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My Overall Rating : ★★★★★

Energy 5.1 Take Classic System Review

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.

System setup was supereasy, we adjusted our Denon AVR 3808CI receiver’s bass management to 100 Hertz, and the sound was terrific. This was somewhat of a pleasant departure from other small satellite/subwoofer systems we’ve seen in the past that require a lot of tinkering for optimal output.

Performance
The most satisfying characteristic of the Energy Take Classic system is that it sounds a whole lot bigger than it looks. It has a full balance that you only get with a perfectly matched satellite and subwoofer system. The “Wayne Shorter Live at Montreux 1996″ fusion jazz concert DVD is the sort of disc that reveals weaknesses of little speakers, but in our testing Shorter’s saxophone had a big, rich sound while Rodney Holmes’s drum solos were punchy and solid. It’s a very dynamic performance, which encouraged us to turn up the volume in which the Take Classic didn’t seem to mind. It just sounded better and better as we listened to the high-energy music.

The “Lost: Season 2″ DVDs didn’t change our impressions of the Energy Take Classic’s effortless sound. Dialogue was clear and naturally balanced, without a hint of the boxy, closed-in sound that so many small center channel speakers suffer from. The scenes in the island’s dense jungle were loaded with subtle details: the rustle of leaves, the snap of branches as Kate or Sawyer made their way through the dense vegetation, and the twittering and buzzing of birds and insects. All of the dialogue remained clear and distinct from every position on the CNET listening couch.

“Hold Me Tight” from the “Across the Universe” Beatles musical Blu-ray also sounded terrific. The song is performed by a rock band in a dancehall, and we loved the way the entire Take Classic system unfurled the surround sound mix, filling the entire room. The five little speakers play well together, and the subwoofer’s definition and oomph were well above average.

The Take Classic succeeds exactly where Canton’s pricier Movie 120 MX 5.1 system fails. Where Lucinda Williams’ “Little Honey” CD sounded lightweight and thin with the Canton ensemble, the Take Classic absolutely rocked the house. We attribute that to the Take Classic’s seamless satellite/subwoofer blend along with the Energy’s all around superior subwoofer. The Energy’s sub also goes much deeper, allowing us to declare it as one of the very best compact subwoofers you can buy.

We finished up with Robert Plant and Alison Krauss’ Grammy-winning “Raising Sand” CD. A lot of the tunes on this CD are bathed in heavy reverberation, but the Take Classic zeroed in on the natural sounds of the vocals and the acoustic and electric guitars.

We didn’t have the Energy RC-Micro 5.1 on hand for a direct comparison, but we’re pretty sure we prefer the Take Classic. Its size advantages allow it to play louder and exude better bass performance. Not only that, the RC-Micro system has a softer, less bright treble, resulting in far less detailed of an experience.

Unless you really need a smaller system, we cannot recommend the Take Classic enough. It’s a superb 5.1 system that impressed us during every test we threw at it. That combination of excellent sound quality at an almost unbelievably affordable price tag makes it an enthusiastic our choice–it’s hands down one of the best small speaker packages you can buy for less than $1,000.

Let’s take a look at all of the Energy 5.1 Take Classic System features/specification:

  • 4 gloss black 2-way Energy satellite speakers
  • 1 gloss black Energy center channel
  • 200 watt Energy subwoofer with front firing port and 8″ driver and patented Ribbed Elliptical Surround(TM)
  • Perfect for a large or small space surround sound solution
  • Wall mountable

If you want to buy Energy 5.1 Take Classic System, you can get it cheap online through Amazon.com here. They offer special discount price and reliable shipping service.

Let me show you what current owners have to say about it:

“…I have recently purchased this system paired with a Denon AVR1508. And all I can say is WOW!

I originally purchased the POLK RM705 package, and kept them all of 2 days, brought those back and got the Klipsch Quintet III paired with the KSW10 subwoofer, on both systems all the satellites’ did was nothing but scream at you and the subwoofer distorted at low to medium levels regardless of what I threw at it, music or home theater (KSW10 not quite as bad). Needless to say they went back as well, I know I am picky! I was going to give up on the 5.1 package and go get bookshelf speakers or towers.

However ENERGY has changed my view on the 5.1 kit! ENERGY has also made very nice high end speakers for a while now, which have always been very efficient, crisp and clean, and they have done it again! Music and Home Theater purely sound superb! The satellites’ do not scream which helps the subwoofer compliment the overall sound, hence not missing the mid range. This helps in accomplishing the full sound that I believe we all desire.

I do only have one small complaint. I do have to turn the subwoofer down when jamming normal music (stereo 2.1) or there will be slight distortion from the subwoofer, however for the money and the fact the 5.1 systems are pretty much entirely designed for movies… top notch! And a slight turn of the knob once or twice a year when the time calls for really cranking up the volume, not a huge issue!

As far as home theater no subwoofer issues there! The subwoofer produces extremely clean, tight, deep bass, which makes any explosion or thunder shake the couch. The satellites’ in any listening configuration are absolutely unbelievable, clean, clear, crisp, enabling you to hear fingers actually sliding over the guitar strings as they are being strummed, incredible!

Do yourself a favor and go listen to these if you are in the market for a 5.1 system and make sure to bring the check book as you will need it, I did!

I hope this helps as this is a fairly new HT system and there are not a whole lot of reviews out there, but the ones that are, seem to agree with mine…”

If you want more info on this Energy 5.1 Take Classic System, I suggest you take a look at the Energy 5.1 Take Classic System reviews on Amazon here. A lot of consumer positive response to this Energy 5.1 Take Classic System here.

Here is why Energy 5.1 Take Classic System is worth buying:

Energy 5.1 Take Classic System : Pro

  • Aggressive, value pricing
  • Very musical tonal balance
  • Compact size allows flexible mounting options

Energy 5.1 Take Classic System : Con

  • Satellite system is limited by its size
  • Mini binding posts won’t accommodate larger gauge speaker wire

Conclusion

Thanks to its superbly matched satellites and subwoofer, Energy’s Take Classic offers killer sound for a very affordable price.

This Energy 5.1 Take Classic System can be ordered directly from Amazon.com today. CLICK HERE for the best price and get your Energy 5.1 Take Classic System today! They are 100% secure site so you can be rest assured that your details are protected when ordering.

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