Energy Veritas V-6.3 Floorstanding Loudspeaker Review

Energy Veritas V-6.3 Introduction

If you are one to pay any attention to the loudspeaker industry trades, you may have come across an article or two about API (of which Energy is a part) being purchased by Klipsch, which was in turn purchased by Audiovox. With changes like that, its easy to wonder what exactly it is you’re buying when you spot a pair of Energy Veritas V-6.3 at your local audio salon. Well, what is it – a Klipsch? Energy?

Audiovox?

Though I’ve not listened to samples from every one of Energy’s product lines, I’ve gotten to know the Veritas V-6.3 well during the time I’ve had these review samples. These do not sound like a Klipsch product. If you’re already a fan of Energy’s products you’ll find in the V-6.3’s all the design & performance characteristics that have treated the home audio crowd to listening experiences satisfying in a uniquely Energy way for nearly 3 decades. (Incidentally, the claim that the V-6.3s don’t sound anything like a Klipsch is by no means a slight at Klipsch; indeed, if home theater is your thing and you prefer the sound of a well tuned commercial theatre, the Klipsch THX Ultra2 home theatre system will rock your world).

Design Overview

The V-6.3s arrived in 2 shipping cartons, each weighing in at just over 65 lbs (29.5kg). The V-6.3s are well packed within the shipping cartons, each individually wrapped in a large cloth sock (essential given their high-gloss piano black finish). The plinth (base), grill cover and other accessories, such as the foam plugs used for tuning the systems LF response,  were packed separately but within the main shipping carton as well.

Energy Veritas V-6.3 Unboxed

Pop open the top of the shipping carton and you’re looking at an instruction sheet for unpacking the speakers and installing the plinth. It’s a good idea to look over this sheet before proceeding; it’s a bit complicated in the that shipping carton. Additionally, you’ll find at the top the owners manual, a kit containing a wrench and a choice of either spikes or rubber feet and a pair of the whitest cloth gloves you’ve ever seen. Gloves? Look again at how reflective the finish on the V-6.3s in the above graphics for a hint as to why the gloves are included.

Once you’ve actually seen the finish on the V-6.3s you’ll understand why the gloves are a necessity. A necessity that is, if keeping the speaker’s mirror black finish in out-of-the-box new condition is a priority for you. The gloves were a nice touch that hinted at the attention Energy put into the details of the V-6.3s.

Design-wise, the V-6.3s are a 4-driver, 3-way, dual-ported, base-reflex passive system, featuring a pair of 6.5” woofers, a single 5.25” midrange driver and a single, 1” aluminum dome tweeter.  They’re rear-ported and feature a pair of 3” ducts, flanged at both ends. The V-6.3s also come supplied with the earlier mentioned port plugs that can be used in either or both ducts. Plugging them alters the system’s LF response, offering a degree of response-altering flexibility to help the end user better fit the response to the acoustical characteristics of their listening space. 

 

At Left: looking downward at the cabinet’s crossbracing. At right: Looking upward at the bulkhead

            that separates the tweeter\midrange drivers from the subwoofers

The cabinets themselves are constructed of a .75” MDF laminate and are cross-braced internally. All edges are radiused minimally. Noteworthy here is the placement of the midrange & tweeter in their own compartment, separated from the woofer pair by an internally placed bulkhead.   Both the tweeter\midrange and woofer compartments are stuffed. The system’s crossover is bolted to the inside of back panel, midway between the ducts. At the input end, the V-6.3s sport a twin pair of heavy nickel-plated, 5-way binding posts, equipped with a removable jumper. Removing the jumper allows for either bi-amping or bi-wiring. The grille cover is a black, fabric-on a very sturdy plastic frame construct that attaches to the cabinet magnetically.

The V-6.3s come in either a Piano Black or Rosenut veneer. The samples provided for this review were, of course, finished in high-gloss Piano Black and looked great. If your listening space is located within a kid-rich environment you may find the glossy black finish to be quite the fingerprint magnet, so keep a polishing cloth handy to keep the V-6.3s appearance in top form. Fit & finish are excellent.

 

The Drivers

 

 

At left: 6.5” Woofer Pair; Center: Ribbed Elliptical Surround close-up; Right: Midrange & Tweeter

The woofers and midrange driver feature Kevlar cones, come equipped with a patented, distortion reducing, ribbed elliptical surround, bucking magnets and a cast basket. The distortion-reducing aluminum phase plug helps smooth the driver’s response at higher frequencies, as well as providing a handy heat sink for the motor structure. The tweeter features a 1” aluminum dome diaphragm, a neodymium magnetic structure and a finned heat sink.  Each driver is individually gasketed and recessed into the cabinet’s faceplate. The drivers are also covered at their edges by a thin metal plate that serves an aesthetic purpose along with minimizing any surface discontinuities. 

