Which Ascend speaker is for me?

[curtis]

Yeah...the tweeter on the SE's make a significant difference over the classics at high levels...more refined and smooth. The woofers also play deeper and have a more open midrange.

[DougMac]

Really - where did you read that? The RC line is not 'forward' sounding like some speakers (think Paradigm Monitors) but they can play plenty loud and definitely DO NOT run out of gas.

I guess I made a couple of errors. First, I should have qualified the quote by pointing out the statement I read referred to Take Classic 5.1 system and that was the only nit in a very positive review. I should have also referenced the review. I've Googled to find it, but haven't located it yet.

Thanks for sharing your real world experiences, which are much more useful than my second hand observation. The OP's explanation of why he was looking at something other than his Energy speakers rung a bell and seemed consistant to what I had read.

[statonj]

I'd just like to follow up after having the RC-50's for a couple of weeks. These really did the trick, my theater has a very full sound now. I added an Emotiva UPA-5 and they really opened the soundstage even more. Wow Kpt, thanks for the comparisons, I feel like I made a good decision although I wonder if I should have sprung for the RC-70's. I did not do so because I felt that at that point, there would be a big diff between the RC-70's and the RCR Center.

[Kpt_Krunch]

I'd just like to follow up after having the RC-50's for a couple of weeks. These really did the trick, my theater has a very full sound now. I added an Emotiva UPA-5 and they really opened the soundstage even more. Wow Kpt, thanks for the comparisons, I feel like I made a good decision although I wonder if I should have sprung for the RC-70's. I did not do so because I felt that at that point, there would be a big diff between the RC-70's and the RCR Center.

It's funny you say that, as when I first heard the 50's (though I couldn't hear them side by side with the 70's) I actually had preferred the 50's to the 70's. I ended up buying the 70's though because the 50's weren't on 'sale' and I ended up getting the 70's (a little bit) for less than the 50's.

As for matching with the RC-LCR - I think you may have good point. Not that tonally the 70's don't match the RC-LCR, they do. But I did find when calibrating the system I had to turn up the LCR a few decibels higher than the RC-70s.

I know for the prices these speakers are being offered for now - IMO they're impossible to beat. Happy to hear they're working for you.

[Kpt_Krunch]

I guess I made a couple of errors. First, I should have qualified the quote by pointing out the statement I read referred to Take Classic 5.1 system and that was the only nit in a very positive review. I should have also referenced the review. I've Googled to find it, but haven't located it yet.

Thanks for sharing your real world experiences, which are much more useful than my second hand observation. The OP's explanation of why he was looking at something other than his Energy speakers rung a bell and seemed consistant to what I had read.

Yes, the Take Classic are the entry level (think HTIB) speakers that Energy has and like any HTIB set of speaker leave a lot to be desired. Those are really for form (size and how they'll fit in a decor) over function. In fact, I think the Take series would be fine if you were in a 600 sq foot condo and were putting them in a 200 sq foot room. They'd be enough to fill your room with sound but won't get you in trouble with your neighbors