Reasonable sound.

Tends to want to flavour the soundstage.

Just spent a hour or so with Marc at Audioshop this afternoon. Listened to a few Energy speakers, including e:XL-25, e:XL-26, C-2, and C-8. Based on the comments on this site, the x:XL-26 is WAY overrated. It's a good speaker, but compared to even the C-2, it adds FAR too much of its personality to the sound. For what you pay, it's worth it. But if you can afford it, go for the highest C-series you can get in conjunction with a sub. I'm going for 4 C-8s for my HT system.

After having listened to the C-series side-by-side with the e:XX series, I gotta wonder howcome we're seeing such high rating here.

Similar Products Used:

Energy C-8

Sound quality, power handling and looks

See Below

After listening to many speakers like Klipsch, B&W, and Paridgim all in the similar price range I decided on these for the sound quality. So far I have been happy with the sound but have had other problems. First, when they arrived (I ordered them from audioshop.on.ca and paid 540 delivered) the corner was slightly damaged, probably from shipping. Those are the breaks when you are going to save over 200 dollars from what the american stores are selling them for. Second one of the plastic feet was broken. I e-mailed energy and they sent me two more feet. Nice work. Next, one of the 6 1/2 drivers was blown. I sent it to energy and they sent me another about a week later, and that driver was bad also. I do not know why this happened, guess just my bad luck. They sent me another driver, and although I have not recieved it yet, I am hoping I can finally get them up and running up to thier potential. What I am hearing now is very good. After breaking in for about two weeks, the speakers are only sounding better. They are a good, out of the box, well rounded speaker, for higher quality entry level. I am very happy and am looking foward to getting matching 16's for rears and the center and a sub. The speakers do lack some bass, but nothing that a quality sub cannot fill. The looks are novel but have potential to get old. Of all the speakers I listened to in this price range these are the best sounding and would highly recommend them to anyone considering them.

Question-- Has anyone bi-wired these speakers, and if so, what difference in sound have they heard? E-mail me at mchernev@state.de.us if you can tell me.

Sound Clarity and Details

None

Cost:
MSRP: $750
I paid: $640 + tax
I read that some people are paying MSRP for these speakers and I don't understand that. NEVER PAY MSRP! If the saleperson won't come down, walk out. I paid $640 for these without haggling. The first price I got was from San Jose Honda Electronics (no haggling), but they didn't have the speakers in stock. After 3 weeks of waiting, I took the invoice to GoodGuys and they matched the price without question. SJ Honda has great prices and service but they blew this sale. 5 Stars for this price and value! (you CAN do better, I'm sure)

For speakers in this price range, I believe the XL-26 is excellent, although I am not an audiophile (whatever the hell that REALLY means--I think it means, "people that make a lot more money than me"). I use the speakers for Home Theater and music listening/enjoyment (primarily rock), and these get the job done. They have an unconventional look-- attractive, but I hope I don't tire of it too soon. I'm driving them with a Yamaha 795a, and they seem to work well together. In other words, my neighbors hate me. Try listening to Everclear or 311 with them; nice. At the moment I'm connecting the speakers using a conventional connection. They can be Bi-wired, but I don't know if I can tell the difference.

I'm going to give these speakers 5 stars overall, because I think the current rating has been low-balled. They don't deserve 5, but they deserve better than 4.3 . And don't pay MSRP! EVER!

GREAT BASS, EXCELLENT IMAGING, GREAT PRICE FOR BOTH H/T AND MUSIC.

NONE

I GOT THESE LAST WEEK AND THEY SOUND FANTASTIC, I LISTEN TO CD'S AND WATCH HOME THEATER AND THEY ARE OUTSTANDING FOR BOTH USES. I PAID $600 CDN AND YES THEY WERE A STEAL.

Similar Products Used:

PARADIGM MONITOR,B&W 602'S

very good soundstage with good imaging and detail Tight bass clean ,mids and natural non harsh highs.

None,with proper matched quality components and cables.