 

 

Pictured Left: Energy V-6.3 Crossover; Pictured Right: Backside connectors

The Crossover

The V-6.3s crossovers are affixed to the center of the back panel, midway between the ports.

The crossovers comprise the usual collection of inductive (air & metal core), capacitive & resistive components that are all strapped and/or epoxied to the circuit board. Where appropriate, the inductors are arranged so as to minimize electromagnetic crosstalk. Inter-component connection is handled beneath the board. All leads connecting the drivers and binding posts are soldered at the board as well. The V-6.3s are a 3-way system featuring High-Frequency/Mid-frequency crossover point  at 2500 Hz and the Mid-Frequency/Low-Frequency crossover point at 800 Hz.

The Backside

The V-6.3s are dual-ported, with both ducts located in the back. Both 3”-diameter ducts are flared at both ends. The heavy nickel-plated binding posts come equipped with a jumper that can be removed allowing for bi-amping or bi-wiring. You can see the binding posts, jumpers and the V-6.3s high-gloss finish at right. The jumpers do exactly what they’re  designed to do but as is often the case,  it can take a bit of fiddling when connecting the V-6.3s to your speaker cables with them in place.

Energy Veritas V-6.3 Set-Up & Listening Tests

Careful experimentation with location to determine just where the best spots are located within your listening space is pretty much essential if maxing the performance of your system is a priority. Walk the room while speaking and have an accomplice (seated in the main listening position) listen. Usually the preferred locations, known as “zones of neutrality” will reveal themselves quickly. These zones, represent  carefully chosen compromises that best support the speaker by acoustically interfering with it the least. Once the zones are located, fine tuning their location can further focus the acoustical image generated by the speakers. For this review, the V-6.3s ended up being located 8’ apart, 3’ in from the back wall and 2.5’ in from the side wall.  They were auditioned both toed in (focused at the main listening position with a laser pointer) and pointed directly at the back wall

All listening tests were conducted both with & without a subwoofer in two-channel configuration with the V-6.3s set to “large” or “small” as appropriate in the A/V receiver’s (Denon AVR-3806) bass management.  Other gear used included a Toshiba HD-A35 DVD/H-DVD player, a Hafler DH-500 stereo power amplifier, a pair of custom built subs and the AVR/V-6.3s connection was handled by some ordinary 10-ga speaker cable.

CD: John Serrie – And The Stars Go With You

So what have we got here? Sequencers, string synths and soaring comet-tail reverb galore. And a series of masterful compositions by John Serrie, working out his grief over the Challenger disaster. His connection with that moment in history? NASA had commissioned Serrie to write music for the “Teacher in Space”  program back in 1985. Hmmm… From this difficult time came “And the Stars Go With You”, a milestone in the “Space Music” genre.

The V-6.3s displayed remarkable clarity and clean character of their sound that was immediately apparent during the earlier recreational listening sessions. The V-6.3s play very, very clean. “Balance” is another word that comes to mind when describing the 6.3s. For example, with detail, too little and everything tends towards the muddled; too much and everything tends towards the gritty or glarey. The 6.3s have a very obvious talent for sitting midway between the two extremes. As one listener commented who just happened to walk in while I was listening to some well recorded baroque music: you can almost see the strings”! A very apt description.

Tonally speaking, location and orientation (in relation to the listening position) play a key role in how the 6.3s will sound. Toe them in and experience a gentle upward slope of the systems response, starting around 3 kHz or so. Point them directly at the back wall and the previously audible upward sloping response presents a flatter acoustical picture.

With the Serrie CD, the 6.3s opened up a huge sound stage that made the CD ever more engaging. I suppose if you’re composing tracks dealing with outer space you need a big soundstage, too. Anyway, with the V-6.3s, said soundstage easily extended beyond the boundaries defined by the left & right location of the speakers. If you’re in the mood for Space Music, “And the Stars Go With You” is a CD worth listening to. The bass response, as good as it is within its range, has its limits.  If you’re a devotee of acoustical instrument recordings the V-6.3s will provide for a very satisfying, involving  listening experience. But beyond that, such as, say, new-agey space music with lots of bass synth content and a sub (or two if you like), is a must.

