I have had my Take 5's for about two weeks now coupled with an HK AVR-35, and when the receiver is actually working correctly (see review), these speakers have done a very impressive job. They are coupled with the ES-8 subwoofer which provides adequate, although not overly impressive, bass for my medium sized living room. They are very clear sounding and play more than loud enough for my ears to handle without any sign of strain. Do not be fooled into thinking thatthese will sound like the top-of-the-line floor standing speakers, but if budget and appearance matter, they sure beat the heck out of any others I listened to. My favorite sound is when I play the THX intro at the beginning of certain videos--they handle this very well and the sound blows me away. Sometimes I just rewind and listen to it over and over.
I have been very happy with my purchase. I took the safer (and more expensive) route to buying the speakers by using Tony at Pfloor1@aol.com as suggested in earlier posts. Tony gives a reasonable price for the units (about $89 more than shop4) and he is more than helpful on the phone and email. I was too cautious to buy these units from shop4 because of rumors of poor srvice, although I have not personally used shop4 in the past. The only negatives are the megamounts and speaker stands that I purchased specifically for the Take 5's. The megamounts do droop after short periods of hanging, and I have been unsuccessful so far in getting them to hang the speakers sturdily. The speaker stands (I forgot product number, but are the custom stands) are very nice, but stand only 36 inches tall. Because I planned on using them as stands for the surround speakers, they were too short to get them up over my head while sitting. But, if you plan to use them for your fronts they should be fine.

I rate these as 5 stars for value, but for

I am more than satisfied with the Take 5 System I purchased from shop4.com. First off because of the price secondly because of the sound they deliver. My room is 12' wide by 24' long but I only use half of it for the listening/viewing area and the ES-8 subwoofer does the job.
The speakers are driven by the Technics SA-AX6 Reciever and SH-AC500D decoder teamed-up with a Toshiba SD-2108 soon to be SD-3109 DVD player. My intention was to piece together an entry level system with equipment that was not high-end priced but delivered output that would get respect for the price. From what I have read from others' reviews I believe I accomplished my goal. I and was saved from the mistake of pouring money into a esoB System thanks to reading items on this website and reading magazine reviews.

If you are thinking about respectable speakers I dont think you can go wrong with the Take 5 HT system. Pick up the speakers plug them in and enjoy the show!

Ok, you've read all the reviews, heard all opinions and tolerated & dismissedall skeptic criticism. So now you're ready to buy the T-5 w/a sub connect it
to a highly rated reciever & impress the #@*% out of you friends and family
w/ your new HTS. But wait!! I've got great news if you haven't bought yours
yet. I (yours truely) have closed the sweetest deal, that at least in my opinion
has ever been reported. I got the T-5 package, the EXLS-10 sub, one pair
of 3Tstand, a pair of wall mount brackets shipped for $1125.00 Canadian,
roughly $765.00 give or take a few $'s depending on the current exchange
rate at the time. The same package would cost regularly $1050.00 retail.
$900.00 best bargin deal U.S. dollars. But if you just want the basic T-5
package & the EXLS-8 you can easily get it for about $840.00 Canadian,
roughtly, between $550.00 & $590.00 U.S.

Got the take 5s yesterday.....they sound Awesome!! especially in Dolby Digital.

I recently purchased two pairs of the Energy Take 2s (which are the satellites in the Take 5 system), and sold my Bose AM-5s I had as Front/Mains. I integrated them with my Bic CLR 62 Center Channel speaker (which is exceptional), and my Velodyne VA-1012X Subwoofer. First of all, even though I had the Bose for a couple of years, they don't even come close to the performance of the Energy Speakers. The clarity (immediately niticed by my none audiophile spouse), imaging, and overall performance of these speakers are absolutely astonishing.
I had done a lot of research on the Bose speakers over the last year, and I was searching for info on their true frequency response...(which Bose does not publish)...just recently I read in a highly regarded forum that the frequency response of the AM5s was 45 - 13,500 Hz....( and there was even a frequency hole between the woofer and the satellites), and it confirmed my suspicions that the Bose were not what they were cracked up to be.

If you're looking for a system to really make your Dolby Digital or Surround system shine....even in a moderate size room....this is your ticket....They are superb, and deserve all of the glowing reviews they have received, not only in Audio/Video publications, but from the using public. Can't beat them in this price range.

These speakers are truly a marvel! They cost little, sound great-especially considering the size/price factor-and fit in my dorm room problem free.
These speakers deserve all the speakers they can get,5!!!

A note, these speakers are so awesome that when pairing them with a cheap receiver they illustrate every flaw it has. My experience I bought them to go with a Technics SX720 and my mother got them to go with her Mondiol AmFi amphitheatre 1. what a differance in sound between the two packages. So in summation, if you buy these, you best purchase a quality receiver.

I just received the Take 5 system with the ES10 subwoofer from Audioshop in Toronto (Call Marc 613-233-2215 or visit audioshop.on.ca) for $800 CAD or $530 US, plus $30 shipping. Nothing in this price range (or hundreds higher) can touch this system. Movies are incredible! and music is much more than adequate. I would highly recommend this system for anyone on a budget or with a small/medium sized room. Do yourself a favor and test this system against any satellite and you'll be shocked.

Under an edict by the wife, I was forced to replace my old fisher (15" woofers) speakers about three months ago with something which didn't 'clutter' up our apartment. I was actually considering buying the Bose Acoustimass AM10 system until I was rescued by the many negative product reviews on this site and the guidance of a Stereo Review columnist I ran into at the CMJ Conference in NYC. He suggested that for the money, you couldn't beat the Take 5's. I gave them a listen and was blown away ... I picked them up with the Exl0sub for about $800. I run them through a Sony STRDA30Es receiver and they sound like a million bucks.
I primarily play music at resonably loud volumes ranging from Alt Rock (aren't you glad I'm not your neighbor) to 90's R&B/Smooth Jazz ... the high's cut through you and the bass from the woofer is extremely tight. I opted not to buy the Energy brackets as there seems to be some sagging problems, so I picked up compatible ones from Harvey which work fine. And yes, the four little holes on the back are meant to be screwed into with the provided hardware for attaching brackets.

To replace my existing Sony CDPCE525 carousel CD player, I just picked up the Sony DVP600D CD/DVD carousel player and can't wait to get it home to test out the LFE channel. I'm still fiddling about with the crossover on the sub setting but it seems to work best turned to about the 3'oclock position. Five stars for me based on price, sound quality, and convenient size. The wife is happy too .. and now I have more room for my guitar amps!

I have had my Take 5's for about 3 days now and am enjoying every minute. This is teamed up with a Kenwood VR-2080 DD/DTS reciever and it is truly amazing. I took the 8 inch EXL sub with it and for the size of my room 20 X 14 there is more then enough bass. You truly cannot find another HT system with this kind of sound at that price. I can't wait to get my DVD player and try out the DD and DTS! I'm sure they will sound great.

have these hooked up with my h/k avr75 along with the exl10 sub. Very awesome!!! I can't wait to get off work every day to go home and listen to the music or to watch a movie! BTW, you should break these speakers and the sub in a little bit before you can hear its full potential. I also suggest that you get the floor stands for the two front channels and drop some money on (at least) the bulk monster cable. it's all worth it.