These speakers were part of a 5 + K system.All components were bought used, so actually cost was less. Speakers were bought new locally for $750. no tax. Carver A 220 amp, Anthem Pre 1L tube preamp , Cal Sigma II tube dac, Cal DX-1 ,which makes an exceptional transport.(same transport as Cal Delta.)MIT High End Series cables and interconnects. Also,all of the detachable power cords were upgraded to Audioquest AC 15 power cords with top grade plugs.This system was used in a smaller room on the long wall(9x11) The sound impressed my audiophile friends,who marveled over the synergy that this system had. This was a second system in my home and the main one, is a 20k system.My well matched main system did not make the other sound lacking or insufficent,all though it has it own unique sound. A well designed exceptional speaker that can hold its own, very well in a well matched higher end system.While everyone has their own preferences ,in a proper set up system with no weak links,the handful of low scores below ,would not exist.6 stars for value.

Similar Products Used:

Paradigm Monitor 70P ,Vandersteen Model 1C

I listened to a set of EXl-26's with a friend who was looking for some new speakers to go with her Yamaha 595. I listened to about 40 different sets of speakers that day, and about 20 in the same sound room. I was floored by these speakers. The clarity is amazing. I found the tweets to blow away such favorites as Polk's series. I used to be a Boston fan... but now Energy has won me over. She ended up taking a pair of the 26's, and I picked up a pair of EXL-15 Bookshelves for myself. The greatest part is how clear these sound as low volume. Most speakers that sound great at high volume are muddy as low volume, not the Energy. It's nice being able to get awsome sound without having to wake the neighbors.

Picked up a set of e:xl 26s, e:xl 16s, and an e:xl C this past weekend. I spent a lot of time researching these babies, and almost passed on them due to the negative reviews I've seen here. All I can say is, I wish I wouldn't have waited so long to buy them. They sound absolutely wonderful right out of the box, and if they sound even better after a break in period (as some have suggested) then I can't wait. 5 stars for a smooth sound, killer looks, and a great price.

I am sorry to ask a question on this board instead of submitting a review, but I am a bit of a novice and I need some advice. Right now I have Marantz SR-5000 receiver, xl-16's as my mains and the take 2's as my rears as well as the energy 8" sub and center-channel. I want to upgrade to floor standing speakers, and I cant decide if its worth it or not to spend the extra $150 on the 26's versus 25's. I was told that with a sub, the difference is negligable. If anyone can shed some light on this for me, I would appreciate it. My email is jfeller08@lycos.com

Great Clarity, Midrange and value for price paid.

None so far

I recently purchased the Energy Exl:26 and am quite impressed with the end result. I just moved into a new apartament and had a very large living to fill with sound. The rooms dimensions 25 x 20x 12. I was a little skeptical of these speakers potential but after getting them in and setting them up they totally fill the room with crisp, clear sound. I also paired the speakers with the Exl s10 subwoofer and it really makes a big difference. I have found that even at high volumes the speakers dont miss a beat and provide clear sound even at high levels. For the price paid, they are way better than the boston acoustics at the same price level. If anyone has a big room then i would totally recommend these speakers, they do a great job.

My system set-up so far:

Energy Exl:26
Energy Exl:s10 sub
Sony 3-way Bookshelf rears
Audio Phase 3 way center Channel
Sony DVP-NS400D

All speakers wired using banana plugs and audiophile grade cables.

I am a total newbie when it comes to hi-end audio so I tend to rely on other peoples opinions. I was looking for a budget speaker and I thought these would fit the bill quite nicely. I've read 2 very good published reviews on these speakers yet on discusions there is quite a mixed opinion. So I finally listened to them myself. I used a Yamaha RX-v793 amp. I compared them to the Paradigm monitor 9's and the Boston BRV-950. IMHO, the E:xl 26's definitely sounded alot different. They had way less base, but I found them to be much clearer and sounds were very clean. I thought that the Paradigm and the Boston's sounded alot alike but these presented a totally different sound. Good or Bad, I guess it's personal preference but they were definitely different. I thought the addition of a sub would make this speaker sound very good. Since I haven't listened to many speakers I held off on the purchase and am going to take the wife in for a listen, but overall I think I liked them. I found the other speakers not sound as clean as the E:xl's If anybody has any suggestion please e-mail me. Being totally non-commital I'll give them 3 stars.