Bought these used for 800$ about 3 years ago and i have not been disappointed. These are in a whole other category compared to sub 1K Polk, Klipsch, B&W... I initially drove these using a HK-3485 i picked up for cheap, but it wasn't cutting it, so later changed it to a CA 840a v2, and the resulting sound stage was incredible. From having tried better amps, i know there's even more room for growth for these babies.

Placement is extremely important with these, so dont hesitate to get away from the wall, and play around with different amps until you find the one that fits. You will be literally able to close your eyes and imagine the band is in your room.

the highs are incredibly clear, with a full midrange, and decent tight bass (not much of a thump thump - these are more musical than big deep bass speakers). I listen to vinyl and CD, and stream spotify (HQ) - the source makes a huge difference with these, and they are relatively unforgiving for crappy inputs. Classic music, accoustic stuff and voice are just out of this world, you will hear detail you had never noticed.

Bonus points, they look really nice in a living room - the angle makes it look really unique and nice, and they dont look massive and aggressive, just beautiful and understated.

Tall, deep and wide stage, female vocals sound very sweet and natural. Shoot- it all sounds sweet and natural.

Not for bass heads by themselves. Think about where you are putting them. They will reveal what is upstream for the good, the bad and the ugly.

I can't believe these speakers! I listened to: Pro AC, Naim, B+W, Meadow Lark, AP Spark, JM Focal, Vienna Acoustics, Polk, Dynaudio, you get the picture. These things blow away every other pair I heard. You would literaly need to spend thousands of dollars more to get where these speakers put you. The imaging and insturment placement on the Tempo II is second to none. Sound stage is wide yes, but no other review mentions the height of that stage. I was playing around with placement options yesterday, and put them about 5 feet into my livingroom. I just could not believe the sound that came out of them. The bass extended a bit deeper, the soundstage got wider, but the big surprise was how much deeper the stage became. I've owned these speakers for over 6 months and have always loved them, but yesterday's little experiment inspired me to write this review-I just had to share my enthusiasm. Think my wife will let me keep them in the middle of the room? Now for the cautions. The bass is very tight and tunefull, but really rolls off around 42 Hrz. I added a REL Q-108 sub, and cleaned that problem up fast. This combonation really can not be beaten. The seconed caution has been alluded to already-placement. Once you get them dialed in it will be worth a bit of friction with your spouse to keep them there. (I lost round one, bloody but not down yet. I'm sending her to the beach alone next weekend). The final caution concerns speaker wire. Get something thick and copper. NO SILVER WITH SOLID STATE for these boys. If you can find these speakers at any reasonable price, but them - fast.

expansive soundstage,pinpoint imaging,accurate portrayal of instrumental timbres, excellent bass,beautiful finish...

err...none!!

I have been very happy with my Audio Physic Sparks for some time now,but a recent move put the hifi system in the living room where the sight of two black towers was not acceptable to my wife...so I started looking for an acceptable compromise(in natural wood finish,of course).
I listend to sonus fabers and vienna acoustics(I preferred
the sonus fabers)I also considered the nautilus 805.they look cool in the natural cherry,but I have never been a fan of the B&W sound.I found a demo pair of the tempos and got a tremendous deal for less than a pair of the new sparks!
needless to say I am very pleased,they have all the great qualities of the sparks but in greater abundance,deeper bass,more transparent,finer treble and excellent dynamics,they also sound more natural to me ,maybe it's the coated woofer.all in all an excellent speaker and an absolute steal at the price I paid.Even my wife is happy with how they look,they are beautiful in the cherry finish.
If you can find a pair at this kind of price,buy them,you will not be disapointed!

Similar Products Used:

name it i've had it...see my spark review...

Tonal accuracy, realistic soundstage, styling, did I say tonal accuracy, emotionally involving.

Makes other speaker mfgr's wonder what they are doing wrong.
Bass although tight and accurate doesn't extend very low.

I have constantly tried to find an excuse to sell these and buy some ultra expensive speakers but I've yet to hear speakers that I enjoy as much as these. One cannot find a much better value. When matched with a good sub they are pure, joyful, and musical. (really, they are without the sub too) They should be standard issue for all audiophiles. Hey Norb, can I give these 10 stars?

Similar Products Used:

none other than other audio physic products.

I recently purchased a pair of Tempo II's after listening to numerous speakers in the $2500 - $3500 range. The Tempo's were the clear standout. They have a rich musicality, wide soundstage and wonderful low leval detail. Their bass response is clear and reasonably deep, but not overstated. By comparison, the Thiel 1.5's and 2.3's and the Joseph RM22si's were sterile and dry. The PSB Gold's were all bass. The only other speakers that came close were the Meadowlark Shearwater's, but they did not have the same degree of uncolored midrange clarity that the Tempo's have. No speaker I heard reproduced accoustic piano wityh the clarity and tonal accuracy that these do. For example, check out Kieth Jarrett on Bye Bye Blackbird or Oscar Peterson on Night Train.
I have listened to the Tempo's with a Conrad Johnson CAV 50 integrated amp and several different mid range CD players (Theta Miles, Naim 3.5 etc.), which together produce a warm,lush, relaxed, thoroughly satisfying sound. Listen to Joni Mitchell's smokey voice on Herbie Hancock's Gershwin's World or Joshua Redman's sax on any of his albums to see what I mean.

Check 'em out - - they're hot.

-Wide and deep soundstage
-Lots of detail
-Correct representation of instruments and voices

Bass could go a little deeper

Summary:
I recently auditioned Thiel CS 1.5, Audio Physic Spark, Audio Physic Tempo II, B&W Nautilus 805, Kef reference 1,
Totem Forest, Tannoy D500 and Elac CS 505. First i listened in various shops. I ended up with the 2 runners up, Totem Forest and Audio Physic Tempo II. After a listening session at home for a direct comparison, i purchased the audio physic tempo II. The totems sounded incredibly warm and their tonal setting was just not right. The Audio Physic gave me a very deep and wide soundstage, lots of detail, clear and clean bass although it could go a little deeper and a beautifull mid and high. I highly reccomend these speakers.

Similar Products Used:

Thiel CS 1.5
Audio Physic Spark
Audio Physic Tempo II
B&W Nautilus 805
Kef reference 1
Totem Forest
Tannoy D500
Elac CS 505

I recently auditioned the Thiel CS 2 2, Dynaudio Contour 1.8 mk II, Meadowlark Heron, ProAc Tablette 50 signature, ProAc Response 2.5, ProAc Studio 250, Hales Design Group Revelation III, the Audio Physic Spark, and the Audio Physic Tempo II. I purchased the Audio Physic Tempo II, because of its wonderful balance, transparency, detail, and soundstage. They were the closest to the ProAc Response 2.5 at close to $1000 less. The Tempo II has a delightfully clear and clean bass, much more dynamic than the Sparks. I highly reccomend these speakers.