I've had a pair of C2's for almost a year now and absolutly love them! I bought them brand new as factory seconds (slight blemish in the finish) for a great price and can't get enough of them. For a speaker with a metal tweeter they are not overly harsh or bright. The low end extension isn't too bad, but for someone into the heavy thumping bass it simply won't due. Mind you I am using an Anthem Integrated 1 to drive them so its tube configuration won't give you too much bass. But for the liquid smooth midrange nothing else can beat it! I've read reviews where people have stated that you need a really strong amp to drive these, well I don't beleive that to be true at all. My Anthem puts out a wopping 25W per channel and it has enough juice to rock my condo. I'd strongly recommend to anyone in the market for standmount speakers to definitely audition a pair of these. I compared them to the Mordaunt Short MS10i's, MS20i's, PSB 300i's, PSB 400i's, PSB 500i's, AE 100's, Mission 731's, Totem Staff's and Totem Model 1's. Out of all of those only the two Totem sets of speakers sounded better, mind you thats an unfair comparison because the Staff's are $1600cdn and the Model 1's are $2795cdn.
Quick description of my system so far; Anthem Integrated 1, Harmon Kardon HK8450, Energy C2's, Kimber PBJ and Kimber 4PR. I will be upgrading some of these components soon and am open to suggestions, but right now sounds great with all kinds of tunes!

Crystal clear highs, flat response, solid bass, solid construction, nice finish, price

Bass extension (what do you expect from a small bookshelf speaker?), at full retail price there is a lot of competition that is just about as good.

I picked up a pair of C-2s new in the box for $300US and I could not be happier. These are very good speakers, but for $300 they are a steal. They took a while to settle in, but have broken in nicely. I understand the brightness issue, but that's why there are tone controls. These speakers can play loud, if necessary, but do not get in the way of the music at lower levels. I listen mostly to jazz, a little classical and some rock. The C-2s perform well with many types of music. I particularly enjoy the way they present female vocals. Diana Krall sounds heavenly on C-2s (or almost any speaker for that matter). I have them bi-wired with Audioquest Type 4+ cables. The frequency response is flat and bass is solid but not boomy. I sometimes listen to music with an Energy ES-12 powered sub, but prefer to listen to most music without the sub. The C-2s can handle most bass without the sub. Paired with an Energy AC-300 center and Energy EFX surounds, they make a very nice home theater speaker setup. I plan on keeping the C-2s for quite a while. There is a lot of competition out there at $600, but for $300 I don't think there are any better speakers on the market. Do yourself a favor and listen to C-2s if you are in the market for bookshelf speakers.

Similar Products Used:

KEF Coda III, Paradigm Mini-Monitor, Monitor Audio (model?)

Vocal depth, musicality, transparency and clarity

if there is one, I haven't come across it!

Just had a pair of C-2's for a week and is mated with a e:XL10! I have a 15ft by 18ft room and these speakers just plays any types of music very well indeed! Home theatre wise it's fantastic! The bass blends well between speakers. My crossover is set at 80hz and bass level at 6.5 on the e:XL10! Awesome speakers Energy at a reasonable price! I have replaced my Bose Acoustimass which is going to rot away in the closet.. If Bose had a "return policy", I would've taken it straight away! Whichever University gave Dr Amar Bose his PhD is confused! Dr Energy Rulez!!! 5 STARS for C-2 and 5 STARS for e:XL10! 0.1 STARS for BOSE ACOUSTIMASS 5

Sometime ago I trashed my DCM speakers and embarked on the search for the most versitle speaker on the market today. During this time i narrowed my search down to Paradigms, Mirage and Bose, then i came across The Home Theater Magazine Buyers Guide, The magazine highly recommended the Energy C-Series of speakers, So i checked the speakers out with music as diverse as you can get(from Ozzy Osbourne to Arturo Sandoval which is Latin Jazz), I was FLOORED by the sound compared to the others. Some speakers sound well in certain musical formats but the C-2 sounded awesome for all types. Memo to the audiophiles:YOUR SEARCH FOR THE ULTIMATE SPAEKER AT THIS PRICE POINT IS OVER, STOP GRIPING AND JUST BUY THESE SPEAKERS. Currently, I driving them with the Harmon / Kardon AVR35.

My ears aren't what they used to be, so all you serious listeners can just page down now.With that said, I am very impressed with the sound put forth by these units. I got them from Yawaudio (great place/price), and am driving them with a Nak AV-500.
There you have it for what it's worth.

These are really very good louspeakers for the money.Very wide soundstage and highly musical speakers.
For jazz, accoustic music and classic ........I must give for them four stars.
Milan

Well, the C-2 are a most impressive speaker. Fortunatly for me, the store was sold out of the C-2's and the sales man had to give me a great deal on a pair of C-6's :). The C-6 fill that needed low bass that the C-2 lack... but I was set on buying the C-2 when I walked into the store, it was a dream of mine to someday own a pair.
Now, I have listened to Energy's top of the line Versite V2.2's. WOW, no words can bring justice to these speakers... but what do you expect at $5000!!!

In any case, my C-6 were the best $800 I have ever spent, and they will last me a life time. In that life I will enjoy endless beautiful music with crisp clear highs, and sharp rumbling lows... Recommend this line of speakers to anyone with a good amp, and loves music in its finest form.

Andrew

These are the best bookshelf speakers I've heard! I paid $470 CDN, plus tax, and have no regrets at all. Much better, in my opinion, than the B&W 302, 602, Mordaunt-Short MS10, MS30, and PSB Stratus Silver, among a number of other speakers I've listened to. They conveyed incredible clarity and separation, and were unmatched until I heard Energy's Veritas V2.8! Anyone consiering a bookshelf speaker, don't be intimidated by the C-2s slighyly higher price, it is well worh every buck they are asking! Without a doubt!

I finally got a chance to audition the C2's after a long wait. Here's my impression.
Build Quality: Seems very durable and heavy. Comes in black and rosewood veneer. Looks like nothing fancy, a simple big box. Biwire capable. 130W, 8ohm max. This speaker requires a powerful amp to sound good.

Sound: Compared to the Paradigm Studio20 of the same price range, the C2 sounded more neutral. It doesn't have the soundstage and crisp treble that the Paradigm has but the vocals sound more transparent and smooth. The overall sound is the complete opposite of the Paradigm. The C2 sounds VERY warm or analog-like while the Paradigm is dynamic and cold. So it really depends on your taste. The C2 while neutral, excels in one thing above all other bookshelves, I M A G I N G. This is probably the most important attribute that makes the C2 a great speaker.

Conclusion: If you listen to jazz, classical, or opera music, at $600 the C2 would be the _perfect_ speakers. You can even get them for as low as $400 in the net. If you like rock or rap however, the Paradigm is a much more ideal choice.

Dunno what's the big deal with these $600/pr speakers when there are plenty of better speaker ie. (B&W 602, Paradigm Studio 20) though I doubt the pair I listened to in the listening room off a Marantz amp was blown, but the sound of these speakers seems very hollow and unrealistic, almost like an artificial echo, unless u have tried and like the way the sound this speaker makes, don't buy it blind.