Energy 5.1 Take Classic System

Judging from our past encounters with speaker manufacturer Energy, it's no secret that we think the company makes terrific small speakers. We recently raved about the amazingly tiny RC-Micro 5.1 System ($1,000) and mentioned how it actually reminded us of the original Energy Take 5 satellite/subwoofer system we reviewed in 1997.

The new Energy Take Classic 5.1 Home Theater System retails for around $600 and is an even more direct descendent of the original Take 5. The new system is about the same size, but offers up-to-date sound and build quality features. Best of all--and incredibly enough--the new Take Classic Series is available for a staggering $200 less than the original Take 5 was sold for 12 years ago! Suffice to say, the Take Classic is an incredible sounding speaker system that provides for an unmatched listening experience at this price point.

Design and features
The Take Classic's satellite speakers and subwoofer are bigger than the RC-Micro 5.1 system, but it's a whopping 40 percent less expensive ($600 compared with $1,000). The Take Classic satellites and subwoofer are clad in shiny black laminate; it's attractive, but nowhere as classy as the pricier system's piano black comes off.

The Take Classic is a six-piece system with four satellites measuring in at a compact 6.8 by 4.1 by 4.1 inches. Each is complemented by a 0.75-inch aluminum dome tweeter and a 3-inch poly-titanium mid-bass driver. Weighing just 2.9 pounds should allow for wall mounting to be a snap--you can use either the speakers' keyhole slot or the 0.25-inch threaded insert (for use with OmniMount wall brackets). The only problem here is the speakers have rear-mounted ports, so wall mounting will slightly reduce the actual speaker bass output. The Energy Web site recommends leaving at least 2 feet of clearance between the speaker and wall.

The satellite's removable black cloth grille has a curved top that protrudes a little over the top of the speaker. It actually looked slightly odd to us, almost as if these grilles were never intended to cover the speakers they shipped with.

Before we removed the center speaker's grille, we assumed it was a woofer-tweeter-woofer design, but it's not. The center speaker uses the same tweeter and single mid-bass driver as the satellite, but with horizontally oriented drivers instead. The speaker measures 4.1 inches by 10.25 inches by 4.1 inches and weighs 3.2 pounds. Wall-mount options are the same as for the satellites and thanks to the speaker's front-mounted ports, there's no performance related concerns. The satellites along with the center speaker's medium-density fiberboard cabinets are nicely finished in some type of black laminate, just like the original Take 5 speakers.

All of the speakers in the system feature the proprietary Energy Convergent Source Module (CSM) technology that was originally developed for the company's flagship Veritas Series. CSM positions the woofer and tweeter in the closest possible proximity to one another so they sound like a single source, a design with the intention of increasing overall dispersion. The speakers' mini five-way binding posts all accept cables terminated with banana plugs, bare wire ends, spades, or pins. Our one gripe: home theater buffs who'd like to expand the system to 6.1 or 7.1 setups are out of luck, as Energy does not sell the satellites separately.

The 200-watt sub has a front port along with a blue LED light that indicates the unit is powered up. The sub features a down-firing 8-inch injection-molded woofer. The driver utilizes Energy's Ribbed Elliptical Surround--the rubber "rim" that surrounds the woofer cone has molded-in ribs--which Energy claims lowers distortion and allows the subwoofer to play louder than more conventional designs. The 12.6-inch-cubed subwoofer is fabricated from medium-density fiberboard and clad with glossy black laminate. It weighs in at 19.7 pounds. Connectivity is about average--you get stereo RCA and stereo push-clip speaker-level inputs--but that's really all you'll need.
 

Wireless Sound

Product Description From the Manufacturer
Great Sound, Inside or Outside the Home
Audio Unlimited 900MHz Wireless Speaker solutions offer unlimited installation options for today's consumer seeking high quality sound virtually anywhere. The beauty of this amazing technology is all of the 900MHZ wireless speaker options/products run on the same transmitter and frequency allowing you to add as many speakers as required for you unique installation. The signal works just like high powered wireless 900MHz phones delivering a crystal clear signal through walls or any other obstacles in your yard offering endless installation options.

Weather-Resistant, Wireless Sound for Listening to Music Indoors and Out
Integrated brackets allow for mounting on vertical surfaces
Unlike the speaker, the transmitter is not waterproof
Your Music, Anywhere

Listen to music just about anywhere without the hassle of running unsightly speaker wire! These high-quality, weather-resistant speakers can even be used in wet areas. Powered by 900MHz Phase Loop Lock circuitry which automatically locks in and keeps the audio signal clear and strong within a range of up to 150 feet with no line of sight limitations. The signal works just like high powered wireless 900MHz phones delivering a crystal clear signal through walls or any other obstacles in your yard truly offering endless installation options.

Expansion is Easy

The system transmitter supports all types audio inputs including RCA inputs for home theatre receivers, MP3 players, computers and iPods. Audio Unlimited's wireless speaker system is the perfect solution for adding music around the pool/spa, on the patio, near the BBQ, in your office, garage, in the garden, or out on the deck during those hot summer nights. With the optional add-on units (sold separately SPK-VELO2) you can spread the sound even further around your garden and they can all work off of the same original transmitter. These stylish portable speakers come with a remote, so you can fine tune without having to play with the unit itself. Have time for fun with your guests, not a bunch of buttons.

