Hands-On Review: Energy Reference Connoisseur RC-50 Loudspeakers

 

Designed in Canada but built in China, the Energy RC-50 features a true wood-veneer finish. The rosenut finish on my review system was downright gorgeous. Selling for $1,800 per pair, the speaker is also available in black ash and cherry. At the bottom is a gloss-black base that is slightly larger than the cabinet itself. Spike feet and rubber bumpers are supplied for isolating the speaker acoustically from the floor. An attractive grille cleverly affixes to the cabinet with magnetic clasps.

 

The RC-50 is a three-speaker "2.5-way" design. Inside the narrow but deep enclosure are a one-inch aluminum dome tweeter and two 6.5-inch Kevlar-ribbed elliptical-surround woofers, one operating up to 800 Hz and the other to 3 kHz.

 

On a Super Audio CD (SACD) of Mozart Piano Sonatas, the balance of the piano was very natural in the middle and upper ranges, and suitably authoritative on lower notes; the instrument seemed to float in space. On an SACD recording of Beethoven's Fifth Symphony, the Energies spread a huge image of the orchestra across my listening room, and deep behind the speakers. On a DVD-Audio recording of orchestral music by Edward Elgar, the Energies sounded very natural, with very convincing strings; though at high volumes, the sound became slightly congested.

 

On the Norah Jones' Come Away with Me, the drum, piano and guitars were wonderfully transparent, and it sounded as if the singer was right there in my room. But this recording is a touch strident, so sometimes the sound became a touch harsh. The Look of Love by Diana Krall has a wonderfully smooth balance, and Krall's dark smoky voice was beautifully rendered, as were the lush arrangements on this disc. Male vocals on Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon and Santana's Shaman were very natural. On "Brain Damage" from the Pink Floyd disc, the fast attack of the drums, bass and guitars was consistently striking; though again this disc started to become a bit congested when played very loud.

 

Like all fine loudspeakers, the RC-50s show up flaws in recording material. Overall, I was struck by their natural balance, responsive bass, and the big, deep soundstage.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We also tested a complete surround package from Energy. For the main left-right front pair, I used the RC-50s. To these, we added an RC-LCR ($800) for the centre channel, two RC-R surround speakers ($400 each) and an S10.3 subwoofer ($650).

 

These six speakers integrated into a wonderfully seamless whole. During my tests, I was never aware of individual speakers, just of a huge three-dimensional soundfield, in which instruments, voices and effects were produced with convincing accuracy.