Energy RC MINI
2-way cherry RC-series satellite bookshelf speaker
542331797
Take it from Energy
Small in size — big in sound. Don't think for a moment that the RC-Mini doesn't rock — what's inside is Pure Energy. All that stuff is what makes our speakers best in class at any size. They're a great choice for stereo, gaming or home theaters, where space is at a premium. From the booming 4.5" Ribbed Elliptical Sound woofer to Energy's exclusive 1" aluminum dome tweeter, this speaker will take on anything. Crank it up — the power will amaze you.
Ribbed elliptical sound
The patented Ribbed Elliptical Surrounds that encircle your RC-50's woofers are unlike any other. By changing the shape of the speaker surround to an ellipse, rather than the traditional "half roll," distortion is reduced dramatically. Side benefits include increased excursion and larger piston area, allowing for greater efficiency. The cast basket woofers also feature this technology, allowing the surround to stretch and contract as it moves, eliminating dimpling.
Aluminium dome tweeters
Aluminum dome tweeters combine the wide dispersion characteristics and superior off-axis response of a dome design with firm, but lightweight aluminum. A staple of audiophile-grade speakers, the aluminum dome tweeter features low distortion, flat frequency response, and smooth acoustic dispersion.
Review
Energy RC-Mini (March 30, 2010)
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Reviewed By: Karla C. - Stoutsville, OH
Excellent speakers purchased for second zone in the kitchen-dining area above cherry cabinets. Super quality and definitely passes the WAF and the critical ear of a audio-gal since both are me!
Review
RC Mini (March 26, 2010)
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Reviewed By: Casey B. - Takoma Park, MD
Energy puts out great speakers, and these are no exception. I own a pair of RC-10s that I use as my main left and right and use these as the surrounds. They wall mount easily, the mount is included in the package, and are surprisingly great speakers given their size. When I really crank up the volume they sound great. The speaker itself is a very attractive one and adds an element of class to any room set up.
Review
Energy RC-Mini (March 23, 2010)
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Reviewed By: Christopher B. - Grove City, OH
Great speaker for surrounds or mains with a sub in a smaller system. At recent closeout prices their a great value for the money if you like the energy sound. The tweeters on these are detailed and smooth, never harshness at any volume level. As stated before a sub is a must with these though.
Review
RC Mini speakers (March 23, 2010)
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Reviewed By: hernan u. - Franklin, MA
These are excellent speakers. I have two separate systems using these, one is a 5.1 system with four RC-minis as fronts and surrounds. The second uses these as surrounds with RC-10s as fronts. In both cases, the sound from the RC-minis is magnificent in both Home Theater and for music. In the case of all minis, it is a great compromise when the decor dictates smaller satellite speakers. The marriage of these with a capable subwoofer will give much more expensive systems fits.
In the end, at their size, these are perfect speakers for me.
Review
Tiny speakers, big sound (March 22, 2010)
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Reviewed By: Matthew G. - Calabasas, CA
I purchased these speakers after setting up a home theater when I decided I also wanted to mount speakers in the adjacent bar area. Let me tell you, they look sharp mounted on the wall and are easy to mount because they come with these nifty wall mounts.
I already own a pair of Energy CB-20 bookshelf speakers and the RC-Minis surely take the cake when it comes to aesthetics. Their finish is much neater and resembles more expensive speakers. Their sound also has more clarity than the CB-20s, though the CB-20s larger woofer and larger cabinet allow it to express low frequencies a tad better.
I purchased the cherry finish and Vanns offered the best deal on the internet and the product arrived in no time. I was concerned about the finish at first because the finish looks so light on the internet but the finish is actually darker than it appears in photos. It matches my bar perfectly, which also has a cherry veneer.
Review
Amazing Speakers! (March 10, 2010)
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Reviewed By: Dan R. - Stamford, CT
I received two Energy RC Minis in the mail about a week and a half ago and I have to say first that I am not only impressed with the speakers, but with Vanns great service- the speakers came in two different boxes and that confused me for a bit, but their customer service immediately tracked the packages and figured it out for me.
