scared to move on

[the11]

I am thinking of moving from 2-cahnnel to 5.1 HT, and I'm afraid I'll really miss my Energy 22 Pro Monitor Speakers. I got them in the late 1980's. They have a sound which is very well rounded and full. The bottom end is especially good and effortless. You can hear the bass projected very clearly, even at low volumes. The top end is soft and never irritating.

Do I keep these and try to match them with rears, center, etc?

Can I find 5 speakers for less than $1000 or less than $1500 that will be just as satisfactoy when listening to music?

Is it your opinion that my Energy speakers aren't that good, and I should be out there listening to new tech. speakers?

Your opinions are greatly appreciated.

[markw]

First, the bad news. The odds of finding currently manufactured speakers to match the sound of what you have is slim. You might be able to find another pair (or from same family/era) for surrounds on Ebay or whereever, but getting a matching center might be a problem. Generally, these need to be shielded (at least for CRT's) andthis was not much of a design gola back then.

Now that that's over with, it's all good news from here on.

There's no reason for you to ditch the speakers you like. If you like 'em and they still work, you could always use tham as a second pair of apeakers off your new system. Actually, you might want to consider using what you currently have as a stand alone two channel system while building a HT system as well. Then you would have the best of both worlds.

And, my opinion doesn't count here. Neither does anyone else's. If you like their sound, well then, that's all that matters. Didja ever wonder what some people see in their spouses? Hey, so what if they look like the south end of a north bound dog, as long as they are happy... Seriously, they are good speakers.

Now, as far as new tech goes. There have been a LOT of advances in speaker design and manufacture in the past few years. It's possible to get a really, really good speaker for a lot less than one of it's calibre would have cost back when yours were manufactured.

As far as "just as satisfactory" goes, well, you've had a long time to get used to them and break both them and yourself in for a long time. It's like buying a new pair of shoes and expecting them to be just as comfortable as those old floppers you've been kicking around in since Regan was president.

When shopping for speakers, always listen to (and base your decision) on their ability to do music. Once this goal is met, the requirements for HT are minimal. Simply get the "mates" from the same manufacturer.

As far as speakers go, might I suggest you check out this system...

http://www.hometheatersound.com/equipment/athena_audition_asf1_asc1_asb1.htm

I've got this except that I use the B-2 surrounds instead of the B-1's. The F-1s "replaced " a pair of Maggie 1.6s when a move forced me to downsize my listening room big time. Maggies are VERY placement sensitive and it weren't happenin' in the new digs. Fortunately, they only take up 6" depth in the back of the closet, waiting for the next move.

Were they identical in sound? No, but they do a pretty durn good job on making music sound the way I want my music to sound. I listened to many of the popular Canadian brands before settling on these. The HT add-ons came later.

OH, FWIW, these are made by API, the same peoplewho made your Energys.

Of course, you will want a subwoofer for the .1 channel. I find I rarely need it for music, though. That's another story, but IMNSHO, Velodyne is hard to beat.

Good luck...