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 June 1, 2006 More on Active Speakers -- Enter Energy Pro Last month I wrote about two new active speaker systems from Aurum Acoustics and NHT that are strictly intended for the consumer market. On a trip to Toronto in late April, I encountered two of the most innovative new speakers than I’ve seen in a while. They're intended for the pro market -- recording studios and such -- but they could end up in consumers' hands as well. Energy Pro, a new division of Canada’s Audio Products International, the parent company of the Energy, Mirage and Athena Technologies brands, will release its new speakers this month. While some may initially think that Energy Pro's wares represent a slight redesign of existing Energy products in order to sell them to studios, I learned that this is not the case at all. Energy Pro is offering something quite innovative; its new speakers will be distinctive, even amidst much competition. Although the Energy and Energy Pro speaker divisions share manufacturing and research resources, Energy Pro is led by Bill Calma, who has years of experience working for Tannoy in the professional side of the market. Bryston, the well-known electronics manufacturer whose products sell to both the consumer and pro markets, offers its amplifier-design expertise for this new speaker series. The result is an entirely new product line that has been designed to go head-to-head with high-end offerings from well-established pro-audio companies. However, the products' high-end-audio pedigree and rich feature sets may turn consumers' heads and lead to Energy Pro speakers showing up in consumers' systems. Energy Pro’s new lineup features passive speakers, subwoofers, and, most important, two active speakers, the E7A and E9A, which were the focus of my visit. They will sell for $1600 and $2200 USD per pair, respectively, with the E9A hitting the market first. The E7A and E9A are bookshelf-sized, so they’ll need to be placed on stands or shelves, and they look quite similar save for the E9A’s larger woofer (an 8-incher versus the E7A’s 6 1/2-incher) and larger cabinet. You won’t have your choice of fancy wood veneer -- all Energy Pro models come in utilitarian gray only.
The E7A and E9A will take an analog line-level signal, like any active pro monitor, but they also have built-in digital inputs and DACs, meaning that they’ll accept a digital signal and convert it to analog internally. Furthermore, at the flick of a switch, each speaker that’s been connected via the digital input can be told to act as a left, right, center, or surround speaker, and it will play only that signal. This means that a single digital cable can be routed to each speaker, and then out to the next, chaining all of them together. The result is a complete multichannel setup, fully powered and using no analog signals. Heck, you don’t need a preamplifier or surround-sound processor. As I mentioned, volume control can be performed via the front panel of each speaker -- at full 24-bit resolution Energy Pro is quick to point out -- and so, too, can bass management. There are other features that are quite a bit more conventional than the digital doodads. For example, frequency response can be set to "flat"; Energy Pro boasts 1.5dB linearity from 36Hz to 25kHz for the E9A which, if true, is extremely flat for any speaker. Furthermore, with a low-frequency spec of 36Hz, the E9A can go quite low in the bass. There are a number of other settings to account for room placement and even the reflections off the recording panel. Basically, you can tailor the E7A's and E9A’s response to your requirements. There are also other features that we will explore when we hopefully receive a production sample for review later on.
While Energy Pro may have at first set out to reenergize the pro market, the feature-rich E7A and E9A monitors may have life far beyond studio use, and may prove to be some of the most versatile speakers on the market today -- for professionals and consumers alike. ...Doug Schneider To learn more about Energy Pro's loudspeakers and subwoofers, visit www.energy-pro.ca.
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From the front, both speakers
look quite conventional except for a button near the bottom of the front baffle that
allows user control of the speaker's bass management, and a volume control, which comes in
handy in the studio when you need to turn the volume up or down and you don’t have a
preamplifier nearby -- or perhaps in the system at all. Flip the speakers around to reveal
their back panel, though, and you’ll see that they’re not only far from
conventional, but also feature-rich.
Undoubtedly, the pro side of the
audio business will be pleased with all that the E7A and E9A have to offer, and
that’s where Energy Pro is targeting these speakers. This is the best strategy,
obviously, because active speakers are well accepted in that market. Besides, the pro guys
seem to like gray cabinets. But with the plethora of features, not to mention the
performance that these speakers are purported to offer, there’s certainly an
opportunity to attract a consumer base. High-end audiophiles who are searching for the
most accurate reproduction possible might take a look at the E7A and E9A, particularly if
looks don’t matter that much. Other customers are those creating custom
installations, in which case either line-level analog or digital signals can eliminate the
need for power amplifiers and speaker cables, making installation quite a bit easier and
less expensive. As well, the gray cabinets won’t be much of a concern if the speakers
are mounted into walls or inside cabinetry.