These speakers are definitely the most expensive Ive ever bought. Im currently in college and with these speakers Ive completed my surround setup, and I couldnt be happier. The small size lets me fit them into little nooks and corners, but they use power efficiently and spread very balanced sound across my dorm room which is a challenge for audio symmetry to say the least. The highs are extremely clear but not overwhelming, and they can really perform in the mid range strengths are where theyre supposed to be- in orchestral music and properly developed surround movies. I would, however, recommend a subwoofer to go with these speakers if you want to get the most out of them. I have a Polk PSW 10 and it mixes with the Energies of which I now have 4 perfectly.
Aethetically, these speakers are exquisite. theyre very good looking, the wood is smooth and durable and you can tell theyre built to last.
All in all, I would recommend these speakers to anyone who wants to upgrade their existing system. Of course there are other even more expensive alternatives, but with my budget these were the best choice by far.
Review
Great Speaker (March 08, 2010)
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Reviewed By: Bryan F. - Westerville, OH
This is my first time using Energy speakers but knowing the quality of this brand and the price as advertised, it was too good of a deal to pass up. I have absolutely no regrets buying these and worked out perfect in my bedroom. The mids and highs are right up there with the set of B&Ws I have in my livingroom. I did, however, order an 8 Energy Sub to fill in the lows which it needs...
Review
Energy RC Mini Review (February 26, 2010)
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Reviewed By: Neil C. - raritan, NJ
Initially purchased Energy Take 5 Classics speaker set. The sound of these speakers is quite satisfying, however, I was looking to upgrade to a 7.1 system with limited front left and right speaker space. Purchased the RC Mini Cherry and they really delivered exceptional sound and the quality of construction also exceeded my expectations
Vanns does a great job packaging the speakers and their customer service is nothing short of excellent.
Review
great speakers (February 16, 2010)
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Reviewed By: Tommy - Belmont, CA
after a long research period for my first set of quality speakers for my 5.1 system, I bought 4 at $100 each. Great sound quality, good solid construction, and 5-way posts highly recommended. BTW Vanns shipped the items right away.
Review
Sweet Surrounds (February 16, 2010)
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Reviewed By: Jeff K. - Oceanside, CA
I replaced my old Infinity RS surrounds with the RC Minis due to space limitations and aesthetics. I am using the minis as my rear surrounds and front heights. I could not be more pleased! The sound is very clear and smooth, not dull like the Infinitys. The speaker itself is beautiful in Cherry, so much so that I had to paint the room to look as nice as the speaker. The wall mounts are an added bonus. This is my first upgrade in 10 years so I did a ton of research and am glad I ended up with the Energys. I am pleased by the speaker quality, the value and the service at Vanns.
Review
The Energy RC-Mini really surprised me! (February 16, 2010)
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Reviewed By: PDXGary - Portland, OR
I was very sceptical about these speakers as to their size. But WOW are they fabulous as they sound simply fantastic. And Vanns service was stellar - ordered and got the speakers in less than 5 days!
Review
Energy Speakers RC Mini (February 15, 2010)
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Reviewed By: Brian K. - Columbus, OH
Im using these as the surrounds in my home theater system and they are fantastic. Beautiful to look at and listen to.
Review
Great Little Speakers (February 13, 2010)
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Reviewed By: Brad T. - Panama City, FL
Ive been using these speakers for about a month, and I absolutely love them. They provide such shockingly big sound that it really rivals that of much larger speakers from other manufacturers. The sound quality of these little guys is off the charts. Ive yet to hear an Energy speaker that I havent liked and these are no exception.
They can play at reference levels without the slightest distortion, and really have to be pushed well beyond comfortable listening levels before they show any signs of breaking up. They work great for movies, and even better for music. They have a very smooth yet detailed sound that is really a pleasure to listen to.
