Old Energy Pro 22 monitors were really good (1980's). Energy make good speakers IMHO. Power handling was not their forte but they sounded great at low levels.
Monitors vs. Floorstanders - What an eye opener
Greetings,
I was 100% intent on buying a large floorstanding speaker, thinking that a stand mounted, monitor type speaker just couldn't reproduce music in a realistic fashion (full range), and that you've just got to have bass extension down to 20HZ and multiple, large drivers.
Well, I just bought a pair of Energy RC-Mini's because they were one of only two or three speakers that would fit on a specific shelf in our family room. These are for a second system I'm putting together for my wife, and I don't have the source components yet.
I was anxious to hear how they sounded, so, I unboxed these tiny little speakers (two-way with 4.5" woofer and dome tweeter), and hooked them up to my big rig. I sat them on two dining room chairs in a much less than ideal position (sitting too low on a cushion with total disregard to placement), put on some Rikki Lee Jones, and my goodness, I almost fell out of my chair!
Straight out of the box these tiny little speakers are unreal! The imaging is incredible, and I simply cannot believe the range of music they can reproduce. These things are the size of PC speakers! Of course they won't move your chest with dynamics or make your ears bleed, but they are punchy, detailed and reproduce a soundstage that even my vaunted Von Schweikert VR-4's couldn't manage. I can't imagine how good they might be if set up properly! Voices, piano, triangles, cymbals, etc. are ridiculously realistic sounding. So good, I'm tempted to get some nice stands and buy my wife a shelf system for the family room!
Funny thing is, I've now come to realize that this obsession with "full range" is waaaay over-rated. Aside from the ultimate in extension, these little speakers aren't missing much, so I can't imagine how a monitor with wider range credentials might sound!
I'm going to give this monitor idea some heavy consideration while looking for a pair of speakers. If these little Energy speakers are 90% satisfying with bass response to only 80HZ, I have to think that a larger system just might be the cat's meow!
Any recommendations on monitors to check out?
I was 100% intent on buying a large floorstanding speaker, thinking that a stand mounted, monitor type speaker just couldn't reproduce music in a realistic fashion (full range), and that you've just got to have bass extension down to 20HZ and multiple, large drivers.
Well, I just bought a pair of Energy RC-Mini's because they were one of only two or three speakers that would fit on a specific shelf in our family room. These are for a second system I'm putting together for my wife, and I don't have the source components yet.
I was anxious to hear how they sounded, so, I unboxed these tiny little speakers (two-way with 4.5" woofer and dome tweeter), and hooked them up to my big rig. I sat them on two dining room chairs in a much less than ideal position (sitting too low on a cushion with total disregard to placement), put on some Rikki Lee Jones, and my goodness, I almost fell out of my chair!
Straight out of the box these tiny little speakers are unreal! The imaging is incredible, and I simply cannot believe the range of music they can reproduce. These things are the size of PC speakers! Of course they won't move your chest with dynamics or make your ears bleed, but they are punchy, detailed and reproduce a soundstage that even my vaunted Von Schweikert VR-4's couldn't manage. I can't imagine how good they might be if set up properly! Voices, piano, triangles, cymbals, etc. are ridiculously realistic sounding. So good, I'm tempted to get some nice stands and buy my wife a shelf system for the family room!
Funny thing is, I've now come to realize that this obsession with "full range" is waaaay over-rated. Aside from the ultimate in extension, these little speakers aren't missing much, so I can't imagine how a monitor with wider range credentials might sound!
I'm going to give this monitor idea some heavy consideration while looking for a pair of speakers. If these little Energy speakers are 90% satisfying with bass response to only 80HZ, I have to think that a larger system just might be the cat's meow!
Any recommendations on monitors to check out?
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- 17 posts total
Small speakers often times throw a big soundstage and sound quite coherent. They can reproduce a majority of the frequencies quite well. However, to get realistic size images, dynamics, impact and bass foundation, you need big floorstanders. Especially when you want to bring the musicians to your room, you need the big guys. For a small room, small speakers will do a better job though. The heavy bass from big floorstanders can easily overload the room. |
You may want to consider the magnificent Intuitive Design Summits. In the November issue of the Pacific Northwest Audio Society's newsletter (starting on page 14 of the pdf document) the Summits were awarded "Best of Show" at the 2006 Rocky Mountain Audio Fest. The author is Dick Mueller. |
You might also be interested in the input on this thread. My personal recommendations for outstanding monitor speakers: Silverline SR17's, Reference 3a DeCapo i, and for much less money, Era Design 5 and Dali Menuet II. The later two are mini monitors and would require more current, but are a whole bunch of fun if fed the right diet. Much like what the original poster describes; amazing to hear that kind of boogie coming from such a small box. I would add a bit of qualifier to the comment about the actual dynamic range being a necessary component of the illusion of 'presence'. It can be a vital component, but it can certainly be the downfall if poorly implemented. Without an actual reference to compare it to, though it may not be entirely convincing, those little monitors can still be a hair raising illusion that penetrates all your fibers, even if they roll off at much higher frequencies than an instrument is capable of. OK, scale will suffer, and ultimately you may not believe it if you give it any thought, but it can be mighty fun if you let go and let it take you away. It's not about 'thinking' anyway! My further input on the subject of monitors vs. floorstanders is covered in the thread linked above, as well as some helpful input from others. Marco |
- 17 posts total