Bass, imaging and soundstage, finish

Long break-in period

Initially I had my heart set on a pair of slim-line floorstanders (Totem Arros), but Energys were on clearance at the Good Guys so I decided to give them a listen. In the listening room were a pair of Energy Veritas 1.8s driven by Parasound gear, whereas the C-6s were driven by a Yamaha A/V receiver (hey, it's the Good Guys, what do you expect). Listening to both I found the C-6s high end to be slightly brighter, but soundstaging, imaging, mids and bass to be remarkably similar. I figured the C-6s performed pretty well considering the difference in source electronics, so I bought an "open-box" pair (which was actually unopened) for a great price.

Out of the box, the speakers sounded very harsh and edgy, the treble and mids sounded very unnatural and electronicky and made me wince. But as many other reviewers have pointed out, these speakers need a SUBSTANTIAL break-in period. I found that they are also extremely speaker cable sensitive -- I found Audioquest cables a good match. Even when you switch cables, you'll need to give them some time to settle in as well.

After about a week of extended listening/break-in, I can now say that these speakers do an excellent job of imaging and throwing a wide and deep soundstage, even better than my Studio 20s did (still an incredible bookshelf for the money). Bass is moderately deep yet tight and well controlled, a function of the twin 6.5 inch drivers. Also, the harshness is gone and vocals sound very smooth and natural. Listening to well-recorded cds gave me goosebumps! Bad cds will sound terrible, as it should be. I may try bi-wiring and see what improvements if any, it brings. Be aware that these speakers should be placed at least a foot away from the rear walls or the bass tends to get boomy -- they are both front and rear ported.

Overall, an excellent speaker for the money, especially since now they can be found for about $600/pr. The piano black finish gives the speakers an elegant and high-class look, and the dual binding posts are first rate. For the price they can be found at now, I highly recommend them. Five stars!

Similar Products Used:

Celestion DL4SII, Paradigm Mini Mons, Reference Studio 20 v2s

very good quality

of course it can't be compared with those really Hi-End speaker (like WATT)

it's quit hard to find these speakers in Hong Kong. So i just asked my relatives in Canada to buy for me. They brought back for me. Also i found that it's cheaper in Canada. The quality is excellent, high gloss black finish. The sound is so sweet. It's more than enough because Hong Kong is a place where the living space is very limited. And i found that C-6 is comparable to many higher price speaker. So try all other speakers, and finally try this one. U will find C-6 is very good. Also different shop will give u different quality. Because their room size, equipment also will affect your hearing.

Similar Products Used:

B & W

Transparent, ability to reproduce jazz, metal,dd,dts,dpl,classical piano(the big tweeter test)flawlessly.

none

I am brand new to this site. I was shopping for a pre/pro and decided to stop in and see how me fellow audiophiles rated these. I have had them for 4+ years? I most have had the original ones released in the US!! These speakers have been the absolute corner stone in my system. They seem too just get better with age. To those deaf mutes who 1 starred these,,GET THE WAX OUT OF YOUR EARS!!!!!!!!!

10 stars!!!!!!!!!!

Similar Products Used:

name it I;ve had it bought it tested it used it.

WoW. Absolutely LOVE my speakers. I've had them for a year now and I'm even more impressed than when I first bought them. Highly recommended.

Need a powerful amp.
Originally ran a HK3250 with 40W/ch
Recently upgraded to Rotel pre/power amp 75W/ch
very impressive sound

Great Speakers!!

Similar Products Used:

Energy e:XL series

Smooth, warm sound

None

I have used these speakers for about 6 months and have been very pleased. I have a Yamaha 995 driving these along with a pair of C-2s in the back. Sounds great for music and home video.

For the money I paid for these, ($1100) I think they have some of the tightest midrange and mid-bass around. They are definitely designed for us in "soft rooms" (carpet, stuffed furniture, drapes), or they'll sound a little harsh in the high-end. I use a C-J PV10A & and Acurus A250 to drive them, and they play the most wonderful details. The bass is extremely tight under the authority of the Acurus. The C-J, (or any other quality valve preamp) keeps the highs sparkling, but not overly fatiguing, unless the source recording is poor. Defnitely worth a listen for those shopping for speakers in the $900-$2000 range.

These are fatastic speakers. The bass, contrary to what some of the reviews here say, is increadibly tight. This may depend on the system, of course; I've got these C-6's on an NAD power amplifier and it keeps them in line wonderfully. I tested out many configurations and the NAD simply suits the speaker the best. I've had them for 6 months now and the only drawback I can find is an overly bright high end that comes out on poor recordings. The stereo imaging is astonishing and is by far the most impressive feature of this speaker. Clarity is remarkeable, but placement is critical. You've got to sit a good ways back from these or you lose the low end and a great deal of the imaging. HIGHLY recommended (especially for $944 Canadian).

Smooth and airy. Great imaging and midrange response. Great Value!!!

A little light on the bass response. Treble can get edgy at insane volume.

These are great speakers. In just about every way. I had to really think of weaknesses. They do not match well with flagship receivers. I recomend a good set of separates. Unfortunately Energy stopped producing these last year. They are smooth overall and with the right amp and source gear, they will present a soundstage better than all but megabuck systems. I own more expensive speakers but unless I want to listen really loud the Energys will beat my more expensive speakers. The Vons and Vands are smoother at really loud volumes but my c-6's are my favorite for stereo music listening. When I compared to other similar priced speakers the only speaker that could even remotely keep up was a pair of Def Tech's. Polk, Klipsch, Phase, Legasy, B&W, Logan, and M&K all got crushed when I was shopping around. Some of these brands can build competitve speakers but not at this price point. If you can find them used. BUY THEM. P.S. Don't buy Energy's surround speakers or center. They sound like crap. Fortunately other brands seem to match well for center and surround duties.

Similar Products Used:

VonSchweikert, Mirage, Martin Logan, B&W, Vandersteen, Def Tech

Crystal clear sound and definition, looks, by wiring

nill

They are I little pricey but you cant get a beater pare of speakers I have used them and abused them and they still go strong and sound grate

The bad thing of about this speakers is that most people only get the chance to audition them at Good Guys. Where the speakers are setup facing
each other across the room or spaced 3' apart and 6" from the wall.
The source is usually bad and the amps incompitable. No wonder...Bose
usually sound acceptable in this "listening" environment.
The C6 midrange is exceptional and the highs are crisp. The bass is
hard to control, so getting the right amp to match is a priority.
I had good luck with Nad and Krell intergrated amps, but not with Rotel.