EmailBest Reviewed
Home Theater Speakers
- Budget home theater speakers. Yamaha NS-SP1800 *Est. $130
- Best basic home theater speakers Fluance AVHTB+ *Est. $200
- Budget 7.1 home theater speakers Onkyo SKS-HT540 *Est. $295
- Best surround-sound effect Klipsch HD Theater 500 *Est. $600
- Compact home theater speakers Energy RC-Micro 5.1 *Est. $600
- High-end surround-sound speakers Definitive Technology ProCinema 800 *Est. $1200
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Compact home theater speakers
- Good sound quality
- Small sized satellites
- Good midranges
- Not enough power to fill a large room
- Bass lacks the impact of bigger speakers
- Some weakness in the highest high frequencies
If finding a home-theater speaker system that disappears into a room is a high priority, experts say the 5.1-channel Energy RC-Micro 5.1 should be on your short list. At 4.7-inches tall (by 3.5 inches wide and deep) the satellites aren't the absolutely smallest available, but they are among the smallest that can provide terrific cinematic sound. All the elements -- subwoofer, center-channel speaker and satellites -- are designed to mesh perfectly, providing better low-midranges and thus more full bodied sound than other small-speaker systems.
Not all the traps of small speakers are completely avoided however. It's unrealistic to expect the RC-Micro 5.1 to fill a big room with sound, and the bass, while good, won't deliver all of the punch of larger speaker systems. Other alternatives at this price range include the Klipsch HD Theater 500 (*Est. $600). Though that home-theater speaker system is also best in small rooms, sound quality is top shelf and few home-theater speakers can create as convincing a surround-sound field. If you need to fill a big space with sound, the Onkyo SKS-HT540 (*Est. $295) is more powerful and notably less expensive; however that 7.1-channel home-theater speaker system is also much more massive.
The Energy RC-Micro 5.1 has received a bit of reviewer attention. The best is at CNET and Home Theater magazine, which offer detailed, testing-backed reports. The coverage at Sound & Vision magazine is briefer, but the system is included in a roundup of best speakers. User feedback isn't as extensive, but a few reviews are posted at Amazon.com and Crutchfield.com.
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Our Sources
1. CNET
Steve Guttenberg raves about the sound quality and small size of the Energy RC-Micro 5.1. He has a few quibbles and notes that the small speakers sound best if not driven to the highest volumes, but he adds that most major pitfalls of small speakers are avoided and that the RC-Micro 5.1 sounds "equally accomplished" with movies and music.
Review: Energy RC-Micro 5.1, Steve Guttenberg, Nov. 11, 2008
2. Home Theater MagazineDetails/Subscribe
Home Theater magazine says the Energy RC-Micro 5.1 is "about as small as very good-sounding speakers ever get." Noted negatives include bass that lacks the "slam" of a giant subwoofer and highs that aren't quite as high as some more full-bodied home-theater speakers can deliver. However, Mark Fleischmann adds "this speaker package does a lot of things so well that you'll probably never notice what's missing unless you spend a lot of time in listening rooms demoing high-end speaker systems that sell for a lot more than this one."
Review: Energy RC-Micro Speaker System, Mark Fleischmann, Nov. 2008
3. Sound & Vision MagazineDetails/Subscribe
This article names the author's selections as the best speakers of each type. The Energy RC-Micro 5.1 gets the nod as the smallest compact home-theater speaker system. He calls the satellites "almost comically small," and adds that the subwoofer isn't that much bigger, but says the RC-Micro 5.1 "delivers enough extension and oomph to give an honest impersonation of cinema sound." He says that you should go for larger home-theater speakers if you can, but if you can't, "this system stands a world apart from the typical department store home-theater-in-a-box."
Review: Top Speakers in Every Class, Daniel Kumin, Nov. 2008
4. Amazon.com
Though only a few owners have weighed in with comments, the feedback here is uniformly positive. Bass isn't "window shattering" and the speakers are recommended more for those who don't watch movies or listen to movies at "deafening levels," but sound quality is excellent.
Review: Energy RC-Micro 5.1 Surround Speaker System, Contributors to Amazon.com
The Energy RC-Micro 5.1 is named a staff selection here, though the criteria for that distinction are not spelled out. Owner feedback is very limited but is largely positive. One complaint is that the high-gloss cabinet is a fingerprint magnet.
Review: Energy RC-Micro 5.1, Editors of and contributors to Crutchfield.com
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