Evolution

I currently have an Energy XL-C center and XL-16 mains running off a Yamaha HTR-5240. I've been using my old Sony mini-system speakers as rears til I could afford to buy new ones. Now I'm looking at the XL-R and RVSS rears as possible options. Does anyone here use either? If so, could you let me know what you think? Yes, I know of audioreview.com There's not a whole lot on either speaker there. By the way, just want to give a ringing endorsement for the XL-16s. The highs are crystal clear... sound as good or better than some speakers I demoed that were more than 2X the price. And once they're broken in, the lows are REALLY present in movies and music. I'm using a Mission 70AS, and I was really blown away by how much bass I was still getting when I shut it off the other day. For anyone looking for great affordable bookshelf speakers... look no further.

'E

P.S. Thanks in advance for any advice on the rears.

babka

I have the energy rvs system with the rvss on the rears & I love them. Only thing, I wish all 5 of my speakers were rvs all the way around just for an equal sounding preference of mine. They are very "big-sounding." I tested them against a number of speakers. They blew away atlantic tehnology side by side and sounded just as good as the top of the line B&Ws for $1,000 each.

stevevt

Just out of curiosity, what model numbers were these "top of the line B&Ws"?

El Pollo

Yeah, I doubt the $1000 B&Ws were top of the line. But per price level, I like Energy more. The Veritas series is a more reasonable comparison with the above 1k B&Ws.

Evolution, I have the Energy eXL-15s for my home theater rears and eXL-Rs for my computer rears. The Rs are matched quite well with any Energy eXL system. Since, you have eXL stuff in the front, I'd go with a pair of eXL type speakers to match for the rears. The eXL-Rs are dipolar, but the tweeters run in-phase, so it's sort of a cross between dipolar and bipolar. Enough dispersion but not too hazy.

Evolution

You said the tweeters run in-phase for a dipolar/bipolar effect. That's interesting. I was unaware of it. Is that common in dipolar rears? I had assumed that the tweeters would be out of phase. Also, how do the 15s perform as rears? They are considerably cheaper than the XL-Rs and I actually almost bought a pair at the same time I bought my 16s. Does the dipolar surround effect make that much of a noticeable difference? I know ideally it'd make sense to demo all these speakers, but the only local Energy dealer I know of is Brandsmart and it's never really quiet enough in there for me to get a good sense of anything. BTW, I'm not sure if they ship or not, but they have killer prices on Energy. I got my 16s for $200 (the pair), and my XLC for $130. Thanks all for the feedback.

'E

El Pollo

I think this is pretty common, or at least I've read this somewhere in a review of some small dipolar speakers. Something about if the tweeters are too small or cover too high of a frequency range, they cancel each other out when running out of phase. Don't quote me on this.

I have the 15s as rears in my home theater because I have a Yamaha 2095 receiver. When using that in Yamaha's proprietary (pseudo) 7.1 system, they recommend direct firing all around. Plus, I have the rears well above and behind the seating area, so there isn't the effect of hearing too much from one of the direct rear speakers if it's right next to you. So in general, I'd say if you plan on having the rears close to the seating area, go with dipoles or bipoles, but if the rears are far away, experiment with all types.

Obviously, you'll have to test things out for yourself to get a feel for what you like, but these are my findings.

BTW, those are pretty nice prices for those speakers new. I'd imagine the 15s costing less simply because of how much more material goes into the Rs. It's twice the number of drivers.

SEH

I really enjoy my exl-r speakers. While they are not in the ideal location at this time (mounted on the wall behind the listening area), I will soon be moving to a house where they can be palced properly. Even with this compromised placement, I find them to be enveloping; the sound fills the room nicely, even at moderate sound levels.

BTW, where is Brandsmart?

Evolution

My bad... In checking Brandsmart's website I just realized they're ONLY located in Florida and don't ship outside of the state. But I suppose if anyone were interested in Energy speakers from them I could get a quote on shipping and purchase and pack them myself. Not sure if it'd be worth the hassle for anyone, but I'd be willing. Also, the 15s are cheaper. When I got my 16s there, I believe the 15s were about $155 for the pair. I don't recall how much the XLRs were, but I think I'm gonna swing by there today and check them out. Brandsmart is the Costco of electronics stores... I'm not sure exactly how they operate, but they basically have a giant showroom with every type of electronic device you can think of. Audio, video, home appliances, computers... I guess they rely on volume of sales and a few specific product areas to maintain their profit. I'm guessing from the speaker prices I've seen that their speakers aren't providing very much. Thanks btw for all the advice. I think I'm gonna go with the XLRs, seeing how my listening space is rather small and the rears will be relatively close to the listening space. Appreciate all the help...

'E

Evolution

Unfortunately, Brandsmart doesn't carry the XL-Rs (though they do have the Sony KV27FS12 I plan to get for $498). However, I found an online dealer with considerably better prices on Energy speakers than anywhere else online and thought I'd share... http://www.wholesaleconnection.com/

'E

Low RG

That place has some great prices! I use the 15's as rears in my set up and they work great. I'm very happy with the Energy brand. I have the 28P's up front with the C2 center and S10 sub to go with the 15's in back.