Very smooth & dynamic

I had been looking for new speakers for almost 2 years. I was waiting on a move and on saving some money. I listened to everything I could find from Dynaudio 42/52 to vienna Acoustics Hayden. I never found the right sound at the right price. I am limited to a bookshelf speaker due to space constraints. After hearing these locally(1.5 hour drive), I decided to give them a shot but ended up buying online cause the store would not come down nearly enough. I really tried to work it out. I listened after the unpack and not too impressed. I let them play for 20 hours in the basement and tried them again. Now they sounded a lot better. Two problems, boomy bass and constrained top end, almost like the sound was hitting a cieling. The bass is really a problem with positioning. I have the speakers in a decorative niche on either end of the wall. Once I placed them outinto the room some, the bass was tighter and better blended. I though the power port might help me out but it did not. I''ll need to make some stands for more serious listening sessions. For day to day I can adjust the bass control down a bit and it sounds very good. After another 10 hours or so, the cieling effect disappeared (thankfully). Now the upper end was a lot freer and open. For me the overall sound is better than most of the stuff I heard. There is very good detail, nice soundstage and a smoothness that appeals to me. When properly set up they have great bass. I don''t think these speakers will ever fatigue as they are as non-bright as you can get while still being detailed. The best thing is they are toe tappers. When playing, they just seem to get me involved in the music. I would say they were most similar the the VA Hayden speakers only at half the price. Running them on a Denon 3801 receiver and it seems to be handling the load fine. It warms up, but does not get HOT and sounds great. Fit n finish is good, but not perfect. Not really nticeable with grilles on, but when removed the glueing of the wood side panels is a tad sloppy. I am very happy so far and would buy them again. For me they seem like the right balance of performance & price.

Similar Products Used:

KEF Q1, KEF RDM2, B&W CDM1NT, Phase Tech, Tannoy, M&K