Maybe even more impressive than the sound is the build quality. They have a real wood veneer, and a beautiful finish that the pictures really dont do justice. Theyll definitely satisfy the wife approval factor. They also come included with wall mounts which will save you a little money and trouble of buying them separate.
In my opinion, the RC Minis sound much better than comparable offerings from Klipsch and Polk that Ive experienced, and I would recommend them to anyone looking for speakers that are both small and stylish without sacrificing performance.
Vanns was great to deal with as usual. Ive made several purchases through them, and their customer service is always impeccable.
Review
Very cute and sounds great (February 12, 2010)
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Reviewed By: nagesh - fremont, CA
There are excellent speakers. I am using it for surround speakers. Very well built. Beautiful looking. Sounds great. Very easy to install with the supplied mounts.
Review
Great surrounds (February 12, 2010)
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Reviewed By: Tim van der Linden - Los Angeles, CA
Bought these to use with RC-10 Mains, and couldnt be happier. Great sound, nice and compact for wall mounting, and definitely couldnt beat the price! Definitely recommend for surrounds, but you might want something a little beefier for your main speakers.
Review
Good Buy (February 12, 2010)
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Reviewed By: Bill J. - Connellsville, PA
Purchased the cherry RC-minis for the sale price. Using these as rear surrounds with Energy C300 front, CC50 center, and C100 surrounds. Can notice a definite clarity and crispness as compared to the C100s. Solid speaker, nice finish.
Review
Great for satellites (February 11, 2010)
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Reviewed By: dj b. - NoHo, CA
We have a long narrow living room - about 20 feet from TV at one end to the couch at the other. After having a baby, I could no longer turn up the TVstereo volume loud enough to cross the room at night. For some time Ive recognized that a pair of rear speakers was desirable. But I refused to consider tiny satellite cubes, and most other mini bookshelves were comparatively large or cheap.
When I saw the Energy RC-Mini on sale, I knew it was worth a shot. Certainly more capable than satellite cubes on the assumption that size & volume still matter. Yet the RC-Minis are an inch or two smaller in most dimensions than comparably priced good bookshelf speakers. As they say, a perfect compromise.
It also helped that the RC-Minis tweeter and woofer are similar in materials of construction to my big B&W DM602 S3 bookshelfs up front. Of course Energys timbrevoice wont be identical, but at this price point there were enough similarities to go for it. And the cherry wood finish is appropriate for the wood accents in our home.
The build quality of the RC-Mini appears excellent, and the wood cabinet finish is superbe. Each speaker weighs about 5 pounds - a good hefty brick. Of course I can only assume that quality appearance equals quality, but that goes a long way. I got a set of corner shelves from Lowes, with the support brackets underneath and earthquake anchors, and screwed it all into the wall to be sure that the speakers dont slip or fall here in SoCal.
Ive watched a few hours of movies and TV so far. The first hour or two, the RC-Minis voice seemed a tad off, but its smoothed out since then. I am VERY pleased with their sound. At night I can dial up my rear channel gain and turn down the front speakers, and Im perfectly happy with the musical and broadcast sound quality of the RC-Minis all by themselves.
Of course these things are tiny and cant deliver the bass of a large speaker or sub. So calibrate your expectations and dont harp on apples and oranges.
For the record, the NHT Absolute Zero bookshelves were also enticing, but lost out due to larger size, color choice, and materials of construction that did not match my front speakers. Ive heard NHTs that sounded superbe - but it just wasnt as good a match for me.
I am very happy with the Energy RC-Mini speakers and would highly recommend them to others with needs like mine...
