Energy's Take Classic series is a throwback to their tried-and-true Energy Take system which all but dominated the home theater speaker market years ago. Far from being a trendy system, the Energy Take system was a robust, almost overbuilt speaker set that mixed form and function to a result that the masses gobbled up. The new Take Classic system does more of the same, and is an uncannily solid product that blows away most of the competition.

We started by looking at the satellite speakers. The woofer is a three-inch poly titanium driver and the speaker features a 3/4-inch "hyperbolic" dome tweeter. As the satellite speakers (more like mini-bookshelf speakers given their build quality) are rear-ported, they won't work well mounted against a wall or against anything that will block the free movement of air behind the speaker. Fortunately, there are many ways to mount the speakers with enough of an offset to allow them to "breathe".

The speakers accept cabling through a sort of mini five-way binding post that will accept bare cable of 14 gauge or less, in addition to banana jacks. The center channel is very similar to a laid-down satellite, except that it has some extra volume and dual front ports. The dispersion of these speakers is almost conical in shape. The finish on all speakers is a high black gloss and they all are rated to handle 100 watts of power with a sensitivity rating of 89dB.

The ESW-8 subwoofer is only slightly larger than a cubic foot, with an eight-inch driver that features a front-facing port. The sub driver has Ribbed Elliptical Surround and a 200 watt amplifier. The sub extends down to 33 Hz +/- 3dB, which is impressive for such a small package and certainly better than any sub we've seen included in a system of this price.

The Energy Take Classic System is a very accurate and versatile system. For its price, we'd have to say it's almost mind-blowing and have a hard time wondering just how much money was allocated to build quality on these speakers. The sub was clean and tight for the most part, and the satellites sounded like they were actually bookshelf speakers, though they only extended down to 115Hz per their specifications. Overall, this system shows how a good subwoofer will enable a set of decent satellites to sound their best.

Pros: Unbelievable value and performance
Cons: None at this price

Warranty
5 years, parts and labor