Energy CB20 (Black)

2-way black C-Series bookshelf speaker pair

Other Sizes:

542935361

This is one bookshelf that sounds like a tower speaker. The CB-20 delivers clear highs and thumping lows to make anything you listen to come to life. These versatile speakers are ideal for a compact music system or as part of a home theater.

Speakers priced and sold as a pair.

Energyze your home audio

Perfect for shelf, stand or wall mounting, the CB-20 makes a big audio statement — with a small presence. Hear movies, games and music like never before from a small speaker. The black ash finish with high gloss black baffle adds a cool touch that makes them an even bigger value. The black ash finish with high gloss black baffle adds a cool touch that makes them an even bigger value. Energize your home audio.

With this speaker, bass is a reflex

A speaker's enclosure or cabinet plays just an important role in a speaker's ability to reproduce clear, accurate sound as do a speaker's drivers. Poorly designed or constructed enclosures can resonate with the air moving at the rear side of a speaker's drivers, ultimately causing degradation of the sound you hear. Both reducing the risk of residual resonance and improving low-frequency audio output, the Energy CB20 sports a bass-reflex enclosure. Also known as "vented" or "ported" enclosures, bass reflex enclosures use open ports or apertures in the speaker cabinet to control the movement of air at a driver's rear. Control of this movement of air allows a reduction in its ability to cause distortion and resonance and also helps to extend and improve bass efficiency and performance from the woofer drivers. With the CB20, high-performance bass is a reflex.

It's got a shield!

Well, sort of. The magnetic shielding of the Energy CB20's magnets allows this speaker pair to be safely placed near other A/V components without the risk of interference or damage. This allows for more versatility in speaker placement.

Psychoacoustics — Energy is crazy about sound

Energy's passion for and dedication to the reproduction of sound has a long history. Beginning back in the 1970s, Energy participated in nearly a decade of pioneering research into psychoacoustics, attempting to identify those measurable factors listeners associate with a "good-sounding" loudspeaker. Flat frequency response, wide dispersion, and low distortion, they concluded, were the primary factors influencing a listener's perception of the realism of sound produced by a speaker. Consequently, Energy has spent the past thirty years furthering research and applying research-based principles to their engineering and manufacturing of high-performance loudspeakers for the home audio enthusiast.

Included with purchase

The following items are included with the purchase of the Energy CB20 bookshelf speaker pair: rubber bumpers for tabletop placement, manual.

Write A Review

Great Home Theatre speakers (April 09, 2012)

Ease of Use		(5/5.0)
Value		(5/5.0)
Performance		(5/5.0)
Overall Rating		(5/5.0)

Reviewed By: C. Michael Clarkson - Olympia, Washinton

These speakers are great for my home theatre. I am currently upgrading my system from 5.1 to 9.3 using my four new Energy CB-20s for front and rear with my existing six Energy CB-5s handling the surround. When I add my Energy CC-5 as center plus my three Energy ESW-M6, I have quite the system in a 12 x 16 room. Im still looking for 1 more ESW M6 for the fourth wall.

It is too bad that the sub brand Energy CC of Energy now owned by Audiovox seems to be disappearing as nearly everyone is offering closeout prices.

Great bookshelf speakers (October 05, 2011)

Ease of Use		(5/5.0)
Value		(5/5.0)
Performance		(4/5.0)
Overall Rating		(5/5.0)

Reviewed By: Kayvan L. - Saint Louis, MO

Energy has made excellent products up to the current connoisseur line. Their parent company Klipsch was bought by Audiovox recently. Time will tell if the quality will remain the same. As for the CB-20s, i use them as side surrounds and they work perfectly. Very classy with or without the grills on. They are more than capable as being mains in a small to medium sized room. They are slightly brighter than previous Energy products but by no means are they shrill or harsh on the ears. Crisp and detailed would be how i describe the sound. If you catch them while on sale you will be hard pressed to find a better speaker for the money. Vanns has the best prices on them by far. Customer service is also very good. These compare favorably to B&W 686 and 685 speakers which cost much more. The B&Ws are slightly more laid back. If you prefer that sound then check out the Energy RC-10s that Vanns carries. These are best at HT use but work quite well for music usage also. Overall a great buy from a respected brand.

Fantastic speakers - like them better than Definitive (September 05, 2011)

Ease of Use		(5/5.0)
Value		(5/5.0)
Performance		(5/5.0)
Overall Rating		(5/5.0)

Reviewed By: Jay F. - Portland, OR

When looking for good bookshelf speakers for my study, I spent many hours auditioning several brands the Energy CB-20s, Definitive SM-350s, and B&W 686B. I really wanted the Definitives to win, as I have 2 home theater rooms full of them and really like their crisp & clear sound. However, then Energys were amazing and couldnt be ignored - they have very good bass and highs without being fatiguing. It was close, but I let my ears do the talking and went with the CB-20s for both their clarity and their value compared to the other two brands. Vanns was amazing - this was my first purchase with them and I was quite impressed. The speakers were double-boxed and packaged well - they were shipped on time and arrived in perfect shape. I have them setup near field connected to my Macbook Pro and they sound amazing. Great speakers, get them from Vanns and you wont be disappointed. I will be buying from Vanns again.

What a deal! (May 09, 2011)

Ease of Use		(5/5.0)
Value		(5/5.0)
Performance		(5/5.0)
Overall Rating		(5/5.0)

Reviewed By: Jay F. - San Francisco, CA

I bought the CB 20s on impulse and its been one of the greatest decisions Ive ever made. If youre OCD about enjoying your music the way its suppose to be heard, make the investment and enjoy the beauty Energy has crafted for you ears.

Im not an expert in the speaker field, but from my research I followed the advice of other reviews and they did not disappoint. The speakers sound crisp, clean, and will satisfy any novice who is looking to get into the speaker game.

My only issue I would report but this is most likely due to my lack of experience is that there was no speaker wire included, and I did not see anywhere listed that I needed to purchase an amp as well.

Vanns shipped the speakers promptly and the packaging was excellent. Im a very happy customer in case you havent noticed by now

Energy Speakers CB20 (August 03, 2010)

Ease of Use		(5/5.0)
Value		(5/5.0)
Performance		(4/5.0)
Overall Rating		(4/5.0)

Reviewed By: Tom E. - Rochester, MN

Sound just like my Energy tower big speakers I use for my t.v. I play these at a reasonable adult level of volume - full deep sound and nice highs - vocals all sounded great. Used primarily for Blues and some rock. One drawback in looks - Im not keen on the highly polished plastic looking front covers. And, I only wish they were 100 Canadian or USA made - not Asian.