No-Hassle Installation

The wireless speaker system does not require any kind of speaker wire making installation quick, easy, and painless. Stop digging up your lovely yard to install troublesome speaker wire. Audio Unlimited's 900MHz Wireless Speaker system offers all the same quality sound as more expensive wired solutions without the headache of dealing with annoying trench digging to install troublesome speaker wire which can potentially fail due to corrosion and moisture. Even the power options are varied— the speakers can either be battery powered, using 6 C cell batteries per speaker (not included) or with the included AC adapter.

Customers reviews

Very Good or Very Bad Depending..., May 9, 2009
By Michael H. Kay (Hollister, CA USA)
  
This review is from: Audio Unlimited SPK-VELO-001 Water-Resistant Wireless Speakers with Remote (Electronics)
I bought these wireless outdoor speakers for a Mothers Day gift for my wife and I have found them to be either very good or very bad, depending on a few critical factors. Of the 150+ reviews I wish someone had taken the time to figure out the "bad" factors - it would have saved my Mothers Day. Here it is for your information - you decide.

The Good:

For the price (under $100) the reproduced sound quality of the speakers is very good. The technical details from Amazon are a bit misleading, though. The speaker has a SINGLE, 3 inch rubberized element housed inside the weatherproof enclosure, projecting the sound upward. There is a venturi sound dispersal structure which sends the sound out the sides and top. There is also a low frequency sound tunnel similar to those used in some high end sound systems (you know the ones, very expensive, four letter name beginning with B and rhyming with "nose.") At 900mhz, the distance is limited. In my ordinary stucco-and-wood two story house, it is about 25-30 feet. By taking the transmitter outside the house the range increased by 3x to 60-75 feet. While the speakers are not truly stereo (they blend the right and left channels into a single mono channel) the sound effect when you're within earshot of both speakers is quite good. With a high quality sound source like an Ipod, the full range of sound can be heard. When I thought some music sounded "tinny" I ultimately traced it back to source; the source music was the cause. The transmitter is quite forgiving about the input sound level. The printed instruction booklet that comes with the speakers gives good advice (set earpiece volume on source device at two thirds full). The speaker enclosure is well thought out, has two simple mounting eyelets on the back where the surface is flat. No mounting screws are included; you'll need to provide those yourself if you want to mount on a wall. There are low-profile four rubberized feet on the bottom in case you want to set it on a delicate surface. The brand name (Audio Unlimited) appears as a small discreet logo on the front of the speaker. The transmitter has two transmission channels selected by a switch on the transmitter itself. Tuning between the two offered channels is a snap, just press the button on each speaker and it automatically finds the signal. There is a reassuring blue LED on the front of the speaker to let you know it is active at full power. Using the remote's Power button puts the speaker in Standby and the LED turns to yellow. To fully power off the speaker you must press the power button on each speaker. The Infrared remote emits a strong enough signal to work in direct sunlight and the infrared sensor on each speaker is a 2 inch oval vrtical window on the front. It works well from just about any angle. Each speaker comes with its own AC power adapter capable of 110-240v input. when loaded with its six C-cell batteries the weight of each speaker is hefty enough to withstand wind gusts or the occasional bump, when not fix-mounted, without toppling over.

The Bad:

Each speaker requires 6 (six) C-size 1.5v batteries, not included. The remote needs two AAA batteries (again, NOT included.) If you haven't bought the C-size battery lately and you're accustomed to AA and AAA prices, get ready for a shock. The price for twelve good quality alkaline batteries is between 12 and 26 dollars, depending on brand. I bought Ray-O-Vac at $12. Duracell copper top were $26. I had planned to use rechargeable niMh, but at $14 for TWO batteries (you can find twelve on the internet for about $60), I decided to wait to see if I liked the speakers. I do not know if the speakers will actually work on rechargeable - something to check out before you buy those expensive batteries. Rechargeables are only 1.2volt (versus the 1.5v of regular batteries). Batteries last for approximately 16 hours of continuous use.

NOW HERE IS THE REALLY IMPORTANT PART:

If you are surrounded by lots of wireless technology already - wireless telephones, wireless internet, wireless security, wireless garage door openers, wireless mailbox sensors, wireless garage door sensors, wireless iPod headphones, bluetooth headsets, bluetooth printers, keyboards, mouse... THESE SPEAKERS ARE NOT FOR YOU.

I'm a fairly geeky guy who loves his gadgets, and I reasoned that most of my devices operate at or above 2.5ghz and wouldn't interfere. I was WRONG! by process of elimination I figured out that you need to get up abouve 5ghz to be safe from interference with this device. Remember this is an analog device that translates signals into sounds. Our ears are remarkably sensitive to any interference. And the digital kind of interference doesn't come across the speakers the gentle hiss of background static; it comes across as sharply (loud) punctuated squeals, cracks and pops. I live on a golf course, and by taking the transmitter and speaker out onto the middle of the fairway behind my house (with a long extension cord for the transmitter) I was able to eliminate all interference. But as soon as I went back near the house, the transmitter needed to be 4-5 feet away from the speakers to eliminate most of the digital wireless interference (it never truly went away unless I was on the fairway, well removed from any human digital wireless technology).

Summary

If you live in a relatively wireless-free world, or all your other wireless devices operate above 5ghz, these are great value for the money - watch the batteries, the cost can quickly overrun what you paid for the speakers.