Review
Great lil speakers (February 11, 2010)
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Reviewed By: Jesse J. - Chicago, IL
Im using two of these in my 2.1 setup with an Energy sub for my 10 x 15 entertainment room. They put out plenty of power I have to keep the volume on my Pioneer receiver in negative dB if I want to be able to think. They sound great, although I can only compare them to my TVs built-in speaker in this room. Right now, I have the bare speaker wire screwed down by the beefy posts, but I plan to put banana clips on the wires and should have no problem. The speakers are solidly made and look good. They come with good swivel ball mounts that tighten up well. Im not using them instead I attached the little rubber bumper feet to the sides and laid them down in front of the TV. Before I put the feet on, I had one speaker fall off while the music was cranked, but I dont know if it walked off or if my cats did it. It fell two feet, possibly bouncing off the subwoofer, onto carpet and my iPod without any damage. No problems since adding the included feet. The little logo sticker on the faceplate is movable if you lay them down, but I havent bothered with it.
Review
RC Mini delivers! (February 11, 2010)
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Reviewed By: Robert M. - Lansing, MI
I bought 2 of these to serve as surrounds matched with 2 Energy RC10s and an Energy RC Mini CC Center.
After breaking them in over the course of a couple weeks, I ran them through their paces to see how they sounded in a variety of scenarios.
Music - The tone is obviously similar to the larger RC10 speaker, though lacks its fullness. They sound good though, and I thought it still presented a very natural sound.
Movies - Since Im using them as surrounds, the bulk of the time theyll just be used in movies and TV shows rather than music. In that setting they function great. They hold their own when it comes to explosions, bangs, and whatever other sound effects come through the surround channels of your favorite action movie. You obviously wouldnt want to be using these in a setting without a subwoofer as they dont go very low at all due to their small size, but they provide a very viable option.
For a budget crunch setting, they could be used as front LR speakers and sound just fine. I feel they are better suited however in more of a support role and let their bigger brothers due the bulk of the work.
Visually they look great as all of Energys speakers tend to do. The rosewood finish matches perfectly with my hardwood floors. They passed the WAF with flying colors.
Review
Big sound from small package (July 02, 2009)
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Reviewed By: Walter P. - lynchburg, va
Bought a set of RC-Mini bookshelves to use as rear surrounds with my RC-30 mains and WOW! what a great sounding speaker. Great highs and mids blend well with the RC line and the real wood cabinets are without equal. These replaced a set of Boston Acoustics Micros which were good speakers in their right but the Minis had much more detail. No hesitation in recommending these speakers
Review
Revealing little speaker (May 30, 2009)
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Reviewed By: Rob S. - Missoula, Montana
I have a pair of these in an office environment, as an upgrade to the speakers that came with my JVC mini system. The fit and finish is excellent with very nice, solid cabinets, great high quality binding posts and grills that stay on with magnets-no posts to break off.
They offer impressive detail in high frequencies with smooth and uncolored mid range performance. You can get on this speaker with quite a bit of volume before it breaks up. The bass response falls off hard at about 80-100 hz so pair them with a subwoofer that does a good job of low and mid bass for best performance-typically an 8 inch would work well.
Make sure to break these speakers in before you judge as they sound too crisp initially. Run pink noise radio tuned to no station for a couple of days while youre out of the house at moderate volume to do this efficiently.
Comparison Specifications
- Power rating: Up to 150W recommended amplifier power
- Impedance: 8 ohms (nominal) / 4 ohms minimum
- Tweeter: 1.0" aluminum-dome tweeter
- Woofer: 4.5" kevlar ribbed elliptical surround woofer
- Crossover: 2.5kHz
- Cabinet design: Bass reflex, rear vented
- Mounting options: can be used with Energy Macromount bracket
Additional Specifications
- Frequency response: 80Hz - 23000Hz ±3dB
- Usable bass response: 10dB anechoic @ 70Hz
- Sensitivity: 88dB (anechoic) / 91dB (2 speakers in a typical room)
- Terminals: Binding post connectors
- Included accessories: rubber bumpers, wall mount bracket
Dimensional Specifications
- Dimensions (each): 4.75" W x 7.50" H x 6.58" D
- Weight (each): 5 lbs
Energy RC MINI Warranty Details
5-year parts and labor limited warranty
