Play music like a scalpel. Voices are uncolored and acoustic instruments are rendered with detail and energy that I attribute to the combination of a 3/4" (1.8cm) and 2" (5cm) midrange that play all the way down to 800Hz. Such small drivers producing such a large part of audio spectrum translates into imaging and accuracy but not efficient. The small woofer and small acoustic suspension enclosure aid in the aforementioned attributes. The juxtaposition of non ported enclosures is that they lack the thump in chest feeling of ported enclosures but the bass rolls off more gradually giving them a rumble feeling in the lower bass. Without a subwoofer they would lend themselves to more acoustic and classical music. But add a subwoofer and these make an amazing 2.1 system. Which is how I use them for movie watching as well as music. They make a 3D sound stage that rivals my out of date 5.1 system.

Ridiculously musical and refined. No love hump in the mid-bass. Never a moment of listener fatigue. Haven't hear any bookshelf speaker, regardless of price, that provides as much bang for the buck as the 3's (when played within their limitations).

Inefficient; won't play loud, won't romp-n-stomp; best in rooms no larger than 500 sq. ft. and matched with receiver/amp stable into 4 ohm load and damping factor of 200 or greater. Not the widest soundstage; easy to assign sound to specific transducers. The gloss finish scratches and smudges was as little as a harsh look. A few compromises on parts quality.

Refined, musical, detailed and polite. Clean, clean, clean from top to bottom. No complaints about musicality or accuracy. Because the 3's are acoustic suspension speakers (no bass port/hole), there are limitations: Inefficiency (they won't play very loud, especially in large rooms); the 3's have trouble filling rooms over 500 sq. ft. with sound.

Customer Service

My experience with Listen Up! was better than average, but the company has a few things to learn about follow-up and policy consistency between stores and corporate HQ. Otherwise, friendly folks and eager to accommodate customers.

Similar Products Used:

Burhoe, Linn, MIrage, Energy, MB Quart, Celestion.

Looks
Build
Bass + Midrange
Remarkably listenable

Imaging could be a bit better, but
I'm still breaking them in.

A friend who is a Home Automation guy told me about these speakers. To be honest, I didn't like the looks of them from their website. So I was pretty surprised when I saw them in person. They are the nicest looking bookshelf speaker I've ever seen. Nothing is close.

Then we plugged them in. Amazing. We listened without a sub, and I had to go put my hand in front of the sub just to make sure. You definitely don't need a sub with these guys.

The mids are probably the greatest strength of these speakers. Everything seems so lovely that you're just dying to hear everything. No harshness, just liquid smooth, effortless sound.

The highs are also good, the imaging is decent (not killer) but overall, they are the best bookshelf speaker I've heard. I bought them on the spot and am very happy I did.

I recommend you go give them a listen. They are a diamond in the rough.

Similar Products Used:

B&W 603
B&W 500s
Axiom M22
various others

Wide sound stage, detail, base

large bookshelf (won't fit on standard speaker stands)

Initial review: I have had these speakers for about a week. The speakers throw a wide soundstage; speaker disappear. They image the sounds well and are detailed. No major complaints given the price range. They do go down much lower than I expected which mates well with my definitive subwoofer. I'm using a Yamaha receive, sony SACD player, MIT T4 interconnects, and kimber 4tc speaker cables.

Similar Products Used:

Polk Audio LS90
Polk Audio LSi9
B&W 602.5 S3
Norh 9.0