Energy Connoisseur C-2 bookshelf speakers in high gloss black with grilles off, showing the tweeter, silver-cone woofer and front bass port

Side view of the Energy Connoisseur C-2 pair, the piano-gloss black side panel reflecting the room beside the grille-off woofer and tweeter

Energy Connoisseur C-2 pair seen at an angle, glossy black cabinet tops and sides beside matte front baffles with the grilles off

Energy Connoisseur C-2 pair at an angle with grilles on, black cloth fronts with the Energy badge and glossy black cabinet sides

Energy

Energy Connoisseur C-2 Bookshelf Speakers – Made in Canada

$325.00

The standmount at the top of Energy's acclaimed 1990s Connoisseur line, in high gloss black, presenting very well and sounding great for their size.

✔️ Good condition, at the upper end of the grade — the high gloss black presents very well as a pair
✔️ Bi-wire ready — four gold binding posts on each speaker, jumpers in place
✔️ Made in Canada — the standmount at the top of Energy’s acclaimed Connoisseur line
✔️ Covered by Radique Warranty
✔️ Includes Perpetual Trade-Back Program eligibility
✔️ Expertly packed for safe shipping

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Description

The standmount at the top of Energy’s acclaimed 1990s Connoisseur line, in high gloss black, presenting very well and sounding great for their size.

What they are

The Connoisseur C-2 is classic Canadian loudspeaker engineering: a two-way, front-ported standmount from Energy of Scarborough, Ontario, built by a design team working from the listening research done at Canada’s National Research Council. When Stereophile’s Thomas J. Norton reviewed them in 1996, he found the pair, then US$700, made “a powerful argument” for value, with a spacious soundstage, clean and naturally warm midbass, and treble he described as “easy, open, detailed.”

A 6.5″ woofer with an injection-moulded aluminum/polypropylene cone works with a 1″ aluminum-dome tweeter through a 1.8 kHz crossover. The result reaches down to 40 Hz, which is real bass from a bookshelf cabinet, and at 88 dB and 8 ohms nominal they are an easy load for anything from a vintage receiver to a modern integrated in the 30 to 130 watt range. The port sits on the front baffle, so they are happy closer to a wall than a rear-ported design. Around the back, a recessed cup carries gold-plated bi-wire binding posts, so you can run a single cable through the jumpers or bi-wire them. They are a natural match for acoustic music, vocals and jazz, and have the punch for rock and electronic as well.

Condition

Good, at the upper end of that grade. The high gloss black is the reason it is not higher: a gloss finish shows the small marks of use that a matte or wood finish would hide. Taken as a pair, they still present very well, and they sound great for their size. Both speakers carry their jumpers; on one, a short wire link stands in for one of the two gold straps, and it does the same job.

Canadian reference sound from Energy’s best years, in a finish that still turns heads.

Available for pickup in Kanata, or shipped across Canada and internationally — we have sent equipment to fifteen countries in the past year, each piece packed in-house in 275 lb test double-wall boxes. Live shipping rates for your address are calculated at checkout. Backed by Radique Audio’s Bumper-to-Bumper Warranty and our Perpetual Trade-Back Program. Available for audition by appointment in Kanata.

Energy Connoisseur C-2 Specifications

Design: two-way, standmount, bass reflex (front-ported)
Woofer: 6.5″ injection-moulded aluminum/polypropylene cone
Tweeter: 1″ aluminum dome
Crossover: 1.8 kHz
Frequency response: 40 Hz – 25 kHz (±3 dB)
Sensitivity: 88 dB/W/m
Impedance: 8 ohms nominal, 4.5 ohms minimum
Recommended amplifier power: 30 – 130 watts per channel
Connections: gold-plated bi-wire binding posts with jumpers
Finish: high gloss black
Made in Canada by Energy Loudspeakers, Scarborough, Ontario
Dimensions: (Height x Width x Depth) 17.75 x 9.7 x 9.75 inches (451 x 246 x 248 mm)
Weight: 19 lbs (8.6 kg) each

🔌 Speaker Cable, Bi-Wiring and Connectors

The dual posts here take bare wire, spades, pins or bananas, and they mean you can bi-wire or bi-amp if you ever want to. Our bi-wire speaker bridges replace the factory straps with something considerably better made. We hand-build speaker cable here in any length you need on our Custom Speaker Cable Builder, terminated with our own gold-plated banana plugs or spade connectors. 👉

✅ Buy With Confidence — The Radique Promise

Backed by Radique Audio’s Bumper-to-Bumper Warranty and our Perpetual Trade-Back Program. When you’re ready to move on, we’ll take it back. That’s the Radique difference.