CD: Trilok Gurtu - The Trilok Gurtu Collection

Ever hear of Trilok Gurtu? I hadn’t either when I picked up this CD. As a matter of fact, I was looking for something else that particular day, but when I read the cast of characters responsible for this album, I bought it: Nana Vasconcelos, David Gilmore, Pat Metheny, Don Cherry, Joe Zawinul and so forth each contributed their individual talents to this album.

The music is complex, very percussive, well recorded & produced and a veritable sonic obstacle course that will put any loudspeaker through its paces. On a side note, if you are a Metheny fan you’d probably want this CD in your collection.

The V-6.3s were able to present a very stable, well focused soundstage, while maintaining the integrity of the percussive aspects of the compositions throughout. For example, the toms are often arrayed across the soundstage, clearly enough you can point to where they’re located in space, each played with a very clean snap that never got lost in the musical currents of whatever instruments shared the stage. The V-6.3s often revealed much about the placement of instruments and mics in ways that you’d expect from high-end studio monitors. Much of this I would attribute to the low-distortion capabilities of the drivers.

The V-6.3s also excelled in how well they consistently revealed all the low-level detail in the tracks that, frankly, a lesser speaker would have missed. This is one of those albums so rich in detail that you really need to be seated in front of a quality playback system to fully enjoy it. I hadn’t listened to this album in years, so it was a treat to relisten, played back through the V-6.3s. I enjoyed listening to the musical complexity of this album so much I found myself pushing the gain to realistic playback levels. The V-6.3s reproduced the percussive dynamics of each track surprisingly well; they didn’t seem to mind being played loud at all  Nice!

Energy Veritas V-6.3 Measurements & Analysis

 

Impedance / Phase Measurements of the Energy Veritas V-6.3
(left: both ports open ; right: both ports open/closed comparison)

I ran a series of amplitude response & impedance tests for the V-6.3s. Above left we see a plot of both towers system impedance & phase with both ports open.  At the LF end of the sweep we see the twin impedance peaks typical of a vented system. Located between the peaks is a local minimum of 5.5Ω at about 46 Hz. This minimum is a good indicator of the systems tuning frequency. At just over 140 Hz we see a global minimum of 3.5 Ω. Based on this minimum the system can be described as having a nominal impedance of 4 Ω. Presenting the impedance curves for both systems allows for a quick comparison, which would highlight any major differences between the two systems. The curves closely resemble each other and indicate better quality control, system to system, and better matched performance between the V-6.3s. The impedance moduli present no signs of any mechanical or acoustical pathologies (e.g. major panel resonances) being reflected back into the electrical domain Both systems impedance phase lies between +30˚ and -52˚ between 20 & 20 kHz.

Above right is a series of impedance plots showing the effect having both ports open or closed has on the tuned resonance frequency of the system. The red plot is the both ports plugged, blue is both ports open. With both ports plugged, measurements indicate the system is tuned to around 75 Hz. With both ports open, measurements indicate the system is now tuned to around 46 Hz.

Prior to running the impedance scans the V-6.3s cabinet resonance signature was assessed with multi-position  accelerometer measurements. The cabinet presented a mish-mosh of resonances typical of speakers in this price range, but they generally appeared low enough in level and high enough in frequency not to be a significant problem.

 

Energy Veritas V-6.3 system amplitude response, 1m, on-axis, ~2.828 Vac (left) system response at 0˚ (blue), 15˚ (green), 30˚(dark red), off-axis (right)

Above left is the amplitude response plot of the V-6.3s. Plot data were generated using a combination of both nearfield and gated measurements, with the resultant being normalized to 1m. Measured sensitivity was 90 dB (averaged 300Hz – 3kHz, 2.828V/1m). On the right are dB spl amplitude response plots for the system on-axis (0˚ (on-axis); 15˚, and 30˚, off-axis, 3kHz – 20kHz.

Comparison of Grille vs no Grille on Veritas V-6.3

Above is a ratio plot illustrating the effects of the grille cover on the V-6.3s amplitude response. If the cover were perfectly transparent acoustically, the ratio plot would be as straight as an arrow centered on the horizontal 0 dB axis. As can be seen, the grille cover does have an effect, particularly noticeable in the 3kHz – 20 kHz range. For this review, all critical listening was done with the grill covers removed.

Overall, the V-6.3s show a respectably smooth characteristic across the audible portion of the plot, with a measured response in the 300 Hz – 3kHz portion of the spectrum registering a +1, -3dB deviation from flat.

