Anyone out there own or have experience with Energy Reference 22 loudspeakers?
These were Canadian made speakers available in the late 1980s.
I have an old pair of the black, front ported version that sit on stands. They have Energy's old
dual hyperdome tweeter and a 7 inch woofer. They were purchased around 1990 and retailed for
about $900 CDN per pair at that time.
Noting they are 20 years old, and also that speaker technology has evolved, I have been
auditioning new speakers recently. I have listened to some excellent sounding speakers in the
$1000 to $2500 CDN range (about $900 - 2300 USD) such as B&W, Monitor Audio, Paradigm,
Spendor, Vandersteen etc.
What has surprised me however, is that despite being 20 years old, these old Energy Ref 22s
don't sound bad or outclassed compared to the newer speakers I have auditioned (at least to my
ears). Aside from very good and sweet highs, the 22's bass response seems superior to most of
the floor standing speakers I've tried. I am now considering just keeping these old speakers and
not buying new ones.
Could my ears be playing games with me and giving me an unfair bias towards my old speakers?
Or were the Energy Ref 22s a darn good speaker in their day that still stands up well against
newer competition and newer technology?
Ron
