Energy RC or Veritas


Hi,

I was hoping to get some opinions and was thinking of possibly procuring a pair of either the RC-50's or a used Veritas (1.8, 2.3, 2.4). Unfortunately, there really isn't an Energy dealer nearby, so it is difficult to listen to them firsthand.

First things first, my room is only 12 x 16, so I'm not sure if the Veritas line will play nice with my small room. Is either speaker line particularly picky with room acoustics/placement? I don't have the best arrangement or placement for listening. I currently use the Revel M20's, which are fairly forgiving of that. I've been pretty satisfied but the reason I'm thinking of making a change is that the Revel's don't quite go low enough and a subwoofer isn't really an option for me.

I am probably 60% music: 40% HT. I listen to every genre of music, which unfortunately does include mainstream/hiphop. I use my computer as a source and lossless when available, but it does also mean that not every song I have will be CD quality. Price DOES matter and if the things I mentioned above mean I would be better off going with a lower line, then perhaps I should go down that route.

Thank you for your thoughts!
freckling
I'm a big fan of the Energy line and am currently using Conniseur c-3s and cc-3 for my HT system; I've also previously owned the Veritas 2.3. I can't opine as to the RC line, but I'd expect they're substantially similar to the Conniseur, which they replaced. I have only good things to say about the Energys--very neutral, uncolored sound; unfussy about placement and electronics. That said, the Revels you're running are really outstanding-- probably a small notch above the Energys, and the low end of the Energys is not significantly deeper than the Revel. If your main objective is more low end, and you can't add a sub, I'd opt for something like a Monitor audio RS6 or RS8, Proac Response or Von Schweikert VR1/VR2, which will have more thwack and are easily obtainable for $1200 or less used.
Having own and owned several Energy Veritas, JBL, B&W, Revel, Snell, Cello, VS, Meridian, Dunlavy, Duntech, and so on down the line, the two speakers I prefer (very personal taste obviously) over all but ONE of the above are the Energy Veritas 2.8's and 1.8's. Neither require subs, and only the massively large Wilson Alexandria can the same be said about - in my room, with my electronics, to my ears. While the JBL K2 came close, the Veritas do so much right it is a shame Energy used the then Goodguys to market and sell this line - used with higher end receivers in a Costco style audio/video shop!
Thanks for both your responses!

I've always looked away from Monitor Audio because I had an unfavorable first impression, but maybe it wasn't fair and I should give them a second look. I've always been intrigued by Von Schweikert. I almost bought the VR1's for my father for his birthday, but ended up getting JM Labs for him. I'll definitely think about the VR2's.

Porschecab, I'm pretty skeptical that the 2.8's will agree with my living arrangement. Plus, they're way out of my grad student budget. I could always sell my Revel's and spend a few extra hundred dollars to upgrade, but I don't think I could go past that. The 1.8's seem to be few and far in between with 10 people trying to snatch one up the moment it shows up.
The 2.8's do require three additional things - more money than 1.8's (usually about 2 times as much), a larger room than 1.8's, and more power/current than 1.8's - though not drastically different in the last.

I have a pair of Mahogany 1.8's and gloss black 2.8's. I run a small CEC integrated to the 1.8's and larger, more serious amps/system with the 2.8's.

Curious - why a sub won't work for you? Folks living around/above/below you, or not sure you would be able to make it work correctly? If set up correctly, one should not be able to determine that there is even a 'sub' in the room.

A wonderful system would be the Revel 20's as you have already and ad a Velodyne HGS-10 ($400 to $500 used) - super small box, very quick musically - just a wonderful all around sub.

My amp will probably last me for the foreseeable future through most upgrades I might do. It's a classe integrated with 150w/8 250w/4 that is already a little overkill for the Revels. I honestly barely have the knob turned on.

I live in an apartment complex and while I'm lucky to live on the first floor, I'm worried I'll disturb the people adjacent to me. I bought a Velodyne SPL-800 several months ago, something small that would provide more low end, but I've just been scared to use it.

Am I being paranoid?
freckling, if you're budget costrained, get a pair of the vs vr1s, which pop up here regyularly for $500. they're a great looking, great sounding bookshelf which you'll own forever.
I'm not sure why it would make sense to sell the Revel's in order to buy the VR1's. The M20's are fairly big already, so I doubt the VR1's could provide substantially greater low end.

I'll integrate my subwoofer and ask my neighbors in a week if it bothers them.

Wish me luck!
actually, the vr1s will extend quite a bit lower than the m20s--the vr1s are rated down to 40hz, but to my ears sound deeper and don't really need a sub. now, if you're gonna add a sub, which i thought wasn't feasible, i'd certainly keep the revels, which (as stated above) are outstanding.
A few years ago I visited a showroom that carried the complete Energy line, so I was able to compare Connoisseurs with Veritas. My conclusion: the Connoisseurs (and by extension, prob'ly the RCs) are very good speakers at their price points. But the the Veritas performed on a different level, capable of running with the big dogs. That Veritas midrange/tweeter assembly is capable of great linearity, speed, treble extension, dispersion, and dynamics--all the things you need from a good midrange and treble. Stereophile rated the Veritas 2.8s as full range class B with the only complaint being a little too much bass. I think it was a room-tuning and setup problem. I listened to the 2.4s and would rate them class A, limited extreme LF. Anyway, the Veritas have great midrange and treble; you then pick the model with the bass loading that best fits your room size. They are superb.
I was in the market for the Veritas speakers but unfortunately they were long discontinued during my hunt for speakers. The Energy RC series is quite impressive and compete with competitor's models well over its price range. The new (Klipsch) Veritas appears to be re-badged RC speakers at a $3k price tag.