📦 Watch how we protect your gear — our unboxing video.

📺 Curious about our business? Check out our YouTube channel for behind-the-scenes videos and more!

📞 Questions? Use the Ask a Question button above, or call us at 613-416-9995.

Additional information

Weight	40 lbs
Dimensions	13.75 × 25.4 × 21.75 in
Impedance	8 Ω
Power Handling	101–200 W
Sensitivity	86–89 dB
Woofer Size	6–7″
Finish	Gloss Black, Rosewood

About brand

Energy at Radique

We service Energy, too. Bring us your own Energy speakers and subwoofers for repair, servicing or restoration (speakers up to 80 lbs each), with a 90-day warranty on the work. See our Audio Service page

Energy is a Canadian speaker brand from Audio Products International (API) of Scarborough, Ontario, the same company and factory behind Mirage. API was founded in 1973, and the Energy brand dates from the late 1970s or early 1980s. We carry Energy bookshelf speakers, towers, centre channels and subwoofers. We've had more than 170 Energy listings so far, covering more than 75 different models. Every used Energy here is inspected, tested and serviced as required, then photographed in-house and covered by our Bumper-to-Bumper Warranty and Perpetual Trade-Back Program. Don't see the model you want? Tell us on First Dibs and we'll email you when one arrives.

Our five best-selling Energy models so far: the RC-mini bookshelf speakers, the e:XL-S8 and ESW-8 subwoofers, the e:XL-C centre and the C-300 towers.

The Energy story

Howard Heiber founded Audio Products International in 1973 in Scarborough, Ontario, as a builder of private-label speakers. Energy says its brand dates from 1973; other sources point to the late 1970s or early 1980s, when API took on the Energy and Sound Dynamics names.

Research in Canada. Energy took part in the National Research Council of Canada's listening-test research from 1977 to 1986, and its speakers were built at API's Scarborough factory, which it shared with Mirage.

Veritas and Connoisseur. The Veritas v2.8 flagship was shown at the 1993 Winter CES, and the Connoisseur series followed in the mid-1990s. The Take 5 satellite system arrived in 1997.

New owners. Klipsch Group of Indianapolis bought API, with Energy, Mirage and Athena, in August 2006, and production moved to China around 2006 to 2007. VOXX bought Klipsch in 2011, and Gentex bought VOXX in 2025.

Which Energy is which?

Veritas (1993 onward): the flagship line, such as the three-way v2.8.

Connoisseur (mid-1990s to mid-2000s): models such as the C-2, C-3, C-6 and C-8.

Reference Connoisseur (RC): including the RC-70 towers and the RC-mini, one of our best sellers.

Take 5 and Take Classic (1997 onward): small satellite-and-subwoofer systems.

XL and e:XL (2000s): the entry line. Our best-selling e:XL-S8 subwoofer and e:XL-C centre come from here.

C-series (late 2000s): the vinyl-finished budget line, from the C-50 to the C-500, including the C-300 towers.

Subwoofers: the ESW and S-series, such as the ESW-8 we sell often.

Buying used Energy: what to check

Aluminum-dome tweeters. Owners report broken tweeters on some Connoisseur models. Look closely for dented or cracked domes.

Powered subwoofers. Owners report failed plate amplifiers on some S-series subs. Any sub should play cleanly at volume.

Surrounds. Most Energy woofers of the 1990s and 2000s use rubber surrounds, but some models, such as the RVSS dipole, used foam. Press gently on each woofer surround.

Where it was made. Energy speakers were made in Scarborough into the mid-2000s and in China from about 2006 to 2007. Check the rear label if Canadian manufacture matters to you.

Everything we list is inspected, tested and serviced as required here, and comes with our warranty.