soundstage width and depth - - accuracy of the sound.

they won't smooth over the ugly shrill sound of strings on an old poorly recorded CD. They need to be placed so tweeter is at ear level in your sitting down listening position - - not a good "walk around the room while your listening" speaker.

I posted an earler review under SuperZero category shortly after the purchase. Mine are SuperZero XU. I've grown to appreciate them even more over the past three years. I use in conjunction with an NHT SubOne 250w sunfire subwoofer. I was a performing musician for 15 years in multiple kinds of musical groupings - so have a good point of reference for real-world sound. These speakers are the closest to reality that I've found in nearly 50 years as an audio system listener. I've auditioned a number of very expensive speakers since I got these hoping to find something even better - but so far, at least, nothing has exceeded these. I did find some that match them(very very expensive)-but they did not exceed. Of course, personal taste enters into such judgements in a large way. The quality of source has great impact as well. The secret of these speakers is in their superb reproduction of the middle part of the audio spectrum. Some do it as well - but I haven't found any that exceed. You'll, of course, need a competent subwoofer. My $1175 investment in these speakers was $375 + $800 for the subwoofer. Driving them with a very high current amplifier which these speakers need as they do present a substantial load and won't sound well with a low current amp. Very very flat response and do vocals (male and female) superbly. Most reviewers don't acknowledge that the sound of a particular type of musical instrument varies WIDELY. For example, when I was at the music conservatory, there were always raging discussions about the sonic characteristics of various french horns. Cheap violins don't sound as rich and smooth as very expensive ones. Listen to these tiny acoustic suspension speakers critically with a good subwoofer and you'll be amazed at the depth and breadth of the soundstage and their timbral accuracy. Don't be too quick to judge them either. An oboe may sound thin to you on one track, but - it could be simply that the oboeist was using a bad reed that day! Give 'em a listen.

Similar Products Used:

AR3a, KLH6, B&W, Phase Technology