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.