can still enjoy them.

Similar Products Used:

Paradyme small home theatre speakers

Very good phase between mid and high. Good soundstage and impressive result for the price.

Could be a bit more dynamic for the bass but forget it and enjoy music.

The C2 is one of the best model than I know for the price. I had a simple Nad 314 for the C2. If you try it, enjoy the midrange with the very good phase with the tweeter. (Please, have a decent amp)

Similar Products Used:

BW, Kef, Paradigm etc etc etc...

These are quite possibly the best speakers in terms of mid-range smoothness and matched high range sound. These speakers need a
sub-woofer crossed over at about 70 Hz and calibrated to match output
volume. Though they are not as efficient as most speakers, the smoothness
and non-irritating sound make these very pleasant to listen to.
I sampled them against a whole room of speakers from Polk to Klipsch and
Boston, and even other more expensive Energy speakers.
I used a Yamaha receiver (model # escapes me). These little
babies outperformed the whole lot, in terms of quality and richness of
sound. I had to turn these speakers up louder to get the same
volume as the others. But when I matched up the volume, it simply
sounded better than all the competitors in the room, as far as mid-range
and high frequency based sounds were concerned. The Energy C2HG/Black
match up with the Klipsch KXW150 Subwoofer seemlessly at a crossover
point of 70Hz. These two sang a duet that had me stareing into space
with a longing that transcended the paltry word 'beautiful'. Words cannot
describe the accuracy and smoothness coupled with a more than generous
dynamic range. I would love to own the Energy speakers and the Klipsch
Sub-woofer together as a matched set. I would reccomend them to anyone
who has an apartment or a small to medium sized living room. Also,
a high powered receiver or amplifier is necessary to drive the C2's to
a volume that is favorable. An upper class Denon receiver or 125 watt
Adcom amplifier will do these speakers the justice they deserve, but
you could get away with a little less power, but I would'nt recommend it.
When I give 4 Stars, I have really given a high mark. I rarely find
a speaker setup that I'm satisfied with. I've only heard one speaker
setup that deserves a 5 star, and that distinction belongs to Snell's
$30,000 THX Reference speaker system. Considering that I gave the
C2's a 4 star rating (when including the Klipsch sub) should tell you
something about their sound.

Timothy

Fit and finish

Audible distortion through bass port on certain frequencies and combinations of instruments.

Showing their age by now. Once a good value. Now, eclipsed by much better and lesser expensive products.

Price, build, tweeter, good bass for a bookshelf

bindings too close together, missing mid's?

Got these speakers new at a wholesale price as an insurance claim. After 5 years, these speakers still excel at jazz, classical and any type of music involving smooth vocals and detail. With rock, and dance music, this speaker is just ok. The tweeter is excellent, has great clarity and really is the winner of this speaker. The woofer provides good bass for a bookshelf. I think this speaker has good mids but not great mids, but for the price I paid, not many speakers can compare. I've heard speakers more than double my price and I cannot they sound better than my C-2's, just different. Get a good amp and CD player and you will surely be pleased

Similar Products Used:

Polk Audio, Paradigm

Bi-wire setup, bright, rich sounding speakers in a little box, and the bass is stronger than you might expect. ..and not too bright for music.

It's a well balanced speaker, but doesn't excel in highs, mids, or lows. Just balanced and smooth.

I managed to find a pair in decent condition out of the box sale at $279.95. I wasn't planning on buying a set of speakers for a while, but I demo'd the set for the heck of it and ended up loving them. I found that they sound great matched up with a Yamaha amplifier, and I'll probably replace my parasound with an older Yamaha if I can find one, just for these speakers. Energy consistantly puts out good stuff, and this is just another example of their great work. I think they've got the right formula down, don't push for incredible highs, mids or lows, just engineer a compromised balance. Not my preference for everything, but it works well with music.

Similar Products Used:

none

excellent bass for this size cabinet. good dynamics for price.

none at the price

The C2s are exuberant performers with a wonderfully large frequency rance and good impact. They will flatter a good recording with exceptional detail and poise and not make poor recordings sound harsh. For those with a wide variety of music in their collection, a small to medium sized room and a small budget, these are the ones to beat. In my opinion they are even better than the "#1" B&W DM601s2, and at least 20% less money. On top of that they look fabulous in the piano black or rosewood and removing the grills shows off a beautiful face. Too bad they're being discontinued, but Marc at the audioshop.on.ca has quite a few pairs left.

Similar Products Used:

b&w DM601s2

Extremely brilliant sound and true tonal reproduction, beautiful finish, spectacular looks with the grilles off

Lacks the bass/mid to drive raunchier recordings, a little too bright in some cases

An astonishingly bright speaker, I find them to be acking the puch required when listening to rock or Alternative recordings. I am currently using an Arcam Alpha 7 integrated amp with 40 watts X channel, and am considering biamping them with a power amp. Good speaker, but a little too much emphasis on the Highs in some cases..Could it be the C-2 is more of a Home Theatre speaker than a true 'Listening' system?

Similar Products Used:

JBL MR25, Acoustics Research AR38

Crystal clear highs.

Very bright. Lacking in mid-range and bass.

Tried out a pair for 3 weeks but just couldn't get them to settle in. I found the C-2's to be overly bright and would not recommend them for use in live rooms. I used them as bookshelves, better results likely if on a good pair of stands. Overall I ended up doing direct comparisons with the JBL Studio Series S-26 and psb Image. The new JBL's outclassed both the Energy's and the psb's quite handily (all on stands). When I got the JBL's back home and on the shelf they performed much fuller than did the Energy's.

Similar Products Used:

JBL Studie Series S-26
psb Image