Energy Veritas V-6.3 Recommendations & Conclusion

The Energy Veritas V-6.3s consistently stood out as a product that excelled in presenting a clean, well defined soundstage, tracking percussives & transients in a way that will certainly please even the picky connoisseurs of acoustical recordings. Indeed, the bulk of my recreational listening was spent listening to various baroque period compositions along with various other classical pieces and  a collection of harpsichord recordings! 

As always, I recommend taking the time to position your speakers properly within your listening space. The small investment in time you make up front will pay off now and in the future. My second recommendation would be to pair the speakers with a sub that qualitatively matches the musical strengths of the 6.3s. Freeing the V-6.3s of all responsibility below 80 Hz puts them in a position where their strengths can then be put to best use. Given the small footprint of these speakers and driver compliment, don't expect them to rattle your house.  We always recommend pairing a fine speaker system like this with at least two subwoofers to extend system dynamic range while also providing a smoother and more extended bass response across the entire listening area.

The Energy Veritas V-6.3s are a well built, well designed, well-voiced product that won’t take up much in the way of your floor space. The V-6.3s have an unusually well developed talent for cleanly portraying musical details across a well focused soundstage. Take the time to audition them; bring your best quality, most demanding CDs when you do. And literally hear what you’ve been missing.  We are happy to see Energy is back in the game and ready to slug it out with other high caliber speaker systems.

Review Addendum

Part way through reviewing the V-6.3s I contacted Klipsch, curious to know just how much of the V-6.3s were "Energy" and how much they're "Klipsch". Overall, the sense I got from their response was that Klipsch weren't interested in re-inventing the wheel and to that end took meaningful steps to ensure Energy stays, well, Energy. I thought Energy fans might find their response both interesting and enlightening.  What follows is a bullet-list summary of that response:

• Development of the Veritas line was done in the US by a design team specifically dedicated to the brand, composed mostly of former Klipsch brand people. Klipsch maintains a very good working relationship with many of the former Canadian design team, who are used occasionally on other Energy projects.

• The Veritas line was developed using component designs from older Energy products since they were still designed specifically with the Energy design philosophy in mind. The only component change of any real substance was an increase in the magnet strength\weight of the woofers, done with a view to increasing bass definition.

• In the development process, existing Energy products were used to define the listening & measurement characteristics target profiles in order to maintain the integrity of the product line. For example, in the voicing phase of the Veritas' development other Energy speakers were used as a reference when performing listening tests. Likewise for the measured frequency response profile. The development teams goal was only to ensure the overall smoothness in the response and that there were no obvious problems in the voicing. This was important because otherwise it would be too easy to simply slide down the path of voicing it just like a Klipsch.
  

 

Energy Veritas V-6.3 Review

MSRP: $2999/pair

 3502 Woodview Trace
Suite 200
Indianapolis, IN 46268

Energy Speakers

 

About Energy

Energy® has been a leader in audio research and development as well as in the engineering and manufacturing of speakers since 1973. Theytook what they learned from our involvement with some of the earliest Canadian studies on psychoacoustics, and proceeded to achieve what they believe to be is pure, accurate sound reproduction in all of their speakers through three vital performance principles: flat on-axis frequency response with wide bandwidth; wide, constant dispersion; and low distortion and resonance.

Klipsch Group, Inc. oversees business operations for the Energy®, Mirage®, Klipsch® and Jamo® speaker brands and distribution companies worldwide. This technology powerhouse is focused on leveraging its highly acclaimed product lines to offer a unique and powerful single supply source for its retailers, distributors and contractors globally.

 

The Score Card

The scoring below is based on each piece of equipment doing the duty it is designed for. The numbers are weighed heavily with respect to the individual cost of each unit, thus giving a rating roughly equal to:

Performance × Price Factor/Value = Rating

Audioholics.com note: The ratings indicated below are based on subjective listening and objective testing of the product in question. The rating scale is based on performance/value ratio. If you notice better performing products in future reviews that have lower numbers in certain areas, be aware that the value factor is most likely the culprit. Other Audioholics reviewers may rate products solely based on performance, and each reviewer has his/her own system for ratings.

Audioholics Rating Scale

• — Excellent
• — Very Good
• — Good
• — Fair
• — Poor

Metric	Rating
Build Quality
Appearance
Treble Extension
Treble Smoothness
Midrange Accuracy
Bass Extension
Bass Accuracy
Imaging
Soundstage
Dynamic Range
Performance
Value